Diving off Cruise ships...

[emtdan]

What's diving like off Cruise ships? I have read about small "dive shops" on some big ships, what what really happens? Do they only do resort courses? Do they certify people? What are the prices like? How do they accually dive? Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor? Is if off dinghys? Do they do dives for people already certified? Can people already certified dive in the pools? How about night dives? Do they have nitrox?

any answers would be cool. thanks a lot
DES

 

[Gary D.]

What's diving like off Cruise ships? I have read about small "dive shops" on some big ships, what what really happens? Do they only do resort courses? Do they certify people? What are the prices like? How do they accually dive? Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor? Is if off dinghys? Do they do dives for people already certified? Can people already certified dive in the pools? How about night dives? Do they have nitrox?

any answers would be cool. thanks a lot
DES

"What's diving like off Cruise ships?"
A long fall and you better hit the water right or you could get hurt.

"How do they accually dive?"
If you don't jump they push you. Keep your eyes open, it's quite a trip.

"Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor?"
No, just anything under 10 knots.

"Is if off dinghys?"
No, but some of the people are dinghy.

"How about night dives?"
Last I heard they were going to start doing them at night.

"Do they have nitrox?"
At least 21%

Just kidding, I couldn't resist that one.

Returning back to the real world, get a hold of the cruise line you plan on taking and ask them what is available on THAT cruise. They can change from one trip to another.

Gary D.

 

[diveborg]

What you will find on a cruise regarding diving will vary with which cruise line you sail on, but in general the instruction is limited to Open Water certification, or discover scuba. As far as I know, only Windstar cruises dives directly from the ship, and even then they still use a small boat that will take you to the actual dive site. All the rest of the cruise lines contract with local dive operators for their scuba excursions. They are usually large operators with big boats offering follow the leader type dives of limited bottom time.

No night dives
no nitrox,
Yes to ships excursions for diving
no for certified divers in the pool

 

[rushrhees]

"I have read about small "dive shops" on some big ships, what what really happens?"
They offer instruction up to OW (the checkout dives are done with a local tour operator as also every other dive, the cruise ship just contracts out the dive excursions to a local operator who you meet at the ports dock)
"How do they actually dive"
You meet the dive outfitter at the dock

"Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor?"
sort of in some ports, for Belize the dive boat docks to the ship and picks up passengers from the ship and takes them off to the dive sites elsewhere
"Is if off dinghys?"
No, the dive ships these outfitters use are usally the "cattle ships"

"
"Can people already certified dive in the pools?
Only people who sign up for the class, the pool is only 5 ft deep anyway

"How about night dives?"
Again most likely not, most ships leave port around 5 or 6

"Do they offer nitrox"
Probably not, ours did not and the cruise company does not tell who does the excursion untill at port, if there were some way to get a hold of the outfitter, then mabey

Hope these answers help, I have only cruised once on Royal Caribbean and dove in Grand Caymen and Cozumel, but please PM me with other questions if you have any.

 

[bgray]

My wife and I dove Grand Caymen, Cozumel, and Nassua (sp?) this spring while on vacation with Royal Carribean. All the above posts have been right on. The dives were on boats with 12-15 divers at each stop. Mostly short and relativly shallow but very good dives noentheless. Especially since my wife is still not the most comfortable in the water. Other people had suggested prior to my trip that maybe we should find our own dive shop on each island to get a better dive than what the cruise ships outfitters might offer. The problem is that you are not at port for a very long time and by the time everybody gets off the ship and gets the nessecary paperwork filled out, and then fitted for gear, they must stay pretty close to the ship in order to have you back with plenty of time to spare.
On the other hand, while you may not get to see the best sites that the island may have to offer, you are guaranteed not to be left behind. Let me clarify that, if for any reason you do not make it back before the ships departure, and you were using the outfit that the ship contracted with, you will not be responsible for the bill to get you back, be it by tender or helicopter, ect. If you went out on your own and didn't make it back then you will be paying whatever price the local feels like charging that day. We opted to go the safer route and still had a wonderfull time. Hope this is of some help.

 

[NW_DiverDude]

I can share some of my experiences with you as I have dove a number of ports while cruising, including Cozumel, Cancun, Antigua, Tortola, Martinique, St. Maarten, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Roatan. Some of these have been on Norwegian and some on Carnival.

You can go with the cruise line "shore excursion" dive trip, which will definitely cost more than what you can arrange on your own but does offer a couple advantages such as early departure from the ship (sometimes) and guarenteed return to the ship - even if running late (not the case when you arrange your own excursions).

For pricing, take a look at the shore excursion listing for the cruise you plan to take. An example for Roatan when sailing on NCL is the cruise line charges $106 for a 2-tank dive and I can arrange on my own a 2-tank dive for $60 plus the cost of a taxi (~$12). The real difference for me is I will dive with a maximum of 6 divers while the cruise excursion can end up being a couple dozen (cattle boat style).

Wether or not you go with the cruise line excursion or arrange your own, the method of getting connected with the dive operator remains the same. Some ports you will be oicked up right at the cruise ship dock, other ports you will have to take a bus or taxi to the dive shop or their dock, sometimes you will not even be directly at a dock but rather anchored out in the bay and you will typically have to take a tender from the ship to the shore. On rare occasions, a dive operator my even pick you up from the ship if you are anchored in the bay. Obviously, you have to be flexible.

A quick answer to one of your questions - do they do dives for people that are already certified - is clearly a yes, if they offer such dives on there list of excursions.

As far as what you dive off of, it will be whatever boat that the dive operator you use has to offer. If you choose, depending on the port, you can skip the boat altogether and do a couple shore dives. This you will definitely be doing on your own but sometimes this is a very inexpensive way to get in extra dives when money is tight. I have done 3 shore dives before for less than $50 simply because the shore diving at some ports is outstanding and since I bring all my gear except tanks and weights, I am only renting those items.

As noted previously, no night dives on most cruises since you will generally leave port long before you could get such a dive in and get back to the ship.

Lastly, Nitrox is occasionally available but again you will likely have to arrange this on your own. Do a little research on the ports you are visiting several weeks before your trip and you can find out who the dive operators are, what they charge, what there boats are like, how many divers they carry, and wether or not they have Nitrox available. Then after you note a few potential operators to use, stop back at the Scuba Board to find out what our fellow divers have said about those operators. As you must know, the quality of dive operators can vary drastically so recommendations and warnings found here can help considerably.

Enjoy!


NW_DiverDude

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[DocVikingo]

What's diving like off Cruise ships? I have read about small "dive shops" on some big ships, what what really happens? Do they only do resort courses? Do they certify people? What are the prices like? How do they accually dive? Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor? Is if off dinghys? Do they do dives for people already certified? Can people already certified dive in the pools? How about night dives? Do they have nitrox?

any answers would be cool. thanks a lot
DES

Here's an orientation to cruise ship diving & dive op sugestions. It's an edited piece from my July '00 "Dive Workshop" column of "Rodales' Scuba Diving:"

"Cruise ships are seen by many divers as despoilers of the both the environment & culture at their ports of call. The situation in Cozumel in particular is regularly lamented on several scuba bulletin boards. Nevertheless, cruising is among the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, and bigger & fancier ships are regularly launched, and new piers constructed.

These floating megaresorts generally offer scuba diving as one of many activities, but rarely is it a focal point. This places them the most removed of water borne diving, with dedicated dive live-aboards being at the top. Between these two are the smaller boats operated by the likes of the Windjammer & Law fleets, which cater to those wanting some serious diving, but also a relaxed atmosphere and other diversions. Cruise ships do afford some advantages, however, such as allowing: (1) groups with nondiving members to vacation together; (2) the diver to screen a number of locations cost-effectively and with relative ease; (3) divers who are not into a trip of hard core diving to get an N2 fix; & (4) a convenient venue for a resort course or OW certification--anything beyond this will be conduced by the shore ops.

If you decide to cruise & dive, you can: (1) go with a traditional ship and let them make the arrangements; (2) do the same but arrange for your own diving; or, (3) select a ship specifically oriented toward diving. If diving with an op arranged by the ship, it may be selected based on it's ability to adhere to the ship's schedule, the amount it kicks back, and other factors not related to getting the best diving. If good diving is a priority, you often will be best served by making your own arrangements prior to the cruise. This can require some effort due to the ship's need to keep a tight schedule. It may dock after most dive boats have gone out in the AM, and may depart before others return in the PM. In addition, cruise ship piers are often some distance from the areas where the best diving is located. Definitely make advanced booking if you decide to select your own op.

Princess, Celebrity and Windstar are among your best choices in dive oriented lines. On board dive centers have instructors, and offer at least a resort course, with other certs handled by the on shore op. They endeavor to get you to the better sites with the better shops at any particular port of call, although for very experienced divers they often are not the most advanced sites or personalized ops. Dive gear is typically available on board, and, if not, can be obtained from the local shop. Some ships include gear in the price of the dives, typically $80-90 for a two tank trip, but some charge for rental. Best to check beforehand if looking to save a few bucks, but remember that schlepping your gear from room to shore op everyday, and storing/drying it your cabin, can be a hassle. Also, some ships have odd rules, such as wanting a logbook as well as c-card, or requiring a refresher a course if you haven't dived a while.

Bottom line is, cruise ships are not dedicated dive venues, and will not satisfy those who want nothing but dive, dive, dive or advanced diving. They do, however, provide an opportunity to get in a few dives and several locations while enjoying the other amenities of this type of vacation."

The availabily of nitrox depends on with whom the diving has been arranged. Night diving depends upon the same, plus the ship's schedule.

Best regards.

DocVikingo

 

[The Kraken]

Gary D wrote:

""What's diving like off Cruise ships?"
A long fall and you better hit the water right or you could get hurt.

"How do they accually dive?"
If you don't jump they push you. Keep your eyes open, it's quite a trip.

"Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor?"
No, just anything under 10 knots.

"Is if off dinghys?"
No, but some of the people are dinghy.

"How about night dives?"
Last I heard they were going to start doing them at night.

"Do they have nitrox?"
At least 21%

Just kidding, I couldn't resist that one.

Returning back to the real world, get a hold of the cruise line you plan on taking and ask them what is available on THAT cruise. They can change from one trip to another.

. . . I am sitting here with tears in my eyes laughing mh a$$ off!

Oh, MAN !!!!! What a great way to start a Monday !!!

 

[TheRedHead]

What's diving like off Cruise ships? I have read about small "dive shops" on some big ships, what what really happens? Do they only do resort courses? Do they certify people? What are the prices like? How do they accually dive? Is it off the cruise ship when at anchor? Is if off dinghys? Do they do dives for people already certified? Can people already certified dive in the pools? How about night dives? Do they have nitrox?

any answers would be cool. thanks a lot
DES

I just got of the NCL Sea and while I loved diving in Cozumel, Roatan and Belize, I hated being on a cruise ship, hated the crush at disemarkation, embarkation. The 3 dive excursions were all different. In Cozumel, we dove with The Snorkel Shoppe (yuk!). Only 8 of us, but the DM was more interested in counting everyone than finding anything interesting to look at. We drifted over a lot of sand. It was a huge disappointment. I would have been better off booking independently as the cruise ship anchors at the pier and you do not need a tender.

Roatan was a cattle boat. This is another port where we would have been better off booking independently. The dives themselves were great.

Belize is a tender port and the ship's excursion used Hugh Parkey which is a top notch operation, other than the fact they treated everyone like they hadn't dived in years. It would be better to do a ship's excursion with a tender port like Belize.

First of all, I would suggest that you want to go on a cruise first and dive second. I went on the cruise to dive and was miserable during the time I wasn't diving. I don't drink or gamble and there was very little to do. The people on the pool deck started drinking at 9:00 in the morning and didn't stop until they staggered off to dinner. Some people ate 16 hours a day near the pool. The sight of all those obese people in swimwear lingers with me. Everyone smoked on the pool deck. I'm not even going to talk about the hot tubs.

The ship's swimming pools are crowded and slimy with suntan lotion within a few hours. You can barely get into the pool much less dive in one. People dance in the pool. My cruise line offered Discover Scuba, but all the lessons were done at the contracting resort with the ship's instructor.

The ship's crew were very nice and embarassingly subservient. I felt sorry for them having to serve that crowd of drunk, hooting, hollering, morbidly obese bunch of boors I cruised with.

The non-drinking activities included learning fruit carving and making paper carnations. There was a dress up night which thankfully was not obligatory. At times, I felt like orally inflating my bc and taking my chances in the open sea.

I would have been better off spending my vacation money for a week in one of the ports rather than a cruise. Everyone else's mileage may vary, but if you enjoy the company of other divers or people interested in the ports themselves and other cultures, you won't be happy on a cruise ship like the Norwegian Sea.

 

[astrl]

Gary D wrote:

""What's diving like off Cruise ships?"
A long fall and you better hit the water right or you could get hurt.

:laughing: I was thinking the same thing!

I did some diving in Belize and Cozumel while on a cruise in March 2003. It wasn't bad.

astrl