Caribbean aqua-venture

Gliding silently out of the watery darkness, a grey form caught my torchlight. The bullet-like body, punctuated by a single sharp dorsal fin, was instantly recognisable.

I was 60 feet under the sea and eyeball-to-eyeball with one of the most feared predators in nature: a Caribbean reef shark. I was nervous but not in any danger. As any naturalist will tell you, sharks are not the man-eating monsters they are made out to be on screen but notoriously aloof and I was lucky to view one at such close quarters.

Aquatic sanctuary

My scuba-diving expedition to Saba, a tiny volcanic island about 140 miles northwest of Antigua, was worth it for this alone. The waters around Saba are a national marine park, which means there is no fishing in the area. Diving groups are instructed not to so much as lift a rock. These rules mean that the island boasts abundant aquatic life unparalleled almost anywhere else in the Caribbean.

On other islands, overfishing and pollution mean that many coral reefs, once ablaze with colour and activity, are now dead and all but deserted. But thanks to conservationists, I saw an inquisitive juvenile manta ray, graceful sea turtles, barracuda and a host of tropical fish, large and small, set amid exotic blue, pink, purple and orange coral.

It's wise to hire a car to explore Saba, preferably an off-road vehicle. Tourism has boomed recently but around the southeastern tip, you can still find nearly empty, unkempt, wild beaches, fringed by palm trees.

The small towns in the north of the island, with their colourfully painted wooden houses, haven't changed much in 50 years.

Saba, at just five square miles with a population of 1,200, doesn't have fine dining of Barbados. And 50 visitors is a busy week.

We stayed at Juliana's Hotel, which rents out traditional wooden cottages in Windwardside-village, a great way to take in island life. When not underwater, I relaxed on the porch of our cottage with a refreshment.

No visit to the region would be complete without some old-style Caribbean luxury and our last weekend was spent on Nevis, at the Montpelier Plantation Inn, where Princess Diana once stayed. Here, we sipped refreshments by the pool and drank in the glorious mountain views.

Royal visit

The hotel has a "no children under 12" policy, meaning it is wonderfully peaceful and popular with honeymooners. Most of the staff have worked at the hotel for years and are happy to tell you what Diana was like — "lovely, down to earth, she liked nothing more than to kick off her shoes and relax" — despite, I expect, having been asked the same question hundreds of times.

Be sure to call in at the Hermitage Plantation nearby for a Full Planters breakfast. The platter of eggs, home-made herb sausage and cinnamon-dusted French toast lives up to its billing.

Dinner at the Montpellier isn't bad either and, naturally, you have to dress for the occasion, in long trousers, shoes and a shirt with collar. But not even the greatest of luxuries could compete with the raw thrill of coming face-to-face with that shark.