Bermuda Diving-need info

[JimD]

Well, the first problem in going to Bermuda is where to post! Knowing that this is not really Caribbean, I'll start here.

We're Bermuda bound in early August and would like to hear from anyone that's had experience there. Our stay will be on the South side.

I have not booked w/ a dive shop or selected any of the many diving opportunities. The Hermes looks interesting for a decent wreck dive. Also, want to try out the little underwater 'scooters' (DMV) that Blue Water offers at Elbow Beach.

Any nondive fun things to do are of interest as well.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
Jim

 

[donacheson]

JimD once bubbled...
Well, the first problem in going to Bermuda is where to post! Knowing that this is not really Caribbean, I'll start here.

We're Bermuda bound in early August and would like to hear from anyone that's had experience there. Our stay will be on the South side.

I have not booked w/ a dive shop or selected any of the many diving opportunities. The Hermes looks interesting for a decent wreck dive. Also, want to try out the little underwater 'scooters' (DMV) that Blue Water offers at Elbow Beach.

Any nondive fun things to do are of interest as well.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!
Jim

Bermuda has a lot of (U.S.) Civil War wrecks since it was a transshipment point for goods bound for the South. The South Shore also has some very nice coral reefs, one enclosing the most memorable cavern I've ever seen. The east end - St. George's and St. David's - has a number of more modern wrecks on it's reefs and very interesting rocky structures called "boilers" which are not coral, but the remains of marine worms.

The beaches along the South Shore are spectacular. A great way to spend a day is to take the ferry from Hamilton to Dockyard, visit the Maritime Museum and Commissioner's House, have lunch, then return by bus along the South Shore.

IMHO, Bermuda is a unique group of islands - picturesque from almost all perspectives, clean and propsperous. Fine dining is widely available. If you've made reservations already, you know it's a bit pricey.

 

[miked]

Hi JimD,
Donacheson is right on the money with his post. (including the "pricey" part)

I have dived in Bermuda yearly since '83. "Blue Water Divers" has
a good reputation, but I have always enjoyed diving with "Dive Bermuda" (formerly "Nautilus"). They are located at the Fairmont Southampton, and at the Hamilton Princess.

The Hermes is a good wreck dive, where some "light penetration" is possible. Many of the other wrecks are much less intact, but interesting to explore.

My SO does not dive, but she loves the island. She shops/tours in Hamilton, visits "Dockyard" for an afternoon, or St Georges, or any of the other available tours. Bus service is very good, and while not as direct as a cab, easier on the budget.
If you like, you can hire a cab for a "3 hour tour" of a variety of island locations and attractions.
Good luck, and enjoy your trip,
Mike

 

[DiverDave76]

Don't forget to stop in at the Swizzle Inn for a rum swizzle. Their motto is "swizzle in and swagger out"!

Pass right by it when leaving the airport.

Dave

 

[JimD]

Thanks, Miked & Donacheson. This will be quite the experience.

We're fortunate in having some members in our travel group that have been to the island. One of them is a diver & reportably has logged some dives there.
There's just a lot of good documentation, on the web, discussing the wrecks around Bermuda. Although I'm not a tech/wreck diver I am very interested. What's suprised me is the comfortable water temp's and visability that are talked about. Also, many of these wrecks seem to be at shallow to moderate depths.

Your points about it being a pricey destination are well taken. Looks like we can double what our usual Cozumel trips cost and that will be it.
Can we expect to find smaller dive boats (6-packs) or will they typically be larger? How much boat time is there, typically, to reach these wrecks? Is there a windward side to avoid?

 

[Northeastwrecks]

I can echo the recommendation of Blue Water Divers. I used them the last time I was there.

Let them know in advance if you want Nitrox. I don't remember it being widely available.

You'll also want to try a "Dark and Stormy". Gosling's Black Rum and Barrett's (sp?) Ginger Beer.

Try to take a tour of the island. There are some caves (non-diving for mere mortals) that are fun to see. In addition, there was a museum near Hamilton that detailed Bermuda's maritime past.

I enjoyed "Port O' Call" for dinner. Its on the main drag in Hamilton. The Japanese place across the street was also quite nice.

While the island is undoubtedly pricey, its also utterly lacking in the crowds of drunk, screaming touristas and harassing locals that detract from so much of the Carribean.

I loved it and can't wait to get back.

 

[miked]

Hi Jimd,
I like your "1 Bermuda trip= 2 Cozumel trips" cost analogy-it is quite accurate, (if anything, the "2" may be a bit on the low side.)
Like NEW, I love Bermuda too. As he said, it is missing some of the "seemier" things found in the Caribbean.
Regarding boats and boat times, (and remembering all my experiences are with Nautilus/Dive Bermuda): Both the boats are larger, (40+'),and carry anywhere from a few to a lot of divers.
Trip times vary too. For example the Hermes is a 10-15 minute ride from the Southhampton shop dock. There are at least a half dozen wreck and reef sites similarly close, or closer. It is not unusual to get to a dive site, do a dive , travel for 10-15 minutes to the next site, finish the SI, do the next dive, and be back at the shop 10 minutes after weighing anchor following dive #2.
There are also sites 30-45 minutes away.
On the other hand, leaving from a dock in Hamilton, there is a good half hour ride just to clear the harbor and get into the "open ocean". Much depends,obviously, on your departure point. I have done "2-tank" dives where the entire trip-dock to dock- was under 3 hours, and others longer than 6 hours (an unusual trip, to be sure).You might try looking up possible dive ops online, they may have more specific info.
If memory serves (and heres an oddity: Nautilus/Dive Bermuda's website is something like: www.Bermudascuba.com
and BWD is: www.divebermuda.com)

Enjoy your trip, and let us know how it all turns out.
good luck,
Mike

 

[JimD]

Thanks agian for the replies.

Miked, I'll check into Natilus/Dive Bermuda a little more.

We're staying at Marleys Beach Cottages. Guess they filmed some of the movie 'The Deep' there. (wonder if Jaqueline Bissett will be diving the week we're there?) Looks like Blue Water Divers is just east, on the south road, at Elbow Beach and Natilus is just west. They both look like good Op's from what I've seen & both very close to where we're staying.
Jim

 

[ZoneFX]

Blue Water Divers www.divebermuda.com are located a Somerset Bridge, The Wyndham Bermuda Resort and Elbow Beach.

Boats go out of both Somerset & Wyndham shore diving from the beach at Elbow where you can also dive the wreck of the Pollockshields James Bond Style on DPV's.

On the subject of oddities. BWD registered the domain www.divebermuda.com in 1994 Nautilus/Dive Bermuda changed their name in 2002. You can draw your own from that....http://www.scubaboard.com/images/smilies/More Smiles/confused.gif

 

[Damselfish]

nothing wrong with adding more info on Bermuda to this thread, but note that the original question was from 3 years ago and that person hasn't been on here since. It's hard to remember to look at the dates sometimes.