acteg
Contributor
I dove with JASA this weekend, and I thought I would share my experience. As a new diver I am constantly looking for feedback on dive locations and dive charters so I thought it might be good to relate my experiences here for other divers. If there is a better place to do so let me know.
JASA is located in the Palm beach area and is just a short drive off of I-95 or the turnpike. The store is located across the street from the docks in a little strip mall next to a pharmacy. JASA provides good quality rental gear (aqualung 1st/2nd, and sunnto computer/gauges, mares volo fins, etc), but is not a full service shop. There are plenty of full service shops nearby if your in need of anything.
Onto the dive. I did the 1:30 dive (wreck corridor + reef). We had a pretty full boat and got off relatively on-time. The boat was clean, and in good shape. Water, sodas, and snacks were provided. Once everyone was on the boat, the Capt. did a roll call, and gave us the normal USCG safety rundown. Once that was over, everyone started gearing up their stuff and we were on our way. About 15 minutes out, the deck hand asked who was new to JASA and those of us that responded yes were taking to the BOW for a quick brief on what to expect, safety, etc. I thought this was very informative, and it was a good time for people to ask questions if needed. With 10 minutes out we were giving a dive brief and then the first group started gearing up. Once group one was geared up, the deck hand lined them all up at the back of the boat. The Capt. said "Ready to Dive - Go Go Go - Pools open) and everyone jumped in. Then the deckhand lined up group 2, and the same process followed.
JASA had 2 guides in the water at all times. One of the dive guides had logged nearly 5000 dives. All of the dive guides were very friendly. Once in the water we floated with the current, did some sight seeing as usual, and then did a free ascent once we hit around 700 psi. Both dives, I think I waited at most one or two minutes before being picked up by the boat. JASA seemed to be really on top of picking people up quickly. Once everyone was picked up, the Capt. did a roll call. During our surface interval JASA provided fresh pineapple which was nice.
take aways:
1. I was really pleased with the service JASA provided. They were very friendly. They seemed to run a very safe operation and had plenty of well trained staff to assist with the dive.
2. My dive buddies were provided with computers from JASA but were never briefed on how to use them. I just wanted to note this, but it is almost a non-issue as JASA states that you should be an advanced diver to do this particular dive (wreck corridor) and the computer is pretty self explanatory / intuitive. I've dove with other charters that provide computers and they provided a quick explanation of what everything meant on the computer. It's not absolutely necessary, but I think it would be a good thing to do.
As a final note: I would definitely dive with JASA again, and I would definitely recommend them to a friend. Two weeks ago I dove with Jupiter Dive Center and I would say you couldn't go wrong diving with either outfit.
additional info:
weather conditions: sunny and hot, light breeze
water temp: 86
surface conditions: very light chop
current: light
gear used:
Mares MR12 Voltrex / Aeris A2 / Aeris atmos Pro comptuer/compass/Pressure gauge
Oceanic Excursion BC
8 lbs of weights - 4 lbs in integrated quick release and 4 lbs in the rear trim pockets
Sherwood Rona mask
Force Fins
I really like the Oceanic Excursion BC. The weight integration is one of the best I've seen thus far. That being said, I miss the comfort of my Zeagle Ranger. That BC fit me perfectly in the shoulders/chest. I plan on going to a backplate/wing shortly to get a perfect fit as no BC seems to fit me properly. My chest and shoulders are on the high end of Medium and my waist in on the high end of small so every Medium BC I have used has been loose on me in the waist.
JASA is located in the Palm beach area and is just a short drive off of I-95 or the turnpike. The store is located across the street from the docks in a little strip mall next to a pharmacy. JASA provides good quality rental gear (aqualung 1st/2nd, and sunnto computer/gauges, mares volo fins, etc), but is not a full service shop. There are plenty of full service shops nearby if your in need of anything.
Onto the dive. I did the 1:30 dive (wreck corridor + reef). We had a pretty full boat and got off relatively on-time. The boat was clean, and in good shape. Water, sodas, and snacks were provided. Once everyone was on the boat, the Capt. did a roll call, and gave us the normal USCG safety rundown. Once that was over, everyone started gearing up their stuff and we were on our way. About 15 minutes out, the deck hand asked who was new to JASA and those of us that responded yes were taking to the BOW for a quick brief on what to expect, safety, etc. I thought this was very informative, and it was a good time for people to ask questions if needed. With 10 minutes out we were giving a dive brief and then the first group started gearing up. Once group one was geared up, the deck hand lined them all up at the back of the boat. The Capt. said "Ready to Dive - Go Go Go - Pools open) and everyone jumped in. Then the deckhand lined up group 2, and the same process followed.
JASA had 2 guides in the water at all times. One of the dive guides had logged nearly 5000 dives. All of the dive guides were very friendly. Once in the water we floated with the current, did some sight seeing as usual, and then did a free ascent once we hit around 700 psi. Both dives, I think I waited at most one or two minutes before being picked up by the boat. JASA seemed to be really on top of picking people up quickly. Once everyone was picked up, the Capt. did a roll call. During our surface interval JASA provided fresh pineapple which was nice.
take aways:
1. I was really pleased with the service JASA provided. They were very friendly. They seemed to run a very safe operation and had plenty of well trained staff to assist with the dive.
2. My dive buddies were provided with computers from JASA but were never briefed on how to use them. I just wanted to note this, but it is almost a non-issue as JASA states that you should be an advanced diver to do this particular dive (wreck corridor) and the computer is pretty self explanatory / intuitive. I've dove with other charters that provide computers and they provided a quick explanation of what everything meant on the computer. It's not absolutely necessary, but I think it would be a good thing to do.
As a final note: I would definitely dive with JASA again, and I would definitely recommend them to a friend. Two weeks ago I dove with Jupiter Dive Center and I would say you couldn't go wrong diving with either outfit.
additional info:
weather conditions: sunny and hot, light breeze
water temp: 86
surface conditions: very light chop
current: light
gear used:
Mares MR12 Voltrex / Aeris A2 / Aeris atmos Pro comptuer/compass/Pressure gauge
Oceanic Excursion BC
8 lbs of weights - 4 lbs in integrated quick release and 4 lbs in the rear trim pockets
Sherwood Rona mask
Force Fins
I really like the Oceanic Excursion BC. The weight integration is one of the best I've seen thus far. That being said, I miss the comfort of my Zeagle Ranger. That BC fit me perfectly in the shoulders/chest. I plan on going to a backplate/wing shortly to get a perfect fit as no BC seems to fit me properly. My chest and shoulders are on the high end of Medium and my waist in on the high end of small so every Medium BC I have used has been loose on me in the waist.
