Barbados

[bornabolt]

Hi gang, I'm new here. Been diving for 20 years though.
Anyway,
Question for y'all.....

I recently got a great deal to Barbados, going in early sept. There is a little info on the diving there but not much.

i know it's not the big diving mecca in the world, but the trip was so cheap, I couldn't resist.
So, my question. Has anyone been there? how's the diving? any dive boat operator recommendations? Any dive site a must see?
Any info would be appreciated...Thanks!
Bornabolt

 

[Cecil]

I did a Barbados trip last year. I was very pleasently surprised by the diving. It was quite good. The reefs are off shore a mile or so and the one shore dive I did was not very good.

On who to use, it really depends on where you are staying, it's a fairly big island and it take a bit to get around. We stayed near Holetown and I used Dive Barbados.

I think there is a link to a trip report and slideshow on my homepage.

 

[bornabolt]

Thanks for your insight, all info is appreciated. I never really considered a trip to barbados, there are so many other places I want to go to, but a really good deal came my way and I couldn't resist. And now it sounds like it will be a great trip.

 

[doshill]

:14::14::14: Hi hORNABOLT

I am a diver in Barbados. You can PM me if U have any questions about diving in Barbados. The only challenge that U may encounter in September is that it is rainy/hurricane season and the sea tends to get a bit murky with surface run-off from the land. Carlise Bay is a great shore dive and bottoms out at 60ft. There are no Nitrox refill stations in Barbados. Barbados Blue, Reef and Wreckers, Roger's Scuba Shak and Michal Young on Bay Street are some of the persons I have dived with and highly recommended. Barbados Blue also have two marine Biologist on staff Andre Miller who was my instructor (taught me well ) and this outfit is at the Hilton and very good. PM me so that we can probably me and dive. We can prob shore dive Carlise Bay because I am very familar with it. I am also a Advance Certified diver and Carlise Bay was my training area mostly. There are 5 wreck there and one the Bajan Queen can be penetrated since it deepest point is 60ft and it was purposefully sunk so the passages have been widen and sharp edges have been removed. It have some nice new coral growth since the refinery which I worked at has been closed and Barbados has a sewage plant for the south coast which has really reduce the sewage and other pollutants entering the sea. Therefore the reefs and coral beds are recovering. Carlise Bay is a protected area so no fishing or removal of any artifacts is allowed by law and the Coast Guard patrols it regularly to enforce the law. That is my two cents worth and I hope this helps.

 

[bornabolt]

Hi Doshill, Thanks for the info. I am hoping the diving will still be quite clear in ealy sept. We will be there sept 4-11.
So, you live there? have you been there for a long time?
We were looking at two dive operations at this time....
One, being John Moore, and the other, The Dive Shop. Both come with recommendations as well.
How is the rainy season? I kind of assumed it was like many other islands....rains hard for 20 minutes or so then is nice most of the day....Can we anticipate a lot of rain?

 

[Scared Silly]

This might help remove at least one dive op from consideration:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/le...-n-soda-diving-barbados-anyone-know-them.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/191090-how-not-swim-turtles.html

 

[ValanceRG]

holla if you need a buddy.

 

[RV]

I loved Barbados.. we used the guys by the Hilton. They were great and we worked out a great deal for a week of diving. They had a cute blond DM that came and picked us up in the mornings....
Keep in mind,,, no one is in a hurry down there... there's Caribbean time, which is 10 time slower than NewYork time,, and then there's Barbados time,,, which is 10 time slower than Caribbean time... Things may have changed but i doubt it... My wife got fairly POed because we came back from the morning dive in mid afternoon... There's a famous wreck that's deep but I can't think of the name of it.. Something Russan starting with a S...
Were are you staying?

 

[tvictory]

... There's a famous wreck that's deep but I can't think of the name of it.. Something Russan starting with a S...
Were are you staying?

That would be Stavronikita.

 

[ValanceRG]

Yea the Stav. and that cute DM ur talking about is one of the marine biologists that they have there. she's really cool. i think she's a master scuba instructor as well.....oh yea and cute....lol