AlexDive
New
I live in New Jersey and have been scuba diving all over the world.
For me, diving is the ultimate escape from the work-a-day rat race that seems to define my regular north-east lifestyle.
Diving renews my spirit in a more complete way, and in a more compact time-period than virtually any other recreational activity I have pursued.
Problem is - where can I get away for a world-class weekend dive escape, when most destinations come paired with difficult travel impediments and high costs?
I discovered the answer this weekend at Triangle divers in bermuda.
Getting There
A short (90 minute) direct flight from any New York area airport, Bermuda is one of the most convenient dive destinations I have been to.
This international trip is easier to navigate than a domestic flight to Florida and a drive down to the keys.
Our Friday morning flight arrived at 11:30am.
We cleared immigrations and got to our hotel faster than you could rent a car at most airports.
On the return we cleared customs in Bermuda, so entry back to the US was the same as any domestic flight - blissful convenience!
The dive shop is located at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort - literally a 5-minute/$8 cab ride from the airport.
The dive boat departs from the hotel pier, which happens to sit at the best location on the island for quickly getting to-and-from Bermuda's greatest dive sites.
Our $250/night ocean front room was a 100 yard walk to the boat/dive shop.
By 1:30pm the day of arrival, we were on the boat, geared up, and heading out to our first dive of the weekend.
Dive Shop and Facilities
The dive shop is locally owned and operated by a world-class group of people.
The owner (Graham) runs the show, and is one of the most experienced, service-oriented operators I have been out with.
Graham has spent decades refining his formula for serving up a top-shelf dive experience.
Over the years he has assembled a hand-picked staff of expert instructors, and dive masters that comprise his current crew.
One of the Dive Masters I met has worked with Graham for over 5-years, a testimony to the quality of the individuals you will meet at Triangle Divers.
The team works together more like a NASCAR pit crew, than the lazy fly-by-night rabble common to many tropical island dive operations.
Their brand new dive boat accomodates up to 16 divers, and can travel over 18 knotts, shuttling you to virtually any shipwreck/reef you want to see on the island.
If you dive consecutively, your gear can stay on the boat the whole time if you want.
The crew throws air-whips onto the tanks between dives - liveaboard style!
In fact, the whole operation flowed as smoothly as a $3000/week liveaboard cruise, but with all the ameneties and luxury that comes from being on a land-based trip.
The Diving
Dive sites were spectacularly diverse.
Our 3-day weekend included three afternoon 2-tank dives, 2 morning 2-tank dives, and a night dive.
11 dives in total over less than a 72-hour span, it could have been 14 had we maxed it out and dove every single possible opportunity.
Do the math on a cost/dive/trip comparison and show me a better way to get in that much diverse, high quality diving over a single 3-day weekend!
Same tropical fish life as the Carribean, pristine reefs, and more wrecks per square mile than virtually any other place on earth.
The underwater topography is shallow, which translates into long run times (our dives averaged 50 minutes each), and plenty of ambient light for photography/video.
Viz was between 50'-150' depending on wind direction, and dive location.
Water temp was 66 and rising, so be sure to bring a hood and a thick wet suit, or just rent one from the shops brand new scuba-pro gear line-up.
The gear that the shop rents is much higher-quality than is typical.
There is a lot of underwater research conducted in Bermuda, and Triangle Divers is a wealth of local knowledge.
Whether it's documenting spawning Grouper after a full moon, or researching the lion fish invasion, your bermuda dive experience is sure to be unique.
While Bermuda is notoriously expensive (what carribean destination isn't?) off-peak flight and hotel rates are deeply discounted.
Can't wait to return and do it all again.
For me, diving is the ultimate escape from the work-a-day rat race that seems to define my regular north-east lifestyle.
Diving renews my spirit in a more complete way, and in a more compact time-period than virtually any other recreational activity I have pursued.
Problem is - where can I get away for a world-class weekend dive escape, when most destinations come paired with difficult travel impediments and high costs?
I discovered the answer this weekend at Triangle divers in bermuda.
Getting There
A short (90 minute) direct flight from any New York area airport, Bermuda is one of the most convenient dive destinations I have been to.
This international trip is easier to navigate than a domestic flight to Florida and a drive down to the keys.
Our Friday morning flight arrived at 11:30am.
We cleared immigrations and got to our hotel faster than you could rent a car at most airports.
On the return we cleared customs in Bermuda, so entry back to the US was the same as any domestic flight - blissful convenience!
The dive shop is located at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort - literally a 5-minute/$8 cab ride from the airport.
The dive boat departs from the hotel pier, which happens to sit at the best location on the island for quickly getting to-and-from Bermuda's greatest dive sites.
Our $250/night ocean front room was a 100 yard walk to the boat/dive shop.
By 1:30pm the day of arrival, we were on the boat, geared up, and heading out to our first dive of the weekend.
Dive Shop and Facilities
The dive shop is locally owned and operated by a world-class group of people.
The owner (Graham) runs the show, and is one of the most experienced, service-oriented operators I have been out with.
Graham has spent decades refining his formula for serving up a top-shelf dive experience.
Over the years he has assembled a hand-picked staff of expert instructors, and dive masters that comprise his current crew.
One of the Dive Masters I met has worked with Graham for over 5-years, a testimony to the quality of the individuals you will meet at Triangle Divers.
The team works together more like a NASCAR pit crew, than the lazy fly-by-night rabble common to many tropical island dive operations.
Their brand new dive boat accomodates up to 16 divers, and can travel over 18 knotts, shuttling you to virtually any shipwreck/reef you want to see on the island.
If you dive consecutively, your gear can stay on the boat the whole time if you want.
The crew throws air-whips onto the tanks between dives - liveaboard style!
In fact, the whole operation flowed as smoothly as a $3000/week liveaboard cruise, but with all the ameneties and luxury that comes from being on a land-based trip.
The Diving
Dive sites were spectacularly diverse.
Our 3-day weekend included three afternoon 2-tank dives, 2 morning 2-tank dives, and a night dive.
11 dives in total over less than a 72-hour span, it could have been 14 had we maxed it out and dove every single possible opportunity.
Do the math on a cost/dive/trip comparison and show me a better way to get in that much diverse, high quality diving over a single 3-day weekend!
Same tropical fish life as the Carribean, pristine reefs, and more wrecks per square mile than virtually any other place on earth.
The underwater topography is shallow, which translates into long run times (our dives averaged 50 minutes each), and plenty of ambient light for photography/video.
Viz was between 50'-150' depending on wind direction, and dive location.
Water temp was 66 and rising, so be sure to bring a hood and a thick wet suit, or just rent one from the shops brand new scuba-pro gear line-up.
The gear that the shop rents is much higher-quality than is typical.
There is a lot of underwater research conducted in Bermuda, and Triangle Divers is a wealth of local knowledge.
Whether it's documenting spawning Grouper after a full moon, or researching the lion fish invasion, your bermuda dive experience is sure to be unique.
While Bermuda is notoriously expensive (what carribean destination isn't?) off-peak flight and hotel rates are deeply discounted.
Can't wait to return and do it all again.
