SCUBA in Bermuda

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Any suggestions? Worth going as a basic OW diver - I know there are lots of wrecks there - are they shallow?

[JMTtor]

Hi -

 

I've been to Bermuda three times, diving on two of the trips, and the diving there is perfect for basic open water divers. Most (though not all) wrecks and reefs are very shallow (starting at 20 to 35 feet, and some even as close to the surface as ten feet). I recently completed my AOW, but my first time diving BDA my then-17-year-old daughter and I had been on probably a dozen or so open water dives (including my checkout dives) since getting certified, and all beyond my checkouts were during cruises.

 

Who you go with will depend in large part on where you're berthed. Last year, since I was on NCL Majesty at St. George's, I dived with Triangle (the only dive op on the East end) and found them to be excellent. Triangle's website, http://www.trianglediving.com, has links to detailed information about many of the wrecks and reefs, including the depth range for each. And as I booked several dives independent of the ship, they still picked up and dropped off at the dock right behind the ship in St. George's.

 

The Bermuda op I first dived with, Fantasea, apparently no longer does SCUBA (only Snuba), but I understand Blue Water Divers (http://www.divebermuda.com) is also excellent, and they're closest to the King's Wharf West End docks. That website also has a dive guide: http://*****.com/lblwkj. Both Triangle and Blue Water are five-star PADI facilities, so you'll be well taken care of with either.

 

Here are links to my two online photo albums from last year's Bermuda trip, to give you an idea of some of what you can expect diving there:

 

Tuesday dives & night: http://*****.com/nccbq8

Wednesday in St. George's and dives: http://*****.com/r6wa4d

 

Hope this helps! Have fun getting wet...

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I will definitely check out BWD. We are docking on the west end, I forgot to mention that. THanks for the info.

[scubaran]

Any suggestions? Worth going as a basic OW diver - I know there are lots of wrecks there - are they shallow?

 

Hi,

 

Bermuda is perfect for OW divers. The reefs on the island are fringing reefs and the average max. depth is around 45 ft. I've dove there three times (had to work on the island, I know, poor me :)). Anyway, I've dove out of Hamilton and did both shore and boat diving. For both I went with Blue Water Divers. They have a shore diving shop at Elbow Beach Resort, just a two minute taxi outside Hamilton. However, they don't normally have people waiting around for buddies so you either have to have one or rent a dive master to take you out. Easy entry into the water and the reef and local wreck are great.

 

For boat diving, they usually have morning/afternoon dives but they take you to the outer-side of the reefs you can get to from the shore, like elbow beach. If you want flexibility, something some cruise people can't provide due to dock schedules, you might do the shore dive. BTW, taxis are cheap enough and the island is small enough that you can dive Elbow Beach pretty much no matter where you dock, but Hamilton is definely the closest. You can see my Bermuda dive pictures on my website: http://www.randallgamby.com

 

r