TikiMark
Registered
Just got back from our trip to Bermuda. Diving with 'Dive Bermuda' was interesting. Not really bad, but different. Maybe it is a Bermuda/British thing, but we certainly did not feel welcome. The little shop was buzzing with activity and was crowded and confused. We received no instruction on what to do or what to expect; no smiling staff greeted us. We were surprised to learn from another guest that we had minutes to get our wet suits on (in the shop!) and store our gear (in the shop) and swim out to the boat (!) This was all new to us as all our previous boat dives around the world had us bring everything on board, and always from a dock. I was so rushed I forgot my camera in the shop and had to swim back to get it. All this isn't really a problem, just confusing since we received no instruction. We got on board and were rushed to get our gear set up. Only then did we get a quick introduction of the crew. The guide we were assigned was friendly, smiling and helpful, but the others not so much. We got a quick briefing on the first site from him, the wreck of the Minnie Breslauer, but nothing on the second site, which one guide said was Dockyard and another said was Emmily's Pinnacles? Neither are on the Dive Bermuda web site's list of reef dives so we're still not sure where we were!
On the positive side, the water was warm in late August, a nice 77-78F registered on my dive computer. Surface was closer to 81F. The water was clear enough but it had been stormy for days prior so I'm sure it could get better. Still, 130+ feet. There isn't much left of the wreck that is recognizable as a ship. Lots of steel piled up. We read later there was a propeller visible but this wasn't in the briefing and we didn't see it. Very cool to see a 140 y/o wreck, though! Our guide took us through several coral swim-thrus which were incredible. Once back on board, we did a quick move to the 'reef' site for a total of 37 minutes surface interval. I had originally asked for another wreck when we booked but I think they do a reef to keep people coming back? The reef was pretty boring, especially compared to any wreck. Very little marine life in these waters. Back on board, the dive boat is very nice. Looks fairly new. Semi-private head under the front (the doors didn't close, so someone had to stand watch!) Two fresh-water showers at the back and a fresh-water spray hose. Two large water coolers and plastic cups for divers and a bin of peanut butter fudge was out. There was a barrel of fresh water they said was ONLY for cameras and they keep it pristine just for this reason (their words.) I left my camera in there whenever on-board. On the trip back to the shop, I saw one guide pull out all the cameras and pile them on a shelf and proceed to rinse the shop's gear in there! Never seen that before. We had to swim back to shore anyway, so I would just rinse it at the shop, right? Nope. Barrels of fresh water there were piled full of the shop's gear. Oh well. Not a bad day of diving but certainly 'different' and a big contrast with our last outing in Kona, HI which was absolutely incredible. A smile and 'hello' and some instruction would have gone a LONG way to making this a better experience.
On the positive side, the water was warm in late August, a nice 77-78F registered on my dive computer. Surface was closer to 81F. The water was clear enough but it had been stormy for days prior so I'm sure it could get better. Still, 130+ feet. There isn't much left of the wreck that is recognizable as a ship. Lots of steel piled up. We read later there was a propeller visible but this wasn't in the briefing and we didn't see it. Very cool to see a 140 y/o wreck, though! Our guide took us through several coral swim-thrus which were incredible. Once back on board, we did a quick move to the 'reef' site for a total of 37 minutes surface interval. I had originally asked for another wreck when we booked but I think they do a reef to keep people coming back? The reef was pretty boring, especially compared to any wreck. Very little marine life in these waters. Back on board, the dive boat is very nice. Looks fairly new. Semi-private head under the front (the doors didn't close, so someone had to stand watch!) Two fresh-water showers at the back and a fresh-water spray hose. Two large water coolers and plastic cups for divers and a bin of peanut butter fudge was out. There was a barrel of fresh water they said was ONLY for cameras and they keep it pristine just for this reason (their words.) I left my camera in there whenever on-board. On the trip back to the shop, I saw one guide pull out all the cameras and pile them on a shelf and proceed to rinse the shop's gear in there! Never seen that before. We had to swim back to shore anyway, so I would just rinse it at the shop, right? Nope. Barrels of fresh water there were piled full of the shop's gear. Oh well. Not a bad day of diving but certainly 'different' and a big contrast with our last outing in Kona, HI which was absolutely incredible. A smile and 'hello' and some instruction would have gone a LONG way to making this a better experience.
