A sloping wall off the village of Anse La Raye, on the leeward coast between Soufriere and the northern resorts. The dive runs between 18 m and 34 m, which puts it deeper than most St. Lucian sites, and the face carries many different types of coral and a broad spread of fish life. Rays are often seen here.
Where it is and how deep
13.9406° N, 61.0427° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The published range for the dive is 60 to 110 ft / 18 to 34 m, so most of it sits in the deeper half of the recreational range and no-decompression time, rather than gas, is usually what ends it. The resort operator describes the wall as falling from the surface, so there is shallow water above the site to finish in even though the dive itself is briefed deep.
The face is a sloping one rather than sheer, alive with a multitude of different fish life and carrying many different types of coral, along with sea whips, gorgonians and soft corals; large feather duster worms sit among them, and rays are often seen. The deep limit of the site is 110 ft / 34 m, so the standard shape is to take the deepest part first and then climb the slope steadily, letting the shallower end of the wall serve as the long finish.
Background
The site takes its name from the village of Anse La Raye on the shore above it, whose name translates as Bay of Rays — and rays are still often seen on the dive. The wall offshore is one of the leeward-coast boat sites, listed by the Soufriere dive centres alongside Anse Cochon and the wreck of the Lesleen M, and it is dived from the boat rather than from the village shore.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime |
Season follows St. Lucia: December–April is the dry season with the calmest seas; September–October carry the highest hurricane risk.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Anse La Raye Wall?+
Depth runs from 60 to 110 ft / 18 to 34 m. The wall is described as falling from the surface, so there is shallow water above the site, but the dive itself is a deep one.
Sources
- Diving in Saint Lucia — Saint Lucia Tourism Authority
- Diving with Scuba St Lucia — Scuba St Lucia (Anse Chastanet Resort)
More dive sites in St. Lucia
Reef, boulders, walls and pinnacles inside 12 m
Wreck
A 1986 artificial-reef freighter lying in 20 m of bay
Finger coral with valleys, a tunnel and a chimney
Wreck
A salvaged sand barge sunk as a reef, 21 m to 30 m
Reef
Barrel sponges and brain coral under the memorial cross
Coral in 6 m a short swim off the beach, wall to 43 m
Reef
Drift over a 12 m to 18 m plateau, then the drop
Reef
A shallow terrace running out to a gorgonian wall lip
Similar dives elsewhere
The wall's most vertical section, photographed piece by piece
A sheltered bowl in the wall with two huge elephant ear sponges
An undercut amphitheater in the wall, lipped with black coral
A sand chute from 15 m to a coral ledge at 30 m