Has anyone done the helmet dive?

[clarkie138]

My friend and I just booked this as one of the excursions on our cruise in late May. Now I'm wondering about it, if not getting a little nervous, lol. Anyone have experience with this. Thank you.

[NextOne]

Is it with Hartley? If so, you'll have a marvelous time! We did it last year & thought it one of the best excursions we've ever done!

[clarkie138]

Yes I believe it is. I'm a great swimmer and not scared of the water but just feel weird with this foreign object on my head, how far down do you go? and how do you get up and down if you don't need any swimming skills for this tour (my friend is a less than average swimmer). How long are you under? Anything you could tell me would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Pleiades]

The depth is 8-12 ft depending on the tide. You don't need to swim at all because you are waling the whole time. We have a ladder that attaches to a platform on the stern of the boat. The ladder is wide enough for 2 people (5ft wide), and goes down about 8ft to the bottom. At high tide the last step to the bottom is a bit big, but you weigh so little underwater that you won't have a problem. You are guaranteed a minimum of 25 minutes on the bottom. The first half of the dive is mainly spent with the fish, getting them to pose with you for pictures (if you decide beforehand that you want them). the second half is a tour of the reef with all the interesting stuff pointed out and identified, with the fish following the group (hoping for more food!).

[GinDon]

This a great, fun excursion! Not a thing to worry about. The helmet doesn't feel heavy once you are underwater, and you have good visibility all the way around. It's neat to be able to breathe normally and still be underwater. We did this last year, mid-May and the water was a little chilly, so we all wore the wetsuits offered. My biggest challenge of the day was squeezing myself into that wetsuit.........haha!

[KazKanKruise]

Hartley tour is great no water in face; Wear glasses or contacts. IMHO To much time spent on picture"s.

[gobermuda]

Hi - I noticed in the information that the minimum age for the helmet dive is 6 yrs old. My grandaughter will be 6 when we cruise and is live a fish in the water. In your experience how do the 6 yr olds do???? Thanx

[clarkie138]

Hey Ben, do you have wetsuits for all sizes? lol. Embarassing but serious question.

[Pleiades]

Hi - I noticed in the information that the minimum age for the helmet dive is 6 yrs old. My grandaughter will be 6 when we cruise and is live a fish in the water. In your experience how do the 6 yr olds do???? Thanx

It depends on the child, the parent and their relationship. I had one little girl who managed to drag her mother underwater even though the mother was more scared than the daughter. I've also had times when one of the parents is nervous and the child picks up on it and gets scared too. If your granddaughter has no trouble trying new experiences, she'll be fine.

 

 

Hey Ben, do you have wetsuits for all sizes? lol. Embarassing but serious question.

We have from a Child's 2 to a Men's 3XL and everything in between. Most of the suits are full length but we have a couple of 3XL shorty suits that only come halfway down the arms and legs. The suits are made of a material that stretches 250% so there is some flexibility in sizes.