I just got back after doing two days with 6paq Scuba. The earlier post about the boat is pretty close. It's a ~26' center console catamaran with twin outboards. It's not "in disrepair", but it is difficult to find a dry spot and there is no cover from the elements. We had lots of sun one day and squalls the second day. It was hot one day, then cold and wet the second. They had a poncho for the other divers and we'd brought jackets, so no one was miserable.
The diving was great. Wednesday we dove Mingo Cay and Grass Cay. Very simple topography, but it had nice corals and some interesting fish-- the highlight was a 3' octopus that was pretty curious about us. Saturday we dove Little St. James, which has some great rock overhangs that harbor all sorts of fun critters. We then dove Cow and Calf Rocks, which features some amazing swim throughs, trenches, and great topography. Weather was pretty rough, but that had just served to drive the big animals in for shelter. Lots of turtles and a pair of massive nurse sharks (8' plus-- Collette swore the bigger one was 12). Two great sites.
The captain and DM were great. Collette, the owner, dove with us Saturday. She's wacky and fun. They had beginner divers on the boat with us both days. On Wednesday they were doing open water dives 3-4 for one woman, which drove the selection of the easier sites. We had attempted another one for dive #2 but there was enough current that she couldn't have done it comfortably. On Saturday the one beginner on the boat decided to sit out after she found the swell (3'+) and significant surge at 40' more than she was comfortable with. The crew was defitely used to dealing with novice divers, with dive briefings discussing some of the specific skills needed on the site and the boat. (Entry is a roll dive, and for exit they want you to remove gear in the water before climbing the ladder). We weren't doing classes, so I can't comment on how good they were at teaching.
If you're looking for luxury, 6Paq is not your boat. They did provide lots of water to drink and granola bars for the surface interval. If you're looking to avoid 40 person cattle boats, have some fun, and get to see some great dive sites, they're terrific. We'd dive with them again if we go back.
doeandjohn, we were booked to dive with St. John Dive Adventures last Thursday morning 7/27, and Larry called me at 6:45 AM to cancel due to the weather. It was nasty enough that we agreed with him without a second thought. (Severe thunderstorms overnight with forecasts of 30 kts for the morning hours.) I'm surprised to hear you were out with him. Makes me wonder why he cancelled? His operation seemed a little bit disorganized-- his scheduling was pretty loose, and he said he didn't take credit cards. Glad to hear it worked out for you. We'd still try him again another trip due to his east end location.
Amazingly, with all the rough weather this past week, we watched the water temps start the week at 82 and drop to 77 by our last dive. How's that for a change!
FloppyFoot