To appreciate what Anse Chastanet is to dive travelers today, it helps to have a little perspective. I take you back to the 1970s, when diving was still very much a macho, male-dominated local endeavor. These risk-taking mavericks did a lot of improvising, with the main goal of living to tell the tale. Navy dive tables were used to calculate bottom time and surface intervals. BCs were called 'horse collars,' film cameras offered 36 shots per dive, and words like 'dive' and 'travel' were not yet used in the same sentence. It was during this time that Nick Troubetzkoy, a Russian-Canadian architect, found himself taking on a vacation villa project on a Caribbean island called Saint Lucia. Soon, he became the owner and managing director of a small beachfront hotel called Anse Chastanet, and his vision to create something special took flight.

Each suite he built became a unique expression of the nature that surrounded it. Walls were removed or constructed around trees, and colorful flora was left to tumble onto the porches and balconies. Stone steps were built into the hillside, which led to each privately situated suite. The iconic backdrop became the now world-famous Pitons, rising from the Caribbean Sea and becoming synonymous with St. Lucia and its unique charm. Nick soon realized that this location’s natural wonders went far below the surface, where right offshore there was an underwater world alive with vibrant coral reefs and home to 150 species of sea life in all shapes and sizes.

By the 1980s, word was getting out that tropical locations offered diving experiences you just could not find at home. Social media and booking online were not in our vocabulary yet, but Skin Diver Magazine and 800 numbers were. Nick opened Scuba St. Lucia, right there on the beach, and was on the cutting edge of the dive resort concept. Stories and compelling underwater photos were published, and dive shops began getting calls from divers eager to plan a trip. Around that same time, enter Karolin, an adventurous young woman with a tourism and marketing background, who became equally intoxicated with St. Lucia and her new husband Nick's vision for the future.

PADI stepped up and set standards in the industry for new levels of training and certification. They worked with dive centers in and outside the US to share standards of practice and safety in recreational diving that traveling divers could feel comfortable with. Likewise, dive equipment and related manufacturers started introducing new products and more colorful options to cater to the growing number of women and young people entering the sport.

Nick and Karolin shared their passion for protecting St. Lucia’s natural resources for future generations, both topside and underwater. The reefs in the resort’s bays were protected as part of a forward-thinking marine reserve project. Cargo ships were sunk to serve as an interesting underwater attraction both to divers and curious marine life, and the coral growth created artificial reefs that continue to thrive today (scubastlucia.com/diving).

The resort’s very own farm supplies organic produce that is served in their restaurants, and their cacao farm supplies the resort and spa with everything from the purest variety of chocolates to the chocolate used for hand and foot massages (yes, it sounds weird, but it feels great!).

Scuba St. Lucia, now a PADI 5 Star Career Development Center, has remained steadfast in its commitment to safety, training, and raising awareness about protecting the reefs and marine life in every way they can. So, it’s no surprise that Anse Chastanet and Scuba St. Lucia once again ranked highly in 11 categories of Scuba Diving Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards.

Jade Mountain Resort, which is nothing short of a masterpiece of art, architecture, nature, and genius (with a whimsical slant), sits atop the 600-acre property and is the crown jewel of the Troubetzkoy legacy. But that is a story in and of itself!

You can probably tell that I have a soft spot for this particular 50-year journey and full confidence that the foundation that’s been laid will delight divers for decades to come.

Visit: ansechastanet.com