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WHALES AND DOLPHIN WATCHING IN THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES |
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Netherlands Antilles, including St. Maarten,
Saba, St. Eustatius, as well as Aruba, Most of the tourists to the northern Dutch Antilles (95%) go through the gateway of St. Maarten. Partly this is because of the huge cruise ship port (the fourth largest number of cruise ship arrivals in the Caribbean) and a major international airport. Most of the tourism figures for St. Maarten include figures for Saba and St. Eustatius. Taken together, in 1997 there were 439,200 tourist arrivals, 886,000 cruise ship visits, and total expenditures of $378.5 million USD. St. Maarten occupies the bottom half of the island it shares with St.-Martin, a French overseas territory. St. Maarten has the Caribbean side which is more sheltered for offshore excursions. However, the focus in St. Maarten, as in St.-Martin, is on the beach and shopping experience. There are at least two companies offering regular 90-minute day cruises to St.-Barthélemy departing from Philipsburg, which in winter pass through some humpback whale areas enroute. But any possibility for whale and dolphin tourism from St. Maarten would have to be researched with offshore surveys. Certainly, the large tourism base and solid infrastructure are well established. Saba The smallest of all the Dutch Antilles at 5 square miles (13 sq km), Saba has low key tourism on a rocky volcanic island and is one of the world's top scuba diving destinations. In 1997, Saba received 10,600 visitors, up 7.9% on the previous year. Saba's waters have been protected in a model marine reserve since 1987 and are largely unspoilt and treasured by divers. According to Tom Van't Hof, who has worked to help set up and manage the marine reserve, the diving boats report occasional sightings of various tropical dolphins and sometimes humpbacks in late winter. There are some marine nature and sightseeing cruises offered out of Fort Hill on Fort Bay, from the south-western shore of Saba. These tours could include dolphins, although dedicated tours based on dolphin or whale tourism from Saba do not seem possible at present. St. Eustatius Popularly called Statia, Sint Eustatius is a tiny 8-square-mile (21 sq km) volcanic island located SE of Saba, between Saba and St. Kitts and Nevis. The usual gateway is through St. Maarten, 38 miles (61 km) to the north. Statia is even more tranquil and off the beaten track than Saba, and with a less developed tourism infrastructure. In 1997, Statia received 8,500 tourists, up 3.7% on the previous year. Like Saba, Statia also has excellent diving though it is focused toward the offshore wrecks. As of 1998, the local government began setting up mooring buoys to establish a national marine park, following Saba's example. As with St. Maarten and Saba, cetacean surveys would be needed first before such tourism could be considered. Aruba Aruba is one of the powerhouses of Caribbean
tourism, especially considering its modest size of 73 square miles (188 sq km), half
the size of either Grenada, or St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Aruba has the seventh highest
tourism expenditures in the Caribbean at $666 million USD. It received 649,900 tourist
arrivals in 1997, along with 297,700 cruise ship passengers. The tourists come largely from
North America and nearby Venezuela, and with its relatively high standard of living, it
would be hard to find a place where tourism is embraced with such enthusiasm. Aruba is only 15 miles (24 km) north of the
Venezuelan coast and is the farthest west of the Lesser Antilles group. It's a largely
flat and dry island, and is located outside of the main 'hurricane belt', with few tropical
storms in summer and early autumn. Aruba has good diving opportunities mixed in with
all the superb beaches, the shopping, casinos, and developed resorts. In terms of cetaceans, Aruba's location off the
Venezuelan coast would suggest Bryde's whales, bottlenose and various tropical
dolphins such as Atlantic spotted dolphins. |
