More on St. Croix

[LindaBluedolphin]

I have combed through some old threads about St. Croix and was thinking maybe someone had some more recent information.

I want to do an RCI trade, I am considering the Chenay Bay or the Carambola Beach Resort, both get good reviews in general in Trip Advisor. Anyone been to either recently?

Anyone have any experience with RCI and trades to St. Croix? easy, hard? How long did you have to wait after you submitted your request?

Also I was trying to check out dive operators and I found a few, anyone know anything about St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures (St. Croix Scuba).

I plan to go next year, but any information now would be helpful as I need to put in my trade request soon.

Thanks.

LindaBlueD

 

[TheRedHead]

LindaBlue,

I was in St. Croix in July, but I didn't stay at either resort. I can tell you that the Chenay Bay area is an upscale suburb of Christiansted and the location would put you closer to town and the great archtecture and restaurants. Carambola is located closer to the better wall dives such as Cane Bay and I believe it was built by the Rockefellers like Caneel Bay on St. John. I don't think it is quite in the same league as Caneel Bay. The complaint I read most often about St. Croix hotels is lack of service, but this is the perception of tourists all over the island. St. Croix runs on island time and Crucians expect you to greet them before you ask for anything. If you fail to greet them with a Good Morning, Good Afternoon, etc. you won't get good service anywhere. Wherever you stay, I would rent a car and explore the island. We used Cars by Judi and couldn't have been more pleased with her service.

I dived with SCUBA St. Croix and wasn't impressed. It's a BIG boat and I would classify it as a cattle boat. Be prepared for resort divers on the boat. Dive Experience is a notch better. Michelle Pugh, owner, has been diving St. Croix forever. She's in the Women Diver's Hall of Fame and an interesting person to talk to. My favorite shop in St. Croix is N2 the Blue. Derrick and Anne Hill run a 6-pack and will take you to the more interesting sites. The boat is about 28 feet and has a door which opens and you sort of just fall out of it. Your gear is stored forward and you just sit down, buckle up, and you're out the door. A must do dive with N2 to the Blue is the Butler Bay wrecks. First your dive the deeper Rosa Maria at about 98 feet and then it's a short swim to a tug in 50 feet. Both wrecks are artificial reefs and harbor lots of eels and other interesting critters.

My favorite dive was the Cane Bay Wall which we did as a shore dive. Just rent a tank from the shop on the beach, swim out 100 yards to the buoy, descend and swim out. You'll come to a series of sand chutes which lead to the wall which drops thousands of feet. This is a dive we did numerous times with different profiles.

I would also dive Fredericksted Pier first in the daytime and then as a night dive. The entry is tricky and parking was horrible so it would be best to dive first in the light. I would not feel comfortable wandering around Fredericksted at night for any other reason than diving the pier. Christiansted, on the other side of the island, is perfectly safe to wander around at night. There is a big boardwalk over the ocean where you'll find lots of restaurants and clubs.

Hope you enjoy St. Croix. I did and hope to return some day.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

I have combed through some old threads about St. Croix and was thinking maybe someone had some more recent information.

I want to do an RCI trade, I am considering the Chenay Bay or the Carambola Beach Resort, both get good reviews in general in Trip Advisor. Anyone been to either recently?

Anyone have any experience with RCI and trades to St. Croix? easy, hard? How long did you have to wait after you submitted your request?

Also I was trying to check out dive operators and I found a few, anyone know anything about St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures (St. Croix Scuba).

I plan to go next year, but any information now would be helpful as I need to put in my trade request soon.

Thanks.

LindaBlueD

Hi Linda,

When I was on St. Croix this spring I dove with S.C.U.B.A. and had a good time. I would have no reservations about diving with them again. They are located in Christiansted and dive mostly the north side of the island, lots of healthy coral reef, but less other aquatic life than the west end dive sites. Next time I go I will probably mix up the dive operators I use and not just go with the one outfit.

I seem to recall that ScubaVixen here on the board lives on St. Croix. She may be able to provide some assistance, although she is more of a technical diver so her opinions will probably reflect her experiences.

You will almost certainly need a car so get ready to drive on the left side of the road in a "north american" car. This takes some getting used to so be careful.

Have fun,

Mark Vlahos

 

[LindaBluedolphin]

Thanks for the information, it most certainly helps. I will probably be putting in my RCI trade request soon and am trying to be as felxible as possible, with a window of time that will work for me.

Mark, I do hope you are feeling better and if you are back on this cost there is some talk of a get together around Halloween, if you don't have our new site that Charlie put up PM me and I will give it to you.

Thanks again to both of you for the information, I may try to look up SucbaVixen to see what she has to say.

LindaBlueD

 

[TheRedHead]

I don't feel that SCUBA St. Croix is necessarily bad or unsafe. On the day I dived with them, there were several Discover Scuba divers and kids. What really put me off was one of the male DMs sat next to me and attempted to help me with my kit. Tried to do my shoulder straps and clip my computer. He also told me I had a cute little fin shuffle (going to the platform). He was probably just flirting with me, but it annoyed me nonetheless.

 

[Kevin4diving]

I dived with SCUBA last year and they were excellent. All the other operaters I saw looked second rate. SCUBA rates very high along with some of the best in the Caribbean. I dove with them seven days. You will need a car to get around. We stayed at Divi and I think its over rated. Its a longer drive to town compared to some of the other resorts. SCUBA also has an excellent dive shop.

 

[woodfrogs]

Hi,
We have a timeshare at Carambola and go every other year. We always have a great time and manage to do a variety of things. Grab a cab and get an Island Tour(Rum Factory, Beer drinking pigs, rain forest, etc). Or rent a car and drive out to Udall Point.
We kayaked in the Salt River. Have done the Buck Island run on Bluebeards(full day comes with lunch and the snorkel is pretty cool), the Botanical Gardens and the Sugar Plantation are fun too. Lots to do and see. Christiansted isn't as hopping as it was when the cruise ships used to dock at St Croix, but there are still shops and restaurants. It gets pretty quiet at night though. Last time we were there we were lucky enough to fins baby sea turtles that has just hatched and helped them on their journey seaward. The rooms are very beautiful, it's only a kitchenette, not a full kitchen, but the bathrooms are huge. We're booking for the week of July 4th and I plan on diving, and hanging out by the pool and the beach, plus hitting a couple of good restaurants(whose names escape me right now). Have a great trip.
Barbara

 

[CobaltDiver]

I am a new resident of St. Croix, so I am biased. I stayed at Carambola last year prior to the move and loved it. I am living on the North Shore and everyday is spectacular. One thing to understand about the island. It is divided into three diving areas. East end, West end, and Cane Bay. No one dive shop really serves all three due to the logistic problems. I agree for west end Diving, N2 the Blue is wonderful. Derrick and Anna have a wonderful operation. On the east end, Dive Experience can not be beat. Michelle is an excellent diver and runs a top notch operation. She has been on island for 28 years. If you are interested in kayaking, I recommend Virgin Kayak. Brian is a walking encyclopedia of information on the Salt River National Park and it's history. Be sure and ask to see his hand made wood dug out Tiano canoe. Have a great trip.

 

[seamason]

I was on St Croix in November 2005. I am also an RCI member and swapped for the Divi Carina, with plans to spend an extra night at the Carambola just to check it out at the end of our trip. The Divi was very nice and at that time of year uncrowded, it is a bit of a hike from the northshore diving (about 30 minutes by car in the morning) but a really nice drive. I dove with Anchor Dive Center,who I would also recommend as a good choice. Never made it to the carambola due to a theft that occurred while snorkeling on a remote beach a little north of fredereksted, had to head for home. An unfortunate experience I can only blame myself for, became a little too trusting. Diving was nice but probably wouldn't make the top 5 list, lots of coral bleaching while I was there as well. I would return again as the island and people were wonderful.

 

[TCP]

I dove with both SCUBA and Dive Experience and found both to be pretty top notch dive shops. I did about 8 dives with each one. Dive Experience will always be my favorite simply because a dive I was on with them, we saw 4 wild dolphins!

Cane Bay was great and the pier (Fred.) is an excellent check out dive when you first arrive and an even better night dive. One thing about Cane Bay. If you can, keep an out into the deep blue. On rare occasions, you may see a hammerhead or two out there.