So what happened on MY Fantasy Island trip...?

[r466it]

I've been lurking these boards for a couple of months now and really appreciate the trip reports. Special thanks to DandyDon for the detail on the recent trip! I'm headed to FI this weekend for the first time and I'm looking forward to good diving and a good stay.

 

[adjuster-jd]

One piece of advice - if you are arriving on Saturday - go down on Saturday afternoon and pick out a locker space and take your gear down then. It will ensure you get the space you want and you won't have to be rushing to haul gear down on Sunday morning after the briefing.
You may want to take your own hangers for gear but put your name clearly on them. Don't leave empty hangers hanging in your locker (lay them on the shelf with something on top of them.). Hangers seem to walk away.

 

[roguetrixie]

Don, your pictures are amazing! I love the grey angel pic most. Thanks for posting them!

 

[CajunDiva]

One piece of advice - if you are arriving on Saturday - go down on Saturday afternoon and pick out a locker space and take your gear down then. It will ensure you get the space you want and you won't have to be rushing to haul gear down on Sunday morning after the briefing.
You may want to take your own hangers for gear but put your name clearly on them. Don't leave empty hangers hanging in your locker (lay them on the shelf with something on top of them.). Hangers seem to walk away.

Great advice, but even if you write your name in HUGE letters on your hanger it will likely still get "taken". I hate to think people are really that inconsiderate, so I blame it on people who don't speak english and don't know better. But if you write your name in HUGE letters, at least you'll be able to find out who's butt you have to kick to get it back

 

[BTravlin]

We had our hangers taken a couple of times and just stole them back so no problem. Some Italian woman stole a bottle of my wife's hair care product though and that almost got real ugly!

 

[jjach]

So I guess that means you can not dive on the day of arrival. We were hoping to at least get a quick shore dive in, since we have not dove since last summer.

 

[DandyDon]

So I guess that means you can not dive on the day of arrival. We were hoping to at least get a quick shore dive in, since we have not dove since last summer.

Probly not. Depending on what day you arrive, there may be dozens of other new divers arriving that day, most of whom do not know how things are set up for diving, how to stay out of boat traffic on the shore dives, and many who have not dived in months and really need to dive with a DM for starters. If they just turned new arrivals loose with tanks and weights at the gazebo, it could get messy.

Enjoy the first afternoon looking abound the resort, eyeing the bikinis and other wildlife, getting to know the area, and have a few beers. Hehe, Steve went for a walk around the cay toward sunset and got welcomed by a flock of fruit bats leaving for the night.

Whether you have your briefing in the evening or early in the morning, you'll receive weights and be assigned to a boat, skipper, and DM - then get started. They'll help you as needed.

You might ask about hiring a private DM for a shore dive, but I don't know how that will go.

 

[Doc]

Enjoy the first afternoon looking abound the resort....

It is well accepted that most new arrivals in Paradise are dehydrated from a day of travel- whether they think so or not! In that DCI is most often linked to dehydration, it is likely a bad idea to dive on Day #1.

...and have a few beers.

Drink a lot of water, skip the alcohol, sort out your gear.

Don~ your "dive log" from last week would show the deal... how many dives did you do on which days?
You didn't post that in your report.

 

[DandyDon]

It is well accepted that most new arrivals in Paradise are dehydrated from a day of travel- whether they think so or not! In that DCI is most often linked to dehydration, it is likely a bad idea to dive on Day #1.

Drink a lot of water, skip the alcohol, sort out your gear.

Don~ your "dive log" from last week would show the deal... how many dives did you do on which days?
You didn't post that in your report.

Good thots. If I am diving air, I work at hydration along with my usual half-depth stops and safety stops. Since Ken had set us up with all boat dives on Nitrox for $116 including taxes, we were doing multi-level diving with my usual half-depth stops and safety stops, I am a air hog, 3 boat dives a day for me is enough, and I am a light drinker these days anyway, I didn't think about it much. Looking back over my 17 dives on my dive computer (I just did one dive on the cold day when I failed to take my heavier suit with me, and was ready for a nap day anyway), most were in the 65-95 max depth range, all on Nitrox, and my DC was always deep in the green on leaving the water.

An air diver, a diver who lasts longer than most, and/or one doing extra shore dives might well want to make that a couple of beers, or even be more cautious - always a good thing.

 

[DocYates]

I don't plan on taking my computer, I wanna get away for a week with no attachments to my job...LOL. I do have a new camera and am anxious to give it a try, so I will report back here upon our return and give you a first-timer's impression of the place. Thanks for the tips as well.