IN THE SHADOW OF THE PITONS

OUR SECOND DIVE of the day was at Coral Gardens. There must be hundreds of sites of that name around the world, some living up to their designation, others in need of reporting to trading standards. This one delivered the goods. Stretching the length of Gross Piton, it is the island’s longest reef. Its underwater topography is typical of the boulder-strewn foundations of the mountains. A small forest of sea plumes lying between rock outcrops and sponge-covered bommies caught my eye. It seemed the perfect place to hunt the elusive critters and juvenile fish for which this area is renowned.Dawn and I made our way under the tall waving fronds, joined by the ever-present schools of chromis along with creole wrasse and bold two-tone damsels. A pair of small barrel sponges gave refuge to a curly tentacle anemone. Tiny transparent Pederson’s cleaner shrimps with bright blue-and-white-spotted livery wiggled majestically among the poisonous appendages advertising their commensal trade to passing fish. They shared their home with two large yellow-striped arrow crabs, their rangy legs making them look more like big garden spiders than the crustaceans they are as they sat sifting particles with their tiny claws. Dozens more purple egg patches could be seen dotted around the rocks. This looked to be a key nursery for the sergeant-majors, but it was a hunting ground too. We looked on in horror as one doting parent became preoccupied fending off a single damselfish, only to have its unhatched young quickly ravaged by the rest of the marauding gang.Was this an organised raiding party, or just a chance encounter? We pondered the question as the cannibalistic carnage ended suddenly, and the shocked parent fish woefully inspected the damage.Like Superman’s Flight, this reef seemed to be in excellent health, with large swathes of soft and hard corals along with big intact gorgonian fans decorating the real estate between the prolific clusters of sponge. I wasn’t surprised to hear that this is one of the sites most visited by divers in St Lucia. What did astonish me was that unlike other popular reefs it didn’t appear to have suffered from the increased diver activity.

OUR NEXT DAY'S DIVING started on the oddly named wreck of the Lesleen M. The ship’s owner Pappy Mac had apparently selected a letter from each of the names of his grandchildren to arrive at “Lesleen”, and the single “M” from the family surname, McQuilkin. The remains of this 50m freighter lie upright on a sandy seabed at a maximum depth of 20m, the deck elevated to just 10m. It was sunk in 1986 as part of an artificial reef project by the fisheries department, so was prepared for divers by removing doors and hatches, giving unrestricted access to most of the interior. The whole of the freighter was clearly visible as we descended beside the permanent mooring line attached to the foredeck’s windlass. We headed for the seabed to take in the view of the silhouetted bow as it rose boldly towards the surface. The metal surfaces are no longer painted and bright but dull and covered in rich marine growth. Seafan branches reaching out from the steel hull obscure the vessel‘s original sharp lines, making it appear soft and yielding. The cargo hold, large and empty, allowed us unrestricted access to the stern and the covered superstructure of the engine-room. An open rusting steel stairway led to the aft deck, wheelhouse and crew cabins. The larboard gangway was clear enough to swim along, our exhaled bubbles creating air-pockets under the covered way. These transformed int

FACTFILE
Getting there – Nigel flew direct to St Lucia with Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick. www.virgin-atlantic.comDiving – Dive Saint Lucia offers a full complement of diver training and daily guided two-tank boat-dives including on-board lunch and beverages, www.divesaintlucia.comAccommodation – Nigel stayed at the 4* Coco Palm Resort & Spa, located in Rodney Bay Village on an all-inclusive board basis. www.coco-resorts.comWhen to go – St Lucia is rarely affected by hurricanes, but does see heavy rainfall in June through to November. The reefs can generally be dived year-round.Money – Eastern Caribbean or US dollars.Health – Take a high-factor sunscreen at all times and mosquito repellent during the rainy season. The nearest recompression facilities are in St Lucia’s capital Castries.Prices – The Scuba Place offers seven-night trips including flights, transfers, all-inclusive hotel accommodation and a 10-dive package from GBP1499pp, based on two sharing a room at either the Coco Palm Hotel or the Harmony Marina Suites, www.thescubaplace.co.ukVisitor information –  www.saintluciauk.org