Dive trip in GC from Carnival?

[RennieRae]

Hello everyone,

 

I was hoping to get some info from anyone that has used the Carnival cruise lines dive excursion in Grand Cayman? Can you tell me what dive company they use, and more importantly, is it a cattle boat?

 

It seems like it would be much easier to book a trip through Carnival but I am not interested in a boat with tons of people on it... I'll book privately if needed but wanted to check with you experienced cruisers first :D

 

Also, any info on what private companies to use if I need to go that route would be great. We'll be on the Carnival ship Inspiration out of Tampa June 6th. Thanks very much for your help.

 

Bob from Florida

[bruce-r]

Also, any info on what private companies to use if I need to go that route would be great. We'll be on the Carnival ship Inspiration out of Tampa June 6th. Thanks very much for your help.

Here are some options:

 

Shore dive at http://sunsethouse.com/ It isn't far from where the tenders dock in Georgetown. There is an on-site dive shop for rentals, but you will probably either need a buddy since it is unlikely they'd rent to a solo diver or you'll have to do a guided shore dive.

 

Boat dives with http://www.neptunesdivers.com Their scheduling works with the usually later arrival times of cruisers. Most dive operators leave too early for cruise divers.

[RennieRae]

Thanks Bruce! I went to their website and it says 8 divers max. That would be great if that's the case. Have you actually been on this excursion before from Carnival? and/or dove with Neptune?

 

The sunset house sounds interesting as well (maybe for day 2), but I would like to dive the west and/or north side sites if possible our first day. My wife and I stayed at Cayman island dive lodge on the east end for a week many years ago, and it was fantastic!! Just wanted to see something different on this trip.

 

Thanks for your help. Cheers.

 

Bob

[Wicketsmom]

Wish you were going on the 23rd with us. My husband and I don't care for the cattle boats either and are trying to book a private trip as well.

 

Shore diving at Sunset House is very nice, as is the Cracked Conch (by the new turtle farm) - if you go there, swim straight out from the ladder to the mini-wall and go to the left and you'll usually find a huge school of tarpon hanging out under the ledge there. Eden Rock is walking distance from Georgetown and a nice shore dive as well with lots of swim-throughs and a max depth of about 50 feet. There are also three dive operators now sharing the Lobster Pot dive shop that we're trying to set something up with now.

[bruce-r]

Thanks Bruce! I went to their website and it says 8 divers max. That would be great if that's the case. Have you actually been on this excursion before from Carnival? and/or dove with Neptune?

I'm like you, I'd rather avoid large group diving, so I haven't gone with any cruise line dive excursion in GCM.

 

I have gone with Neptunes. I met up with a couple of buddies for the trip and Neptunes let us do our own dives, but we could have gone with the guide if we had chosen. I'd definitely go with them again.

[RennieRae]

I'm confused now Bruce... if the Carnival excursion is booked with Neptune, would it not still be 8 divers max (not a cattle boat)? Or does Neptune do cattle boats for Carnival and 8 max for private bookings? :confused:

 

If that's the case (always 8 divers max), then it would be easier to book it through Carnival, correct?

 

 

 

Wicketsmom, yes, I wish we were with you as well... you sound like you have had some experience with GC diving, and I appreciate your advice. Have you booked through Carnival in the past and had a cattleboat experience? Or (like me), do you just assume it will be a boat full of sheep from the cruise line and would rather book private to avoid this?

 

I don't want to sound like a dive snob, but I get to dive quite a bit here in Florida and really don't want to spend a day with 30 other divers if I could do 8 instead (because I was too lazy to do some research). And it would be MUCH easier to book through Carnival so I would not have to worry about getting there on time/ getting back in time, etc...

 

Thanks again to you both for your help regarding this issue.

[bruce-r]

I'm confused now Bruce... if the Carnival excursion is booked with Neptune, would it not still be 8 divers max (not a cattle boat)? Or does Neptune do cattle boats for Carnival and 8 max for private bookings? :confused:

 

If that's the case (always 8 divers max), then it would be easier to book it through Carnival, correct?

OH, I'm sorry if I led you to think that Neptunes does Carnival's dive excursion, they don't.

 

I don't know who does the ship's dive excursion.

[Wicketsmom]

Wicketsmom, yes, I wish we were with you as well... you sound like you have had some experience with GC diving, and I appreciate your advice. Have you booked through Carnival in the past and had a cattleboat experience? Or (like me), do you just assume it will be a boat full of sheep from the cruise line and would rather book private to avoid this?

 

I don't want to sound like a dive snob, but I get to dive quite a bit here in Florida and really don't want to spend a day with 30 other divers if I could do 8 instead (because I was too lazy to do some research). And it would be MUCH easier to book through Carnival so I would not have to worry about getting there on time/ getting back in time, etc...

 

Thanks again to you both for your help regarding this issue.

 

I've only booked one dive trip through Carnival, years ago in Cozumel, and yes it was a cattle boat. I've also been on land-based vacations, and ended up on a dive boat full of cruise ship passengers. Sometimes it's OK, but what I've found happens alot is that people look at the excursions and say 'Hey, scuba diving sounds like fun and I haven't done that in awhile' (usually several years). One of the ones on my Cozumel trip had actually just borrowed his buddy's C-card, and never taken a course. He ended up rupturing his eardrum on the first dive, and really ticked off his wife since that was our first stop of the week!

 

I booked a private trip for our group on our last cruise, again in Cozumel, and had no problem getting back to the ship on time. I'm an instructor and when we end up on the cruise ship boats I usually end up having to 'work' and I'd rather just enjoy the dive when I'm paying for it!

 

I think Red Sail handles some of the cruise ship passengers, but I don't remember for sure.

[bruce-r]

I think Red Sail handles some of the cruise ship passengers, but I don't remember for sure.

 

On GCM Red Sail does the Disney and Royal Caribbean dive excursions: http://www.redsailcayman.com/en/activities/cruiseShipVisitors.html

[cruisingtodive]

I have used the Carnival dive 2X in GC. And once I used another dive shop. Even though there were more people on the dive trip with Carnival (the shop used at that time was Don Foster, I don't know if they still use them), we thoroughly enjoyed our dives. Don Foster's was a professionally run dive shop, we were very pleased with them. When we went on our own we used someone else, and they made us feel like we were putting this group out for them having to wait for us on their boat while the cruise ship came in. Even though they knew we were coming from a ship. Also, it was as if they couldn't wait for the dive to be over so they could get us off the boat and go out with another group for the afternoon. I would recommend the Carvinal group if they are still using Don Foster. At the time we went the price wasn't that much better for going on your own.

[tximprov]

November 08, I booked the carnival dive at GC and it was through Don Foster. This was our first dive since being certified and everyone was great, from the beginning to the end. There were 10 divers and two dive masters. The boat had plenty of room. I would use them again if I ever go back.

[RennieRae]

Thanks for all the responses everyone!!

 

OH, I'm sorry if I led you to think that Neptunes does Carnival's dive excursion, they don't.

 

My bad Bruce. I went back and re-read what you wrote and it is perfectly clear what you meant... it was my misinterpretation.

 

Thanks again for all of your help. I have sent some inquiries out for trips and will see what is available... I sent one to Neptune, Deep blue divers and Absolute divers so far.

 

I have gotten a favorable reponse for Mark at Absolute already!

 

Cheers. Bob

 

Wicketsmom, have you found a shop that you liked and/or booked anything yet? If not, try Absolute divers. I was quoted a good price and have seen some good recent reviews on the internet. I may book with them if our availability works out...

[tombo]

Realistically, at most dive destinations cruise ship passengers are considered to be cattle by definition. Most local operators who cater to cruisers do not take them on the same boats as the land-based or package divers. Rather than seeking to avoid "cattle boats", you'd probably be better off to define what kind of diving you do want to do and then finding an operator who can accomodate you. Avoid trips to Stingray City on mornings when there are eight cruise ships at Georgetown.

[cdiver]

We dove with Divers Down last year. Only four of us on the boat, max is 8. Uncrowded personal service, did a nice job!!

 

http://www.diversdown.net

[RennieRae]

Well, we are booked with Mark Sahagian of Absolute divers on June 9th. I'll give a report when we return.

 

Wicketsmom, hope you have a great trip and would love to hear a report when you return. Thanks.

 

Bob

[flatman]

We just got back from " Sunsethouse Dive Resort '' in Grand Caymen about one month ago.. Walked from the pier about a mile to the right. just passed Eden rock dive shop. Went to the front desk and asked if we could go snorkeling and use their facilities including the man made pool in the rock shoreline,and the restaurant and lounge. They were friendly as could be and the cost was $0...We snorkeled in the pool for a while, then ventured out of the opening into the ocean, and we were all alone the entire time, and the snorkeling was so fantastic it made me think about taking up scuba..The best day of our cruise by far..

[RennieRae]

Hi all,

Just wanted to give a quick report of our day diving GC with Mark Sahagian of Absolute Divers…..

Mark asked me to call him as soon as we got off the ship so he could let us know where to meet him. We did, and he met us at the Lobster Pot Restaurant about 600 yards north of the cruise port (right on time). He checked all of our C cards first, and then we loaded all of our gear and were off.

We had 3 divers and 1 snorkeler in our group and Mark’s boat was plenty roomy and comfortable for all of us. We ran towards the north to dive the wall at a place he called “Pinnacle rock”. He was unable to dive with us due to an ear infection but gave us an excellent description of the dive site and we decided on a profile during the pre-dive discussion. My wife had been having some problems clearing lately and Mark took extra time with her and gave her some methods to use that worked great (I was very appreciative).

The dive was fantastic with nearly unlimited visibility (or so it seemed) and we saw lots of beautiful tropicals out along the wall. The dive profile was 80 feet maximum for 25 minutes and the three of us were right on it when we surfaced together.

Our next dive was the wreck of the Oro Verde in about 40 feet. Mark gave us a great description and history lesson of the wreck during our surface interval and pre-dive discussion. Once again his description was perfect and we followed his suggestions and had a super dive. We saw lots of big horse eye jacks, big mutton snapper, hog fish, lots of angels, grouper and even a couple of turtles!! Very nice.

All in all, we had a fantastic dive trip with Mark and I would suggest his charter service to anyone interested. The price was very reasonable, he was right on time, and had a lengthy discussion with us to learn our experience level and ensure our safety. He is a nice person as well.

Hope this report helps someone. Cheers.

Bob

 

 

P.S. - Thanks for the advice on Sunset House Flat man! We had lunch there the first day (which was excellent!) and snorkeled out to see the mermaid statue after that. It was great!!! People were very friendly and we had a nice time. I owe you one.