aruba dive trip

[smokey braden]

hey everyone,
i took my wife and son to aruba last week.
we flew us air out of bwi.
we stayed at the renaissance aruba resort.
this resort was perfect.
the staff treated us like we were family.
the grounds and blds were in excellent condition.
i dove with mr. clive paula of dive aruba.
i'd read good things on this board, so i went with him.
this was our first trip to aruba and i'd read not to expect world class diving.
i was not disapointed.
the many wrecks there gave divers options for different levels of skill.
the reefs were in fair to good condition.
vis was anywhere from 60' to 100'.
water temp held a steady 80 degrees f.
there were lots of different fish, most on the small size.
since clive is from aruba, he knew the dive sites like the back of his hand.
my son bo, who is 16, took the opertunity to take the the resort course.
my dad, who passed away recently, had me diving when i was a kid. so here i am, diving with my son in aruba. i know my dad was there too.
aruba also has lots of surface attractions. my nondiving wife found tons of stuff to do and see. we went to many restaurants, all within walking distance from the resort.
we also took an island tour which allowed us to learn much about aruba.
the motto on their lic plates state "we are one happy island" which everyone there will show you.
would i go back and dive again? yes, in a heart beat.
maybe if aruba treated their reefs like the people in bonaire(been twice) do, that overtime their reef's health would improve. if y'all have any questions, please ask and i will do my best.
kindest regards,
smokey

 

[crpntr133]

Nice report. I do have to agree. My GF and I just back from a cruise, I dove and she did something else while on land. We both said that we could just fly into Aruba and spend some time. Met a guy from Chicago there who has now moved because he loved the island the first time he was there.
I was somewhat unimpressed with the dive because of the lack of coral and such. But it was still a lot of fun. Figured a bad day diving was better than a good day on land.

 

[alashas]

Smokey B,

I appreciate what you said about diving with family. 11 of us dove together last summer for the first time in our lives - 3 bros, 2 wives, 6 children - and it was an utterly amazing experience! We're planning our summer vacations around diving, and we have 3 more friends who are taking up the sport. Here's some amateur pics:

http://community.webshots.com/user/suelarhast

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

my dad, who passed away recently, had me diving when i was a kid. so here i am, diving with my son in aruba. i know my dad was there too.

Niiiiiice! Thanks for making my day.

 

[2divers]

Thanks for the dive info. What other places would you compare the condition of the reefs and wrecks to?
Thanks in advance.
Craig

 

[smokey braden]

2divers,
imo the diving was similiar to bermuda and the upper/ middle keys in florida.
all three have lots of wrecks and i would give thier reefs a 7 on a 10 pt scale.
both bermuda and aruba treat their "guests" with a high degree of hospitality.
there are many topside attractions in these areas for any non-diving s o's.
smokey

 

[I.M.Deep]

Thanks for the report on Aruba. I have heard good things about Clive. Do you recommend him? How did you like the Renaissance? My understanding is that the coral formations are poor because of the oil - not that it is poluted just not cared for the way other locations are.

 

[smokey braden]

i.m.deep,
you would have to do alot of diving with many dive ops before you would find one that could give you such a high standard of service as clive does.

clive runs a one man shop. he picks up his divers and takes them to his boat which is a 26' contender. gives a very detailed dive breifing. sets up everyones gear for the secound dive. he has water and juices for everyone during the si.

he was able to accomodate everyone from referal dives to deep wrecks.
once he has seen his guests dive, he later allows them to dive their own profile.
being from aruba, he is able to share with his guest alot of info on each dive site.

he keeps his boat at the renaissance marina, so i was able to walk to his boat every morning. my family really enjoyed staying at the renaissance. they have alot to offer, from chauffeured golf carts and piloted water taxis to 4 swimming pools, a 40 acre private island and a mall with over a dozen restaurants and 100 shops.

aruba is a dutch island and everyone is very accomondating, polite and a wish that you enjoy your visit and will return.

there is a very large oil refinery at the very end of the island. we never saw any oil pollution in the water but it could contribute to the condition of the reef. i feel that if aruba protected her reefs the way bonair does, then maybe aruba's reefs would improve. please note that on every dive we would see alot of anchors laying on the bottem with no line attached. i know in bonaire you have to tie up to a mouring so as not to damage the reef.

 

[I.M.Deep]

Great Help!!! Thanks - Clive has been exceptional on email communication - I will use him. I did not realize his boat was at the renaissance marina that will be great. I'm very excited about this trip and this has been a huge help.

 

[KidK9]

Did you dive the Antilla? Has it stopped leaking oil yet? I was there over New Years and couldn't dive it due to leaking oil. Would have to say tho, that I stayed at the Renaissance Tower. Hated the people (the staff), thought they were obnoxious and pompous, the tower had 1 elevator out of 3 working, there was no "free internet" as advertised, and there was CONSTANT construction going on, all the way from 8am untill 11pm. Numerous times we called to the front desk to tell them to knock off the drilling because we were trying to sleep. When I go back to Aruba, I will NOT stay at the Renaissance. I would rather sleep in the gutter.