Has anyone done the Helmet Dive through Carnival at Coral World in St Thomas??

[LynnAnne]

Hi, I booked this excurtion while on our Liberty cruise this Feb. Has anyone done this?? Would love to hear about it, did you have time to snorkel at the beach next door?? We have our own snorkel gear?? Would love any info Thanks, Lynn

[familyfuncruise]

Hi, I booked this excurtion while on our Liberty cruise this Feb. Has anyone done this?? Would love to hear about it, did you have time to snorkel at the beach next door?? We have our own snorkel gear?? Would love any info Thanks, Lynn

 

My family also booked this excursion for Jan. 2013. We are so excited and hoping to hear if anyone else has done this before too.

[seashinesunshine]

Hi, I booked this excurtion while on our Liberty cruise this Feb. Has anyone done this?? Would love to hear about it, did you have time to snorkel at the beach next door?? We have our own snorkel gear?? Would love any info Thanks, Lynn

 

I can't give info about the helmet dive, but my son did the snuba thru them. I was impressed with the professionalism of the divers and the care they gave him and my cousin. If you get the chance, buy the CD with photos, a cameraman went down with them and took photos and video and I think it cost 50$ or so, but you can print and copy it. Split between the 2 guys and with Grandma paying for my sons share, it is a treasured souvineer. He is a good photographer too.

[seashinesunshine]

And I think they spent about 3 hours total at coral world including the snuba, they looked around at everything too. They did have time to swim at Coki beach, which also has great snorkeling, but I don't know what time your reservations are for and how long you are in port, so I don't know if you will have time. We just all took a taxibus to Coki and some walked over to Coral World. We spent the whole day there.

[Rockstarmami]

Hi, I booked this excurtion while on our Liberty cruise this Feb. Has anyone done this?? Would love to hear about it, did you have time to snorkel at the beach next door?? We have our own snorkel gear?? Would love any info Thanks, Lynn

 

 

I have here's my review:

 

I booked this excursion through Carnival for $89.99. They started collecting the tickets and passing out bands at 11am even though we did not depart until Noon. Our driver's name was Verna, she's not a woman of many words but got us to and from Coral World safely which is all that matters. After holding on to our seats on the winding roads (which was part of thee fun) we arrived at Coral World at 12:30. We were split into groups of 10 and had a 30-minute safety briefing. Sea Trek - St. Thomas is a very professional company and I'm glad this excursion was available for St. Thomas.

 

After the safety briefing, they provided a trunk for us to lock our belongings in before the dive. I went first, they have you climb down a ladder until you're shoulder-deep in the water, then they put the helmet on your head to trap the air. The helmet is connected to a long oxygen supply line and fits comfortably. You continue to climb down the ladder there are safety guide helping you the whole time. Once down you can see the windows from the Underwater Observatory. Once our whole group was in the water, our guide came in front and we followed him while holding on to the railing. The water's crystal clear, the sea life is gorgeous and the guides are a blast. The company (Dive HDV) who does the filming takes beautiful pictures/video I highly recommend you get the memory stick for $65, over 700 images and 15 minutes of HD Video.

 

We were underwater for 25 minutes, afterward we were able to splash around at the adjacent beach (Coki Beach) for an hour and half before having to return to the bus. They have Sea Lion Encounters and other things as well. They sell snacks and have a gift shop.

 

This excursion was a blast...a must do!!!!

[familyfuncruise]

Thanks for the awesome review!!!! :) We are looking forward to the helmet dive.

[Pellaz]

I did the Snuba at Coral World last week through Carnival, and it's held at the same dome-shaped diving center that the helmet dives use. We had a great time and the people there who did the helmet dive also spoke highly of their experience, too! The Snuba price was the best I've ever seen for snuba ($70) and, like the helmet dive, it even included admission to Coral World itself, which would otherwise be $19 for adults.

 

The watercourse used for the helmet dives and snuba is right in the same area, so for a while we were close to the helmet dive folks and they were watching US more than their guides! (We joked that we should get a small rebate since we were providing some of the entertainment. :))

 

My only big regret was not bringing my own snorkeling gear from the ship, since I wasn't sure I'd be able to use it during snuba and I didn't know if it would be secure while we were diving. I could have used my mask and fins during snuba, and I could have used it all at adjacent Coki Beach.

Oh, well. NEXT time.....

[mmarche]

Hi,

 

MY boyfriend and I did this helmet dive last February when we were on the Carnival Liberty.

We however did not book through the Cruiseline but directly with Coral World and it was $20 cheaper.

We hopped off the ship when it docked and took a cab diectly to Coki Beach and spent 4 hours snorkelling. We then walked the 200 meters to Coral World.

The helmet dive was excellent, staff were great and the pics they sell are actually work the money, got some excellent shots of us underwater.

Book with Coral world they had more times available then the ship excursions and it gave uis the freedom to enjoy snorkelling on our own time and not waiting for a tour operator.

[LynnAnne]

How much was your cab? I read other post that said they saved money by booking with Carnival.

[mmarche]

I think it cost us like 12.00 each round trip, we just go into one of the large Vans at the port the drivers fill them up and then take everyone....

[Caribbeancruzin]

We are considering doing the Sea Trek at Coral World in April. It sounds awesome. Did anyone feel claustrophobic at all with the helmet on? How much room is there between your face and the helmet? I would love to try it but am a bit nervous. Any thoughts are appreciated!

Thanks!

[Violet May traveler]

We have also booked the Helmet Dive in February. Anyone have any idea how warm or cold the water will be on at end of February? Also, are you diving in a tank in the aquarium or are you in open water? It sounds like soooo much fun. I am just concerned the water will be freezing!

[g8way2go]

I would like to try this excusion, but I was wondering whether the helmut would go over my glasses or if my glasses would get steamed up so I could not see? For those who have been ...did you see anyone wearing glasses when diving?

[familyfuncruise]

I would like to try this excusion, but I was wondering whether the helmut would go over my glasses or if my glasses would get steamed up so I could not see? For those who have been ...did you see anyone wearing glasses when diving?

You can leave your glasses on. Your hair doesn't even get wet....It's awesome you will love it!;)

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We are doing this when we go over spring break. Can't wait!!

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

$109 for this through NCL!

 

:eek:

[riverdees05]

Is there an age limit on these tours?

[LynnAnne]

Can't wait to do this. Hope we have time to hang at the beach to. Wonder how much a cab back would cost if we decided to stay at the beach?

[bar10der421]

We will be doing this in two weeks. Nervous but excited as well! Hopefully I will remember to come back and let you know how it goes.

 

I too am interested in the water temp the end of Feb.

 

Also, I am hoping they will accept credit cards to purchase pics or do we need to take cash? How long did you have to wait to get the pics? I remember a madhouse at the dolphin encounter in Freeport and some people having to leave without their pics because it was getting late to get back to the ship.

[familyfuncruise]

We will be doing this in two weeks. Nervous but excited as well! Hopefully I will remember to come back and let you know how it goes.

 

I too am interested in the water temp the end of Feb.

 

Also, I am hoping they will accept credit cards to purchase pics or do we need to take cash? How long did you have to wait to get the pics? I remember a madhouse at the dolphin encounter in Freeport and some people having to leave without their pics because it was getting late to get back to the ship.

Water temp was great for January, so you should be fine. They do except credit/debit for purchase of picture and video. I bought both and it was $30. The video is awesome! You should buy both. Have fun!!