Discover Scuba recommendations

[demonR6]

My g/f and I will be cruising on RCI Dec 4-15 on a Caribbean itinerary, I have been certified for ten years now and she is interested in learning. I suggested a discover scuba course hoping she will become addicted as well. The cruise line offers two of these with their excursion package, I was wondering if anyone is able to make recommendations based on experiences they have had without taking the shipboard route.

 

Our itinerary takes us to St. Johns, Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, Venezuela, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and St. Maarten. If anyone could recommend a dive operator they have used in the past it would be greatly appreciated.

[cal2632]

Dive Aruba - Clive will do a one-on-one session with your girlfriend and then you can join them on the actual dive. He does a shore dive with his Discover Scuba students and will only take one non-certified diver so she will have his undivided attention. We did this with a friend and he said he felt very comfortable and safe with Clive - we liked his no-nonsense approach. He takes teaching seriously. I can highly recommend him. divearuba@setarnet.aw

[demonR6]

Thanks so much, I contacted Clive today. I can't wait to get wet again. I hear Aruba is very pretty.

[bruce-r]

For Curacao http://www.the-dive-bus.com looks like a winner.

[cal2632]

For Curacao http://www.the-dive-bus.com looks like a winner.

 

I haven't used them, but I've only seen positive reviews. They would probably be a good choice.

[w&k]

From the port list, I'm assuming that you are going on the Empress 11-day. I hope you got at least an outside cabin if you're bringing dive gear. That little bit of extra room goes a long way. Also, bring a fan if you got an inside cabin - they tend to be QUITE warm (BTDT).

 

We originally found 2 of the 4 ops off the Zenith 2 years ago, and we did the Empress 11-day last spring to dive with them, and add Curacao and Aruba to the list. Got Curacao and Aruba again last month off a PC on the Radiance. We will be doing the Empress again this spring despite the San Juan flight (yuk). You will notice that St. Lucia is missing from the list below. We went with the shorex, and won't be going anywhere near that place again.

 

I can give you four operations - depending on how your schedule works out. We have been with all of the operations below twice, and are going back for our third trip with all of them in the spring.

 

I would rank The Dive Bus on Curacao first because they dive directly off the beach - no boat involved. Suzy and Mark are great & will take good care of you. http://www.the-dive-bus.com

 

For boat operations - here are three great ones

 

Aruba - Clive at Dive Aruba http://www.divearuba.com

Barbados - John & Mary at Dive Barbados http://www.divebarbados.net

St. Kitts - Kenneth's Dive Center http://www.kennethsdivecenter.com

 

Here are links to my reviews on this board.

 

The Dive Bus

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=332272

 

Dive Barbados

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=121690

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=367272

 

Kenneth's Dive Center

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=340136

 

 

I know I wrote a review for Dive Aruba, but can't find it just now. Here's a photo - but I forgot to dump the air out of the camera lens so it's a little funky.

 

 

Tell them Wendy & Keith from Florida sent you, and we'll be down in a couple of months.

 

Have a great time wherever you get wet!

 

Wendy

 

dive pix

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