Liberty, May 16: SCUBA excursions

[mk-ultra]

My friends and I will be sailing on the Liberty on the 16th. As I'm the token SCUBA weenie in my group, I plan on doing the SCUBA excursions in Ocho Rios and George Town.

 

Anyone know which dive operators RCCL contracts with in these locations? How were the dives?

 

I'd like to get the dive operators' names so I can call ahead and request steel 100's for my dives.

[mk-ultra]

P.S.

 

One of my friends *might* be getting his OW cert before going on this trip (in which case I'd be his dive buddy), but it's sounding pretty iffy at this point.

 

If you're going to be doing any of these dives on the May 16 cruise and are in need of a buddy, PM me. I'd rather get to know another diver on the ship and buddy up instead of getting an insta-buddy I don't know anything about. :D

[vtxriders]

Our experience will be that you will have better dives, less people and much lower cost. Use this website, as well as other to find the best dive groups.

 

The best diving we have ever done was done this way. Got to do a cave dive in Cozumel while everyone else dove at the same place they took the snorkling groups. And, after an altered itinerary due to a hurricane put us in Belize, we booked through a group selling dives at the pier. While the other 80 people from the ship loaded into cattle boats, we boarded a plane with 6 others, flew to a small island and had 2 spectacular dives.

 

Something we have also done when we have a mixed group is to charter a private boat. Those of us that dive did so, the others snorkled, swam and baked in the sun.

 

Personnally, I don't think the diving at Ocho Rios is worth the money that the ship charges.

 

I know I didn't directly answer your questions but just wanted to throw that at you.

[mk-ultra]

Our experience will be that you will have better dives, less people and much lower cost. Use this website, as well as other to find the best dive groups.

 

The best diving we have ever done was done this way. Got to do a cave dive in Cozumel while everyone else dove at the same place they took the snorkling groups. And, after an altered itinerary due to a hurricane put us in Belize, we booked through a group selling dives at the pier. While the other 80 people from the ship loaded into cattle boats, we boarded a plane with 6 others, flew to a small island and had 2 spectacular dives.

 

Something we have also done when we have a mixed group is to charter a private boat. Those of us that dive did so, the others snorkled, swam and baked in the sun.

 

Personnally, I don't think the diving at Ocho Rios is worth the money that the ship charges.

 

I know I didn't directly answer your questions but just wanted to throw that at you.

 

Thanks for the tips. My rationale for sticking with dives scheduled through RCCL was that I didn't want to risk getting back late and missing the ship's departure time. I figure there is at least some sort of recourse if the ship sails without me when I've booked my excursion through RCCL.

 

Hrm. I wonder -- does DAN's "trip interruption" insurance cover things like your ship sailing without you because a dive operator couldn't get you back in time?

[amybeth4]

Argh I wish I could help you...I definitely did an RCI scuba excursion, but not since 2002, so I have...wait a minute. Okay, it was in Ocho Rios. I just got a flash of meeting my roommate at the dinner table and me regaling everyone with my diving stories and she regaling everyone with her Dunns River Falls stories. So it was definitely Enchantment, definitely Ocho Rios.

 

I remember enjoying it. Didn't think it was AMAZING, but it was decent. I think we went down close to 100 feet, which was a little surprising and deeper than I like. I'm an open water diver so 100' is the maximum I'm allowed...and as you know, the deeper you are, the shorter the dive time. I also found it a bit tough to breathe so far down.

 

I was also woken up in the middle of the night from blood trickling out of my ear, but that's another story, haha. (For the record, I went, "Ew," and went back to sleep. And then wondered the next day if the cabin steward wasn't like, "*****?")

 

I feel like it was probably about $90 and we did two dives. Oh, and everyone but me and maybe two other people puked off the side of the dive boat. INCREDIBLY rough. And there were about 10 of us, maybe 15. So I thought it was worth it.

[amybeth4]

BTW, only some who's dived would say "it was worth it" with the puking, trouble breathing and ear blood.

 

:D

[vtxriders]

Thanks for the tips. My rationale for sticking with dives scheduled through RCCL was that I didn't want to risk getting back late and missing the ship's departure time. I figure there is at least some sort of recourse if the ship sails without me when I've booked my excursion through RCCL.

 

Hrm. I wonder -- does DAN's "trip interruption" insurance cover things like your ship sailing without you because a dive operator couldn't get you back in time?

 

 

 

I don't know about the insurance but will admit we are worried about not getting back in time every time. It just gets less and less each time we do it as it has continued to prove not to be an issue.

 

The key is 'dive' whether you do it with the ship or on your own. You can't find that kind of diving in the states.

[mk-ultra]

Argh I wish I could help you...I definitely did an RCI scuba excursion, but not since 2002, so I have...wait a minute. Okay, it was in Ocho Rios. I just got a flash of meeting my roommate at the dinner table and me regaling everyone with my diving stories and she regaling everyone with her Dunns River Falls stories. So it was definitely Enchantment, definitely Ocho Rios.

 

I remember enjoying it. Didn't think it was AMAZING, but it was decent. I think we went down close to 100 feet, which was a little surprising and deeper than I like. I'm an open water diver so 100' is the maximum I'm allowed...and as you know, the deeper you are, the shorter the dive time. I also found it a bit tough to breathe so far down.

 

I was also woken up in the middle of the night from blood trickling out of my ear, but that's another story, haha. (For the record, I went, "Ew," and went back to sleep. And then wondered the next day if the cabin steward wasn't like, "*****?")

 

I feel like it was probably about $90 and we did two dives. Oh, and everyone but me and maybe two other people puked off the side of the dive boat. INCREDIBLY rough. And there were about 10 of us, maybe 15. So I thought it was worth it.

 

Dunno which certification agency you went with, but PADI "recommends" that OW divers limit themselves to 60 fsw, AOW divers to 100 fsw, and "deep" divers to 130 fsw. I'll refrain from commenting on the value of PADI's AOW cert and "deep diver" specialty training :-P.

 

If you had an ear bleed after ANY dive, you should go see an ENT specialist to determine what caused it. I sure as heck wouldn't dive again until that was sorted out.

[amybeth4]

Dunno which certification agency you went with, but PADI "recommends" that OW divers limit themselves to 60 fsw, AOW divers to 100 fsw, and "deep" divers to 130 fsw. I'll refrain from commenting on the value of PADI's AOW cert and "deep diver" specialty training :-P.

 

If you had an ear bleed after ANY dive, you should go see an ENT specialist to determine what caused it. I sure as heck wouldn't dive again until that was sorted out.

 

It was definitely a PADI excursion and I'm 99.9% sure I remember when I got certified that I was "certified to 100 feet."

 

I kinda just chalked the ear bleed (and I'm talking like 1/8 of a tsp) up to the pressure and maybe a little tear which certainly cleared itself up. Since there were no residual effects in the morning, I didn't wanna spend $350 in the sickbay. :)

[bruce-r]

My friends and I will be sailing on the Liberty on the 16th. As I'm the token SCUBA weenie in my group, I plan on doing the SCUBA excursions in Ocho Rios and George Town.

 

Anyone know which dive operators RCCL contracts with in these locations? How were the dives?

 

I'd like to get the dive operators' names so I can call ahead and request steel 100's for my dives.

 

That just isn't going to happen, even if you do find out who the dive op is.

 

ONE of the reasons is that the ship's dive is geared for lowest common denominator diving. You'll be led during the dive that will have a predetermined bottom time.

 

I wouldn't bother with diving in Jamaica.

 

In Grand Cayman, I'd go with http://www.neptunesdivers. and I wouldn't worry about missing the ship. That is very unlikely to happen.

[mk-ultra]

That just isn't going to happen, even if you do find out who the dive op is.

 

ONE of the reasons is that the ship's dive is geared for lowest common denominator diving. You'll be led during the dive that will have a predetermined bottom time.

 

I wouldn't bother with diving in Jamaica.

 

In Grand Cayman, I'd go with www.neptunesdivers. and I wouldn't worry about missing the ship. That is very unlikely to happen.

 

Thanks. I sorta assumed what you've said would be the case on these dives. Since I'm traveling with friends, my dives dates were a compromise. I would have really liked to dive Cozumel, but we agreed to go see the ruins together. Soooooo... my options are limited.

 

I've already paid for the RCCL excursion dives, so I guess I'm locked-in at this point. I'll definitely come back and report on them though.

[mk-ultra]

It was definitely a PADI excursion and I'm 99.9% sure I remember when I got certified that I was "certified to 100 feet."

 

I kinda just chalked the ear bleed (and I'm talking like 1/8 of a tsp) up to the pressure and maybe a little tear which certainly cleared itself up. Since there were no residual effects in the morning, I didn't wanna spend $350 in the sickbay. :)

 

Not trying to be a weenie here... but (speaking as an EMT, not a diver)... if you bleed from your ears ANY time (with ANY volume) you should see a doctor and find out why you bled.

 

Seriously -- don't blow this off as something that cleared itself up. This isn't normal for diving, or any other activity.

[amybeth4]

Not trying to be a weenie here... but (speaking as an EMT, not a diver)... if you bleed from your ears ANY time (with ANY volume) you should see a doctor and find out why you bled.

 

Seriously -- don't blow this off as something that cleared itself up. This isn't normal for diving, or any other activity.

 

You're not being a weenie, and I appreciate the concern and I'll definitely take my "Oh I'll be fine" attitude into consideration if it every happens again. Obviously it worked out, however, since it happened in 2002 and I've been to my regular doctor (um...once) since then and he certainly looked in my ears with this little light. :)

[horric29]

The real question is, why arn't you in our Meet & Mingle group?