Rookie diver-St Thomas/St Kitts/Antigua

[parasailor]

I would greatly appreciate suggestions of a dive operator for a new diver in one or more of St Thomas, St Kitts or Antigua. If you think the snorkeling is just as good as the diving in any of these spots, that would be hepful to know, to.

 

Thanks

[nightdiveddh]

Admiralty Dive Center caters to divers of all levels. All of their dive guides are experienced instructors. Their dive sites are interesting and healthy. They try to avoid the "usual dive sites" that many of the cruise operators seem to favor.

[PAcop141]

For a new diver in St. Thomas I would say coki beach dive shop. They do a nice shore dive. You'll see a small reef and lots of fish, nice place to get started.

[w&k]

We always go diving with Kenneth's Dive Center in St. Kitts, and they are great for divers of all experience levels. http://www.kennethsdivecenter.com/

 

We have taken folks there that ranged from total newbies to master instructors, and everyone has a great time.

 

We have been diving with Kenneth and the crew for many years, sometimes twice a year if we get lucky. On our trip last month, DH had healed up to the point where he could climb a ladder by the end of the two weeks, and we had an absolute blast of a day with Kenneth.

 

Their dive boats are actually located on the same pier that the cruise ship uses. You walk off the ship to the main square area, turn left, and their boat is straight ahead, through the gate, and two (I think) to the left. It's that simple!

 

Have a great trip!

 

Wendy

 

dive pix

http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

 

our website

http://wendyandkeith.webs.com/

[The Flying Pirate]

In St Thomas I would go with one of the dive boats, Coki Beach Dive Shop, Admiralty Dive Center and Blue Island Divers are all very good. We have been using Blue Island Divers because I am a diver and my wife is a snorkeler (she can't dive because of an inner ear issue but loves snorkeling) When we made the reservations we told Blue Island that she wanted to snorkel while we were diving and they accommodated that, they took us to a site that worked out well for both. I had two amazing dives and she had a lot of fun snorkeling above us. At one point we were watching a stingray that was curious about us while cruising along the bottom at 70', I rolled over and looked up and could see my wife "hovering" above us.

 

Most all the dive operators in the Caribbean are very very good for new divers. When we were in Tortola my buddy was a husband and wife team from Canada that was on their first open water dive since getting certified. The dive master gave an excellent briefing and we all had a great time. When you book the dive they will ask you about your experience level or you can tell them you are a new diver and ask them for recommendations as to the best site for a new diver.

 

In St Thomas, I highly recommend doing the boat dive rather than just going from shore off Coki Beach. There is so much more to see and there are some shallow water wrecks that are so much more fun to dive on. There isn't a lot too see off Coki Beach, and because it is used for resort course dives it gets stirred up fairly often. The wreck of the Cartanzer Senior is a great starter wreck, it is broken up on the bottom in about 35 feet of water. It is a great first wreck dive. The Navy Barges are another shallow wreck that offers a lot to see.

[parasailor]

Thanks everyone!

[PUGSLEYTAZ]

We were in St Thomas last fall and dove with Homer Scuba and Snorkel. I would highly recomend you check him out. We did a shore dive on a deserted beach. There were 4 in the group (yes 4) including Homer. He picked us up and dropped us off at the pier. I had not dove in several years and was quite nervous - until I met him - he is awesome! Very good with new divers. The visability was so - so, what can you do it had rained hard the day before - the reef was lovely and we saw a couple sea turtles! Check him out on the web. Can't beat him.