Hartley's helmet dive

[flyhelper]

Has anyone done the Hartley's helmet dive? I've heard great things about them so I booked an excursion for next week. But I haven't got a reply from them on a couple of questions. If you did a tour with them before, could you please help? Thanks!

 

Here are my questions:

1. My tour starts 1:30pm from the dockyard. Do they bring us back to dockyard at the end?

2. How long is the entire excursion? I wonder if we still have time to visit some where else the same afternoon.

3. Is it too cold to stay underwater for 20 minutes without wetsuit when the water temperature is around 73 F?

[chickadee1]

Has anyone done the Hartley's helmet dive? I've heard great things about them so I booked an excursion for next week. But I haven't got a reply from them on a couple of questions. If you did a tour with them before, could you please help? Thanks!

 

Here are my questions:

1. My tour starts 1:30pm from the dockyard. Do they bring us back to dockyard at the end?

2. How long is the entire excursion? I wonder if we still have time to visit some where else the same afternoon.

3. Is it too cold to stay underwater for 20 minutes without wetsuit when the water temperature is around 73 F?

We just went on this excursion this past week. To answer your questions:

1. The tour ends at the pier right in front of the Celebrity ship. It didn't seem like it was going to go back there as we went back a round-about way but it did end in front of the Summit.

2. We left at 8:45 and got back to dock at 1:10 but there was no 2nd excursion that day as both cruise ships were departing.

3. You will want a wet suit on. As I was going into the water, I eyes bugged out with the temp! Rick decides what wetsuit you need and you put in on. I am sure I looked like a whale but I was glad for the protection! We really liked this excursion. We purchased pictures. The cost was $15. for each of us and then $10. for a CD. If there is more than one person in your group, it is still $10. only, not a piece, for the CD. It is not copyright protected, says Rick.

You will touch fish and other animals and you do seem to spend quite a bit of time down there but it passes quickly. Never did I feel a lack of oxygen.

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

[clarkie138]

We just went on this excursion this past week. To answer your questions:

1. The tour ends at the pier right in front of the Celebrity ship. It didn't seem like it was going to go back there as we went back a round-about way but it did end in front of the Summit.

2. We left at 8:45 and got back to dock at 1:10 but there was no 2nd excursion that day as both cruise ships were departing.

3. You will want a wet suit on. As I was going into the water, I eyes bugged out with the temp! Rick decides what wetsuit you need and you put in on. I am sure I looked like a whale but I was glad for the protection! We really liked this excursion. We purchased pictures. The cost was $15. for each of us and then $10. for a CD. If there is more than one person in your group, it is still $10. only, not a piece, for the CD. It is not copyright protected, says Rick.

You will touch fish and other animals and you do seem to spend quite a bit of time down there but it passes quickly. Never did I feel a lack of oxygen.

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

 

What day did you go? I was scheduled to go on May 25th but it was terribly windy. Just curious if it wasn't canceled and how it was. Thanks.

[chickadee1]

We went on Friday, May 28. It didn't get that windy until we were about halfway done - don't know what the weather report was for that day but we did OK - had a great excursion - when you are underwater, you don't know what is going on up above! The o2 keeps flowing and that is all you notice!

[flyhelper]

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply, although I haven't got a chance to read it until returning from my cruise today.

 

We totally enjoyed our helmet diving tour! Greg is a fantastic guide. He made sure everyone had opportunity to see and interact with many kinds of sea animals. And he took great pictures of us.

 

We just went on this excursion this past week. To answer your questions:

1. The tour ends at the pier right in front of the Celebrity ship. It didn't seem like it was going to go back there as we went back a round-about way but it did end in front of the Summit.

2. We left at 8:45 and got back to dock at 1:10 but there was no 2nd excursion that day as both cruise ships were departing.

3. You will want a wet suit on. As I was going into the water, I eyes bugged out with the temp! Rick decides what wetsuit you need and you put in on. I am sure I looked like a whale but I was glad for the protection! We really liked this excursion. We purchased pictures. The cost was $15. for each of us and then $10. for a CD. If there is more than one person in your group, it is still $10. only, not a piece, for the CD. It is not copyright protected, says Rick.

You will touch fish and other animals and you do seem to spend quite a bit of time down there but it passes quickly. Never did I feel a lack of oxygen.

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

[Limeygirl]

I used to love to snorkel, but since I wear glasses, I can't anymore (well, I guess I COULD, but since I wouldn't be able to SEE anything, why bother?) I'm curious as to how the Helmet works...would I be able to put the helmet over my glasses? If so, this would be a great tour!

[SailBadtheSinner]

You wear the helmet over your head resting on your shoulders. There are pictures here: http://www.hartleybermuda.com/ and the FAQs say you can wear glasses with the helmet.

 

SBtS

[no port @ dfw]

I used to love to snorkel, but since I wear glasses, I can't anymore (well, I guess I COULD, but since I wouldn't be able to SEE anything, why bother?) I'm curious as to how the Helmet works...would I be able to put the helmet over my glasses? If so, this would be a great tour!

 

Although we are doing Hartley's next week for the experience, if you love to scuba, almost any good dive shop can sell you a dive mask with drop in off the shelf prescription lenses. While they may not be exact matches, you can usually get close enough for the magnification factor under water to make it work. Both my son and I snorkel with prescription masks.

[GinDon]

I wear glasses and did the helmet dive last year. It's great, your glasses don't fog up or anything. One thing I found funny..........when it came time for my turn to be photographed underwater, Gregg reached up under and into my helmet space, and slid my glasses up on top of my head (maybe so there wouldn't be a reflection?). Then, after, he reached back up and slid them back down where they belonged!

The helmet dive was one of our most fun excursions ever.

[Pleiades]

What day did you go? I was scheduled to go on May 25th but it was terribly windy. Just curious if it wasn't canceled and how it was. Thanks.

 

We cancelled on May 25th, it turned out to be the windiest, cloudiest day of the month. It was worse than when we went out on the 24th, which was no fun at all.

[CruisFran]

I wear glasses and did the helmet dive last year. It's great, your glasses don't fog up or anything. One thing I found funny..........when it came time for my turn to be photographed underwater, Gregg reached up under and into my helmet space, and slid my glasses up on top of my head (maybe so there wouldn't be a reflection?). Then, after, he reached back up and slid them back down where they belonged!

The helmet dive was one of our most fun excursions ever.

 

We have also done Hartley's..Highly recommend!!

 

Gregg did the same for me with the eyeglasses. Also funny, my eyeglasses tend to slip down my nose...I could reach under the helmet and push them back into place myself!! :)

[jambocam]

Could I ask if you booked the dive directly or did you take it through the ship?

 

thanks

[ace6636634]

Anyone know if there are any discounts at there for this?

[NJ Cruise Kids]

My wife and I booked the Hartley Helmet Dive excursion on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. It was awesome and I highly recommend it to anyone who might be interested in doing something totally unique during your visit to Bermuda. Greg Hartley is a professional with a sharp wit, and he shares a wealth of information with you concerning the marine life that you are introduced to during your dive. It's a one-of-a-kind experience.

[letscruisegd]

My wife and I booked the Hartley Helmet Dive excursion on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. It was awesome and I highly recommend it to anyone who might be interested in doing something totally unique during your visit to Bermuda. Greg Hartley is a professional with a sharp wit, and he shares a wealth of information with you concerning the marine life that you are introduced to during your dive. It's a one-of-a-kind experience.

I have this booked for my cruise in October. How much time did you spend underwater? I'm a little nervous about going under there but I'm excited too.

[sammax]

we did hartley's helmet dive in mid july and absolutely loved it. each group that goes down spends about 30 minutes under water. our excursion had 5 groups that afternoon, so the entire trip was a bit longer than the advertised 4 hours. it worked out well for us, as the weather was beautiful, and others we met were very friendly. all in all, a wonderful experience. :D:D:D

[NJ Cruise Kids]

To Letscruisegd,

We spent between 25-30 minutes under water (about 10-12 feet deep). No kidding, it takes getting used to, but Greg Hartley is a patient guy who knows his stuff. My wife took a mouthful of seawater on her way down the ladder after putting the helmet on and went back up to cough it out (meanwhile, I'm standing on the bottom wondering what the heck is going on.) She later related that Hartley was there immediately to get her back on track and in a few minutes we were together on the bottom smiling at each other and enjoying the view. We're not marine biologists, but being able to pet and hold fish, see little anemones, marine corals and like, and view and discuss the whole deal with each other later on was worth it. Buy the CD....the pix are great and you take it with you before you leave the boat. We also brought one of those underwater cameras with us and it worked great as well. All-in-all, from what I have read (I now appreciate the rich history behind helmet diving-and this one in particular) and now that we have experienced this firsthand, this excursion will make a positive lasting impression on you....is it a little scary? Yup, but my advice-go for it....have fun with it. NJ Cruise Kids

[letscruisegd]

we did hartley's helmet dive in mid july and absolutely loved it. each group that goes down spends about 30 minutes under water. our excursion had 5 groups that afternoon, so the entire trip was a bit longer than the advertised 4 hours. it worked out well for us, as the weather was beautiful, and others we met were very friendly. all in all, a wonderful experience. :D:D:D

Thanks for sharing your experience. Hopefully we'll have beautiful weather too.

To Letscruisegd,

We spent between 25-30 minutes under water (about 10-12 feet deep). No kidding, it takes getting used to, but Greg Hartley is a patient guy who knows his stuff. My wife took a mouthful of seawater on her way down the ladder after putting the helmet on and went back up to cough it out (meanwhile, I'm standing on the bottom wondering what the heck is going on.) She later related that Hartley was there immediately to get her back on track and in a few minutes we were together on the bottom smiling at each other and enjoying the view. We're not marine biologists, but being able to pet and hold fish, see little anemones, marine corals and like, and view and discuss the whole deal with each other later on was worth it. Buy the CD....the pix are great and you take it with you before you leave the boat. We also brought one of those underwater cameras with us and it worked great as well. All-in-all, from what I have read (I now appreciate the rich history behind helmet diving-and this one in particular) and now that we have experienced this firsthand, this excursion will make a positive lasting impression on you....is it a little scary? Yup, but my advice-go for it....have fun with it. NJ Cruise Kids

Thank you for sharing your experience also, and thanks for the additional details. Since I am a little nervous, it's great to know Greg will be right there in case I need help relaxing. I plan on taking an underwater camera and I'll have to consider purchasing the CD as well. Does the CD include a variety of pics or only pics of you & your wife?

[Pleiades]

The CD contains the pictures from your dive plus several hundred photos we have taken over the last 25 years of interesting marine life. There is also a selection of historic photos of my grandfather's helmet diving operation in the 40s and 50s.

[Grandma Rambo]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Hopefully we'll have beautiful weather too.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience also, and thanks for the additional details. Since I am a little nervous, it's great to know Greg will be right there in case I need help relaxing. I plan on taking an underwater camera and I'll have to consider purchasing the CD as well. Does the CD include a variety of pics or only pics of you & your wife?

 

We did the dive last Friday, Sept 10. I'm 71, can't swim, and don't even cook fish because I don't like to touch them. My husband and I had the best time. Yes, I was apprehensive, but Greg does his best to make you feel confident. The first minute or so I kind of thought I might want to go back up, but then started looking around at all the beauty around us and was able to divert my attention from the mask. The mask is roomy with glass on three sides, so you can see all around. We bought the pictures and CD and could hardley wait until we got home so we could download them and share them with our children and grandchildren. The pictures Greg took are priceless. It's something we'll never forget. Thank you Greg for your patience and your good humor. Go for it!

Jennie

[letscruisegd]

We did the dive last Friday, Sept 10. I'm 71, can't swim, and don't even cook fish because I don't like to touch them. My husband and I had the best time. Yes, I was apprehensive, but Greg does his best to make you feel confident. The first minute or so I kind of thought I might want to go back up, but then started looking around at all the beauty around us and was able to divert my attention from the mask. The mask is roomy with glass on three sides, so you can see all around. We bought the pictures and CD and could hardley wait until we got home so we could download them and share them with our children and grandchildren. The pictures Greg took are priceless. It's something we'll never forget. Thank you Greg for your patience and your good humor. Go for it!

Jennie

Thank you for sharing. The more I read about this the more excited I get. Although I'm still a little nervous about it, thanks to the feedback here, I'm really looking forward to it. I think the beauty of it is what will keep me going. I had my first snorkel experience on my most recent cruise and it was the beauty of everything under there that kept me going that time. The guide saw I was clearly nervous and he told me to look in. That's all it took for me to relax and enjoy the view.

 

I'm also looking forward to meeting Greg. He sounds like a great guy. :)

[NYGirl1002]

My daughter and I did this last May 29th. My daughter is special needs and I was a little worried however there was no need. Greg is wonderful. I had a problem putting on the wet suit and I was going to give up and he helped me by giving me a different suit to wear.

 

The water was a little rough that day but you'd never know it.

 

I recommend this excursion for any age group.