Nassau Scuba Excursion

[poohs4me]

Can someone recommend a good scuba company in Nassau? We dove with Stuart's Cove and liked them ok, but they will not let our daughter 10 dive with us because of the ship's rules, even though she is certified. Any suggestions?

[PHXscuba]

When you say the ship's rules, do you mean the cruise line's or Stuart Cove's?

 

If it's a ship's excursion that the cruiseline won't let you book because of age, I'd say book independently. We couldn't fit the RCI morning excursion with Stuart's Cove into our preferred schedule, so we booked it on our own for the afternoon.

 

SC told me I'd have to book through the ship, so I just booked online;) and specified a near-the-pier hotel for pickup. It went very smoothly and we even had them drop up back at the pier with some others.

 

Before I get flamed for "bending" the rules, I feel that anyone should be able to book their own excursion whether or not a cruise line is involved. Especially when the cruiseline charges more!:(

 

Good luck with your scuba! I know we had a couple young divers on our boat who dove as well as any of us.

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D

[poohs4me]

Is there a specific hotel you booked near-the-pier or is this just a selection?

[PHXscuba]

Ok, here's some followup.

 

I'm sure you've already visited their website, but they allow 10 year olds to dive, certified, with a parent. All the usual rules about depth apply.

 

They also have, I noticed, a "junior diver free program". I think you might have to book in advance for that because a guy on our boat was regreting not doing so for his son.

 

Good luck!

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D

[PHXscuba]

Online, you pick a hotel from a drop-down menu. We picked a hotel that ended up being farther away than we thought (maps are hard to read for that area). I think you can specify the pier as a pickup as long as you stay mum about which ship you are on (because they have exclusive deals with some of the cruiselines).

 

If I had to pick a hotel that was close, I'd say the British Colonial Hilton, but you'd probably want to check that they don't have an exclusive deal with SC too.

 

I'd call Stuart's (they have an 800 number) and do a little checking, especially with the junior diver. Then book online or call back a couple days later with your plan.

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D

[poohs4me]

Thank You. I will definately look into the junior diver option as well.

 

It looks like the Carnival ship might be in port that day as well and it appears they do NOT have a contract with Stuart's. Do you think I could get away with saying I am on one cruise line when I am really on another just to get a pier pickup.

[PHXscuba]

Poohs4me:

I think I would just put down (online) that I needed to be picked up at the dock and not specify. I would use a "don't-ask-don't-tell" criteria. As long as you have a broad window when the ships are in port, it shouldn't matter.

 

I don't think the shuttle bus drivers really care where you come from as long as you are on their list. I even offered to show our driver my transfer "coupon" and he didn't need it.

 

As for the moral dilemma, that's for each to decide. I guess I'd go with the free-enterprise system that says I have a right to spend my money where and how (much) I desire. The transfer is included whether you book with RCI or SC directly.

 

Have fun ... wish I were going back myself!

 

PHXscuba

[poohs4me]

I have no moral dilemna with this option simply because I find it appalling that the cruise lines mandate an age that is above the age required for certification.

 

I tried to find the "junior diver" free on the website but was unsuccessful. Could you give me a little more guidance on how to find.

[PHXscuba]

Poohs4me:

 

OK, here's where I saw it:

 

Go under "Links" and click on FAQ.

Scroll down to question 14. "What Do I do With My Kids?"

Click on the "answer" button and it should pull up the information.

 

Also found it under "specials"

 

Still don't know how/why I found it in the website; I only knew it existed because of the father/son team on our boat. Sounds like you have to call them for more info on dates/restrictions etc.

 

Good luck. We're waiting until our 10.5-yr-old son gets a couple years older to let him get certified, partly for the the maturity level (his; and ours as fairly new divers) and partly because of some of these "restrictions" you are running into.

 

PHXscuba

"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?":D

[poohs4me]

Thanks, I found it now.

 

We actually started here in Padi's seal team. It gave us a good idea on whether she would even like or have the maturity level for it.

[PHXscuba]

How old was your daughter when she took seal team?

 

We are very seriously considering letting him do that this summer, but the instructor said it's often mostly 8 and 9-year-olds because 10+ can get certified. We'll probably still do it, but I'd love to hear what you thought of the program.

 

DS tried snorkeling last fall in Jamaica, but they had a life jacket looped around his waist:confused: that he had to keep fighting, and a leaky mask. He needs some practice in our pool with the snorkeling skills.

 

Also, he is the oldest of four kids, so we still have to do something with the other three even if he's diving with us.:rolleyes:

 

Good luck with Stuart's,

 

PHXscuba

[poohs4me]

She started when she was 8, but they had kids on up to 12. She was by far the youngest. It was a great program for this kids, at least the way our dive shop did it. There was no more than 2 kids per instructor in the water depending on the level the child was in the seal package. The other good thing was that once you buy the book, you pay by the class. So if he hates it, you are not out as much as if it was the real class. It also helps with the flexibility of scheduling, there were some weeks we could just not go.

 

We tried snorkeling with her, but she kept wanting to get under the water, so do not let it discourage you.

 

For her certification class, she attended a scuba camp our dive shop offered for the kids in the summer. Also, very good. They geared everything for the age.

 

Thanks for the help.