Worth bringing gear for St. Thomas/Antigua?

[Latitude 20]

After a few years' hiatus from cruise diving, we've booked a trip in May that might have a couple ports worth diving so we're back on the scuba/snorkling boards!

 

Can those of you who've dived in St. Thomas and/or Antigua give us your opinion of those places versus Cozumel, Cayman or the South Pacific? With the luggage hassles these days, we're only going to bring our gear and dive if we can find something special.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Kathi & Leo

[NeurosurgeryNP]

We dove with Admiralty Divers in St. Thomas. Definitely worth diving with them. Had a wonderful experience. I don't regret bring my gear, especially with Admiralty. After the morning dive, they took our gear back to their shop in down town Charlotte Amalie, and we proceeded to go back to the ship to change. We went back into town to enjoy the sights and shopping, and we picked up our gear on the way back to the ship - they had brought back our gear, cleaned, rinsed it in their tanks, and hung it to dry outside. By the time we go the gear, it was 100% dry and ready to be packed for our disembarkation the next day. I definitely do not regret bringing my gear - I was familiar with it, know where all of the dumps were, etc. DH doesn't have BC and reg, and used their gear at Admiralty - it was in top shape. No complaints there. I highly recommend Admiralty - this forum is how we got to using them. Small boat operation, I think we had 7-8 divers MAX, and it was CHEAPER than the ship's tour without the cattleboat operation. We docked in Crown Bay, and they picked us up and dropped us back off at the cruise center at Crown Bay.

 

I thought our dives in St. Thomas were at good dive sites and we saw a lot of marine life and beautiful coral. I have not dived in the places you have mentioned, but I was very satisfied with the diving in St. Thomas. We didn't dive in Antigua, so I can't comment there. We did dive in St. Kitts on our last cruise ont eh Caribbean Princess. DOn't know if you go there - but we really enjoyed diving there as well. Again, we used a private operator as Princess didn't offer any dive trips there.

[bruce-r]

After a few years' hiatus from cruise diving, we've booked a trip in May that might have a couple ports worth diving so we're back on the scuba/snorkling boards!

 

Can those of you who've dived in St. Thomas and/or Antigua give us your opinion of those places versus Cozumel, Cayman or the South Pacific? With the luggage hassles these days, we're only going to bring our gear and dive if we can find something special.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Kathi & Leo

IMO, NOTHING in the Caribbean compares to the diving in the South Pacific.

 

In comparing St. Thomas/Antigua to CZM and GCM, I think Cozumel and/or Grand Cayman are definitely better for diving.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I hear you there. But IMO, any day diving, is a great day, no matter where you are (except in the freezing cold LOL).

[bruce-r]

I hear you there. But IMO, any day diving, is a great day, no matter where you are (except in the freezing cold LOL).

 

I've had some great days diving where I had to break the ice on the camera rinse bucket to dunk my camera in the water. And I'd rank the diving in British Columbia way up there compared to much of the Caribbean.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I've had some great days diving where I had to break the ice on the camera rinse bucket to dunk my camera in the water. And I'd rank the diving in British Columbia way up there compared to much of the Caribbean.

Yeah, but I am definitely not into the cold water thing. Brrrrrrrrrr.

[Latitude 20]

I hear you there. But IMO, any day diving, is a great day, no matter where you are (except in the freezing cold LOL).

 

A few years ago, we would have agreed but age and airline baggage restrictions have conspired against us and we no longer dive just to "get wet." If we can't see/do something new, it's just not worth schlepping the gear. We live on Puget Sound and, as Bruce points out, we've got some pretty great diving right in our backyard so I guess we're a little spoiled.

 

But thanks so much for the Admiralty recommendation--they sound like they have great service! If we decide to dive in St. Thomas, we'll definitely check them out.

 

P.S. It looks like you took our upcoming cruise last October (except in reverse--we're going from San Juan to NYC). We'd love to hear your impressions.

 

Kathi & Leo

[Latitude 20]

I've had some great days diving where I had to break the ice on the camera rinse bucket to dunk my camera in the water.

 

:D

 

For us it was 12 inches of snow on the ground vs. fresh (and free) Dungeness crab for Christmas dinner. Crab won.

[bruce-r]

:D

 

For us it was 12 inches of snow on the ground vs. fresh (and free) Dungeness crab for Christmas dinner. Crab won.

 

No, I think the crab lost, but YOU won. Yummy fresh Dungeness....:D