Ocho Rios Bound, not by choose

[ax-man]

As luck would have it my brother is getting married on a cruise. The bad part is Ocho Rios is one of two ports. As I have read I realize the divivg sucks. Does any one know of any good beaches in the area. At least I'll be able to soak up the rays.

The good part is the second port is Cayman. Now that will be fun.

Ax-man

 

[hodgson]

If all you are going to do is soak up rays.... stay on the ship. The reefs are in bad condition for various reasons. There are some good reefs WAY East of Ocho Rios.... but it's not cheep to get to them.

If you want some wet fun non diving related: Dunns River Falls ...960 foot cascade waterfall that you climb in the water... loads of fun (wear beach shoes for grip) COLD WATER:wacko: A wetsuit would have been nice....had anyone bothered to warn me. There is a tourist trap market on the way out... be prepared to walk fast and say "No Thanks" a lot.

Dolphins Cove is pretty cool (Spell that expensive to the tune of over 100 bucks per person) you get to swim with and play with the dolphins (My wife made me go) No masks, jewelry, or anything that the dolphins could get scratched on is allowed. But I was pleasantly surprised when I talked to the guide afterwards... he is from California (I guess that's why I understood every word he said, instead of trying to decode Jamaican). The dolphins are very well taken care of.

What ever you do there, be prepared for your wallet to shrink.

 

[matts1w]

1. Do yourself a favor and get off the boat. The culture in Jamaica is very much worth experiencing. I found it to be an amazing, yet tragic place that really put one's ideas in perspective.

2. The diving is decent, but nothing like Grand Cayman. I found it to be a great lesson in what can happen if a reef is not protected. I, despite what people said, really enjoyed diving near Montego Bay.

3. The people of Jamaica speak a dialect called Patois, not "Jamaican."

4. Dunn's river falls sucks. The most tourist ridden joke of a place since Disney.

 

[-hh]

matts1w once bubbled...

4. Dunn's river falls sucks. The most tourist ridden joke of a place since Disney.

LOL! I wouldn't quite put it that strongly, but it is most definitely something to watch out for.

While the falls themselves are pretty, its essentially a tourist trap. Its been years since I was there, but the game was that you're expected to hire a local guide, and he takes a bunch of people all holding hands up a tortuous path. He'll offer to take your camera to take a group photo, but you'll only get your camera back at the end if he considers your tip to be generous enough.

There are submerged rocks that are knee-busters in some of the lower pools (watch out), the rocks themselvs are slippery off the path, and one of the classics is that they claimed to "scrub them down" every night (not!).

Its also very easy to accidently ingest some untreated water here.

Thus said, I wouldn't mind going back here - - I simply wouldn't climb up the falls. There's good views of the falls along a boardwalk/staircase, and there's small beach at the bottom that you might be able to enjoy, although you'll probably be constantly solicited by guides who want to walk you up the falls.


-hh

 

[rjdiver]

I went to Dunns River Falls over Easter '96 and had a blast. It is sort of a jip having to hire a guide, but you might be able to act like you have a guide if you have a group holding hands. I would have preferred to not hold hands since some people were knocking me more off balance than the water would. My Tevas gripped the rocks pretty good. I would have liked to hiked up the falls a few times without a guide. There is a market at the top of the hill. I am one of those naive people who looks at someone who says "HI", so they thought they were going to sell me something. I did make it away without spending any extra.

If you can ignore the hassle of some of the locals, Dunns River Falls can be fun. It wasn't as bad as getting bombarded in Egypt in front of the pyramids.

The rest of Jamaica I could do without, preferring many other islands.

Rob

 

[hodgson]

That's the thing most people don't understand about Jamaica.... you don't have to hire anyone.... the guide is not required. You can follow a group up the falls... no tip... no money, other than admission.

When you get to the top and run into the tourist trap... all you have to say is "NO" and keep walking.

"It's all good, Mon.... No problem"

The wife and I are going back next July. We made to many friends there, so not going back is not an option. Besides..... I'm hooked on Red Stripe:wacko:


And the diving isn't really that bad..... I emptied 14 tanks.... next trip the plan is to double that. Warm water 100+ foot vis..... DUH

 

[-hh]

hodgson once bubbled...
And the diving isn't really that bad..... I emptied 14 tanks.... next trip the plan is to double that. Warm water 100+ foot vis..... DUH

Some of the diving in Jamacia is downright horrible...I can remember seeing more life in a 5ft snorkel than on a 60ft reef.

I've heard good things about off Negril...where do you frequent/recommend?


-hh

 

[crazed_dolphin]

I'd like to know where the best dive in Jamaica is also. I registered for a free vacation with Sandals resort for the military. First come first served until they exhaust $2 million on vacation. If I do get it I'd like to know where I should go.....Negril is ok?

 

[hodgson]

Negril is better diving than Ocho Rios.... but with that comes the crowds. I don't like crowds. The SouthWest side of Jamaica is out of the African silt stream so the reefs are a little better. The beaches are definatly better. And if you like sunsets that's the place to be.


Personally.... to me diving is diving. Warm water, minimal exposier protection, great visability.

The wife and I did Ocho Rios because it was our 10th anniversary, and we really like the place we stayed at. So diving was really secondary to the renewal of vows.