Just came off the Carib Dancer with RJP and, as usual, I wanted to give the low down for future Bahamas travelers.
The boat and crew: The boat is not as large as some of the live-aboards we have done. In particular, rooms 2 & 3 are small but the quad has a fair amount of space. That said, the only squeeze is the top bunk for the duals and the moving-around space. RJP and I could not both stand in the room and moving past each other was impossible. The rest of the boat is plenty spacious for divers but, if you value room space, this is not the boat for you. The shower is in the bathroom as in many boats. The water was piping hot (Fantastic after a dive!). There was plenty of storage space for bags, equipment, cameras inside the room. The dive deck was great with fold-up seats for personal gear, and sufficient elbow room for every diver. All dives are off the boat (no pangas!) and there is a ladder to get down to the stride deck. The process was simple and efficient. Dining room was just large enough for all passengers but you cannot store computers, etc here since it is used up for meal times. Top deck was really nice, lots of space, chairs, a hot tub, benches.
I cannot say enough about the crew. They were exceptional; best I've ever experienced on any live-aboard. Captain Dennis runs a tight and safe ship and the crew go out of their way to accommodate every whim. They are always ready to help but also leave you be when you don't need it. The diving routine is laid-back but not reckless. I felt very comfortable diving with these guys. They make sure you get videos and pictures, hold your cameras, rinse them, do all the little things that make a great live-aboard experience.
The food was awesome. Tim was on for his first week and he performed spectacularly. There was a mix; barbecue, chinese food, veggies, all kinds of very interesting and tasty dishes. And the desserts... Maybe the best food experience I've had.
The Diving: Ok - it's not the Galapagos. I'm not sure to blame over-fishing, the lionfish or global warming but the fish density is not great. That said, the dives are tremendous. There are tons of little fish. The coral is in terrific shape; lots of soft coral and hard on the walls. The dives were, in fact, very interesting as the captain tried to let us see some unique sites. The 4 top, IMHO, were the washing machine, the split coral, the cathedral and the blue hole. The washing machine was a thrill ride drift where you pass through a bumpy channel at full current. Video is here. The split coral was the shark feed dive with over 10 reef sharks milling around close. It's done differently than SC and, imo, better. Lots of time with the sharks. In fact, there were sharks on many of the dives and they come quite close. The cathedral was a great coral wall structure with many swim-thrus, caves and channels. Fantastic! Finally, the Blue Hole is around 200 feet deep and maybe 80 feet in diameter. You can swim around it easily. There is a cave at about 70 feet deep inside of it. The best part is all the life around the top; a huge turtle, morays, many nurse sharks, cleaners, fish of every kind. The silt is a bit bad here but the dive is memorable.
Transfers and other things - You have a day in Nassau to do some shopping. That was good. You can also do the "fish fry" for dinner, a local hangout specializing in island fried conch and other local goodies. You are responsible for taxi rides to and from the airport at about $20 each as well as the port fee of $90. You need to remember that but you can pay with CC.
My buddy RJP posted this review here that basically agrees with mine. He also mentioned the sinking of the Pirate Lady that happened on our first day. The crew handled themselves well as we rescued the passengers of the Pirate Lady and brought them back to Nassau. One of our own crew was injured in the process and was rushed back as well. We did lose 1 1/2 days of diving for that but I cannot complain as I'd want them to do it for me if I was injured. We also missed out on some Nitrox as the system was faulty. The crew worked day and night to repair the system and, in the end, we did not pay for it.
I would highly recommend this trip for everyone. It's easy diving for the most part, the crew is awesome, and the price is very reasonable. We were late comers and got a great discount but even the regular price is good. Enjoy!
The boat and crew: The boat is not as large as some of the live-aboards we have done. In particular, rooms 2 & 3 are small but the quad has a fair amount of space. That said, the only squeeze is the top bunk for the duals and the moving-around space. RJP and I could not both stand in the room and moving past each other was impossible. The rest of the boat is plenty spacious for divers but, if you value room space, this is not the boat for you. The shower is in the bathroom as in many boats. The water was piping hot (Fantastic after a dive!). There was plenty of storage space for bags, equipment, cameras inside the room. The dive deck was great with fold-up seats for personal gear, and sufficient elbow room for every diver. All dives are off the boat (no pangas!) and there is a ladder to get down to the stride deck. The process was simple and efficient. Dining room was just large enough for all passengers but you cannot store computers, etc here since it is used up for meal times. Top deck was really nice, lots of space, chairs, a hot tub, benches.
I cannot say enough about the crew. They were exceptional; best I've ever experienced on any live-aboard. Captain Dennis runs a tight and safe ship and the crew go out of their way to accommodate every whim. They are always ready to help but also leave you be when you don't need it. The diving routine is laid-back but not reckless. I felt very comfortable diving with these guys. They make sure you get videos and pictures, hold your cameras, rinse them, do all the little things that make a great live-aboard experience.
The food was awesome. Tim was on for his first week and he performed spectacularly. There was a mix; barbecue, chinese food, veggies, all kinds of very interesting and tasty dishes. And the desserts... Maybe the best food experience I've had.
The Diving: Ok - it's not the Galapagos. I'm not sure to blame over-fishing, the lionfish or global warming but the fish density is not great. That said, the dives are tremendous. There are tons of little fish. The coral is in terrific shape; lots of soft coral and hard on the walls. The dives were, in fact, very interesting as the captain tried to let us see some unique sites. The 4 top, IMHO, were the washing machine, the split coral, the cathedral and the blue hole. The washing machine was a thrill ride drift where you pass through a bumpy channel at full current. Video is here. The split coral was the shark feed dive with over 10 reef sharks milling around close. It's done differently than SC and, imo, better. Lots of time with the sharks. In fact, there were sharks on many of the dives and they come quite close. The cathedral was a great coral wall structure with many swim-thrus, caves and channels. Fantastic! Finally, the Blue Hole is around 200 feet deep and maybe 80 feet in diameter. You can swim around it easily. There is a cave at about 70 feet deep inside of it. The best part is all the life around the top; a huge turtle, morays, many nurse sharks, cleaners, fish of every kind. The silt is a bit bad here but the dive is memorable.
Transfers and other things - You have a day in Nassau to do some shopping. That was good. You can also do the "fish fry" for dinner, a local hangout specializing in island fried conch and other local goodies. You are responsible for taxi rides to and from the airport at about $20 each as well as the port fee of $90. You need to remember that but you can pay with CC.
My buddy RJP posted this review here that basically agrees with mine. He also mentioned the sinking of the Pirate Lady that happened on our first day. The crew handled themselves well as we rescued the passengers of the Pirate Lady and brought them back to Nassau. One of our own crew was injured in the process and was rushed back as well. We did lose 1 1/2 days of diving for that but I cannot complain as I'd want them to do it for me if I was injured. We also missed out on some Nitrox as the system was faulty. The crew worked day and night to repair the system and, in the end, we did not pay for it.
I would highly recommend this trip for everyone. It's easy diving for the most part, the crew is awesome, and the price is very reasonable. We were late comers and got a great discount but even the regular price is good. Enjoy!
