Jersey
Contributor
Based on our experiences only, your mileage will vary. Long report! Broken report into Travel, Condo, Diving/Snorkeling, Topside. This was a girls only trip, 2 divers, 3 non-divers.
Travel
Sept 5 PHL on USAir through Charlotte. Arrive early with all bags intact. USAir charges for checking all bags, unless you have preferred status be prepared. Pre-arranged car rental through Andys. Paper work was quickly and efficiently processed. Andys was about $200 US cheaper then major rental agencies, the Suzuki 7 seater we rented had a few dings and scratches, but ran fine. During the walk around, I discovered a nail in a tire, they quickly repaired and I went on my way. My biggest anxiety surrounding this entire trip was driving on the left. Totally unfounded. Drivers were extremely courteous, slowing to let traffic merge. As a New Jersey native, I am used to traffic circles (round-abouts), heavy volume and rude driving. I found none of the above, of course is was low season and the island was pretty empty.
Our condo
I traded a timeshare to stay at 7 Mile Beach Resort, located right off 7 mile beach across from Comfort Inn Suites and directly across from Coconut Joes. First glance it appeared a bit pedestrian stucco coated, non-descript, 3 story cinder block. Check in was efficient. Unit a very pleasant surprise 2 large bedrooms, 2 full baths, spotless clean, gorgeous tile work throughout, appliances all stainless, flat top stove, fridge with ice and filtered water in door, small washer and dryer in unit. Central air, quiet Hunter ceiling fans throughout, flat panel TV in living room plus DVD player, each bedroom also had large newer TV. Couldnt connect DVD to TV despite multiple attempts and management failed to resolve issue as well. Screened in patio with cushioned chairs and dining table. Many units appear to be undergoing serious renovations. All units face large pool with seating areas, hot tub and gas grills. Almost blowed up trying to light the gas grill one night. They appear to have leaking fitting (I dont think fire should come out joints), no auto ignition or slot to light from underneath. While not directly on the beach, Ive had to walk further at resorts that are on the beach this is maybe 300 yards off beach. We were without water on at least 3 occasions and a little advance notice would have been appreciated. The resort has great location, lovely accommodations. Plenty of restaurants, shopping, diving and beach sites within short walking distance.
Diving
I went looking for 7 Mile Divers, our onsite op and nice guys, but missed their shop, really a shed, saw the dive flag blowing at Ambassador Divers and wandered in. Probably the most honest yet fortuitous mistake Ive ever made. I found Martin at the desk and told him we want to dive, BUT we require some hand holding as one of us hasnt been diving in 2 years, plus is slow to equalize and sucks air. No problem he tells me. And since navigation skills are low on my skill set, we need someone in the water with us. No problem. I inquire about Nitrox and while they can get it, tell me it is costly and for the diving, not necessary. I appreciate the candor. It is about this time I realize this is not 7 Mile Divers (good thing Im better at critter spotting then reading dive shop signs). Ive already put down the card and signed on.
We did 8 dives and a 3 stop stingray sandbar snorkel trip over 4 days. Fills ran between 2800 and 3100 psi. Times ran between 26 and 52 min. Water temp 84 to 87 degrees. Depths 47 to 108 feet. Exposure suits either a rash guard and board shorts or just bathing suit. Every dive started with the features of the boat and a thorough site briefing. I was usually first in, last out with 1500 psi remaining, never approached deco mode, kept conservative profiles and practiced deep stops. Surface intervals 40 to 57 minutes. We found the folks at Ambassador very professional and also very entertaining. We had the opportunity to dive with Martin, Ash, Larry and new minted DM Gina and found all, while very different personalities, truly enjoyable to be around. Always on time and ready to roll. I was in the water by 8:50 am and usually back to the condo around 11:30 am leaving us plenty of time with the non-divers. Non divers did intro to scuba a big success and the rental gear looked to be brand new!
There have been recent 'discussions' on board relating to lost divers over the 6,000 foot abyss and is it irresponsible to take divers there. I will say we were informed what limits were on every dive and every site we visited. We were always told if you do not feel comfortable that deep, do not go deep, stay more shallow. It was possible to stay along the edge of the top of the wall with a hard bottom around 60 feet and still follow the guide. The mooring balls at the wall sites we visited (and this may not be for every site) ran about 50-65 feet. We experienced very mild current only 1 dive. These were 'guided' dives - all stay together. Far more so then I've experienced on other 'guided' dives where once you splash, they don't care if you stay at the mooring site your entire dive as long as they have a guide in the water. Second sites were shallow and the guide typically left after about 20 mintues with clear instructions on when to head back. (I got to put my nav skills to the test - they still work, thank you Ash!) I don't know that any more hand holding would prevent things from happening. Maybe as a female my diving expectations are different - I would have been more then happy NOT to dive the wall as we had some really great shallow West side dives and I never really feel the need to see 100 feet turn up on my computer just so I can say I've been there. If there is something to see at 100' - great, I'm there.
That said, we had an almost incident (maybe I should post in near misses/lessons):
Diving Day 4 Princess Penny Pillar a wall site with Ash, Craig, my buddy and myself. Never encountered so many lobsters on a dive. Plus a big green moray tucked in. My buddy spots a ray cruising up the wall while she is around 90. She stops to admire and I realize she is more interested in the ray then her depth as she sinks past me at 106 and keeps going. I bang my steel watch band on tank to get her attention and give her the thumbs up sign. I stop at 108 and think she hit 118 it is soooo easy to be lulled to complacency with 100 foot of gin clear viz.
As an aside we went for a run last night and I asked 1) did you realized how deep 2) were you narced 3) did you hear me banging on my tank? (Nice way to ruin my newly serviced Tag dive watch!) She didnt realize how deep she was, she believes she was narced with a sense of just wanting swim off with the ray (euphoria) and yes she did hear my banging enough to get through and make her look up. I was clear headed throughout, kept an eye on the DM, the other diver, my puter, her and the ray. (I can do math and realize that is 4 eyes...) This episode lasted maybe 20 - 35 seconds but demonstrated how a dive could turn ugly fast, why I do no want to pursue a dive profession and why I love my normal dive buddy (a dive professional). I can count on him (and vice versa) while diving with her is akin to diving alone, plus looking out for her.
Stingray Sandbar and Snorkel Tour. We had a boat to ourselves, talk about spoiled, we felt like celbrities! Martin was at the helm and Gina along as mate. We had the sandbar and the rays to ourselves as well. I was pretty eh, you've seen rays, you've seen rays, but the trip is a must do the rays are gorgeous, I got some great UW shots with just my mask on, laying on the surface and waiting for the rays to swoop by. (If I could figure out how to post photos here I would) We were also visited by some aggressive bar jacks, salt water gar and smooth trunkfish. My friends and I loved it! The trip could have stopped there and we would have been satisfied, but we also visited 2 snorkel sites one just inside of the wall and another a bit closer inshore. Both were incredible with diversity including a large green eel (4 to 6 foot), golden tail eel, peacock flounder, pretty tropicals and lobsters.
Topside we didnt do much. Picked up groceries and beverages the first day, drove up to Rum Point on Sunday afternoon. Eats at Portofinos for mid day snack of conch ceviche, conch fritters, calmari and Caybrew. All very good but we realized how expensive everything is. Rum Point provided a great backdrop to watch the day go by and sip the best mudslides on island! Other eats - Over the Edge were we feasted on lobster and fish and the Lobster Pot. Over the Edge, on the water, food was great and we had the opportunity to watch the orange eyes of tarpon cruising in to hunt. The older French woman who seated and served us was a bit grouchy until I told her we were here to stimulate the local economy and spend our $$. THAT caught her attention. The Lobster Pot (also on the water) was great, specials yummy, and they were kind enough to provide separate checks as some had US $$, some had CI $$ and some wanted to pay w/ cards. (Women! And yes, I am one.) I would never expect an establishment to run separate tabs, but they explained it was a slow night and the computer is actually set up to allow separate billing. They have a tarpon feeding around sundown and we caught the end of the school. 3 of us wandered to Hell and then Morgans Harbour in West Bay for a snack. Split a huge seafood crepe and salad. Love the location, local art and checking out the boats in the marina. Mostly we cooked and ate in to save money. Kirks and Fosters (walking distance) grocery stores were well stocked with brands familiar to us. Thursday night was open mike night at a local establishment and we were invited to see Martin (our favorite DM) exercise his many additional talents on the acoustic guitar. Within walking distance it provided an opportunity to relax, off gas and the diving was done so the drinking games could begin. The open mike talent was impressive to say the least and we enjoyed singing along, beers and shots till closing time.
Our last night we walked over to Aqua Beach for burgers and poteen. Even the vegan and pescetarian in the group opted for the burgers. Diving = hungry! We did find many of the places we wanted to try were closed for down season. The remainder of our time was spent walking the beach, snorkeling right in front of our resort and reading.
We all loved the trip, people, diving and snorkeling and can't wait to return. Big kudos to Ambassador Divers for taking care of us and making us feel special! You made our trip!
Travel
Sept 5 PHL on USAir through Charlotte. Arrive early with all bags intact. USAir charges for checking all bags, unless you have preferred status be prepared. Pre-arranged car rental through Andys. Paper work was quickly and efficiently processed. Andys was about $200 US cheaper then major rental agencies, the Suzuki 7 seater we rented had a few dings and scratches, but ran fine. During the walk around, I discovered a nail in a tire, they quickly repaired and I went on my way. My biggest anxiety surrounding this entire trip was driving on the left. Totally unfounded. Drivers were extremely courteous, slowing to let traffic merge. As a New Jersey native, I am used to traffic circles (round-abouts), heavy volume and rude driving. I found none of the above, of course is was low season and the island was pretty empty.
Our condo
I traded a timeshare to stay at 7 Mile Beach Resort, located right off 7 mile beach across from Comfort Inn Suites and directly across from Coconut Joes. First glance it appeared a bit pedestrian stucco coated, non-descript, 3 story cinder block. Check in was efficient. Unit a very pleasant surprise 2 large bedrooms, 2 full baths, spotless clean, gorgeous tile work throughout, appliances all stainless, flat top stove, fridge with ice and filtered water in door, small washer and dryer in unit. Central air, quiet Hunter ceiling fans throughout, flat panel TV in living room plus DVD player, each bedroom also had large newer TV. Couldnt connect DVD to TV despite multiple attempts and management failed to resolve issue as well. Screened in patio with cushioned chairs and dining table. Many units appear to be undergoing serious renovations. All units face large pool with seating areas, hot tub and gas grills. Almost blowed up trying to light the gas grill one night. They appear to have leaking fitting (I dont think fire should come out joints), no auto ignition or slot to light from underneath. While not directly on the beach, Ive had to walk further at resorts that are on the beach this is maybe 300 yards off beach. We were without water on at least 3 occasions and a little advance notice would have been appreciated. The resort has great location, lovely accommodations. Plenty of restaurants, shopping, diving and beach sites within short walking distance.
Diving
I went looking for 7 Mile Divers, our onsite op and nice guys, but missed their shop, really a shed, saw the dive flag blowing at Ambassador Divers and wandered in. Probably the most honest yet fortuitous mistake Ive ever made. I found Martin at the desk and told him we want to dive, BUT we require some hand holding as one of us hasnt been diving in 2 years, plus is slow to equalize and sucks air. No problem he tells me. And since navigation skills are low on my skill set, we need someone in the water with us. No problem. I inquire about Nitrox and while they can get it, tell me it is costly and for the diving, not necessary. I appreciate the candor. It is about this time I realize this is not 7 Mile Divers (good thing Im better at critter spotting then reading dive shop signs). Ive already put down the card and signed on.
We did 8 dives and a 3 stop stingray sandbar snorkel trip over 4 days. Fills ran between 2800 and 3100 psi. Times ran between 26 and 52 min. Water temp 84 to 87 degrees. Depths 47 to 108 feet. Exposure suits either a rash guard and board shorts or just bathing suit. Every dive started with the features of the boat and a thorough site briefing. I was usually first in, last out with 1500 psi remaining, never approached deco mode, kept conservative profiles and practiced deep stops. Surface intervals 40 to 57 minutes. We found the folks at Ambassador very professional and also very entertaining. We had the opportunity to dive with Martin, Ash, Larry and new minted DM Gina and found all, while very different personalities, truly enjoyable to be around. Always on time and ready to roll. I was in the water by 8:50 am and usually back to the condo around 11:30 am leaving us plenty of time with the non-divers. Non divers did intro to scuba a big success and the rental gear looked to be brand new!
There have been recent 'discussions' on board relating to lost divers over the 6,000 foot abyss and is it irresponsible to take divers there. I will say we were informed what limits were on every dive and every site we visited. We were always told if you do not feel comfortable that deep, do not go deep, stay more shallow. It was possible to stay along the edge of the top of the wall with a hard bottom around 60 feet and still follow the guide. The mooring balls at the wall sites we visited (and this may not be for every site) ran about 50-65 feet. We experienced very mild current only 1 dive. These were 'guided' dives - all stay together. Far more so then I've experienced on other 'guided' dives where once you splash, they don't care if you stay at the mooring site your entire dive as long as they have a guide in the water. Second sites were shallow and the guide typically left after about 20 mintues with clear instructions on when to head back. (I got to put my nav skills to the test - they still work, thank you Ash!) I don't know that any more hand holding would prevent things from happening. Maybe as a female my diving expectations are different - I would have been more then happy NOT to dive the wall as we had some really great shallow West side dives and I never really feel the need to see 100 feet turn up on my computer just so I can say I've been there. If there is something to see at 100' - great, I'm there.
That said, we had an almost incident (maybe I should post in near misses/lessons):
Diving Day 4 Princess Penny Pillar a wall site with Ash, Craig, my buddy and myself. Never encountered so many lobsters on a dive. Plus a big green moray tucked in. My buddy spots a ray cruising up the wall while she is around 90. She stops to admire and I realize she is more interested in the ray then her depth as she sinks past me at 106 and keeps going. I bang my steel watch band on tank to get her attention and give her the thumbs up sign. I stop at 108 and think she hit 118 it is soooo easy to be lulled to complacency with 100 foot of gin clear viz.
As an aside we went for a run last night and I asked 1) did you realized how deep 2) were you narced 3) did you hear me banging on my tank? (Nice way to ruin my newly serviced Tag dive watch!) She didnt realize how deep she was, she believes she was narced with a sense of just wanting swim off with the ray (euphoria) and yes she did hear my banging enough to get through and make her look up. I was clear headed throughout, kept an eye on the DM, the other diver, my puter, her and the ray. (I can do math and realize that is 4 eyes...) This episode lasted maybe 20 - 35 seconds but demonstrated how a dive could turn ugly fast, why I do no want to pursue a dive profession and why I love my normal dive buddy (a dive professional). I can count on him (and vice versa) while diving with her is akin to diving alone, plus looking out for her.
Stingray Sandbar and Snorkel Tour. We had a boat to ourselves, talk about spoiled, we felt like celbrities! Martin was at the helm and Gina along as mate. We had the sandbar and the rays to ourselves as well. I was pretty eh, you've seen rays, you've seen rays, but the trip is a must do the rays are gorgeous, I got some great UW shots with just my mask on, laying on the surface and waiting for the rays to swoop by. (If I could figure out how to post photos here I would) We were also visited by some aggressive bar jacks, salt water gar and smooth trunkfish. My friends and I loved it! The trip could have stopped there and we would have been satisfied, but we also visited 2 snorkel sites one just inside of the wall and another a bit closer inshore. Both were incredible with diversity including a large green eel (4 to 6 foot), golden tail eel, peacock flounder, pretty tropicals and lobsters.
Topside we didnt do much. Picked up groceries and beverages the first day, drove up to Rum Point on Sunday afternoon. Eats at Portofinos for mid day snack of conch ceviche, conch fritters, calmari and Caybrew. All very good but we realized how expensive everything is. Rum Point provided a great backdrop to watch the day go by and sip the best mudslides on island! Other eats - Over the Edge were we feasted on lobster and fish and the Lobster Pot. Over the Edge, on the water, food was great and we had the opportunity to watch the orange eyes of tarpon cruising in to hunt. The older French woman who seated and served us was a bit grouchy until I told her we were here to stimulate the local economy and spend our $$. THAT caught her attention. The Lobster Pot (also on the water) was great, specials yummy, and they were kind enough to provide separate checks as some had US $$, some had CI $$ and some wanted to pay w/ cards. (Women! And yes, I am one.) I would never expect an establishment to run separate tabs, but they explained it was a slow night and the computer is actually set up to allow separate billing. They have a tarpon feeding around sundown and we caught the end of the school. 3 of us wandered to Hell and then Morgans Harbour in West Bay for a snack. Split a huge seafood crepe and salad. Love the location, local art and checking out the boats in the marina. Mostly we cooked and ate in to save money. Kirks and Fosters (walking distance) grocery stores were well stocked with brands familiar to us. Thursday night was open mike night at a local establishment and we were invited to see Martin (our favorite DM) exercise his many additional talents on the acoustic guitar. Within walking distance it provided an opportunity to relax, off gas and the diving was done so the drinking games could begin. The open mike talent was impressive to say the least and we enjoyed singing along, beers and shots till closing time.
Our last night we walked over to Aqua Beach for burgers and poteen. Even the vegan and pescetarian in the group opted for the burgers. Diving = hungry! We did find many of the places we wanted to try were closed for down season. The remainder of our time was spent walking the beach, snorkeling right in front of our resort and reading.
We all loved the trip, people, diving and snorkeling and can't wait to return. Big kudos to Ambassador Divers for taking care of us and making us feel special! You made our trip!
