Visiting Saba by Yacht

Fort Bay, on Saba's southwest coast, is the island's harbor and the port of entry for visiting vessels. The Public Entity Saba and the Saba Conservation Foundation both direct arriving yachts to proceed to Fort Bay as soon as possible. We strongly advise against coming ashore anywhere else: Well's Bay, Ladder Bay, and Cove Bay can be treacherous in sea conditions that look calm from aboard your vessel.

The clearance sequence published by the Marine Park:

1. 1Secure your vessel on a mooring or the check-in buoy
2. 2Dinghy to Fort Bay
3. 3Clear Customs and Immigration
4. 4Check in and out with the Harbor Master
5. 5Register your yacht at the Saba National Marine Park office, also at Fort Bay

The Harbor Office is open from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM; if Customs and Immigration aren't available when you land, proceed there directly. The Harbor Master monitors VHF channel 16. Entry forms for customs, immigration, and yacht registration can be completed in advance.

The Saba National Marine Park circles the entire island from the high-water mark down to 60 m (200 ft), so almost everywhere you'd stop counts as park waters. The park is managed by the Saba Conservation Foundation, and mooring and anchoring are their rules, not ours.

Moorings can't be reserved by guests or by Sea Saba. It's uncommon for every suitable visiting-yacht mooring to be taken, but availability depends on the season. Larger yachts generally anchor in the designated anchorage areas; the yacht moorings aren't designed for their size. If you want to know what the moorings and conditions look like before you arrive, ask us. Current fees and mooring details are published by the Saba Conservation Foundation ↗ and the mooring fee schedule ↗.

Saba's harbor infrastructure is also expanding. The Black Rocks Harbor project ↗ is now under construction. We'll update this guide as the new harbor's yacht facilities and operating procedures are finalized.

The standard approach is to leave the yacht on its mooring, dinghy into Fort Bay, and join one of our scheduled boats. Bring your gear straight to the dive center. We can store it between dive days, and backup equipment is close by if anything gives you trouble. Our trips depart from and return to Fort Bay Harbor, so there's no hotel pickup to coordinate. Just be at the dive center about 30 minutes before the boat leaves. Rental equipment is available, a dive computer is required on every dive (rentals available), and groups stay small at a maximum of 8 divers per guide.

In some situations we can arrange a pickup from your vessel for the later dives of the day. It's not practical for the first dive, and it depends on your position, the conditions, and the day's schedule. If that would make your visit easier, ask us in advance rather than counting on it.

After diving you're welcome on our normal scheduled shuttle into town, and we can help coordinate taxis for anything beyond that.

The same diving requirements apply to yacht guests. For scheduled diving, the Marine Park and hyperbaric chamber contribution of $4 per diver, per dive appears as its own line item on your Sea Saba invoice. On a private charter those diving-related costs are included in the charter price. Mooring, yacht registration, and harbor fees are always handled separately, directly with the Marine Park and the Harbor Office. The full guide to our trips, certification fit, equipment, and park rules is on the Diving page.

Thinking about diving from your own vessel without a guide? Independent diving isn't permitted in the Saba National Marine Park. All scuba diving must be done with one of Saba's licensed dive operators, as stated on the Marine Park's yacht registration form ↗. Sea Saba's diving is guided, from our boats.

Scheduled trips aren't the only way to dive with us. Two private arrangements cover most yacht visits, and neither is limited to large yachts.

For dives with us, equipment is easy: tanks and weights are part of the diving, full rental packages cover BCD, regulator, wetsuit, mask, and fins, and rental dive computers are available. Sea Saba fills its own cylinders for our trips, both air and 32% Nitrox. Certified Nitrox divers get complimentary Nitrox on qualifying dives.

For private yacht operations we can supply whatever the planned diving needs, including cylinders, weights, rental equipment, and first-aid or oxygen kits. Tell us what's already aboard and we'll work out the rest.

One boundary to be clear on: we don't fill customer-owned cylinders, and we don't supply tanks for independent diving. Independent diving isn't permitted in the Marine Park, so there's no unguided-dive setup for us to equip. For anything else unusual, please ask before you arrive rather than assuming.

Saba sits in open ocean, and conditions drive everything: which sites we can dive, how comfortable a mooring is, and how easy the dinghy landing feels. Our crew chooses each day's sites for the actual weather, and the east side of the island is only diveable in settled conditions.

The prevailing winds are commonly from the northeast, which often leaves Ladder Bay relatively calm. A north swell changes that quickly and can also wrap around toward Tent Bay. Other anchorage options around Fort Bay may work in calm conditions or particular wind directions. Where you moor or anchor stays a Harbor Master and Marine Park question, but ask us and we'll tell you what current local conditions look like.

Build a weather buffer into your stay if diving is a priority, and check marine forecasts before and during your passage. Yacht itineraries already have enough moving parts. If weather changes your plans, contact us. We try to be flexible with rescheduling whenever we can, and we'd rather help reduce the stress than add to it. Our booking terms cover the details.

Yacht visits work a little differently from hotel stays, so it helps to hear from you before you arrive. Tell us your dates, how many divers, certifications, and what you'd like to do, and we'll suggest the right trips or a charter to fit your stay.

For full vessel-agency assistance, including clearance logistics and broader shore arrangements, we recommend Saba C-Transport (+599 416 2299). For anything around the diving itself, like taxis, restaurant and hiking suggestions, or coordination where practical, just ask us.