Should I dive on this cruise?

[Orcrone]

I'm going with family on a cruise to Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Martin.

 

I've been to each port before. I dove at Coki Beach twice and was thinking of taking the ferry to St. John's for a nice beach day this time. I didn't dive at either of the other locations. Is the diving decent, or would I be better off waiting for another cruise where I select the itinerary based on dive locations?

[Jacqueline]

I'd go to St John's with the family this time around, since you have already done Coki. I did not love the boat dives I have done in St Thomas. St Johns is beautiful.

I would look into Nassau thought !

[billeelou]

back in Oct , the DW and I went diving in each place, don't be too quick to turn down St thomas St Martaan has rougher water, but all in all it can be a great dive!! But stay away from the Ship's providers at both those places...stuart cove is ok for Nassau...

 

and

DO DIVE NASSAU!!

[bruce-r]

What are you thinking? Go on a cruise and NOT dive? Are you sane?

 

Of course you should dive. I'd pick St. Thomas first, Nassau second, and St.Maarten third. I liked diving with http://www.admiraltydive.com in St Thomas.

[kmtoner]

My 2 cents:

 

Nassau probably has operators who can get you to some tasty dive sites. Bahamas probably has the best viz and healthiest reefs of the three stops.

 

My son did 2 his first 2 open water dives in St. Martin last week. Saw 2 eagle rays and everyone in the class raved about the conditions. I've never thought much of St. Martin as a destination for diving, unless you can get to Saba.

 

My son and I did two dives from St. Thomas last week. The viz was excellent. Probably 75-100 feet. We saw pretty standard sea life and had a good time. I'm blanking on the name of the tiny island near Charlotte Amalie but it is definitely an overused site. That said, I loved the wreck at the site and did not regret diving there at all. When I dove that site in 1990, the conditions were pretty bad. No wreck, very murky. But last week was great.

 

One other comment - I brought 2 sets of gear and it was a minor hassle to store items in our balcony cabin on the CB. There was no opportunity to rinse/soak wet suits on the boat. My wife strongly complained about the stench on the balcony on the last sea day, so I repacked the dive bag and skipped the last dive in the Bahamas.

[Orcrone]

What are you thinking? Go on a cruise and NOT dive? Are you sane?

Good question. Probably not. Most of my latest dives have been eastern Caribbean and Jamaica, not prime locations. Guess I'm just disappointed that I'm not heading to Coz, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Bonaire, etc.

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll definitely dive Nassau and have to decide about the other two. Perhaps go to St. John's and sneak in an early dive along with some shore time in St. Maarteen. DW's not making this trip and she'll be upset if I don't bring back some Guava Berry rum.;)

 

What's the water temp like in Nassau in early December?

[bruce-r]

Good question. Probably not. Most of my latest dives have been eastern Caribbean and Jamaica, not prime locations. Guess I'm just disappointed that I'm not heading to Coz, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Bonaire, etc.

I can certainly appreciate that.

 

......

One other comment - I brought 2 sets of gear and it was a minor hassle to store items in our balcony cabin on the CB. There was no opportunity to rinse/soak wet suits on the boat. My wife strongly complained about the stench on the balcony on the last sea day, so I repacked the dive bag and skipped the last dive in the Bahamas.

The trick there is to wear the wetsuits up to the pool and use the showers next to them, then take them off and lay them in the sun for a while. Take a book, get a drink, and relax while they dry.

[SnappyW]

Man you have to be kidding, you will be in St. Martin, and right next door is the Island of Saba, which by the way is a underwater National Park.

I used Ocean Explorers Dive Center. They supplied the Boat ride to the island which if I recall it takes about 60 minutes +- to get there. You will not be disappointed. i did two dives while out on the island and they were spectatular. one was called the Tent Reef Wall (wall dive) 75ft.the other was called Hole in the Corner 65ft. on a clear day the visability terrific. reply if you need more info

 

Dives 227

Continents 3

Countries 14

and still counting

[Orcrone]

I read in Wikipedia that the diving around Saba is somewhat deep and challenging. In addition Saba, an island of only 5 square miles, has not one, but two hyperbaric chambers. So I don't know if I'm up to that. Would like to learn a little more first.

[river_sand_bar2]

Dive Dive Dive brother!!!! I agree with Bruce... I dive any chance I can get... even if its not prime time.. your still wet and swimming with the fishies.

 

For the smell.... 2 suggestions.. baby powder works great to help keep the smell down a little bit..AND... have a room deoderizer near your gear.. that way she will smell the fresh flower scent and forget all about the money your spending on the dive.

[daldog]

We dove on our cruise we when we stopped in St. Thomas. We went with Blue Water Divers, had them all to our ourselves (3 of us plus DM and captain). It was great; they pick you up right by the ship, we were at our first site in like 5 minutes, and it was all very nice and very easy. Came back with plenty of time to spare to do other things.

 

Also, we just stuck one set of gear at a time in our shower, then dried it on the balcony. Not a problem.

[deepstops]

My 2 cents:

 

Nassau probably has operators who can get you to some tasty dive sites. Bahamas probably has the best viz and healthiest reefs of the three stops.

 

 

Believe it or don't but Stuart Cove's is pretty much the only game in town now since Dive Dive Dive and the Nassau Scuba Centre have closed their doors.

[mielyse]

As far as the stench goes, my wife and I rinse in the cabin shower when we get back to the boat. One of us will rinse while the other stores in out on the balcony to dry. It works pretty out pretty well and we can be in the comfort of our room and get ready to go back ashore if there is time or roam the ship. We also carry a bottle of mirazime to rinse small things like wetsuits, swimsuits, etc. in the bathroom sink.

[Stevesan]

Believe it or don't but Stuart Cove's is pretty much the only game in town now since Dive Dive Dive and the Nassau Scuba Centre have closed their doors.

 

Even so, Stuart's Cove is one heckuva game!:)

[river_sand_bar2]

As far as the stench goes, my wife and I rinse in the cabin shower when we get back to the boat. One of us will rinse while the other stores in out on the balcony to dry. It works pretty out pretty well and we can be in the comfort of our room and get ready to go back ashore if there is time or roam the ship. We also carry a bottle of mirazime to rinse small things like wetsuits, swimsuits, etc. in the bathroom sink.

 

In my B/C pocket I keep a small bottle of shampoo.... after a dive, I'll wash my hair in the fresh water on the boat and then let the soapy water run inside my wetsuit... kinda washes everything all at once, the wet suit, my hair and body... and I am Fresh as can be afterwards...then the wife will kiss me, cus I smell clean and not like sea water.

[deepstops]

Even so, Stuart's Cove is one heckuva game!:)

 

Agreed. Putting 100 or so divers aboard 8 different dive boats going to 8 different dive sites every morning and keeping everyone happy is no small feat. And then there's the photo store. Our pics were up in the store before we'd finished offloading the gear. No question, it's a well-oiled machine. ;)