Three dives/day - Turks and Caicos

[HowDidIGetIntoThis?]

While I've also encountered it elsewhere I'm only now asking the question: Why do most dive operators limit their standard offerings to two dives per day?

Perhaps I'm the only greedy one but, after paying big bucks to get to a dive destination, I'd like to get in as many dives as the computer allows.

I've seen situations elsewhere where afternoon winds are a regular occurrence and conditions are not conducive to going out. In yet other countries it seemed that tourists would rather drink beer than get back on the boat after lunch. Is there a similarly simple explanation for Provo?

Thanks,
HDIGIT

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Bravo , It always amazes me why they do not offer up to 4 dives a day to people who travel to dive . It is almost liveaboard only if you want to dive hard .
It would be nice to be able to do two in morning , and two in the afternoon , odd night dive .
I am at the stage in my life I do not want to see the sites and meet the people , take me to the reef

 

[KeithG]

Supply & demand maybe?

A large proportion of vacation divers travel with non diving family. They can only get a partial day pass and must make nice for the rest of the day. Getting up "early" to get a pair of dives in is fine as long as they are around to go shopping in the afternoon.

My general observation is that afternoon diving is less popular, even at dive resorts. Fewer / less full boats go out. Maybe because it is too stinkin hot?

Sounds like you need to start looking for diving resorts as opposed to resorts that have diving. There are multiple places where you can find more dive opportunities than a run of the mill Caribbean resort.

 

[HowDidIGetIntoThis?]

Good point, giffenk. This trip will be with my non-diving family so I'll be grateful for whatever time I get to spend blowing bubbles. From what I've read on Scubaboard, Provo gets a lot of beginner and vacation divers so perhaps the majority are indeed happy with the half-day jaunts.

I asked the question because I can think of other places that were very much intended to be dive resorts and, even there, the norm was two tanks in the morning. One can always find a way to get more dives but it tends to be pricier if it isn't part of the operator's standard offering.

 

[PatW]

I was at Salt Cay some years back and they did 3 dives per day.

I asked why they did not offer 4 dives per day. I was told that it was not good for a dive master to do more than 3 dives per day. That makes sense. The dive master has to do the diving over a long period of time. Also, maybe the dive master would like a little time off.

Now CoCo View on Roatan is famous for offering 2 boat dives, 2 drop off dives and as many shore dives as you want per day. The dive master only does the two boat dives. Fpt the others, you are on your own.

 

[gizmo1972]

hi guys
i live in Provo
the 2 dives a day is down to mainly where the boats go the trips out to the different areas eg . west caicos , french cay or North west point take at least 1.5hrs each way then 1hr -1.5hr dive min surface time is 1 hr then repeat dive times then 1.5hrs return ( alot of the people that day boat dive have non diving family that are waiting back at the hotel waiting for them to return too!!) some shops run a 3 dive day if there is intrests then it a case of the boats carry 15-18 dives its the space for 60 tanks on the boat then by the time people get home its looking like 4:30 pm then the crew have to do all the drop offs of the guests back to hotels then back to the boat and cleanning the boats and filling the tanks the crew get home around 19:00 if the boat is just running out to grace bay which is a 15 min run then during the summer then 3 dives a day plus a night dive happens alot all the day boat opperations only night dive out in grace bay once a week the only way to get 5 dives aday is to go the livaboard way !!! either TC Explorer or go the lux route of the Turks & Caicos Aggressor and if you work the costs out dive per dive (and you will be able to night dive at all the different islands!!!) + all your food ,drink, accom and compare the price to the land base you will find its SOOOOOOO much cheaper!! and much more fun!!!

 

[KathyV]

Gizmo, you are so right!

I was just looking through our old log books (while dreaming about our upcoming trip on the T&C Aggressor!) and I figured out that we have done 12 livaboard vacations over the years including 3 Aggressors, 1 Explorer, and 1 Peter Hughes Dancer. We've loved all of our livaboard vacations but the Aggressors were our favorites even though they are a bit pricey - but you "get what you pay for" and sometimes you can take advantage of special offers and repeat customer discounts.

We used the $700 off per diver "Aggressor Fall Frenzy" special promotion to book this trip which brings the price of a deluxe stateroom down to $2095 per diver and that includes all of our food, lodging, and drinks for the week! If the weather is good you can get 20 -25 dives (or more!) during the week. The diving is usually excellent and diverse because you are often going to more remote, less-frequented sites. And you don't have to pay extra for "special dives" like night dives.

Of course, if you are traveling with non-diving friends/family then a livaboard may not be the best option for you. And if you get hit with bad weather during your vacation then there is more comfort and more things to do on a land-based vacation.

But if you haven't tried a livaboard then you should really check them out. They are often great trips with maximum diving opportunities at the cheapest cost, and with the Aggressors we have always had excellent crews/dive operations and delicious food!

...the only way to get 5 dives aday is to go the livaboard way !!! either TC Explorer or go the lux route of the Turks & Caicos Aggressor and if you work the costs out dive per dive (and you will be able to night dive at all the different islands!!!) + all your food ,drink, accom and compare the price to the land base you will find its SOOOOOOO much cheaper!! and much more fun!!!

 

[scubadada]

gizmo1972 is absolutely correct

If you are land-based on Provo, you might want to check with Caicos Adventures Dive Bahamas, in Turks & Caicos Islands, With Caicos Adventures! Dive Bahamas for Incredible Sites & Experiences! They offer a 3 tanker on Thursday and my son and I also did a 1 tank PM and a night dive with them when we visited in 2009