Rosemond’s Trench

Sometimes you come across a real find where you least expect it. That’s the way it was with Rosemond’s Trench, one of St. Lucia’s interesting and exciting dive sites.

Not long ago, Rosemond’s Trench lay unnoticed in an area known for numerous spectacular dive sites and shipwrecks. Rosemond’s Trench was discovered and added to the local dive site repertoire by a veteran St. Lucian dive instructor, Rosemond Clery. (For the record, Rosemond named it ‘The Gulf’ but his co-divers renamed it in his honour.)

One day, Rosemond and a few students were using electric powered dive scooters to take in during a single outing, the numerous popular dive sites located between Anse La Raye and Anse Cochon on the west coast. Given the ease of movement, Rosemond didn’t stop at the popular Anse Cochon reef as planned but glided on south to an area where no one ever seemed to dive, he assumed because it appears so rocky and shallow from a passing boat. Moving cautiously above the masses of rocks very near the shore he saw it, the trench.

Starting in less than ten feet from the rocky beach at a depth of only six feet, the trench extends some 30 feet straight out to where it intersects an equal length perpendicular trench, forming a ‘T’. At one point it is necessary to pass through a roofed tube. (Where, incidentally, Rosemond came face to face with a rather large shark on a night dive and quickly disproved the notion that divers can’t swim backwards!) The north end of the trench ends dramatically at a huge coral pinnacle which stretches toward the surface with large barrel sponges at its crown.

Nowhere more than 35 feet deep and usually without current, the site is an excellent one for beginners to dive over and intermediate divers to dive through. Because of the sheltered nature of the site, Rosemond’s Trench teams with schools of colourful fish. Numerous small varieties are always present with others such as schools of barracuda and spotted eagle rays not uncommon. Camouflaged sea horses abound against the colourful sponges while Rosemond says he nearly always found sea turtles lounging on the top of the large barrel sponges, his favourite thrill.

While in St. Lucia on holiday, consider spending a day snorkeling or diving for the enrichment of your travel experience. But remember, coral reefs are the most important yet easily damaged habitats in our oceans. Look but don’t touch; swim but don’t stand; take nothing but photos and memories; and leave nothing behind but bubbles.

(As a side-note to this story, Rosemond Clery, well-known and well-liked diver and regional boxer, was one year ago paralyzed from the waist down in a tragic accident. Forced to close his dive shop he quickly began to fight his way back. Today, Rosemond is swimming in a pool and is beginning to experience slight sensations in his legs. As a next step, he soon plans to scuba dive in the pool. Rosemond says, in the not too distant future, he will reopen his dive shop and be back in the sea again. Those who know Rosemond don’t doubt it… the turtles in Rosemond’s Trench will see him there again.)