Trip Report: Beaches Negril

[wills029]

At Beaches Negril, Nov. 28th to Dec. 5th.

Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 were blown out with high winds and the boats stayed in - not a big deal as I was still getting over a cold imported from Canada.

Dec. 2nd - 11 am "shallow" dive - "Island Reef" - max 30 ft depth. The water was still quite rough and the visibility ~ 40 ft due to the waves. Saw lots of small fish; good dive for my eleven-year old son.

Dec. 3rd - 9 am dive - "Coral Gardens" - max 80 ft depth. Back to typical Negril 100 ft plus visibility. Strong enough current for a drift dive. Lots of fish variety and the coral heads were in great shape (less diver traffic).

Dec. 3rd - 11 am "shallow" dive - "Fanta-Sea" max depth 70 ft plus - we stayed up on the reef. Coral in good shape, lots of smaller fish - like most diving in Negril, the variety is there if you move slowly and look. Current still pretty strong so drifted with the flow. Another good dive for my son - he did a free drifting safety stop and was spot on with his buoyancy control.

Dec. 4th - 9 am dive - "Tugboat" - max 90 ft depth. Excellent dive!! My first time on the Tugboat. There is no mooring so we had a bit of swim to the wreck after descent. Two "big" green morays have taken up residence inside the hull. Lots of life on this dive - turtle, trigger fish, angels, solitary and barracuda schools, etc. Coral in great shape

Dec. 4th - 11 am "shallow" dive - the "Throne Room" max depth 60 ft. Great view from the Throne Room - white sand bottom against a deep blue background. Lots of fish and great Negril 100 ft plus viz. Nice way to end a mini-get away in November.

Plan to be in Coz in January and then back to Negril for March Break with the kids - looking forward to diving the Tugboat and my old favourites - Deep Plane, Shark's Reef, Kingfish Point.....

As always, the dive team at Beaches Negril was outstanding. Thanks Damion, Norman, Craig, Samuel, Karen, Captain Desrick, and Macky the high energy dive photog.

BTW, looks like Couples Swept Away lost one of their Newton 36 dive boats on Dec. 3rd. It got washed up against the rocks on Frenchman Hole, and could not be pulled off before it got smashed up.

Irie.....

 

[ibj40]

Thanks for the update on dive conditions in Negril. We'll be back there in 2013 (our third trip), and can't wait.

 

[Juardis]

Irie, we're considering Beaches as well. I understand it's a lot like Sandals diving in that everyone descends, follows a DM, then ascend together? Is that the gist of it? About how long were the dives? At Sandals it's first one in the group that hits 1000 psi ends the dive, or about 35-40 minutes, whichever comes first. Also, I'm surprised they let you down to 90 ft. Is that common? Sandals put the floor at 60 ft. Which had the added benefit of extending the dives, but still...

 

[wills029]

Hey Juardis,

I've been diving with Beaches Negril quite a few times. They generally follow the 1000 psi or 35 minutes rule, and keep the group together.

As to depth, the 11 am dive is the designated shallow dive, typically around 30-40 feet, as Discover Scuba divers and open water students are typically on this dive. For the 9 am dive, I request the deeper dive sites, e.g. Kingfish Point, Deep Plane, Shark's Reef, Tugboat, and depending on the experience level of the group we'll do the dive. If the experience level isn't there, we typically do the shallower deep dives - Shallow Plane, the Throne Room, Arches - all cool dives too.

I don't go to Beaches Negril primarily for the diving. It's really a family trip - there is a lot for the kids to do, love the Resort and people there, and get to do some nice relaxing dives in warm water (83 F in November!!) without paying extra.

Irie Mon!!

-Wills

 

[wills029]

Just to add to my previous report.

The water temp at depth for all five dives was 83 to 84 F. Nice!!

 

[Warhammer]

Ouch, I hate that Couples Swept Away lost their boat. Hope they get it replaced before we go back next year.

 

[wills029]

For sure. The Newton is a great dive boat. Beaches has a Newton 42, and it has always been very comfortable even when fully loaded.