Freeport Options for Junior Diver - Carnival Cruise Info??

[cindivan]

Hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I am a certified adult diver. My son is a certified junior diver, 10 years old, and limited to 40 ft. The cruise line says the Freeport dive is open to 10+ years, but cannot provide me any information as to what the first dive entails. (I am quite certain it would be too deep, but at that point what are his options? Stay on the boat? Snorkel? Dive to 30-40 ft? If he dives, is there anything worth seeing at that point?)

The cruise line keeps telling me I just have to wait to get on board to get my questions answered, but at that point its a little late in the game.

I have spoke with Dive Bahamas and they said we can go and "there is still plenty for my son to see on the first dive" but we are diving with the sharks. I am not comfortable with him going past 40 ft or diving near sharsk- so the shark dive would be out. Quite frankly, I am not sure I am all that thrilled about diving with sharks myself!! :shocked2:I think they would think he would be snorkeling the first dive (and I would stay with him).

Carnival said "Dive Paradise" is the dive shop, but I cannot find anything on a dive shop named this in Freeport.

I cannot find anyone (and I written several dive shops in the Bahamas) who will take just me and my son out. And they won't let him go on the scheduled dive because the first dive is beyond his limit.

So the only option I think we have is booking through Carnival, and I cannot get any sort of response from their excursion email and their shore excursion desk doesn't know any more than what the description is online ("Take a custom 42 ft. dive boat directly to the dive site.
Take your first dive ranging from 55 to 99 ft.
Take a second dive ranging from 25 to 40 feet deep. Dive the sites that are best based on prevailing weather conditions.
Explore dive sites including Shipyard Wrecks (90 ft.), The Lost Blue Hole (80 ft.), Barracuda Reef (35 ft.), and Fish Hotel (30 ft.).
See all of the tropical marine life and beautiful coral growth.")

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for your time. Cindi VanWingerden

 

[osprey]

I believe the dive shop Carnival uses is Unexso. You can call them.

 

[robint]

I would think twice about doing this with a 10yr old diver. Most shark dives have the divers kneel down in a protected area and it is always deeper than 40'. Snorkeling at surface while sharks are being fed, uggghhh, I don't think I want to do that.
Have you already paid for the cruise? Or are you just considering it? Until he is older and able to do deeper dives, I would look into going to a destination where dives are easy for him to participate. Fla Keys is a good option.

 

[G'Diddy]

Hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I am a certified adult diver. My son is a certified junior diver, 10 years old, and limited to 40 ft. The cruise line says the Freeport dive is open to 10+ years, but cannot provide me any information as to what the first dive entails. (I am quite certain it would be too deep, but at that point what are his options? Stay on the boat? Snorkel? Dive to 30-40 ft? If he dives, is there anything worth seeing at that point?)

The cruise line keeps telling me I just have to wait to get on board to get my questions answered, but at that point its a little late in the game.

I have spoke with Dive Bahamas and they said we can go and "there is still plenty for my son to see on the first dive" but we are diving with the sharks. I am not comfortable with him going past 40 ft or diving near sharsk- so the shark dive would be out. Quite frankly, I am not sure I am all that thrilled about diving with sharks myself!! :shocked2:I think they would think he would be snorkeling the first dive (and I would stay with him).

Carnival said "Dive Paradise" is the dive shop, but I cannot find anything on a dive shop named this in Freeport.

I cannot find anyone (and I written several dive shops in the Bahamas) who will take just me and my son out. And they won't let him go on the scheduled dive because the first dive is beyond his limit.

So the only option I think we have is booking through Carnival, and I cannot get any sort of response from their excursion email and their shore excursion desk doesn't know any more than what the description is online ("Take a custom 42 ft. dive boat directly to the dive site.
Take your first dive ranging from 55 to 99 ft.
Take a second dive ranging from 25 to 40 feet deep. Dive the sites that are best based on prevailing weather conditions.
Explore dive sites including Shipyard Wrecks (90 ft.), The Lost Blue Hole (80 ft.), Barracuda Reef (35 ft.), and Fish Hotel (30 ft.).
See all of the tropical marine life and beautiful coral growth.")

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks for your time. Cindi VanWingerden

I agree with Ospey that Carnival uses UNEXSO in Freeport. You can contact them directly at (800) 992-DIVE (3483) or their web site UNEXSO :: Dolphin & Diving Activities & More!.

By the way, Dive Paradise sounds like the name of a dive op in Cozumel. Could you be mixing up your trip stops?

Hope this hepls...

 

[DocIndyDiver]

I would just take him snorkeling on a different trip. You sound uncomfortable enough. In my opinion buddying with a ten year old, you are a solo diver.