The first time I heard about Saint Lucia was 45 years ago when I was a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands. Back then, we were told that the ancestor of the famous Darwin’s finches was a little finch from Saint Lucia that had been blown by the northeast trade winds to a remote archipelago in the eastern Pacific. The Saint Lucia black finch (Melanospiza richardsoni) gave rise to a remarkable speciation of the 14 Darwin’s finches, which led the 19th-century English naturalist Charles Darwin to elaborate his mind-blowing Theory of Evolution.

As synonymous as the slogan “Lone Star State” is to Texas, the “Great Lakes State” is to Michigan, or the “Sunshine State” is to Florida, the phrase “Diver’s Paradise” is so ubiquitous to Bonaire that it is printed on the license plates. One of the many factors that combine to make Bonaire such a paradise for divers is the island’s equally iconic status as the shore-diving capital of the world.

I had found the perfect place for a diving getaway. It was only three hours away by plane from my hometown of Toronto—on the southern shore of the island of Cuba, near the city of Cienfuego. Flights and hotels were cheap, but best of all, the reef was one of the most pristine I had seen in over 15 years. 

I had my initial encounter with a splendid toadfish on my very first trip to Cozumel in 1978. I remember my dive guide excitedly motioning me over, gesturing enthusiastically toward the edge of a small sandy area, where it abutted against the bottom edge of the reef. I swam over to take a look, getting low as he directed. I kept scanning the general area where he was pointing, but saw nothing of particular interest. I finally realized what he had spotted, when I was no more than a foot away from a very strange little fish.

Being in the general vicinity of Saba and having a little free time, I decided to finally make my way to this island, which has lingered in my diving dreams. Officially a special municipality of the Netherlands, Saba is part of the Leeward Islands and Lesser Antilles with St. Maarten to the north, St. Barthelemy to the northeast, with St. Eustatius and St. Kitts to the southeast.

The great hammerhead shark has a unique and distinguished presence in the water, cautious but confident, and seemingly in control of its environment. As it approaches, its distinctive head sweeps from side to side, causing the rest of its body to move in an almost snake-like manner.

Make no bones about it—there is no quick and easy way to get there. Despite being in the same hemisphere as my home in Toronto, getting to Dominica proved to be a full-day expedition. Arriving at the airport at 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning, there was no queue and I was at the gate in 20 minutes flat. Fortunately, I squeaked through Air Canada’s stringent new carry-on baggage limitations. To ensure there were no hassles, I stuffed my pockets with batteries, cords and chargers to play it safe!