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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / April 2005St. Maarten, St. Thomas, or Grand Bahama Island for diving?
I'm taking an upcoming cruise from San Juan to Baltimore, stopping at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Grand Bahama Island. My wife is not a scuba diver, but I hope to get one dive in. Out of these three locations, can someone offer an opinion on the best one for diving if I had to pick just one?  SignaturePlease remove all UPPERCASE letters in the reply email address! "James P. Clark" <james.clarkANTI@SPAMsaguarosoftware.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :I'm taking an upcoming cruise from San Juan to Baltimore, stopping at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Grand Bahama Island. My wife is not a scuba diver, but I hope to get one dive in. Out of these three locations, can someone offer an opinion on the best one for diving if I had to pick just one? Grand Bahama is nice. I have not been to the other places, at least not to dive. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > "James P. Clark" <james.clarkANTI@SPAMsaguarosoftware.net> pounded > away at his keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- James/Jim - when are you going? I have booked two of the dives thru the ship, however my St. Thomas stop I booked thru Blue Island Divers. If you are leaving after June 12th - I can give you a recommendation. Don - who and where did you dive particulars in Grand Bahama? Joe English <jenglish@wisperhome.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :Don - who and where did you dive particulars in Grand Bahama? I've dove off Grand Bahama from two liveaboards, the Bottom Time 2 and the Nekton Pilot. While those boats are not available if you are doing a cruise, the water certainly is, and it's nice. We did do a dive just a bit further offshore than where the locals do their shark dives. We saw the shark dives from a distance, and the surrounding reef was quite enjoyable. My gut feeling is that if you pick a shop and go where they take you, you'll have a good time. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. My cruise on Royal Caribbean is from May 7-13. SignaturePlease remove all UPPERCASE letters in the reply email address! > Joe English <jenglish@wisperhome.com> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption > =---- > My cruise on Royal Caribbean is from May 7-13. Month earlier than me - post some info when you get back & enjoy the idea of planning a cruise such as you have mentioned, and then trying, in a retrograde fasion, to hook up diving in various weak locations is a farce! The places you mention would be held up as some of the weakest examples of diving in the Caribbean. Take the goddam cruise and plan some future trip for diving (to some locations that is really renown where one can experience in a proper manner, the u/w world). > > My cruise on Royal Caribbean is from May 7-13. > > > Month earlier than me - post some info when you get back & enjoy > the idea of planning a cruise such as you have mentioned, and then > trying, in a retrograde fasion, to hook up diving in various weak [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> >>Month earlier than me - post some info when you get back & enjoy top postes yech! > the idea of planning a cruise such as you have mentioned, and then > trying, in a retrograde fasion, to hook up diving in various weak [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> >>Month earlier than me - post some info when you get back & enjoy Not retrofitting anything - but its nice to see someone jumoing to conclusions Daniel Kessler <dkessler@pop.cybernex.net> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :the idea of planning a cruise such as you have mentioned, and then :trying, in a retrograde fasion, to hook up diving in various weak :locations is a farce! Not to everyone. In fact, it seems to me that questions about diving during cruises seem to popping up more often than they did a few years ago. Could be that the concept is increasing in popularity. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > Daniel Kessler <dkessler@pop.cybernex.net> pounded away at his > keyboard resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- My reason for it is simply that my wife does not dive. All vacations can be just about me , can it? My youngest son is going and we are all going with a group of people that played high school hockey. Since I am on vacation, I'm in the Caribbean, I don't shop, I'll dive, The locations I am going to may not be the greatest sites but then again it may turn out to be great diving locations. Again nothing is being retrofitted - warm, clear water, beats the lake or mine diving here ! > My reason for it is simply that my wife does not dive. All vacations > can be just about me , can it? My youngest son is going and we are all [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > may turn out to be great diving locations. Again nothing is being > retrofitted - warm, clear water, beats the lake or mine diving here ! Lots of non-divers go to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize for vacations and absolutely love it. Seems to me, that would be a great compromise. You could dive every morning and do stuff with the family in the afternoons. Safe enough place for kids to wander around by themselves for the most part, a little shopping, lots of good and/or funky restaurants, bars, dancing, live entertainment and a small casino. Most of the bars and restaurants are on the beach or right on the water. Get a nice place with a kitchenette and a pool, and you are good to go. I'll bet the family will be begging to go back every year. All the better for you, Dad. >>My reason for it is simply that my wife does not dive. All vacations >>can be just about me , can it? My youngest son is going and we are all [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > I'll bet the family will be begging to go back every year. All the better > for you, Dad. all of that is true, however, this something my wife and youngest wanted to do - with a group of our friends. We did this a couple of years ago thru the West Caribbean - wife and kids had a ball - I drank too much the last night! Everyone was giving us their drink cards and the bartender was forcing me to drink. If I had my choice I'd go to Coz, my wife loves it there, I didn't particularly enjoy the last cruise - especially my room - specifically the shower! > If I had my choice I'd go to Coz, my wife loves it there, I didn't > particularly enjoy the last cruise - especially my room - specifically > the shower! Those shower curtains are rather too amorous for my taste as well. We found that some little clip-on weights on the bottom will help to keep them at bay. On the Navigator you will have a curved solid door which is a nice improvement. >> If I had my choice I'd go to Coz, my wife loves it there, I didn't >> particularly enjoy the last cruise - especially my room - specifically [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > them at bay. On the Navigator you will have a curved solid door which > is a nice improvement. yeah we had the solid curved door on explorer > > Get a nice place with a kitchenette and a pool, and you are good to go. > > I'll bet the family will be begging to go back every year. All the better > > for you, Dad. > > > all of that is true, however, this something my wife and youngest > wanted to do - with a group of our friends. Take them to San Pedro, once. They'll be begging you to go back. Like I said, all the better for you Dad. >We did this a couple of > years ago thru the West Caribbean - wife and kids had a ball - I drank > too much the last night! Everyone was giving us their drink cards and > the bartender was forcing me to drink. Yeah, I hate when that happens. > If I had my choice I'd go to Coz, my wife loves it there, I didn't > particularly enjoy the last cruise - especially my room - specifically > the shower! Um . . . > Joe English <jenglish@wisperhome.com> pounded away at his keyboard > resulting in: [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- thanks - I will be diving with Stuart's cove (thru the ship) we don't have time to do the shark dive (bummer). I am getting anxious about the trip wish I was going NOW! > thanks - I will be diving with Stuart's cove (thru the ship) we don't > have time to do the shark dive (bummer). I am getting anxious about the > trip wish I was going NOW! You might be better off diving some of the areas they **used** to feed sharks at, rather than the shark dives themselves. One of these sites is Bahama Mama. Years ago they fed the males there and so sharks still frequent the area, and the site is not that far from Shark Arena where they still feed and Shark Wall, where they set the sharks up for the feeds. Last time I was there we had 12-13 sharks, in a seemingly more natural environment and behavior pattern. In fact, I have never dived it without sharks being present, but I don't know if I'm lucky or if the sharks are always there. In my experience, if you can get them to visit Bahama Mama, you will likely see plenty of Caribbean males (the shark "feeds" are done with females) in a beautiful setting of clear water, white sand bottom with a small wreck. It's actually a very nice dive. One I would suggest is maybe of the better dives Cove's does. And you don't pay extra for it and it falls within their normal schedule. While, unlike some others, I don't have any specific problem with staged shark dives or feedings I have always enjoyed regular dives, where sharks are, whether it's Darwin, Baja Alcyone, Silverado, Bahama Mama, Sanganeb, etc. OK, I'll bite. How do they ensure that they only get the females out to the shark "feeds"? > > thanks - I will be diving with Stuart's cove (thru the ship) we don't > > have time to do the shark dive (bummer). I am getting anxious about the [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > are, whether it's Darwin, Baja Alcyone, Silverado, Bahama Mama, Sanganeb, > etc. > OK, I'll bite. How do they ensure that they only get the females out to > the > shark "feeds"? They don't "ensure" it that I know of. But at Arena all you get is females, at Bahama Mama (which isn't a feed) you get males, and at Runway you get males and females together. I have no idea why this is.......... "chilly" <slarson@shaw.canada> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :OK, I'll bite. How do they ensure that they only get the females out to the :shark "feeds"? Cute male divemasters. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > In my experience, if you can get them to visit Bahama Mama, you will likely > see plenty of Caribbean males (the shark "feeds" are done with females) in a > beautiful setting of clear water, white sand bottom with a small wreck. It's > actually a very nice dive. One I would suggest is maybe of the better dives > Cove's does. And you don't pay extra for it and it falls within their normal > schedule. We did the Bahama Mama wreck/shark dive with Nassau Scuba Centre, there were a good number of sharks for us as well. > I'm taking an upcoming cruise from San Juan to Baltimore, stopping at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Grand Bahama Island. My wife is not a scuba diver, but I hope to get one dive in. Out of these three locations, can someone offer an opinion on the best one for diving if I had to pick just one? Bahamas Never been to St. Thomas. Also never heard anyone refer to the "diving" there. Dived in Grand Bahama & St. Maarten. Hands down, Grand Bahama beats St. Maarten for visibility, reef & marine life! Enjoy! SignatureBeaner > Never been to St. Thomas. Also never heard anyone refer to the "diving" > there. Dived in Grand Bahama & St. Maarten. Hands down, Grand Bahama > beats St. Maarten for visibility, reef & marine life! > Enjoy! I've dived in St Thomas. It was nice--beats the living crap out of any lake diving, for certain, but I'd pick Key Largo over it for a return vacation in a heartbeat. Now, there are some great beaches in St Thomas, but overall, I'd say it was quite expensive and there are nicer more comfortable places you can go with better dining. Now, I thought St Thomas/ St John was the bees knees when I stopped there on a cruise, but after having stayed in St Thomas for 7 days, I won't be heading back there too quickly. They Keys are a lot easier to get to if you're stateside, you can drive wherever you want without dying, you dont have to worry about cabbies fighting over ya, folks seemed more relaxed and friendlier in the keys, hotel prices are no worse (and are probably cleaner), and you don't feel nearly as much like an invading tourist in the keys as I did on St Thomas. And, most germane to this newsgroup, I saw a lot more cool marine life in the keys than I did in St Thomas. However, if you are going to St thomas already, do go diving! There's a lot worth seeing in ST Thomas and St John. You can also ferry to St Croix and BVI where there's even more to see, some great coral reefs and all that. And a good number of dive shops. Disregard all of this drivel if the original question (which I didn't see) referred to a cruise (as I suspect). I'm afraid I haven't been to St Maarten or Grand Bahama to compare, but I've at least heard of the Bahamas as a dive destination to some extent. Best Regards, -- Todd H. http://www.toddh.net/ |
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