Scuba diving in St. Thomas: best place and should I use RCI excursion?

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

Hello,

 

I will be in St. Thomas in October, and I want to go scuba diving there. I am a newly-PADI-trained diver, who will have his advanced open water certification prior to going on this cruise (RCI, Oasis of the Seas).

 

1) I am wondering if I should take the RCI excursion or go private.

 

The pluses for RCI excursion is getting back on board in time. The minuses are that they only offer one location to dive, and I suspect the price will be higher. Also, I think that they would only allow beginner level dives (60 feet & shallower)

 

The pluses for private I assume are that you have a better selection of dive locations, and you could go deeper than 60 feet, if certified advanced open water. The minus would be that you might not make it back to the ship oin time (one day I'm going to go to an all-inclusive resort that has good diving so I don't have to worry about this! hehe!)

 

2) If going private, what lacations and which dive centre would you recommend?

 

I know you guys get asked these questions a lot, but I tried to find answers in this forum, but I'm not that good at searching here... :(

 

Thank you in advance! :)

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

Same questions as above, but for Cozumel.

 

Also, has Cozumel bounced back from the Hurricane that ripped through there recently?

[G.C]

We were in Cozumel a few months ago. The diving was excellant there was lots of damage to the really hallow reefs. Looking forward to going back ASAP. St. Thomas is one dive spot I will pass on. My only experience was with a ship excursion. They took us to Coki Beach for a walk in dive. They was almost nothing to see. We were with a the discover scuba groups would did the same dive. The beach was packed and trashy the day we were there. Not sure if it is always like that. I am sure the dive spot was a waste of time.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

We were in Cozumel a few months ago. The diving was excellant there was lots of damage to the really hallow reefs. Looking forward to going back ASAP. St. Thomas is one dive spot I will pass on. My only experience was with a ship excursion. They took us to Coki Beach for a walk in dive. They was almost nothing to see. We were with a the discover scuba groups would did the same dive. The beach was packed and trashy the day we were there. Not sure if it is always like that. I am sure the dive spot was a waste of time.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

First of all: thank you for your reply! :)

 

I have to ask you more questions on your opinion of St. Thomas:

Coki beach: You said there was nothing to see, but then you said "I am sure the dive spot was a waste of time". So was it a waste of time, or are you guessing it's a waste of time?

What is the "Discover Scuba Groups"?

[topspot]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1198606&highlight=scuba+thomas

 

Click on the link above and you will find some info for you. Also I know that we took a cab to Secret Harbor. They have a dive shop that may be able to help you plan your own dive. We snorkeled here about a year before we decided to become dive certified. The snorkeling was good and the beach very quiet.;)

 

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/13/teen-tourist-killed-in-crossfire-in-u-s-virgin-islands/?hpt=T2 and this link is a recent story regarding an incident at Coki beach this month

[bruce-r]

Go with http://www.admiraltydive.com They pick up from the cruise dock and will be certain to get you back in time. Small boat, so no crowds, and really nice people giving personal service. Even if it cost more than the ship's excursion it would be worth it, IMO.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

Go with www.admiraltydive.com They pick up from the cruise dock and will be certain to get you back in time. Small boat, so no crowds, and really nice people giving personal service. Even if it cost more than the ship's excursion it would be worth it, IMO.

Thanks - I found their link too. Why do you think it will be better than a ship's excursion, even if it costs more?

[G.C]

To the OP sorry for the typo`s next time I`ll read my post before sending.

 

I did a ship sponsored excursion to Coki Beach for a two tank dive. By far the worst dive location I have been taken to. We did a walk in dive along side the discover scuba excursions. We all did the exact same dive to see a little dead coral and very few fish. I would not recommend anyone that takes discover scuba groups to 45' as was done the day I was there. We cruise a lot and I only have that one day to go by at Coki Beach. For the day I was there trash/beer bottles were everywhere. Maybe others have had a better experience I hope so. For us it was one of the two places we have found cruising we hope to never go back to.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

To the OP sorry for the typo`s next time I`ll read my post before sending.

 

I did a ship sponsored excursion to Coki Beach for a two tank dive. By far the worst dive location I have been taken to. We did a walk in dive along side the discover scuba excursions. We all did the exact same dive to see a little dead coral and very few fish. I would not recommend anyone that takes discover scuba groups to 45' as was done the day I was there. We cruise a lot and I only have that one day to go by at Coki Beach. For the day I was there trash/beer bottles were everywhere. Maybe others have had a better experience I hope so. For us it was one of the two places we have found cruising we hope to never go back to.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

Thanks so much for the clarification! Yea, Coki beach is not one that I am interested in going to - plus you never know if there will be another gang war there! ;)

[Stevesan]

We were in Cozumel a few months ago. The diving was excellant there was lots of damage to the really hallow reefs. Looking forward to going back ASAP. St. Thomas is one dive spot I will pass on. My only experience was with a ship excursion. They took us to Coki Beach for a walk in dive. They was almost nothing to see. We were with a the discover scuba groups would did the same dive. The beach was packed and trashy the day we were there. Not sure if it is always like that. I am sure the dive spot was a waste of time.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Cozumel's near shore reefs were destroyed in Y2005 by Hurricane Wilma.

Fortunately the off shore reefs Palancar, Columbia, Punta Sur, etc were left 80% intact. There's still marvelous snorkeling/diving.

This year's Hurricane Alex was a Tropical Storm while in the Yucatan and did no reef damage.

[Stevesan]

Hello,

 

I will be in St. Thomas in October, and I want to go scuba diving there. I am a newly-PADI-trained diver, who will have his advanced open water certification prior to going on this cruise (RCI, Oasis of the Seas).

 

1) I am wondering if I should take the RCI excursion or go private.

 

The pluses for RCI excursion is getting back on board in time. The minuses are that they only offer one location to dive, and I suspect the price will be higher. Also, I think that they would only allow beginner level dives (60 feet & shallower)

 

The pluses for private I assume are that you have a better selection of dive locations, and you could go deeper than 60 feet, if certified advanced open water. The minus would be that you might not make it back to the ship oin time (one day I'm going to go to an all-inclusive resort that has good diving so I don't have to worry about this! hehe!)

 

2) If going private, what lacations and which dive centre would you recommend?

 

I know you guys get asked these questions a lot, but I tried to find answers in this forum, but I'm not that good at searching here... :(

 

Thank you in advance! :)

 

There are a number of first rate dive operators at Coz. I use Eagle Ray who take a mix of snorkelers and divers,

usually no more than eight passengers. Of course there's a separate guide for each group.

 

http://www.eagleraydivers.com/

 

Manta Ray and Poppa Hog are popular options at Coz, too.

 

St Thomas has a number of good dive operators. The list is too long to post here .

Click on www dot vinow dot com, then select St Thomas/Activities.

Visit both Ports Of Call Boards for suggestions.

 

The independent operators at these, and many other, ports earn a major part of their income from cruise ship passengers.

They know the ship schedules better than the ships. captains. :p

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

There are a number of first rate dive operators at Coz. I use Eagle Ray who take a mix of snorkelers and divers,

usually no more than eight passengers. Of course there's a separate guide for each group.

 

http://www.eagleraydivers.com/

 

Manta Ray and Poppa Hog are popular options at Coz, too.

 

St Thomas has a number of good dive operators. The list is too long to post here .

Click on www dot vinow dot com, then select St Thomas/Activities.

Visit both Ports Of Call Boards for suggestions.

 

The independent operators at these, and many other, ports earn a major part of their income from cruise ship passengers.

They know the ship schedules better than the ships. captains. :p

 

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! :)

 

I noticed that they advertise bilingual dive masters! cool: I didn't know they spoke English and Swahili! :p hehe!

 

Looks good - so does the dive master's wife! hehe! OK: enough joking around, or my wife will kill me! hehe!

 

I like their rates: cheaper than in St. Thomas.

[cruisinbb]

ottawa cruise man,

i will be on oasis with you on oct 9th cruise and am looking to dive in st thomas only. i have been to coki beach and it is not worth going thru the hood to get to a crappy dive site/beach.

rci is not letting me book or even look at dive excursions for our cruise, so they may be reevaluating excursions in st thomas for oasis passengers.

let me know what you decide if you book a private company.

 

barry

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

ottawa cruise man,

i will be on oasis with you on oct 9th cruise and am looking to dive in st thomas only. i have been to coki beach and it is not worth going thru the hood to get to a crappy dive site/beach.

rci is not letting me book or even look at dive excursions for our cruise, so they may be reevaluating excursions in st thomas for oasis passengers.

let me know what you decide if you book a private company.

 

barry

Hi Barry,

 

I have decided to book privately, and will be with another dive buddy. So far I have asked 2 dive (Admiralty Dive and Aqua Action Dive http://www.aadivers.com) shops for information, and only one of them has responded so far (Aqua Action). In fact, Aqua Action responded within less than 10 mintues of my sending an e-mail, plus they responded back several more times to my follow up questions, all within a couple minutes of my asking them! Not a word from AdmiraltyDive, though. Now I am more interested in going with the better experience than the cheaper one. If you have an opinion as to which dive centre is better, then I am all ear. I do know that Admiralty Dive will give us a reduced rate for 3 divers (6 tanks) or more at $80.00 each plus equipment rental. I asked what AA Divers (sounds like Alcoholics Anonymous divers, eh?) considers a group rate, and it's 5 or 6 divers.

So the next thing to take into consideration is the location of the shop nd the dive locations, as well as the reviews and reputation of the shops. I assume that only PADI shops are worth considering - what do you think?

 

BTW, I see you have you joined the roll call here. Have you joined the Facebook page?

[bruce-r]

Thanks - I found their link too. Why do you think it will be better than a ship's excursion, even if it costs more?

 

I prefer smaller groups and Admiralty offers a 3 tank dive trip while the ship's excursion is only 2 tanks. Plus they are more likely to let you dive your computer rather than the predetermined bottom time you'd likely get with the ship's excursion.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

I prefer smaller groups and Admiralty offers a 3 tank dive trip while the ship's excursion is only 2 tanks. Plus they are more likely to let you dive your computer rather than the predetermined bottom time you'd likely get with the ship's excursion.

 

Thanks, Bruce!

 

Yea: I need to get a dive computer...

 

I have pretty well decided not to go with a ship tour, and go private.

3 tank dives: that sounds great, since I'm still an air hog... ;)

[d34567]

Thanks for the question, and the replies! I was going to ask for St. Thomas recommendations as well. The two linked locations look good. Does anyone have recommendations for Grand Turk?

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

OK: just got this reply back from Admiralty. I really like the transportation part! :)

 

Dear Laurent,

Thank you for contacting Admiralty Dive Center concerning your diving needs while visiting St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Oasis does dock later than most cruise ships, and we usually get quite a few divers off of it, so we schedule a later start that day, that way you can do a morning 2 tank/2 location dive. The special advertised on our website is for divers who book 3 days of diving, so unfortunately, this does not apply to your situation. Please read on to learn more about how our dive center operates.

Admiralty Dive Center is located in the Windward Passage Hotel, Charlotte Amalie.

We do pick up Cruise Ship customers at the same dock as your ship. It will take you about 30 to 45 minutes after you dock to unload the ship. We will also drop you back at the cruise ship dock afterwards. This is a courtesy at no extra charge!

We do 2 dive charters daily, a morning dive, which leaves around 7:30 am – returning around 11:30 am, and an afternoon dive, which leaves around 12:30 pm – returning around 4:30 pm, both charters are 2 tank/2 locations. We are a full-service dive operation. We will set up your equipment, switch out the tanks between dives, then tear it down, take it back to the shop (if you are staying on island) where we wash it, rinse it and hang it to dry. All you have to do is show up, sit in front of it, get into it and take that giant stride into the beautiful warm waters of the Caribbean!

We usually do a wreck and a reef and do not do the same dives over and over, nor do we “cattleboat”. Our dive boat is a 12-passenger boat, which keeps the group small and personal. The daily dive site depends on the condition of the seas and the experience of our customers. If you are all advanced, we will do an advanced dive, such as the Wit Shoal or Miss Opportunity. We have 120 available, so there are many sites to choose from. Our crew is very professional and experienced. We always have an Instructor(s) leading the dives and to assist you if you need any help. You will be in good hands with us.

We specialize and are proud of our rental gear, so if you do not want to pay the extra costs of flying with your own gear, we will take care of you! Our BCD's consist of the Seaquest PRO QD Weight Integrated and our regulators are the Aqua Lung Titans. We replace our rental gear every 12-18 months. Also available is Nitrox for an additional $12 per tank. Using our equipment includes everything needed for the dive.

The cost for our dives is as follows:

2 tank, 2 location: $109 each using our equipment $99 using your own

Discover Scuba 2 tank/2 location: $150 using our equipment

Discounted Dive Packages available

We look forward in hearing back from you to confirm your reservations. A credit card number with expiration date is required to hold your reservation and no down-payment is needed. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

 

Respectfully,

Laura Hausch

Admiralty Dive Center, St. Thomas

340-777-9802 or Toll Free 888-900-3483

Fax 888-900-3483

Cancellation Policy: If a reservation is cancelled within 24 hours, no charge will be charged. If there is no cancellation 100% of the booking reservation of requested service will be applied to the credit card supplied by the customer.

 

 

So what do you guys think? Lots of good information. I like the fact that they are located right near the docks - this means less time driving around, and more time spent on the water! As long as they stay away from Coki Beach, we won't have to worry about lead slugs flying past us! :D

[cruisinbb]

looks good. i will call lauren or email them soon. let me know if you two book with them. i will also try and research them with friends who go to st thomas often and dive.

 

not on fb page but am on rci oasis roll call. we have around 15 people cruising.

 

barry

[topspot]

d34567 Grand Turk=Blue Water Divers. Dove with them in Nov. Got the recommendation here on cruise critic. They were great. Small groups, answer e-mails and patient with the newbies while two in the group who were more experienced were given more freedom during the dive.

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

looks good. i will call lauren or email them soon. let me know if you two book with them. i will also try and research them with friends who go to st thomas often and dive.

 

not on fb page but am on rci oasis roll call. we have around 15 people cruising.

 

barry

Who's Lauren?

 

As far as booking - let's agree on a dive shop first - I'm sure there are tons of them on that island. I mean, if you think these guys are tops, then I'll go with the flow.

 

15 people? Man, we have many more than that on the roll call: Emmy has a list! hehe! Are you going to the pre-cruise dinner? If we get enough people, I'm going to try and get it changed over to the a seafood place that has wonderful stone crabs caught that day! :)

 

Cheers,

 

Laurent

[cruisinbb]

sorry, i meant laura. we are not going to pre cruise dinner.

we are staying in lauderdale the night before and just doing dinner with the group.

 

still waiting on rci to release info on st thomas dive excursions.

 

barry

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

sorry, i meant laura. we are not going to pre cruise dinner.

we are staying in lauderdale the night before and just doing dinner with the group.

 

still waiting on rci to release info on st thomas dive excursions.

 

barry

 

We're staying 2 nights before, so I'll make sure that Fort Lauderdale is all warmed up for ya! hehe!

 

From what I have read so far, I don't think I'm interested in a cruise dive excursion anyway. If you look at the whole cruise, you'll see excursions of any type are not open for that port or for Nassau, but excursions for St. Maarten are available.

 

I'm looking for some gear, and I came across this ad for a whole set-up. I don't want the wet suit, since it's a woman's size 12... hehe! But the vest is large enough, and the rest of the gear looks good to this untrained guy : <click here> I like the fact that I could probably get the whole lot for $400.00 and have a great BCD with integrated weights, plus a reg set and gauges with dive computer. The rest of the stuff is pretty cheap to buy, so I would be set up! :)

 

Any ideas or comments guys? I will be having it checked out by a pro before diving just to be safe, plus the reg set will be serviced and the tank checked out too.

[cruisinbb]

it took me about two years to get all equipment. i used local dive shops in north texas.

i got a used regulator which had been rebuilt. XL BC, 2 1/5 mm shortee which i never wear unless i do a lake dive and a great dive computer watch. i was really into diving but have slowed down the last few years.

so, i hope you can find good stuff. it is always nice to have your own equipment but with airlines charging so much for bags, sometimes it is not cost worthy.

 

barry

[Ottawa_cruise_man]

it took me about two years to get all equipment. i used local dive shops in north texas.

i got a used regulator which had been rebuilt. XL BC, 2 1/5 mm shortee which i never wear unless i do a lake dive and a great dive computer watch. i was really into diving but have slowed down the last few years.

so, i hope you can find good stuff. it is always nice to have your own equipment but with airlines charging so much for bags, sometimes it is not cost worthy.

 

barry

I was wondering what you thought about the gear, though - click the link in my post.