Help Selecting Dive OPS for Carib Cruise

[diver_pirate]

I have a cruise in late September on Carnival visiting Roaatan, Belize, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Have a buddy (bioth are rescue or above training) and may find a few more. Is there a recommended Dive operator that we could use in stead of the ones supplied by the ship? Things like meet us at or near the pier, go to decent quality dive sites, work with small group and have tanks and weights.

Any help appreciated.
Thanks
DP

 

[Garrobo]

If I was on a cruise which stopped at Coz and gave me enought time to do some dives I'd definitely hook up with Papa Hogg's . They are on the Internet.

 

[lazybees]

We have done dives from cruise boats that we arranged on our own in Cozumel, Belize, Bora Bora and Morea. Either because the ship tour was full or we wanted to go on our own. In Cozumel & Belize we just walked off the boat or took the tender with our gear with us and found the dive op. In Cozumel they were just around the corner from the boat pier, in Belize it was a very short walk. In the South Pacific we found them via the internet and followed their directions & they picked us up. As it turns out it was the same op the ship was using, so sometimes you are competing for space with the ship tour. However we ended up on a different boat than the ship tour, but with some other ship passengers that had done the same.

I have been on ships where someone posts a sign in the lobby area where you pick up tickets for tours and is looking for others to sign up to insure there is enough the op will put out another boat. Don't be bashful.

 

[tomboyy]

I did a couple dives with Sea Sports in Belize... nice people, walking distance from port did a dive stopped at a island for lunch that they provided it had like 10 dogs on it ... it was a trip did another dive and came back to port. I went diving in Roatan to 45 mins by car to resort where the OP was .... was a scary ride but the diving was great can't think of the name right now

 

[Doc]

Have a buddy (bioth are rescue or above training) and may find a few more. Things like meet us at or near the pier, go to decent quality dive sites, .... and have tanks and weights.

Dive-ops that will take cruise ship divers do not care what your cert level is, they will treat everyone pretty much so the same. If after dive #1, and if they can divide the group, they might then take some better divers to what you call a "decent site". If, if, if.

"Meeting at the pier" is a great selection criteria at some places such as Belize, where the dive sites are located directly East and quite a distance by boat.

Otherwise, you may well be better served by taking a cab to the pre-arranged meeting point. Why meter the dive-op off of meeting you at the pier and going for a long boat ride- when you would be better served by a comfy cab ride across the island (and then a quick boat ride to the dive site)?

All cruise ship dive-ops furnish tanks and weights, just as all destination island dive-ops will always provide. The trick, and major hurdle for every such operation is assisting the first-day-diver with proper weighting in advance of the trip. Very few divers can nail that right out of the gate, and thus most dive-ops have yet another reason not to trust us on that "first day".

Unfortunately, in the realm of cruise ship clientele, everyone is experiencing their "first day", that's why they treat us the way they do.

 

[diversteve]

The cruise op on Roatan is probably Anthony's Key resort (they are for some cruiselines) Since they're on the north side and the port (Coxen Hole) is on the south, they shuttle you both ways. Spooky Channel in that area is one of the best Roatan dives. There's also the Dolphin Dives there. They do have a lot of boats/guests at times but we went there one morning and there were just 5 of us on the boat.

Cocoview (Dockside Dive Center) on the South side (10mins. from the port in Coxen Hole) also accommodates cruise divers but I've read they require a checkout dive first.
Advantage for them is one of the few good shoredives off their property and close access to Mary's Place.

Another option is the Waihuka Shark Dive, either booked through your ship or via one of the booking agencies - they don't take direct bookings. It's a fairly advanced dive sometimes.

Coconut Tree Divers in the West End might be another option - they do a two tank that would be back b4 1PM. You'd have to take a cab there ($10pp - negotiate in advance) and be there by 9AM. It's about 15-20mins. from the port depending on traffic. Cabs congregate in front of CTD and you'd have a lot of options for lunch and shopping in that area if you have time.

On Cayman, the cruiselines use Don Fosters in town. Not what you want, they have a fleet of bigger boats to accommodate all the traffic they get being 100 yds. south of the cruise dock.

Most of the diveops on Cayman are used to picking people up all up and down the West End. All of these advertise 8 divers max: Neptune's Divers, Off the Wall, Wall to Wall, etc. This page links to all 3 and more options: Cayman Islands - Grand Cayman

fwiw, everybody I mentioned provides tanks/weights. It's pretty much a given.

 

[diversteve]

moved to the Cruise forum...

 

[tomboyy]

forgot, in GC I dove with Off the Wall divers ... great dives, 6-8 diver max.

Roatanman is right about Belize .. I walked to their shop but had a 45 min boat ride.

In Roatan It was a 45 min. car ride and a quick boat ride.

 

[Doc]

Roatanman is right about Belize .. I walked to their shop but had a 45 min boat ride.

In Roatan It was a 45 min. car ride and a quick boat ride.

It takes a while to get out of the cruise ship dock zone (NW of Coxen Hole), maybe even five+ minutes to get into Coxen Hole itself.

From there, heading East, it's ten minutes to the Airport.

5 Minutes East of there, you're at the Shark Dive. (20 mins total)

Yes, then, that Roatan operation you described would be CoCoView. It is a 45 minute ride by cab from the cruise ship docks and is the only operation that requires that you jump on one of their shuttle boats- they're on a separate little island.

FIBR is right next door, but no boat ride needed.

Going the "other way"....

From the Cruise Ship docks to AKR, it is about 20+ minutes, then maybe another 10 minutes beyond that to the West End (1/2 hr total) by cab.

...and close access to Mary's Place.

No dive-op that is an abiding signatory of the Mary's Place Preservation Agreement would be allowed to take any first-day-diver to Mary's Place. Being a 75' bottom, this is always done as a first-of-the-day dive. There is the requirement of one prior dive with demonstrated buoyancy and a dry land orientation with a video presentation. Drop-off dives are not permitted, only those with scheduled mooring times may dive there. Mary's Place is a moot point for Cruise Ship divers.

 

[DocIndyDiver]

In Coz had a great experience with http://scubawithalison. She personally escorted the heavy breathers to a safety stop and deployed a SMB so her boat captain could pick them up. She then rejoined the rest of us for a great tour. My boyfriend, who's the biker I'm the diver, was very pleased with her attentiveness.