dbramley:
Can anyone recomend the Great Escape? I have family in long Beach and head out there frequently for Arizona. This would be a convient location for me. Are there any other boats in that area one might recomend over the Great Escape.
Thank you,
Dan
Absolutely YES, Dan. Captain Tim knows the local waters like few other dive boat captains I've met over the past 3 years. (I've dived from 10 different commercial boats in LA, LB, and Ventura)
The dive deck is spacious and well laid out.
Benches make for easy doning of tanks.
Crew is Awesome: FAST FAST tank fills with smiles, willing and cheerful hands at the swim step, wonderful food and snacks from the galley.
Plenty of inside galley space if the weather is cold.
Great sun deck up top if the sun is shining.
Heads (2) are clean and functional.
Hot showers (two outside, two inside (in the heads))
BIG boat, with well air-conditioned bunk room.
5 staterooms with privacy.
Easy self-serve soda unit.
Camera table with 6 outlets (bring your own power squid if you need lots of juice.)
Live game tanks.
Big camera rinse buckets.
Easy to use fillet board at the stern corner, room in the fridge for catch.
Did I mention the incredibly friendly crew???
I've had the pleasure of 3 live-aboard trips on the Great Escape, and several one-day trips to Catalina. Captain Tim puts you on the best sites possible, works hard to anchor the boat securely, and has an eidetic memory for undersea topography and structure at the sites.
Have a great time diving from this boat!
Claudette
P.S. I strongly second Garret's high opinion of the SunDiver and Captain Ray. Excellent captain and boat! Again, you will dive the best possible sites given the prevailing conditions, and the dive briefings are accurate and succinct.
