HUGE DISCLAIMER
This initial trip report post will be completely narrative driven and probably be overly verbose (those that know me, would expect nothing less). I am not going to post any photos for a few days (well, maybe a couple- we will see) so, feel free to slowly read and take it in and post your questions and comments: I expect no less than 3-4 very relevant questions from @drrich2 that I will feel compelled to reply to. Be kind to me "MASTER YODA of the Trip Report"!
I felt a little compelled to do this trip report because I feel like there is not enough really good detailed info on the Juliet dive cruises on Scubaboard. There are some and I have found some on other sites that have piqued my interest. But, I felt like I have wanted more.
Don't look to me to give you much more here- but, hopefully a little extra.
Friday, May 21, 2021:
I have been wanting to do a trip with Juliet Sailing and Diving for quite some time: Juliet Sailing and Diving Scuba Liveaboard Dive boat
I have considered their Bahamas itinerary, repositioning itineraries and St. Croix itinerary. The stars and timing aligned for us to jump on board for the May 22-28, 2021 trip to the Bahamas.
I am writing this in real time, but since we will have no internet access throughout the trip, I will be chronicling the trip each day and will do one post once back to Miami or Portland, OR over Memorial weekend.
Part of the appeal of the Juliet is the ability to visit a foreign country without having to fly out of the USA. The boat is moored in Miami for departure and also returns there after 6 days. Their unique Bimini islands route, which is off the beaten Bahamas dive path has been another selling point and the price point for a liveaboard is pretty amazing. This will be the first time to the Bahamas, so I am also looking forward to a new destination. All other diving in the region (so to speak) has been Southern Florida, Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman, Bonaire and Cozumel.
I seem to be on an ever-rotating cycle of Boynton/West Palm Beach, Bonaire and Cozumel for the last few years. So, looking forward to something new.
Cost for our trip came out to $1500 per person for the week + the following incidentals: $120 per person Bahamas port fee, $100 per person for Nitrox for the week (optional) and $40 per person for the Bahamas Health Visa. 80 CF aluminum tanks are standard, and they also have a few steel 100 CF tanks available at no additional cost (reserve early, if desired). Crew tip: as we all know, this is a variable.
We departed today from Portland, OR at 12:45pm on United Airlines with a 1 hour 20-minute layover in Houston. With the time change, we arrive in Miami at 11pm local time. Due to late arrival, I booked 1 night’s stay at the Miami International Airport Hotel, which is inside the airport, for convenience. Room rate with taxes came to $157. Our RT flights were $412 each.
Both flights were completely full. First time I have experienced this since the Pandemic began and I have traveled quite a bit over the last year. Seems like the vaccine and the pent up frustration of being in lockdown for the last year has people back on the move.
Since we don’t have to be to the boat until 12pm on Saturday the 22nd, we should be able to get a good night’s rest and be ready to roll. Saturday afternoon is taken up with getting unpacked, gear set up and a general orientation to life on the Juliet for the next week. I believe we will shove off around 3pm and make our way through the night to Bimini where we go through customs and then get down to diving. Assuming no hiccups, the plan is for 3-day dives and 1 night dive for the first 4 days and a maximum of 3 dives on day five for a total of 19 dives.
We have only heard great things about the crew and food and anticipate a great trip. We are not expecting luxury. The Juliet is a sailboat and not a purpose built and spacious dive boat. So, with expectations set appropriately, I believe we are in for a nice trip.
There is a current requirement to have and upload a negative PCR Covid test taken with 5 days of arrival or you can upload verification of your vaccination, as an alternative. That whole process was pretty painless and done online. Once complete and after paying the $40 fee and filling out arrival and departure info (details were provided by Juliet), you can print out your entry verification. Since we are traveling by Sea, there is no requirement to have a negative COVID test to re-enter the USA.
Saturday, May 22, 2021
We made it to our hotel room close to midnight last night. Our bags were the first off of the carousel and then a bit of a walk to the hotel which is located in the E concourse, street level, entry door 11. Room is adequate for a 1-night stay. The boat is a 15-minute ride away from the airport hotel. We will be leaving the hotel about 11:30am and making our way by taxi to the Juliet.
We made it to the boat with perfect timing at Noon today. We boarded the boat and were instructed to go ahead and assemble our dive gear to our tank and store our peripherals (lights, mask, fins, etc.) in our individual dry box located directly behind our tank. They then took our gear bags and stowed them out of the way for the rest of the trip. Next, we got a quick orientation to the galley/salon area and were escorted to our rooms to unpack and get settled.
Lunch was available at 1pm and the original plan would have been to set sail for Bimini Island at 3pm and arrive there the next morning ready to clear customs and start diving. Unfortunately, the wind speed and direction precluded us from departing and we spent the night moored at the marina in Miami with hopes of an early departure Sunday morning.
Dinner was at 6:30pm. My wife and I are vegan, and they have been extremely accommodating.
Meals are buffet and there is plenty of food to go around. Dinner was eggplant parmesan, salad, grilled veggies, something else I can’t remember and always a fresh dessert of some sort. There is an array of beer and wine options available once diving is done for the day (all included). Also, plenty of sodas, water, punch, seltzers, etc. Everyone is given an aluminum water bottle with their name on it upon arrival. There are also large coffee mugs that get used and washed for reuse.
We have a total of 13 divers/passengers on board from all over the country (Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, N. Carolina, Texas, New Orleans and Washington). There are 5 crew members (Chef, Captain, Engineer (who is the owner and is also a Captain), a dive instructor/DM and a dive guide/deck hand. There are 2 cabins that have their own shower and toilet (en-suite), while everyone else shares community toilets (3) and showers (2).
The Juliet is a true sailboat and as such, quarters can be a bit small, with narrow passages, steep stairs. All cabins are below deck and on the deck level is the galley, salon and wheelhouse; as well as the outdoor dive deck and a covered outdoor dining table. Above the salon and galley is a seating area with bean bags and a hammock.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Breakfast was served at 6:30am and the boat pulled away from the mooring at 7am and we set sail for Bimini. The crossing was pretty rocky and rolly. Most people retreated to their cabins to lay down and minimize seasickness. Others went up to the upper deck area and sat in the bean bags and found them very stable and helped reduce the swaying feeling.
We arrived to Bimini at 4pm and anchored up to an offshore dive site. We had a dive safety briefing and then a dive site briefing, and everyone geared up and jumped in for the checkout dive. The dive site was a coral reef that stretched about 100 yards long and was about 5 feet high at its peak. It sat in 40 feet of water and was pretty ideal for a first shake out dive for everyone. Also, 1 of the 13 divers is getting his certification dives done on this trip and did OW dive 1 this afternoon.
We just finished up dinner and will be staying here for the night. We will do our night dive after it gets dark, which means that we only lost out on our 2 scheduled morning dives as a result of the weather and delayed departure. During the day, everyone gets a nice big towel for use between dives and then a fresh one for the night dive. Towels and wetsuits are slung over the deck rail and secured with grip-lock things (big-hinged clothes pins of sorts- they get the job done).
During dive 1, most of the typical small Caribbean reef critters were seen on the 1 hour dive this afternoon. Spotted eels, 1 green moray, a few barracuda, lizard fish, scorpion fish, a couple of French angel fish, lots of grunts and snapper, a couple of banded coral shrimp and arrow crabs, a few blue tang, a black durgon, a couple of barracuda, lots of sergeant majors. There was a very light north current and the dive was an out and back and cruise over and across the reef shelf, which was probably only 10-15 yards across. Water temp was 79, the reef itself was not real colorful, which I would expect given its location right offshore from town. Visibility was 70 feet. All in all, a good start and we will see what the night dive brings.
Also, entry into the water is a giant stride from either the port or starboard side. About a 5-foot drop. Reentry to the boat is from a ladder on the port side. It is a nice stable ladder with a nice angle to it from climbing back up. Not one of those super vertical ones.
For those interested in food: dinner was grilled chicken (quinoa, eggplant and tofu stuffed tomato for my wife and I), mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, salad and a dessert.
The night dive had some moderate current from north to south. We did the dive on the same site as the afternoon dive. A large green moray and a huge crab feeding itself were the highlights + a good size slipper lobster.
This initial trip report post will be completely narrative driven and probably be overly verbose (those that know me, would expect nothing less). I am not going to post any photos for a few days (well, maybe a couple- we will see) so, feel free to slowly read and take it in and post your questions and comments: I expect no less than 3-4 very relevant questions from @drrich2 that I will feel compelled to reply to. Be kind to me "MASTER YODA of the Trip Report"!
I felt a little compelled to do this trip report because I feel like there is not enough really good detailed info on the Juliet dive cruises on Scubaboard. There are some and I have found some on other sites that have piqued my interest. But, I felt like I have wanted more.
Don't look to me to give you much more here- but, hopefully a little extra.
Friday, May 21, 2021:
I have been wanting to do a trip with Juliet Sailing and Diving for quite some time: Juliet Sailing and Diving Scuba Liveaboard Dive boat
I have considered their Bahamas itinerary, repositioning itineraries and St. Croix itinerary. The stars and timing aligned for us to jump on board for the May 22-28, 2021 trip to the Bahamas.
I am writing this in real time, but since we will have no internet access throughout the trip, I will be chronicling the trip each day and will do one post once back to Miami or Portland, OR over Memorial weekend.
Part of the appeal of the Juliet is the ability to visit a foreign country without having to fly out of the USA. The boat is moored in Miami for departure and also returns there after 6 days. Their unique Bimini islands route, which is off the beaten Bahamas dive path has been another selling point and the price point for a liveaboard is pretty amazing. This will be the first time to the Bahamas, so I am also looking forward to a new destination. All other diving in the region (so to speak) has been Southern Florida, Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman, Bonaire and Cozumel.
I seem to be on an ever-rotating cycle of Boynton/West Palm Beach, Bonaire and Cozumel for the last few years. So, looking forward to something new.
Cost for our trip came out to $1500 per person for the week + the following incidentals: $120 per person Bahamas port fee, $100 per person for Nitrox for the week (optional) and $40 per person for the Bahamas Health Visa. 80 CF aluminum tanks are standard, and they also have a few steel 100 CF tanks available at no additional cost (reserve early, if desired). Crew tip: as we all know, this is a variable.
We departed today from Portland, OR at 12:45pm on United Airlines with a 1 hour 20-minute layover in Houston. With the time change, we arrive in Miami at 11pm local time. Due to late arrival, I booked 1 night’s stay at the Miami International Airport Hotel, which is inside the airport, for convenience. Room rate with taxes came to $157. Our RT flights were $412 each.
Both flights were completely full. First time I have experienced this since the Pandemic began and I have traveled quite a bit over the last year. Seems like the vaccine and the pent up frustration of being in lockdown for the last year has people back on the move.
Since we don’t have to be to the boat until 12pm on Saturday the 22nd, we should be able to get a good night’s rest and be ready to roll. Saturday afternoon is taken up with getting unpacked, gear set up and a general orientation to life on the Juliet for the next week. I believe we will shove off around 3pm and make our way through the night to Bimini where we go through customs and then get down to diving. Assuming no hiccups, the plan is for 3-day dives and 1 night dive for the first 4 days and a maximum of 3 dives on day five for a total of 19 dives.
We have only heard great things about the crew and food and anticipate a great trip. We are not expecting luxury. The Juliet is a sailboat and not a purpose built and spacious dive boat. So, with expectations set appropriately, I believe we are in for a nice trip.
There is a current requirement to have and upload a negative PCR Covid test taken with 5 days of arrival or you can upload verification of your vaccination, as an alternative. That whole process was pretty painless and done online. Once complete and after paying the $40 fee and filling out arrival and departure info (details were provided by Juliet), you can print out your entry verification. Since we are traveling by Sea, there is no requirement to have a negative COVID test to re-enter the USA.
Saturday, May 22, 2021
We made it to our hotel room close to midnight last night. Our bags were the first off of the carousel and then a bit of a walk to the hotel which is located in the E concourse, street level, entry door 11. Room is adequate for a 1-night stay. The boat is a 15-minute ride away from the airport hotel. We will be leaving the hotel about 11:30am and making our way by taxi to the Juliet.
We made it to the boat with perfect timing at Noon today. We boarded the boat and were instructed to go ahead and assemble our dive gear to our tank and store our peripherals (lights, mask, fins, etc.) in our individual dry box located directly behind our tank. They then took our gear bags and stowed them out of the way for the rest of the trip. Next, we got a quick orientation to the galley/salon area and were escorted to our rooms to unpack and get settled.
Lunch was available at 1pm and the original plan would have been to set sail for Bimini Island at 3pm and arrive there the next morning ready to clear customs and start diving. Unfortunately, the wind speed and direction precluded us from departing and we spent the night moored at the marina in Miami with hopes of an early departure Sunday morning.
Dinner was at 6:30pm. My wife and I are vegan, and they have been extremely accommodating.
Meals are buffet and there is plenty of food to go around. Dinner was eggplant parmesan, salad, grilled veggies, something else I can’t remember and always a fresh dessert of some sort. There is an array of beer and wine options available once diving is done for the day (all included). Also, plenty of sodas, water, punch, seltzers, etc. Everyone is given an aluminum water bottle with their name on it upon arrival. There are also large coffee mugs that get used and washed for reuse.
We have a total of 13 divers/passengers on board from all over the country (Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, N. Carolina, Texas, New Orleans and Washington). There are 5 crew members (Chef, Captain, Engineer (who is the owner and is also a Captain), a dive instructor/DM and a dive guide/deck hand. There are 2 cabins that have their own shower and toilet (en-suite), while everyone else shares community toilets (3) and showers (2).
The Juliet is a true sailboat and as such, quarters can be a bit small, with narrow passages, steep stairs. All cabins are below deck and on the deck level is the galley, salon and wheelhouse; as well as the outdoor dive deck and a covered outdoor dining table. Above the salon and galley is a seating area with bean bags and a hammock.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Breakfast was served at 6:30am and the boat pulled away from the mooring at 7am and we set sail for Bimini. The crossing was pretty rocky and rolly. Most people retreated to their cabins to lay down and minimize seasickness. Others went up to the upper deck area and sat in the bean bags and found them very stable and helped reduce the swaying feeling.
We arrived to Bimini at 4pm and anchored up to an offshore dive site. We had a dive safety briefing and then a dive site briefing, and everyone geared up and jumped in for the checkout dive. The dive site was a coral reef that stretched about 100 yards long and was about 5 feet high at its peak. It sat in 40 feet of water and was pretty ideal for a first shake out dive for everyone. Also, 1 of the 13 divers is getting his certification dives done on this trip and did OW dive 1 this afternoon.
We just finished up dinner and will be staying here for the night. We will do our night dive after it gets dark, which means that we only lost out on our 2 scheduled morning dives as a result of the weather and delayed departure. During the day, everyone gets a nice big towel for use between dives and then a fresh one for the night dive. Towels and wetsuits are slung over the deck rail and secured with grip-lock things (big-hinged clothes pins of sorts- they get the job done).
During dive 1, most of the typical small Caribbean reef critters were seen on the 1 hour dive this afternoon. Spotted eels, 1 green moray, a few barracuda, lizard fish, scorpion fish, a couple of French angel fish, lots of grunts and snapper, a couple of banded coral shrimp and arrow crabs, a few blue tang, a black durgon, a couple of barracuda, lots of sergeant majors. There was a very light north current and the dive was an out and back and cruise over and across the reef shelf, which was probably only 10-15 yards across. Water temp was 79, the reef itself was not real colorful, which I would expect given its location right offshore from town. Visibility was 70 feet. All in all, a good start and we will see what the night dive brings.
Also, entry into the water is a giant stride from either the port or starboard side. About a 5-foot drop. Reentry to the boat is from a ladder on the port side. It is a nice stable ladder with a nice angle to it from climbing back up. Not one of those super vertical ones.
For those interested in food: dinner was grilled chicken (quinoa, eggplant and tofu stuffed tomato for my wife and I), mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, salad and a dessert.
The night dive had some moderate current from north to south. We did the dive on the same site as the afternoon dive. A large green moray and a huge crab feeding itself were the highlights + a good size slipper lobster.