Looking for a buddy on RCI Adventure 11/20-27/05

[Skibum83]

Hey everybody-

 

I'm looking for anyone that is going to be on the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas Cruise from 11/20/05 - 11/27/05 and is interested in diving with me.

[AlexandraIsHere]

we'll be onboard the ship with you next week. I, my fiance, and my two sons who will be on the ship are all certified divers. We are still figuring out which islands we'll be diving on and which we'll do other things. We have to be nice to my mother and sister and do some other things on a couple islands as they are also traveling with us on the cruise.

 

What's your certification level? (always a good thing to know in advance! lol. I am a PADI Instructor)

[Skibum83]

Hi Alexandra-

 

I'm a pretty new diver (to be honest), but I took to it quickly. So I only have my Open Water Certification - looking to explore some adventure / specialty dives soon though.

 

I'm thinking of diving at Curacao and St. Thomas (or St. John). Thoughts?

[Gonedownlately?]

I'll be on the AOS in April and plan to dive in at least Aruba and Curacao; can each of you provide some details on where you dove, what you saw, whether you dove through the ship's excursion program or not...? Anything you can think of woudl be of interest.

Thanks!

 

PS: Anyone else planning to dive off the April 2nd sailing of the AOS? Let's hook up!

[Skibum83]

I did not dive in Aruba, but I did dive in Curacao and it was absolutely stunning. I did not dive with the cruiseship, and heard from those that did that it was like a cattlecall (and worse in Aruba). I will look up who I dove with and get back to you. I would definately recommend them. I dove Director's Bay and Vaersen Bay. Director's Bay was a phenominal wall dive, abundant with life and beautiful colors. Vaersen Bay was a really neat shore dive also teaming with life (saw an awesome Green Turtle here). In both locations visability was about 100ft.

 

We had originally planned to dive Magens Bay first, but when we arrived our guide (who had already paid our park admitance fee) found out that the cruiseship divers were there for 40+ divers/snorkelers and took us to Director's Bay instead. We (the 4 of us) were relieved. I'll let you know the name of the dive shop as soon as I can find it.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Chris

[Skibum83]

I checked and I dove with Atlantis Diving. They picked me up and dropped me off at the pier. It was very convenient, and they were very nice.

 

If you are looking for a cushy resort dive you may be better off with the ship.

 

If you are looking for a great, no frills dive, that isn't overcrowded dive off the ship. I would recommend Atlantis Diving. You can find them at http://www.atlantisdiving.com.

 

Enjoy,

Chris

[Gonedownlately?]

Your info is great. I don't need the frills of a ship-sponsored dive, particularly if I can hook up with other divers on my trip. So if there are any other folks looking to get wet off the AOS in early April, let's talk about reaching out for excursions of our own...