cleung
Contributor
Has anyone used Caribbean Divers in Freeport lately? What about the location at Bell Channel Inn - is it decent?
Caribbean Divers in Freeport?
- Thread starter cleung
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blawler1
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We stayed at the Bell Channel Inn and dove with Caribbean Divers a couple of years ago. The hotel is on a channel across from Port Lucaya. Its a little run down, and isolated, but its a bargain for Freeport. The rooms have balconies and frigs. The restaurant was not bad and it has a little bar. Its about a mile walk around into Port Lucaya.
Caribbean Divers is onsite at the Bell Channel Inn. It was basically a small family run operation. Priestley Knowles and his nephew Jerry serve as captain, and crew and his wife runs the shop. He has an older but rugged boat that holds up to 10 to 14 divers.
My wife and I had a blast with them as they took us to the sites near the shark feeding sites, so we saw sharks on virtually every dive. Caribbean doesn't do a feeding, but what they used to do was observe the UNEXSO feeding.
They don't offer nitrox, so that was a little of a downer for us and he will cater to resort course people (and divert scheduled deep dives to the shallow sites) because he makes the big bucks off of them and the divers help load the tanks on and off the boat. But all that said, we would dive with them again in a heart beat.
Alot of people look down on the diving on Grand Bahama, but it is one of my favorite places. The visibility has always been outstanding (around 100') everytime we have been there, mostly in summer time. The reefs are on par with many Caribbean sites, but the sharks make the difference.
Caribbean Divers is onsite at the Bell Channel Inn. It was basically a small family run operation. Priestley Knowles and his nephew Jerry serve as captain, and crew and his wife runs the shop. He has an older but rugged boat that holds up to 10 to 14 divers.
My wife and I had a blast with them as they took us to the sites near the shark feeding sites, so we saw sharks on virtually every dive. Caribbean doesn't do a feeding, but what they used to do was observe the UNEXSO feeding.
They don't offer nitrox, so that was a little of a downer for us and he will cater to resort course people (and divert scheduled deep dives to the shallow sites) because he makes the big bucks off of them and the divers help load the tanks on and off the boat. But all that said, we would dive with them again in a heart beat.
Alot of people look down on the diving on Grand Bahama, but it is one of my favorite places. The visibility has always been outstanding (around 100') everytime we have been there, mostly in summer time. The reefs are on par with many Caribbean sites, but the sharks make the difference.
OP
cleung
Contributor
Thanks for your comments. Did the Caribbean Divers boat have a head? And did you feel it was safe to walk between Port Lucaya and the Bell Channel Inn?
blawler1
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There is no head on the boat unless they got a new boat, so you'll have to hold it till you get in the water. The walk during the day wasn't bad. At night, we usually caught a cab back as we were drinking and it was only a few bucks. There are areas around there that don't look too wholesome
cleung:
The hotel is nice,rooms neat and clean,=for $75.00 per night,not bad!The Paulsens the owners are great folks!The dive shop and boat are nice,Its not a mile to,PortLucaya But less than 1/2-I have done the walk back and forth for years with my shoes a bit full,no problems MANNNN! but you do have to walk past several local housing units,so I think they offer a car to pick you up and drop you off,N/C the bar is a hoot, a real local hang out,Foods good at a fair price too!
The dive boat never was packed tight,-one time late trip we had some folks from a cruise on,but that was a shallow dive and we did not have to deal with the pack!
A.M. dive is a deep dive,the Sheraton is nice but $175.00 per night,but location is the best,
Freeport is a mess since the storms, the Royal Oassis closed,bazzar empty,1/2 open shops,Port Lucaya is nice and neat,clean and all open!
Have fun,
Brad
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