St. Martin and Caribbean Queens

Get Wet
With 37 beautiful white-sand beaches and warm, clear water, St. Martin offers numerous activities for the sea-loving contingent. Boating, diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, fishing, Jet Skiing, and sunbathing can occupy a tourist for an entire week. The weather (air temperature averages between 77 and 84 degrees) and dependable trade winds provide ideal conditions for all types of water sports year-round. Sailing charters are available with Captain Stéphane Mazurier (Scoobidoo.com) on his 64-foot yacht. He offers various excursions, such as half-day trips to Pinel Island, which include a fresh halibut lunch in beachside thatched huts and sunbathing with attentive waiters serving cold beverages before you head home on a sunset cruise.

St. Martin teems with tropical treasures for undersea explorers of all skill levels. Divers might encounter arrow crabs, sea anemones, and coral shrimp along with small reef fish. Scuba Zen (ScubaZenXM.com), operating from the marina by the Radisson Blu, offers full- and half-day diving packages. Choosing the full-day package, we did a 30-foot-deep wreck dive around a sunken tugboat and an exhilarating 40-foot-deep cave dive with the guidance of a dive master.