We were on the Aqua Cat the last week of August when Tropical Storm Isaac was blowing by. It cost us a day of diving, but we got to relax on board the Aqua Cat in the harbor. While docked, the boat has wifi internet access, so it made the day go by quickly enough.
As for the diving, here is what I reported on Undercurrent, too:
Because of the storm, it is likely that the conditions were not as good as usual. Thus the choppy seas that made boat re-entry tough, low viz, and unexpected currents that we encountered may be more of the exception than the rule.
Good: Really nice boat with spacious quarters. Good, healthy meals. Two good showers on the dive deck for washing off after dives. The captain and crew tried to make the best of a bad situation (i.e., the storm), trying to find dive sites with reasonable visibility. They handled camera equipment properly. Two large camera rinse tanks. Nitrox mixes were very consistent at 32-33%.
Bad: The lionfish have ravaged the reefs. We saw large lionfish on every dive, usually actively hunting. They tend to like the swim throughs and crevices, so you had to watch out when in those. Once we came upon more than ten who were gorging on a school of silversides. (One plus was that we witnessed lionfish attacking other fish. I had no idea they were so fast!)
The mostly new, multinational crew did their job helping us into and out of the water, but they were clearly not all that familiar with the dive sites, sometimes neglecting to mention currents and boat orientation. Tank fills were usually 2800 psi (which they defined as "full".) The crew were polite, but only one made any serious attempts to get to know us. Perhaps they were uncomfortable being with an older group of serious divers who cared more about diving than partying.
Overall, we liked the boat itself. The crew did their jobs, but did not merit the 15% tip they expected. The sharks were cool, but most of the reefs had very few of the usual Caribbean fish to observe. Night life underwater was equally sparse although there were plenty of rays and blood worms out.
If all you want to do is dive with sharks in the Bahamas, I recommend Stuart Cove's shark adventure.
As for the diving, here is what I reported on Undercurrent, too:
Because of the storm, it is likely that the conditions were not as good as usual. Thus the choppy seas that made boat re-entry tough, low viz, and unexpected currents that we encountered may be more of the exception than the rule.
Good: Really nice boat with spacious quarters. Good, healthy meals. Two good showers on the dive deck for washing off after dives. The captain and crew tried to make the best of a bad situation (i.e., the storm), trying to find dive sites with reasonable visibility. They handled camera equipment properly. Two large camera rinse tanks. Nitrox mixes were very consistent at 32-33%.
Bad: The lionfish have ravaged the reefs. We saw large lionfish on every dive, usually actively hunting. They tend to like the swim throughs and crevices, so you had to watch out when in those. Once we came upon more than ten who were gorging on a school of silversides. (One plus was that we witnessed lionfish attacking other fish. I had no idea they were so fast!)
The mostly new, multinational crew did their job helping us into and out of the water, but they were clearly not all that familiar with the dive sites, sometimes neglecting to mention currents and boat orientation. Tank fills were usually 2800 psi (which they defined as "full".) The crew were polite, but only one made any serious attempts to get to know us. Perhaps they were uncomfortable being with an older group of serious divers who cared more about diving than partying.
Overall, we liked the boat itself. The crew did their jobs, but did not merit the 15% tip they expected. The sharks were cool, but most of the reefs had very few of the usual Caribbean fish to observe. Night life underwater was equally sparse although there were plenty of rays and blood worms out.
If all you want to do is dive with sharks in the Bahamas, I recommend Stuart Cove's shark adventure.
