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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / October 2009Scuba Options At Cruise Ship Ports Of Call
My wife and I will be taking an 18 day cruise (on HAL's ms Statendam) through the Panama Canal (FLL to SAN). We are both scuba divers and on past cruises, have found several potrts of call that have offered 2 tank certified dives. Looking at HAL's information for booking shore excursions they currently only list a dive trip option in Cabo San Lucas. Poking about on the 'net I found a number of dive shops in many of the ports we will be visting, so I'm posting to see if there are other divers reading this, that could comment or recommend any of these (or suggest which to avoid) or those who might have experience with trying to make a non-ship shore execursion for scuba diving work at any or all of these ports (given the hours we will be in each port). * Half Moon Cay, Bahamas [8:00am to 4:00pm] Nothing... * Mayaguez, Puerto Rico [7:00am to 5:00pm] <http://www.diveshop-pr.com/> <http://www.monaaquatics.com/index.html> * Santa Marta, Columbia [8:00am to 5:00pm] <http://www.poseidondivecenter.com/> <http://www.buceovidamarina.com/home_big.html> <http://www.tiendadebuceoelrodadero.com/index.html> <http://www.aquantisdivecenter.com/home.html> <http://www.oceanoscuba.com.co/main.htm> <http://www.tayronadivecenter.com/> * San Blas Islands, Panama [11:00am to 6:00pm] <http://www.corallodge.com/panama_scuba_diving.php> Several other sites say scuba isn't allowed in the islands! * Puerto Chiapas, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] Nothing... * Huatulco, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] <http://www.hurricanedivers.com/> * Acapulco, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] <http://www.scubadivingacapulco.com/> <http://www.underwateracapulco.com/main_eng.html> <http://www.swissdivers.com/LID-en/di.../175/Home.html> * Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] <http://www.carloscuba.com/> <http://www.ixtapaaquaparadise.com/> <http://www.zihuatanejodivecenter.com/> * Mazatlan, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] <http://www.mazatlantours.org/mazatlan-scuba-diving.htm> * Cabo San Lucas, Mexico [7:00am to 3:00pm] <http://www.caboscuba.com/> <http://www.amigosdelmar.com/> <http://www.aventurasazul.com/> <http://www.eaglediver.com/> <http://www.bajadivecharter.com/> I appreciate any/all feedback on this topic! -Tim > * Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.zihuatanejodivecenter.com/> > > * Cabo San Lucas, Mexico [7:00am to 3:00pm] > <http://www.amigosdelmar.com/> I've dove with these operators. Zihuatenejo was back in 1999, right after I got certified (and before Janna was officially certified - she was still in the process of making her o/w dives). Besides letting her dive to 80' as an uncertified diver, I recall the DM handed us a puffed up puffer, something I didn't think anything of back then but which would horrify me now. On the other hand, the female DM we dove with another day dove in just a bikini bottom and wetsuit top and I was very impressed by her. Amigos del Mar was better, we liked our DM and not only because he had a silver tooth, but Cabo diving doesn't offer the water clarity you get in much of the Caribbean and even the Mexican Pacific Coast because of the clash between the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez. Still, a dive at Land's End (El Arco) is neat just to say you dove there. The vaunted "sand falls" really weren't very exciting, but there's an interesting mix of fish around the pinnacle and a bunch of large local nudibranchs. Sea lions too, if you're lucky. We weren't. IIRC, the cruise ship pier is right near the dock where Amigos departs from, so as long as you're one of the first off the ship, you shouldn't have any problem making a 2-tank dive and returning in time to spend some money at one of the overpriced tourist traps in town. [Default] Thus spake Greg Mossman <mossman@qnet.com>: >> * Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] >> <http://www.zihuatanejodivecenter.com/> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >dove in just a bikini bottom and wetsuit top and I was very impressed >by her. Of course, Janna didn't know to slide the weights all the way to the buckle and hold the open end, so the thunk probably wasn't too bad. >Amigos del Mar was better, we liked our DM and not only because he had >a silver tooth, but Cabo diving doesn't offer the water clarity you [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >returning in time to spend some money at one of the overpriced tourist >traps in town.  Signature- dillon I am not invalid Patrick Swayze, now there was talent On Oct 16, 12:54 pm, Dillon Pyron <invaliddmpy...@austin.rr.com> wrote: > >Zihuatenejo was back in 1999, right after I got certified (and before > >Janna was officially certified - she was still in the process of [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Of course, Janna didn't know to slide the weights all the way to the > buckle and hold the open end, so the thunk probably wasn't too bad. Like I said, she was even more inexperienced than me at the time. When you have zero dives under your belt, you're far more fascinated by the fish and distracted by your gauges to notice your SO ogling another diver. Nowadays she's much more experienced, so I have to be much more careful with my ogling! >My wife and I will be taking an 18 day cruise (on HAL's ms Statendam) through >the Panama Canal (FLL to SAN). We are both scuba divers and on past cruises, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >* Half Moon Cay, Bahamas [8:00am to 4:00pm] > Nothing... Half Moon Cay is really Little San Salvador, and no one lives there - they just come in for the day. It's an artificial place like Disney. >* Santa Marta, Columbia [8:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.poseidondivecenter.com/> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > <http://www.oceanoscuba.com.co/main.htm> > <http://www.tayronadivecenter.com/> We were in Santa Marta, but I didn't take a tour or anything. My BIL advised me not to go ashore, but I did anyway and asked the tourist office on the end of the pier to find a taxi driver for me to drive me around for an hour. I heard that there was a little fishing village to visit kind of around the corner, but getting there and back within the time might be a problem. >* San Blas Islands, Panama [11:00am to 6:00pm] > <http://www.corallodge.com/panama_scuba_diving.php> > Several other sites say scuba isn't allowed in the islands! Another pax told me that we could arrange for someone to take us diving from a dugout canoe but I don't think I would do it personally. Especially since the toilets are like old lighthouse toilets >I appreciate any/all feedback on this topic! > >-Tim [Default] Thus spake tmm@sdd.hp.com (Tim McDonough): >My wife and I will be taking an 18 day cruise (on HAL's ms Statendam) through >the Panama Canal (FLL to SAN). We are both scuba divers and on past cruises, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >* Half Moon Cay, Bahamas [8:00am to 4:00pm] > Nothing... HAL operated. If they say no, then no >* Mayaguez, Puerto Rico [7:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.diveshop-pr.com/> > <http://www.monaaquatics.com/index.html> From what I understand, the diving is okay to better than okay around there. No personal experience with either of those operators. Try rec.scuba.locations. Oooops :-) (that's the sound of your chain being yanked) >* Santa Marta, Columbia [8:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.poseidondivecenter.com/> > <http://www.buceovidamarina.com/home_big.html> Probably the best of them. > <http://www.tiendadebuceoelrodadero.com/index.html> > <http://www.aquantisdivecenter.com/home.html> > <http://www.oceanoscuba.com.co/main.htm> > <http://www.tayronadivecenter.com/> How experienced are you as a diver? Would you feel comfortable going out with just a couple of people and maybe a dive master who points out stuff and doesn't look after you, or do you need to be led? Aquantis Dive Center and Ocean Scuba are both cattleboats, the others can be if you're not careful. >* San Blas Islands, Panama [11:00am to 6:00pm] > <http://www.corallodge.com/panama_scuba_diving.php> > Several other sites say scuba isn't allowed in the islands! My understanding is that it can be silty. >* Puerto Chiapas, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] > Nothing... > >* Huatulco, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.hurricanedivers.com/> Unless you have really solid reservations with them (and enough divers to make it worth the trip), they leave around 0730. And you know what "8:00 am" arrival means. >* Acapulco, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.scubadivingacapulco.com/> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >* Mazatlan, Mexico [8:00am to 5:00pm] > <http://www.mazatlantours.org/mazatlan-scuba-diving.htm> No comments on the above >* Cabo San Lucas, Mexico [7:00am to 3:00pm] > <http://www.caboscuba.com/> > <http://www.amigosdelmar.com/> > <http://www.aventurasazul.com/> > <http://www.eaglediver.com/> > <http://www.bajadivecharter.com/> The best diving takes too long to get too. >I appreciate any/all feedback on this topic! > >-Tim Signature- dillon I am not invalid Patrick Swayze, now there was talent On Oct 16, 12:51 pm, Dillon Pyron <invaliddmpy...@austin.rr.com> wrote: > >* Mayaguez, Puerto Rico [7:00am to 5:00pm] > > <http://www.diveshop-pr.com/> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > rec.scuba.locations. Oooops :-) (that's the sound of your chain > being yanked) It's on the west coast, so it's gotta be a lot better than the east coast crap near San Juan and El Yunque. On the east coast, Fajardo was miserable and Humacao not much better, but the water should be much clearer on the west side. |
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