Fantasy Island...Here We Come!!!

[Ron G.]

I'm also here at FIBR this week.

I agree with Herb's comments. A few of my own, in particular some comparisons to Coco View (I've been there twice, the most recent time just four months ago):

I've read comments comparing FIBR to camping. I can't say what it was like prior to this week, but it's very nice for a dive resort. CCV (to me) borders on rustic....everything is dark wood, bathrooms are plain formica counter with a plastic shower stall. Here, the baths are marble tile walls, tile counter....very similar to the non-dive all-inclusives I've stayed in in the Caribbean. The rooms are sort of small-town Holiday Inn. Fresh paint, modest furnishings, bright, clean.

I've enjoyed the food here, but I have to admit that I generally have a couple entrees that are great, and the other couple don't look at all good to me. Maybe just a case of different strokes for different folks.

The boat dives are basically the same (great) sites we visited with CCV. However, FIBR seems to limit the number of divers to about a dozen. At CCV, I went with a LDS group of 15-20 and they put us all on one boat....sometimes adding in another diver or two not from our group. Definite plus for FIBR. The other big difference is CCV goes out twice a day....two real boat dives, then you can do a drop-off dive on the way back, for a total of four scheduled dives per day. FIBR does three true boat dives (one more remote site per day....and you can do a drop-off after the last dive...still getting four scheduled dives per day. At CCV, folks tended to get bored getting dropped off at the same two (very nice) walls each day. Again, advantage to FIBR.

A huge difference between CCV and FIBR is the size. FIBR probably has three times the number of rooms. Bad news, it can put you considerably farther from the dive shop, dining room, etc. Good news....FIBR as lovely grounds with a large sandy beach, at least one pool (maybe two....I haven't explored yet). If an extra few minutes' walk is a problem, you can probably request a room closer in. One advantage CCV has is the rooms are right on the water. At FIBR, the beach separates you from the harbor. Still very nice, but the harbor can make it difficult to see what the sea's like.....are we gonna get out today?

Another big plus for FIBR....drinks are included....soft drinks, beer, wine, mixed drinks. Not a big draw for me, but a big deal for some.

The gear area at CCV is a bit nicer. FIBR has one large, dark room. CCV has a couple smaller rooms, but each having a smaller number of lockers, so it's roomier and very pleasant.

We found a couple minor wrinkles here that I suspect they'll iron out over time. At CCV, things tend to run like a well-oiled machine. Here, there were minor issues...shuttle bus took about 30-40 minutes to get to us (a lifetime when it's the bus taking you to your final destination), and when it came, it was a tired old thing with wide open windows and no a/c. The CCV bus was ready and waiting, looked brand new and the a/c seemed to be working. Our shower head was broken off, but they fixed it within about 15 minutes.

There are a lot of animals around here....monkeys, deer, peacocks, some kind of big rat-like animal, etc. I'd read that the monkeys were a nuisance, but I saw no sign of that this week.

Finally, most of the folks I've talked to have been here before (and didn't get the $499 special). Meaning....even before the many improvements, folks were happy enough to come back multiple times.

I'd have to give it a big thumbs up....especially if you like the idea of nice grounds, sandy beach, pool, free drinks, etc.

Ron

 

[DandyDon]

The common rodent you're seeing is a watusas, I think. They prefer to call them rabbits but they don't look like one at all. Member of the Guinea Pig Family maybe.

 

[BettyfromToronto]

How do you add your name to the section below someone`s post called
``This member has said "Thank you." to CajunDiva for this useful post: ``

I`d like to thank both herbdb and Ron G. for their wonderful reports. We are going Feb 14-21 and I`m so happy to hear the good reports after those few bad ones just before the change of management.

 

[DandyDon]

How do you add your name to the section below someone`s post called
``This member has said "Thank you." to CajunDiva for this useful post: ``

I`d like to thank both herbdb and Ron G. for their wonderful reports. We are going Feb 14-21 and I`m so happy to hear the good reports after those few bad ones just before the change of management.

Click the Thanks button on the post.

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Thankd DD. That was so obvious I totally missed it.

 

[CajunDiva]

The common rodent you're seeing is a watusas, I think. They prefer to call them rabbits but they don't look like one at all. Member of the Guinea Pig Family maybe.

In South Louisiana we call them NUTRIA RATS

I am so happy to hear that Herb and Ron seem to be having a good time. Life's a journey...enjoy the ride

 

[DandyDon]

In South Louisiana we call them NUTRIA RATS

Yes, well, you do have a horrible problem with Nutria (true name: Coypu) in Louisiana after they were introduced from South America as fur producing animals. They have some similarities with the watusas, but they're the only member of the family Myocastoridae.

Nutria...

More similar to your native Muskrat I think...

​

There's really not much online info on the Watusa, but they do seem to be short tailed like the Guinea Pig (which doesn't even have a tail; not sure about the Watusa).

 

[CajunDiva]

Yes, well, you do have a horrible problem with Nutria (true name: Coypu) in Louisiana)

Problem Uh uh...that's good eatin' cher

 

[DandyDon]

Cajuns will eat a lot of things, huh? Excerpting from one Wiki article on Nutria/Coypu...

Local extinction in their native range due to overharvest led to the development of coypu fur farms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first farms were in Argentina and then later in Europe, North America, and Asia. These farms have generally not been successful long term investments and farmed coypu often are released or escape as operations become unprofitable.

As demand for coypu fur declined, coypu have since become pests in many areas, destroying aquatic vegetation, irrigation systems, chewing through human-made items, such as tires and wooden house panelling in Louisiana, eroding river banks, and displacing native animals. Coypu were introduced to the Louisiana ecosystem in the 1930s when they escaped from fur farms that had imported them from South America.[11] Nutria damage in Louisiana became so severe that in 2005, a bounty program was in effect to aid in controlling the animal.[12] In the Chesapeake Bay region in Maryland, where they were introduced in the 1940s, coypu are believed to have destroyed 7,000 to 8,000 acres (2,800 to 3,200 ha) of marshland in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. In response, by 2003, a multi-million dollar eradication program was underway.[13]

Coypu were also introduced to East Anglia, for fur, in 1929; many escaped and damaged the drainage works, and a concerted programme by MAFF eradicated them by 1989.

Seemed like a good idea in the 30s when fur & felt was more popular, before J.F.Kennedy became the first president to not wear a hat much, about the same time the Beatles made long hair popular in the US, followed by Peta campaigns. I like a beaver felt hat best.

Anyway, different rodent - and if you like eating water rats, cool...!

In addition to direct environmental damage, coypu are the host for a nematode parasite (Strongyloides myopotami) that can infect the skin of humans causing dermatitis similar to strongyloidiasis.[14] The condition is also called "nutria itch".[15]

 

[CajunDiva]

Cajuns will eat a lot of things, huh?

Anyway, different rodent - and if you like eating water rats, cool...!

I was really just joking But seriously, their numbers have grown to epic proportions in Louisiana and experimentation is being done on making them part of our diet. They are vegetarian and are actually very clean animals...and some say even tasty!