Help Surprise DH with Scuba Excursion

[chosbor2]

My DH is a certified scuba diver, but always goes on snorkeling excursions with me when we are on cruises (as I am not a diver and have no desire to be one). He always says what makes me happy, makes him happy. I would love to surprise him with a dive excursion, but not being a diver, I am unsure as to what is best and most of the threads here are for other ports.

 

So here are our ports

 

St Thomas

Barbados

St Lucia

St Kitts

St Maarten (already booked for snorkeling trip here)

 

which would be the best dive spot and might offer something for me (either stay at a beach close by or just be a passenger on the boat)

 

Thanks for all helpful advice!!

[divinmule]

I have been looking thru trip advisor to plan our dives for these ports. I have noticed alot of them offer diving and snorkeling from the same boat (I look for that because for us that is not a plus) but in your case that might work perfectly.

Just cruise thru the boards for local operators then see which have that option.

Great surprise for him!!:D

[chosbor2]

I have been looking thru trip advisor to plan our dives for these ports. I have noticed alot of them offer diving and snorkeling from the same boat (I look for that because for us that is not a plus) but in your case that might work perfectly.

Just cruise thru the boards for local operators then see which have that option.

Great surprise for him!!:D

 

Thanks, hadn't thought that would be a possibility. I will look into it

[Middleager]

My DH is a certified scuba diver, but always goes on snorkeling excursions with me when we are on cruises (as I am not a diver and have no desire to be one). He always says what makes me happy, makes him happy. I would love to surprise him with a dive excursion, but not being a diver, I am unsure as to what is best and most of the threads here are for other ports.

 

So here are our ports

 

St Thomas

Barbados

St Lucia

St Kitts

St Maarten (already booked for snorkeling trip here)

 

which would be the best dive spot and might offer something for me (either stay at a beach close by or just be a passenger on the boat)

 

Thanks for all helpful advice!!

Why want to surprise him about diving? Just tell him, then you guys can book and plan accordingly. Scuba diving is not a off the cuff, I'd like to do it now type of decision.

 

If he doesn't know and didn't bring the C-card, he won't be allowed to dive (if it's booked as a certified diver trip). If he is a diver, he may have his own gears that he usually brings (own mask/snorkel, regulator, computer, BC, fins). If he did not dive recently, he may need a refresher (which should be booked/done, just before the certified dive). He may be asked to show the log book, if he said he dove in the last 2 years, but needs to prove it. If he has a camera/dive, he might like to bring that. If it's a certain location, there may be a particular dive site(s) that he'd like to go, and if he had know, can ask the operator ahead of time to try to go there.

 

I'm a diver. I would like to know if I'm going to dive, rather than being "surprised" by my wife.

[pamawi]

I know that St. Thomas has good diving. I went out with Blue Island divers before and there is a lot of good stuff about them on scubaboard and this forum. I don't know if they take snorkelers on the boat but you can check. Another thing I've seen posted on the boards but haven't done is Coki Beach where you can scuba dive or snorkel. Since I have dived St Thomas before and never seen the island, I did the ship's morning island tour then the ship's afternoon Magen's Bay Beach Tour which included a drive up the mountain for a scenic overlook of Magen's Beach then a nice relaxing time at this beautiful beach. No vendors trying to sell stuff.

 

I just got back from this cruise and for St Lucia, I highly recommend an island tour with COSOL tours http://www.cosol-tours.com/tours.html. It was only $65 and included a huge variety of activities including snorkeling/swimming between the pitons ($10 for gear if you don't bring your own), stand under waterfall (too shallow to swim under it), time in a volcanic mud bath (if you can handle the heat or just rub the mud on from a bucket), stop at a banana plantation where they will give you extra bananas for feeding the fish on your snorkel. You tons of local food and unlimited beverages (rum punch, piton beer, water, sodas, etc) on this trip and beautiful scenery. Great value! I didn't snorkel because I was the only one in my group that wanted to and it was overcast and the water looked dark because of black sand bottom so I thought the vis would be bad. However I heard other people who did it saw a lot of great stuff including schools of squid or cuttlefish, which are beautiful underwater.

 

I also highly recommend the ship's Barbados island tour that takes you to Bathsheba. It came back in time for me to do another ship's tour which was a turtle snorkel on a powerboat. It was ok, but we only saw one turtle and there was a ton of folks and they don't give your flippers. I heard other people on catamaran turtle snorkel tours saw tons of turtles. I also read online that you can just take a cab to the beach and get vendors on the beach to take you out to the turtles on a small boat or jetski.

 

I did a good island tour on St Maarten with Bernard's Tours that included beach time at Orient Beach but the water was too rough for me. We also went to Maho beach to watch and feel the planes take off and land which was fun and the water at that beach was nice and not rough like at Orient Beach.

 

I did a lame afternoon snorkel from a catamaran on St Kitts after the Sugar Train tour. We didn't see anything but a bunch of barren rocks and a few trumpet fish and a few baitfish. I enjoyed the scenery on the Sugar Train tour but it was really slow.The CC forums recommend Tours with Javin in St Kitts but he was all booked up when I contacted him at the last minute.

[chosbor2]

Why want to surprise him about diving? Just tell him, then you guys can book and plan accordingly. Scuba diving is not a off the cuff, I'd like to do it now type of decision.

 

If he doesn't know and didn't bring the C-card, he won't be allowed to dive (if it's booked as a certified diver trip). If he is a diver, he may have his own gears that he usually brings (own mask/snorkel, regulator, computer, BC, fins). If he did not dive recently, he may need a refresher (which should be booked/done, just before the certified dive). He may be asked to show the log book, if he said he dove in the last 2 years, but needs to prove it. If he has a camera/dive, he might like to bring that. If it's a certain location, there may be a particular dive site(s) that he'd like to go, and if he had know, can ask the operator ahead of time to try to go there.

 

I'm a diver. I would like to know if I'm going to dive, rather than being "surprised" by my wife.

 

Thank you for the advice, but he takes a dive trip every fall with a group of friends, so when I suggest that he dive from the cruise, he says he would like to, but would rather spend the time with me. I just wanted to get it all planned out, so he couldn't say no and then tell him. I wasn't going to wait until we were on the cruise to tell him, as I know he will need additional things (even though he already brings mask, fins, snorkel, camera for all our snorkel excursions)

[chosbor2]

I know that St. Thomas has good diving. I went out with Blue Island divers before and there is a lot of good stuff about them on scubaboard and this forum. I don't know if they take snorkelers on the boat but you can check. Another thing I've seen posted on the boards but haven't done is Coki Beach where you can scuba dive or snorkel. Since I have dived St Thomas before and never seen the island, I did the ship's morning island tour then the ship's afternoon Magen's Bay Beach Tour which included a drive up the mountain for a scenic overlook of Magen's Beach then a nice relaxing time at this beautiful beach. No vendors trying to sell stuff.

 

I just got back from this cruise and for St Lucia, I highly recommend an island tour with COSOL tours http://www.cosol-tours.com/tours.html. It was only $65 and included a huge variety of activities including snorkeling/swimming between the pitons ($10 for gear if you don't bring your own), stand under waterfall (too shallow to swim under it), time in a volcanic mud bath (if you can handle the heat or just rub the mud on from a bucket), stop at a banana plantation where they will give you extra bananas for feeding the fish on your snorkel. You tons of local food and unlimited beverages (rum punch, piton beer, water, sodas, etc) on this trip and beautiful scenery. Great value! I didn't snorkel because I was the only one in my group that wanted to and it was overcast and the water looked dark because of black sand bottom so I thought the vis would be bad. However I heard other people who did it saw a lot of great stuff including schools of squid or cuttlefish, which are beautiful underwater.

 

I also highly recommend the ship's Barbados island tour that takes you to Bathsheba. It came back in time for me to do another ship's tour which was a turtle snorkel on a powerboat. It was ok, but we only saw one turtle and there was a ton of folks and they don't give your flippers. I heard other people on catamaran turtle snorkel tours saw tons of turtles. I also read online that you can just take a cab to the beach and get vendors on the beach to take you out to the turtles on a small boat or jetski.

 

I did a good island tour on St Maarten with Bernard's Tours that included beach time at Orient Beach but the water was too rough for me. We also went to Maho beach to watch and feel the planes take off and land which was fun and the water at that beach was nice and not rough like at Orient Beach.

 

I did a lame afternoon snorkel from a catamaran on St Kitts after the Sugar Train tour. We didn't see anything but a bunch of barren rocks and a few trumpet fish and a few baitfish. I enjoyed the scenery on the Sugar Train tour but it was really slow.The CC forums recommend Tours with Javin in St Kitts but he was all booked up when I contacted him at the last minute.

 

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice. I will definitely look into the dives on St Thomas. Once I figure out where and when to dive, I will check into these other tours, they sound great!

[NEREVS]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice. I will definitely look into the dives on St Thomas. Once I figure out where and when to dive, I will check into these other tours, they sound great!

 

Aqua Marine in St Thomas is another great outfit and you can go with him as they will allow you to bubble watch or even snorkel yourself and watch the group. We have used them twice and have never been disappointed.

[chosbor2]

Aqua Marine in St Thomas is another great outfit and you can go with him as they will allow you to bubble watch or even snorkel yourself and watch the group. We have used them twice and have never been disappointed.

 

Thank you...just the advice I was looking for...I will check them out!

[releck97]

Another vote for Blue Island Divers in St. Thomas! I highly recommend this operation.

[Laurie S.]

I might as well jump on, too. Go with Blue Island Divers, they are absolutely great guys and have an excellent, and very safe, operation. They will take both divers and snorkelers on board, but the boat will be in waters for diving, so it will be deeper.