FI vs CCV Questions

[BettyfromToronto]

We are off to FI in just over 3 weeks but I am still trying to plan our summer dive trip and I'm thinkg about possibly trying CCV after all the raves reviews here on SB...but I have two questions.

1. If our flight lands at 10:10am; the CCV website says I have to pay for lunch. I only get dinner on the day of arrival and breakfast day of departure. That means you don't really get 3 meals/day for 7 days. How much is this lunch too? Is that true for FI? We're expecting to eat when we arrive.

2. I can't find it on the CCV website but I thought I read somewhere that they take out 2 tanks in the morning for the two dives whereas FI comes back between dives. Is this true? Where do you spend your SI? I easily get seasick and don't like the idea of bouncing around on a boat for 45-60 minutes.

Thanks for the great answers I know I will get.

 

[Doc]

1) I see that notation on the CCV website, but I've never seen that lunch charge implemented. They're not that organized! I suggest that you go in, grab a plate and chow down. Likely no one will notice or care.

2) At CCV you have a 1/2 hour Surface Interval on the boat, most of which is eaten up by the return to the Resort, near the drop-off dive point. You're going to be on the boat for that return trip, anyway, so not sure that the 30 minute SI would be an issue.

There are many, many differences in the diving experience and resort experience between FI and CCV... all of which have been pretty well discussed on this forum previously. There are a lot of other differences. Very few people have done both.

You will find it is much easier to do 4 boat dives a day plus the evening shore dive from CCV. If making (or having the option) that many dives is important. Not everybody wants/needs this. I find it much less rushed, even if I blow off the 2nd or 3rd dive and return ashore with the dive boat to take a nap, instead.

FI offers you a resort experience with a great deal of opportunity to dive. CCV is a dive resort with the opportunity for a whole lot of diving. Absolutely, there are distinctions in ease for racking up Bottom Time quantity.

I have heard arguments for FI's schedule of sending out two AM boat departures, but I think the shore time gap between #1 and #2 is tight enough that many do not do both departures. I have dived with FI and tried this, doing both AM departures. I hung around on the dock for a few minutes and yacked with people. I had no room to rush back to- to do whatever. The dock time was quick, then off we went for boat #2. Not many rejoined us for the second round.

I have heard that the CCV "drop off" dives (#2 and #4) are always the same old dive in front of the resort. I have done it 600+ times and it has been different every time- of course, I am not looking at reef structure and shape- I am looking for critters. That changes every minute. Never could figure out what the complaint would be, but usually from someone who hasn't tried it. For those dives, I usually skip the longer swim along the wall and prefer to just be dropped on the Prince Albert wreck- talk about redundant! But it's different every time.

You can sit at CCV and watch the divers go in for a shore dive while can also watching the divers from FI do night shore dives from the Gazebo. Often, my wife just sits on shore and bubble watches. (She won't night dive unless the sea is glass- she dives very shallow in the coral heads) All of the many times that she has sat and watched, she figures that CCV usually has about 12 to 20 people each night doing night dives. FI is a much larger resort, but her experience is that FI's diver count at night from the Gazebo is usually zero. Sometimes she will see 2 or three, and a rare 8 (as a group, at once- maybe an AOW class?). You can see the dive lights as the divers converge on the wreck. She figures the average dive time for CCV divers is around :50 with some 1:20+, and she sees the lights heading back to FI after :35. yes, these are anecdotal generalizations, but from a very experienced bubble watcher.

Probably the greatest reason for this disparity is the character of the ocean in the areas between the two resort shore entries and the Wreck. From CCV it is a shallow, usually clear coral garden; from FI it is a bit murky (from the beach dredging) and gets deep right away. That causes shorter bottom times, presumably from the stress of traversing the distance. Just my guess, but it makes sense.

From FI, you jump off the dive gazebo (after your gear is brought there across 1200 feet of resort) and get into 17fsw, then follow an aircraft cable through a siltated zone to find the DC3, and then the PA Wreck. At CCV, you walk 100 paces on hard sand from the dive lockers and wade out a few feet on the sandy path- then start spotting critters right away. Your route is marked to the PA Wreck by the anchor chain that some guests dragged out of the hold and marked the path through the turtle grass and coral heads.

There are distinctions in the boats, the shore dive, the dive staff, the photo service, the dive lockers, plant security, wi-fi access and the known dive writers and journalists that it attracts, the rooms on stilts over the active reef. I would give that race to CCV.

There are distinctions in dining service, room modernity (telephones and tv's), beach front, pool and non-dive amenities including tennis, some optional (non SCUBA) watersports, The winner is FI.

CCV has offered a consistent product since 1984. FI has had its problems since 1992, but now is undergoing a major facelift, promising that a positive change in experience is coming.

Pictures tell a [-]thousand[/-] million words: CoCoView Explained in Pictures pictures by Doc_Adelman - Photobucket

Pick what is right for you.

 

[CODMAN]

Betty, I think R-man has hit the nail on a lot of the differences between the 2. And the dive schedule at CCV definetly (in my oppinion) makes doing 5 dives a day easier. Although this said, it's not that hard to achieve if you know in advance how to go about it at FI. 1- Ask the dive crew to bring a 2nd tank for you on the afternoon dive and have them drop you off on the PA wreck on the way back. It's a short surface interval (maybe 30 minutes), but the dive is shallow and as long as you pay much attention to your compuiter, you should be fine (I liked the Nitrox option for this... ). So that would get you your 4th dive of the day in without a sweat. 2- Arrange for an evening dive ahead of time at the dive shop: they will drop you off in a small boat right over the PA wreck or adjacent wall (whichever you choose). You dive back to the Gazebo and leave your tank there. And there you have your easy 5th dive. Obviously, it's not as easy as CCV (R-Man is right they really are aimed at making diving easy for you), but not that much trouble either.

As for the 4th dive at CCV being redundant... There really are 2 ways (maybe more) of looking at it. I think a lot of divers (many of which are less experienced than R-Man) consider more of the "general experience" of the dive rather than the specific marine life they saw when they rate their dive. And for them, diving repeatedly over the same topography and wreck lessens the enjoyment of their dive. On the other hand, R-man is absolutely right that taking the reef at a different depth, or just taking your time creature spotting, definetly makes each dive unique (you will see new things every time I'm sure). So in my view, depending on what gives you enjoyment out of a dive, repeatedly diving the front of CCV can be "redundant" or can be a new experience each time. At least that's what I make of it...

As for lunch at FI, when I was there we got to the resort at 1:30pm and they sent us straight to lunch (it was included).

Betty, while you're at FI, why don't you arrange a quick visit to CCV? I'm sure a look around and see how things work will give you a good feel of the place and help determine if it's right for you on your next vacation!

 

[DeputyDan]

I have been to COCO View twice - had lunch upon arrival and was never charged for it!

 

[Reef Tank]

I have been to COCO View twice - had lunch upon arrival and was never charged for it!

CCV would be more inviting to people like me if they clarified their website. I desperately avoid surprises but maybe they have all the clients they want.

 

[robint]

CCV would be more inviting to people like me if they clarified their website. I desperately avoid surprises but maybe they have all the clients they want.

true... but when you consider that more than 50% of the clients at CCV are return visitors, and others are there from word of mouth from friends or dive shops at home.. they do alright. Not saying the website couldn't be improved, but once you go there you will see the whole organization is set in a routine that runs smooth as silk.
my photos of CCV: http://www.rnrscuba.net/CCV_Roatan_2008/CCV_photos_videos.html

CCV boats = about sitting on the boat for surface interval... never was a problem for our boat group, didn't see anyone turn green much less puke. By the time everyone got back onboard, dried off their faces with a towel, drank some water and ate the snack, changed out tanks to prep for second dive, it was time for the boat to leave the area. The boats actually are very roomy and stable, too, so they really don't rock and since the dive sites are so close to shore, you don't have that open ocean roll. We loved their boats! Being able to walk around on the boat was nice, too. The center well and the camera table and rinse tank... awesome!

Another big difference from FI has to do with the gear rooms. FI has one room everyone shares, from what I have heard. CCV has a gear room per boat, and tons of space! You have your own locker area with places to hang up stuff. There are also 2 rinse tanks for cameras at gear room and another for other gear, plus a shower!

this photo shows 1/2 the room, there is another row of lockers on the other side! There is also a nitrox analyzer per room. Those people using nitrox put a tag on their locker and the DM always has a fresh tank sitting there for you. You analyze and initial and they carry to boat for you, just like the other tanks and your gear.

robin

 

[kixy1]

Hey Betty, just have to put in my 2 cents...
Go. You'll love it. CCV is ALL about ensuring you enjoy your dive vacation. They're definitely not walking around checking "lunch tickets". Eat, go unpack, then get ready to DIVE!
Never had a problem with motion sickness, even in some rough weather we had. A few times they headed into a pretty little cove to hang out, but most times we just headed back for our drop off dive. Again, the boat captains are going to take care of you.
As for the "boredom" factor. I was worried about diving the same reef over and over... SO not a problem! I took RM's advice and we always planned our drop off dive for a different depth. It was definitely a different experience each time! We actually finished our last few days diving the tops of the reefs, the light was spectacular and all the fishies came out to play. Sigh...beautiful. Wish I was there.

 

[Sirto]

Just to correct some misconceptions about how the FI shore dive works. There's no need to carry your stuff to the gazebo nor to swim across to the wreck. Instead, you just go to the dive dock and tell them that you want to dive. Take your gear and the skiff will drop you directly over the wreck or the wall if you choose. Tell the driver when you want to be picked up and he'll come get you at the gazebo at the desired time for a trip back to the dive dock. You can do this until 8pm.

If you want to dive after that or in the early morning you just sign up on the clipboard at the dock and they deliver your tanks to the gazebo. Do your dive and leave the empty tanks at the gazebo. You do need to bring your gear back to your room since the dive lockers close at 8 pm.

Doing 4 or 5 dives a day isn't a problem. Three to 4 is enough for me.

 

[Doc]

Just to correct some misconceptions about how the FI shore dive works. There's no need to carry your stuff to the gazebo nor to swim across to the wreck. Instead, you just go to the dive dock and tell them that you want to dive. Take your gear and the skiff will drop you directly over the wreck or the wall if you choose. Tell the driver when you want to be picked up and he'll come get you at the gazebo at the desired time for a trip back to the dive dock. You can do this until 8pm.

This one?

You can go with dis... or you can go wit dat...

do-dah dippity.

 

[Sirto]

This one?

Yes, however that picture is very deceiving as it is a group of novice snorklers not what I was talking about.

The maximum number of people I have seen in the skiff in 8 weeks at FI is 4.