What makes a good dive trip or dive boat?

[freewillie]

I've been reading about different divers and their different experiences with dive trips and dive boats. Some people complain about certain requirements made during the trip. Others don't mind.

In California the usual custom on a dive boat is that unless you are in a class the boat simply takes you to the dive spot, gives you a briefing, then you are on your own. This would probably terrify the newer divers with minimal experience. But several of our more experienced divers would love the freedom.

When on vacation I always go with a dive boat. While the number of divers may vary per group I am always required on those dives to be with a guide. The newer diver would welcome the guide but I've seen some rants from the experienced divers about having to be hand held in this manner. Dive ops on vacation also are more hands on and I've had one outfit actually take my bag as soon as I got on board and set up my whole BC and reg on a tank for me. I've seen a few posts about divers aghast that I would let someone else touch my set up.

Personally as long as I'm underwater I'm happy. To me it doesn't matter if I am diving without a guide such as the dive boats in CA or if I have to be in a group such as when I'm on vacation. I'm a very easy going person in general. My memories are always what was interesting underwater. On a Maui dive our guide pointed to a rock, wasn't sure what it was until I was closer and was a Titan scorpion fish. Never would have seen it without a guide. That was a good dive. I got separated from a guide in the Bahamas. Fortunately I knew where we were on the reef and got back to the boat just fine. I pointed out some fan tube worms to my daughter who spent the rest of the dive giggling and brushing over the fans. That also was a good dive.

So, we can't be all things to all people, but I was just curious as to what people expected on a dive and what makes a good dive.

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

Just like in any endeavor - the dive is what you make of it. I love diving and being under the water where nothing else matters but the sights and fun...

 

[TMHeimer]

I'm not fussy about procedure. I've had numerous instabuddies and told a couple of times it's OK to go solo since the logistics made sense for that (I'm not crazy about diving "deep" alone). The only time there was a guide was my week in Panama and 4 of the 5 days it was just the DM and me. As long as it's agreed I can collect shells I'm happy. If I get a couple of good ones I'm very happy.

 

[KeithG]

a good dive is one that i only see 1 other diver - my dive buddy. no mandatory DM or group dives for me.

i also want reasonable bottom time. anything over an hour is good. we sit out the belize blue hole dive since it is way too short.

 

[Lefty Writer]

Like the OP mentioned, I'm pretty easy to please. My wife and I have enjoyed diving throughout the Caribbean, enjoying the fantastic viz compared to what we normally have here in SE Texas.

That being said, of all the trips/dive boats we've been on in our short diving career, I still consider a "drive and dive" road trip several of our dive club members took in 2013. We set this trip up to hit a few highlights of Florida diving, the finale of which was diving the Mighty O.

While the actual number of dives wasn't huge by any stretch, the variety of dives, with friends, made this trip so much fun and memorable. We got to dive the Blue Grotto, a couple of the caverns in Ginnie Springs, a shore dive in Panama City and the Oriskany. We had some other shore dives planned at Ft. Pickens, but the weather that June was horrendous....tons of rain the first few days. The driving between Pensacola to Williston and High Springs was nerve wracking. All of that, though was just one more story to tell when we got back.

One of our own SB Members, "KWS," is also a member of my dive club, and it was fun just hanging out and getting to experience new dive sites.

 

[Doc]

It is heavily dependent on the local conditions.

Drift dives/live boat? Most, in my experience, prefer to stay with "the group", even if given the option to not follow apace. It really depends a lot on how twitchy conditions are. In heavy current (beyond most people's experience of Cozumel) I am hanging with that dive guide who is trailing his SMB.

New areas, new critters? I prefer my dive guides to be naturalist guides. Not all are.

I don't rely upon the in-water guides to be Dive Masters nor Instructors. Many North American divers assume that they are going to get the DM guardian angel experience they likely had in the States when they go off to an island paradise. They really aren't to be expected to fulfill the same role they had during your open water certification back home. If you need a refresher or a parachute, they can be retained for this purpose.

You mention "boats", and that's a whole different can of worms, as a dive boat should be a specific design suited to local conditions. Unless you have travelled a lot and seen widely different cultures and conditions, you might easily not know what you are seeing- and how good it might be.

I have been on many large capacity boats (20+ divers) that were in no way "cattle boats", and I've been on some Sixpacks that were absolutely mooing. There is no succinct definition for a cattle boat, but it is an (over) used term by newer less well travelled divers.

Boats & Dive Staff in combination? On one end of the spectrum, at least in terms we North Ameicans have likely experienced, is the Club Med operation that is run along the lines as Resort Course no matter who is there (akin to herding cats) in their big decked poontoonish barges, and on the other end of the spectrum would be Cozumel, where the DMs are very aware (but herding sheep), bobbing about in open boats or deep vees.

Other combinations of boats/staff might be the bizarro world of Cayman with the carved-in-stone (totalitarian/overboard/safety?) rules of a great majority of their dive-ops. On the other end might be Tobago, where you wade out to the dory, clamber up a rickety wooden ladder, and go play in the wildest Caribbean currents that exist.

No good answer to a very far-flung question.

 

[TSandM]

I want a dive boat to get me to good sites accurately. I want a good dive briefing. Attentive deck hands, ready to help with twisted straps or help with fins, is awfully nice. I don't mind diving with a guide, especially someplace new to me, because a guide will often find cryptic critters I would completely miss on my own. I don't like having the whole group have to surface together, unless I'm diving with my own crew who all have good gas consumption, because I think any dive less than an hour long (in water above 50 degrees) is too short.

A good dive trip? Comfortable lodging, reasonable food, no GI illness, and no adrenaline on the dives except what you get from seeing really cool stuff. I'm pretty easy to please. My favorite destinations and boats are generally not fancy, but feed me well (I really like good food) and get me to good diving in a professional, efficient, and friendly fashion.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

For me what makes a good dive trip or dive boat boils down to two words ... no surprises. I can handle just about anything ... deal with just about any situation ... as long as I know what to expect, and have planned my trip/dive accordingly. But I'm one of those people who just doesn't deal well with people who tell you one thing and do something different. Having a good time often boils down to managing expectations ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[kr2y5]

A good dive trip is one, on which I can go with my wife, and on which she's comfortable and happy... so, a very good hotel, excellent food, but also a large, comfortable boat that does not make her seasick, is clean and does not have a nasty smell like most boats do, has a decent bathroom that does make you risk break your legs as you get in or out, and friendly staff with a sense of humor. Reasonably short trip to a dive site is also a welcome bonus. A guide who can help you find the good spots or point out critters is nice to have, but not required, and we do not need help setting up gear.

 

[freewillie]

Part of the inspiration for this thread came from the Regional forums. I will be going back to the Beaches Resort at Turks and Caicos. It's an all inclusive resort. Food, beverages including alcohol, and activities. Scuba diving is actually one of the included activities. They also include as part of the package gear so you can get mask, fins, BC, regulator. You won't get a dive computer or compass. There are 2 tank morning dives and 1 tank afternoon dives with an optional once a week night dive if enough guests are interested.

But since the resort caters to the vacation only divers, many of whom have basic diving skills, you are diving at the weakest diver's capabilities. The dive sites are usually able to accommodate both beginners and advanced divers. Depth is no deeper than 80's although during dive briefs the DM usually asks for hands of divers with Advanced Open water and are allowed that deep, all basic OW divers are asked to stay above the 65 foot cut off. Not really a cattle dive but groups of about 6-8 divers per DM. The dive time is limited to the diver with the shortest bottom time. Once that diver is at the minimum PSI, usually around 800-900 PSI all divers are asked to start surfacing and begin their safety stop. I've been on board when a diver surfaced with 500 PSI after safety stop and I had 1400 PSI. Not exactly ideal for me.

Other than there are lots of divers on the boat and somewhat limited bottom times I found the whole experience fun. The coral is amazing with lots of fish and the occasional shark swimming nearby. It's been some of the best diving I've had, Hawaii and the Great Barrier reef included. With a non-diving spouse and two non-diving kids I was able to get up early, get 2 dives in, get back in the room and with kids that like to sleep in they hadn't been at the pool for more than an hour. The whole family gets to have lunch together and I get to spend the rest of the day relaxing with the family at the pool having a cocktail. The restaurants and food are excellent too by the way.

Our first time there my oldest daughter did the discover scuba, fell in love with scuba, and ironically wound up getting certified during that vacation. Now when we go back in July I'll have my daughter as a dive buddy. We can't wait. But I've been seeing a few posts with a diver in particular who really didn't like the diving at Beaches. I've seen many other posts where the divers really really didn't like diving under those restrictions.