 “Not
all treasure is silver and gold, mate,” says
Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to young Will
Turner (Orlando Bloom) in the Walt Disney movie
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the
Black Pearl.” Certainly he was referring to the
natural riches found in St. Vincent and the
Grenadines where the movie and upcoming two
sequels were partially
filmed. Nicknamed
the underwater “critter capitol” of the
Caribbean, St. Vincent’s marine life is not only
gold and silver, but also a rainbow of colors.
Plentiful frogfish, sea horses and other small
creatures decorate the reefs, walls and pillars
beneath the waves.
Real pirates have also played a part in the
island’s history. Blackbeard, perhaps the most
famous pirate, captured the French slave ship La
Concorde off St. Vincent in 1718.
Known then as James Teach or “Thatch,”
Blackbeard outfitted the ship with 32 cannons and a
crew of 250. He renamed the ship Queen Anne’s
Revenge after serving as an English privateer in the
Caribbean during the Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713).
Today’s visitors to these Lesser Antilles
islands can find scenic treasures above the waves
with lush landscapes, waterfalls, both white and
black sand beaches, colonial architecture and an
active volcano. Below the waves exists a collection
of colorful corals and small creatures that would
well fulfill a diver’s “must see” list.
The Rise and
Fall of the Antilles
St. Vincent and the Grenadines are in the
southeastern arc of Caribbean islands known as the
Lesser Antilles. The main island of St. Vincent is
positioned 100 miles (161 km) west of Barbados, 24
miles (39 km) south of St. Lucia and 60 miles (96
km) north of Grenada. Except for Barbados, these
islands are the exposed tops of a volcanic mountain
range that may have created a land bridge between
North and South America. These exposed tops are now
called the Antilles or Caribbean Islands.
The island of St. Vincent is 18 miles (29 km)
long and 11 miles (18 km) wide with an active
volcano, Mount Soufriere, as its highest point at
4,048 feet (1,234 m). The volcano erupted in 1902,
claiming more than 2,000 lives and again in 1979,
but with no deaths. The rest of the Grenadines
consists of 32 smaller islands with a total landmass
of only 17 square miles (44 sq km).
The closest to St. Vincent and largest of these
islands is Bequia (bec-way), whose name is derived
from the Carib word meaning “island of the clouds.”
Next down the island chain is Mustique (mus-teek), a
private island hosting resort homes of many famous
celebrities. Other popular inhabited islands include
Canouan (can-nu-wan), Mayreau (mi-roe), Union
Island, Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent.
Changing of Hands
 The
first people to settle the islands were the Ciboney
who were mainly hunter-gatherers and lived in rock
shelters and small villages. The Arawak tribe moved
up the chain of islands from Venezuela and
eventually displaced or absorbed the Ciboney. The
Arawak people were farmers and fishermen who
established more permanent settlements.
Perhaps a century before Christopher Columbus
discovered the islands he called the West Indies, a
warlike tribe called the Caribs conquered St.
Vincent and some of the surrounding islands.
European settlers at first bypassed St. Vincent as a
colony due to its heavily forested landscape and the
unfriendly Caribs.
In 1635, African survivors of a Dutch slave ship
arrived on St. Vincent, merged with the Caribs as
refugees and adopted their language. Known as the
Black Caribs or Garifuna, they lived separately from
the original Caribs.
England, France and Spain all claimed St.
Vincent, known to the Caribs as Hairoun — “land of
the blessed,” but the British eventually won the
rights to the island from France as part of the
Treaty of Versailles in 1783. The Caribs didn’t
acknowledge any European claims to their island and
revolted against the British on many occasions. The
final revolt in 1796 ended with more than 5,000
Black Caribs being resettled to the Honduran island
of Roatan.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is part of what
is known as the Windward Islands. This name came
from when sailing ships bound for major ports, like
Jamaica, followed the tradewind passage along the
Lesser Antilles. Spanish ships, filled with gold,
jewels and other riches from South and Central
America, would follow this “treasure highway.”
Waiting along the way were privateers and
buccaneers. Privateers were sanctioned by
governments to raid ships of other countries as long
as they returned a percentage of the “booty” back to
their country’s coffers. Pirates just kept all of
the treasure for themselves. As military protection
grew in the area, piracy faded away.
The islands were ruled by Britain until the
middle of the 20th century. During a short span, St.
Vincent was governed through federations with other
former colonies in the area until full independence
came in 1979.
Treasures of the Deep
The cave full of booty near the dive site of
Orca Point in the first “Pirates of the Caribbean”
movie was Hollywood magic, but the real thing may
still be waiting to be found. Nearly a decade ago,
Bill Tewes of Dive St. Vincent was leading a dive in
the Kingstown harbor on a pair of sunken freighters
when he came upon an old jug. Just past the jug were
visible cannons and other relics of an 18th-century
shipwreck. Tewes said one cannon had the French
fleur-de-lis emblem and a date of 1776 stamped on
the barrel. The site was then closed to diving by
the government to preserve the area for
archaeological research. The initial survey report
suggested the ship could have been a privateer or a
French military ship. No treasure has been
reportedly found on this wreck.
While gold and jewels may be elusive, divers can
discover the true treasures of St. Vincent every
day.
When Capt. Jack Sparrow steps off the sinking
boat onto the dock of Port Royal in the movie, he
missed out on the treasures of Wallilabou Bay behind
him. Anchor Reef, named after an ancient ship’s
anchor stuck in the reef, is a popular site for
spotting many of the island’s colorful frogfish and
sea horses.
On another side of the bay is Coral Castle where
hard corals and bright sponges create the look of a
submerged fortification. A number of swim-through
tunnels offer divers a chance to spot colorful
bassletts, scorpionfish, more sea horses and lettuce
sea slugs.
Back toward Kingstown, Bottle Reef sits below
the cliffs near Fort Charlotte. Besides hosting
schools of blackbar soldierfish and a variety of
small creatures, the site contains a collection of
old, encrusted gin and rum bottles that were tossed
by the fort’s soldiers from the top of the cliffs. A
rainbow of colorful black corals overshadows the
abundant fish life on New Guinea Reef.
While lacking in turtles, Turtle Bay does
entertain divers with a band of spotted drums,
pipefish, trumpetfish and coronetfish. Garden eels
and an assortment of their cousins inhabit the sandy
slopes of Callie’s Secret along with flounders,
large starfish, flying gurnards, batfish, blennies
and crabs.
Many Treasures
Located Topside
Lush landscapes and historical landmarks help
fill up your surface intervals while visiting St.
Vincent. The capitol of Kingstown, nicknamed the
“city of arches,” has an active shopping area in
Market Square where you can find fresh local spices,
produce, jewelry and souvenirs. Built in 1820, St.
George’s Cathedral is the oldest of a tour of
colonial churches that also includes St. Mary’s
Cathedral (1823), Kingstown Methodist (1841) and
Scots Kirk (1880).
Even earlier than the churches are the Botanical
Gardens, which are the oldest in the Americas.
Started in 1762, the 20 acres of tropical plants and
trees includes a descendant of the original
breadfruit tree brought to the islands by Captain
Bligh on his ship HMS Bounty.
Overlooking Kingstown from 600 feet (183 m) is
Fort Charlotte on Berkshire Hill. Construction
started in 1796 to protect the city from the French
and Caribs. It eventually housed about 600 troops
and 34 cannons.
A trip around the island includes visits to the
many plantations that grow coconuts, bananas,
nutmeg, and other tropical produce. The Vermont
Nature Trails are where eco-tourists can hike
through a rain forest and spot the endangered St.
Vincent parrot and other rare bird species. Another
long trek through the rain forest can take you to
the top of Mt. Soufriere’s volcanic crater for a
great view of the island.
Two of the top photographic sites on the island
are waterfalls, which are not easy to reach. The
Falls of Baleine are on the northwest coast and can
only be reached by boat and a short hike. The
60-foot (18-m) waterfall cascades into a
rock-enclosed pool that is great for a cool dip.
Trinity Falls is positioned in a deep canyon and
takes a long drive over rough terrain with an
additional 20-minute hike before reaching it. The
effort to reach it is rewarded with what some
consider the most beautiful waterfall on the island.
The old fishing village on Wallilabou Bay is now
a tourist attraction where most of the movie props
were left standing after it represented Port Royal
in the “Revenge of the Black Pearl.” The windward
side of the island has several black sand beaches
near the volcano while the rest of the island has
white sand beaches. Owia Salt Pond is a tidewater
pool, good for swimming, on the northern tip of the
island where you can see St. Lucia on a clear day.
Chartered boat trips or ferry service to the
other Grenadine islands are also available as a day
excursion or with overnight options. Several islands
have accommodations and dive centers.
Whether finding it above the waves or below,
travelers to St. Vincent and the Grenadines can come
away with a treasure chest full of fun memories and
entertaining photos.
Facts and Figures
 Location:
Latitude: 13 degrees 15 minutes north latitude and
60 degrees 12 minutes west longitude.
St. Vincent is 18 miles (29 km) long and 11
miles wide (18 km) and is 100 miles (161 km) west of
Barbados. St. Lucia is 24 miles (40 km) to the
north. The Grenadines island chain consists of 32
islands and hundreds of islets with a total area of
only 17 square miles (42 sq km) and extends 60 miles
(96 km) from St. Vincent south to Grenada. The
major islands include Bequia (Beck-way), Mustique (Mus-teek),
Canouan
(Can-nu-wan), Mayreau (My-ro), Union Island,
Palm Island and Petit St. Vincent.
Time:
Atlantic Standard Time; from November through
March it is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time
(EST) and the same as EST from April though October.
Seasons: Average water temperature is 79 degrees
Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) to 83 F (28 C). Air
temperature ranges from 64 F (18 C) to 90 F (32 C),
with the coolest months occurring between November
and February. The “rainy season” occurs from July to
November.
Money: The official currency is the Eastern
Caribbean (EC) dollar.
The exchange rate is normally between $2.60 and
$2.68 EC to $1 U.S.
Various banks offer ATMs.
Electricity: The electricity is generally
220/240-volt, 50-cycle, except for Petit St. Vincent, which has 110-volt, 60-cycle.
The standard electrical plug has three rectangular
pins.
Many hotels have 110-volt outlets and/or converters.
Telecom: Worldwide direct dialing is available.
Internet connections are available in most
hotels.
The international area code is 1-784 followed by
the local seven-digit number.
Entry requirements: All visitors into St.
Vincent and the Grenadines must present a valid
passport along with an onward or return ticket.
Departure tax:
$40 EC (about $15 U.S).
Transportation: A local license must be
purchased to rent a vehicle. These licenses can be
purchased at the airport, the police
station on Bay Street, or the Licensing
Authority on Halifax Street in Kingston. You will
need to provide a valid driver’s license and $75 EC. Driving is on the left side of the road.
Taxis are available in St. Vincent, but not metered.
It is best to settle on a fare before entering
the taxi. Local bus service (vans) is also available
as well as ferry service between the islands.
Official language: English, but French patois
can also be heard.
Getting there: Air flights to St. Vincent are
via connections from Puerto Rico, Barbados, Grenada,
Martinique, St. Lucia or Trinidad. BWIA, American,
Air Canada, British Airways, Air France, Virgin
Atlantic and Air Jamaica offer flights to these
gateway islands where you can make arrangements with smaller planes
like LIAT, Trans Island Air, Mustique Airways, SVG
Air, Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun. Check with the airlines for
luggage restrictions.
Dress: Casual resort wear is the general rule
for men and women during the day.
Swimwear should not be worn on the street or
in shops and restaurants. During the cooler months,
a light jacket or sweater may be needed at night.
Tipping: 10 percent for taxis and restaurants.
Some restaurants include a 10 percent service
charge, so check your bill first.
Accommodations: A wide variety of options from
guesthouses to all-inclusive resorts. Contact the
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Hotel and Tourism Association, (748) 458-4379,
www.svghotels.com; and the Ins & Outs Web site,
www.insandoutssvg.com, to help select an accommodation.
Dive operators: Visit www.svgtourism.com for
dive center info.
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