Superman’s Flight

Ever dream of flying like a bird? Well, sort of anyway. If so, St Lucia has the place for you… Superman’s Flight.

Superman’s Flight is a popular scuba diving site located beneath the sheer west face of Petit Piton and features currents that provide divers with the sensation of flying effortlessly through the water.
Superman’s Flight got its name from its role in the blockbuster movie Superman II. Approximately one-half hour into the movie, Superman sets off on an emergency mission to obtain a rare flower whose medicine is needed to save Lois Lane’s life. Superman is seen flying straight down the face of the Piton.

At the bottom the Man of Steel finds what he’s looking for amid lush greenery next to a waterfall. The waterfall scene was filmed nearby. By the way, rumor had it that the cast and crew loved St Lucia so much they were in no hurry to leave. Considering that they spent nearly six weeks at one of the magnificent hotels in the Soufriere area while filming what amounted to less than thirty seconds of footage in the final film cut it seems likely the rumor was true.
The dive site itself offers much more than just the exhilaration of flying. A great variety of reef structures, including plate coral, brain coral, soft coral and sea fans are among the 20 species providing plenty of entertaining colour.

Over 150 species of fish are also regularly seen at Superman’s Flight. Most are colorfully patterned and are found in large numbers, some in schools of nearly a 1,000. The Creole Wrasse, purple blue with yellow spots, are known for their abundance in the area. The topography also lends well to Puffer fish and Lobster, which are also consistently viewed in large numbers.

When diving Superman’s Flight, dive operators use a drift dive pattern for the enjoyment and convenience of their clients. Once divers are put into the water the boat follows the group along as they drift south with the current making for a relatively relaxing experience.

Superman’s Flight is dived in two ways. Divers can submerge to between 40 and 60 feet and stay at that depth range for the entire dive. Or for those preferring a deep dive experience, operators will initially take divers down to 100 feet and then ascend, in a multilevel profile, in stages to 70, 50 and 30 feet in accordance with the dive table requirements. Either way, the prevailing currents provide the flying experience.

The currents at Superman’s Flight are stronger than those at most other dive sites because of the local topography. Located at the western most point of Petit Piton there is a combination of the concentration of long-shore currents and the deep ocean patterns. Divers find the flying sensation to be a most enjoyable experience as they are swept along in a Superman-like position.

St Lucia has several professional certified dive operators staffed by some of the most experienced instructors in the entire Caribbean. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced diver, an underwater trek can add much to your island holiday fun. Hotel tour desks or the various tourist information centres will provide more details about the locations of the various scuba and snorkeling operations. Just call and say, “I want to fly like Superman.” They’ll know what you mean.