St. Lucia · St. Lucia · Reef
Coral Gardens
Five-finger coral from 5 m down, under Gros Piton
Area photo: Martin Tuchscherer · CC BY-SA 3.0
A reef dive at the base of Gros Piton, at the southern end of the Soufriere dive sites. The site runs from 5 m down to 27 m, so it can be dived deep or kept shallow, and the same shallow ground works for snorkellers off the boat. Five-finger corals and large numbers of juvenile reef fish are what divers come for.
Where it is and how deep
13.8268° N, 61.0650° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The boat sits under Gros Piton, 2,438 ft / 750 m of it standing above the water, and the site runs from about 15 ft / 5 m down to 90 ft / 27 m. The shallow end is where most of the dive is spent and where snorkellers stay: five-finger corals across the rock, lots of juvenile reef fish working through them, and dense forests of sea plumes you can swim between.
From the shallows the ground falls away gradually to around 27 m, the deep limit of the site. The resort dive centre puts the unusual sargassum triggerfish in the deeper areas, along with the odd barracuda, so the usual shape of the dive is a slow drop along the slope and then a long, shallow return over the top of the reef with gas in hand for the safety stop.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | 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 Coral Gardens?+
The site ranges from 15 ft / 5 m to 90 ft / 27 m, so the profile is yours to choose. Most of the interest sits in the shallow half.
Can you snorkel at Coral Gardens?+
Yes. The reef starts in about 5 m of water and the tourism board lists it as a favourite for both diving and snorkelling.
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
Coral in 6 m a short swim off the beach, wall to 43 m
From 1.5 m to 18 m over coral, boulders and sand
Reef, boulders, walls and pinnacles inside 12 m
A sloping wall dived between 18 m and 34 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
Wreck
A 1986 artificial-reef freighter lying in 20 m of bay
Finger coral with valleys, a tunnel and a chimney
Similar dives elsewhere
Giant coral pinnacles cut with caves, tunnels and caverns
A shallow shoal off Torrens Point, capped at 25 m
Splendid toadfish, nurse sharks and turtles along the coral
Jacks and barracuda stacked in the current