Who's been diving in Barbados and what did you think??

[DiveBarbadosBlue]

Hello all my happy divers.
I am not finding information and/or feedback on dive experiences in Barbados and would love to hear the word from some of our past or future divers. The great, phenomenal, good, bad and the ugly. I'm looking forward to this, and thank you in advance for your time

 

[Cecil]

We went last year and I was pleasently surprised by the diving. The reefs are beautiful and vibrant. The island and beautiful and the people wonderful. That's the good the bad was the cost, Barbados is not a cheap date. Our one week trip to Barbados costs pretty much twice as much as the same trip to Bonaire. Here's a slideshow of our trip.

http://srv04.allenhost.com/~ceadmin/Barbados2007.exe

 

[DiveBarbadosBlue]

Thank you for the reply...I was starting to think no one had been to Barbados. Opening the video now...

 

[RICHinNC]

Do a search for the two trip reports on here from my trips. There should be two I think, even though I have been four times.

The diving is pretty good. There are a coupld of shore dives. The best shore dive is Carlisle Bay. Eight wrecks lie at the bottom between 45 and 60 feet so you get some good bottom time. The area is cordoned off so the chances of being run over by a boat are low. Another shore dive is Folkestone Park. A good bit of boat traffic so be careful.

My fav dive ops is Dive Barbados Ltd run by John Moore and his wife Mary. He is on here as Sculpin. If you have never done a turtle tagging, give High Tide a try.

There is tons to do above the surface as well. Def rent a car as driving on the island is not hard. The worse part is getting through Bridgetown the first time and back as it isnt the same route.

If you have more questions feel free to pm me.

 

[DiveBarbadosBlue]

RICHinNC...thank you for the reply. I thought it was more obvious in our user profile (or somewhere we are still new to SB), but we are an operator at the Hilton Hotel in Barbados.....so I don't want to give divers, snorkellers and hopefuls the impression that we are a general diver or world traveler. I am just looking for the baseline...where does Barbados stand and what 2 cents can we ad. At Barbados Blue we have 2 on-staff Marine Biologists (I myself am one and am still publishing/presenting etc through the university on graduate work). We may or may not have some extra info we can help provide etc. I love this island and what is has to offer above and below the water. Please continue to let us know what you know and by all means let us know if we can help. Again many thanks for your time. Best

 

[Clyderyde]

If you are looking for general feedback about the island or any dive location for that matter, I'd suggest checking out "Undercurrent".

Undercurent started before the intenet as a monthly dive publication that did not accept advertising, giving divers info on resorts and operators that was not colored by $$$. They still exist today which is a testiment to the quality of their work (our our supidity) even though a yearly subscription is over $60 USD.

Luckily for your purposes Undercurrent has most if not all their reports from over the years availible online now and they offer monthly online memberships that are about $10.00.
Undercurrent.org

You're probably also aware that Tripadvisor.com also has good reviews of destinations. While not specifically dive related, you will find a pretty good precentage of trip reports that mention the local dive operator.

Personally I've traveled through Barbados several times, but never stayed. All I know about your country is that it has a pretty good airport. I guess I need to stop and stay awhile someday.

I hope this helps

Clyderyde

 

[Bosun]

We have been to Barbados twice for dive holidays. I remember the Stav what a great dive. First trip we used Exploresub and West Side scuba for the second. Like Cecil we have found Bonaire to be much more cost effective for diving holidays.

 

[RICHinNC]

My first trip there was in 2001 and my last was last year. The airport has undergone phenominal changes and really is nice.

 

[Nubiesan]

Is one area better than another for diving? The "Best of Barbados" promo for trips from $399 from Miami for 7 nights in Septemeber are inticing, but I am unfamiliar with the island and wonder where to stay.

 

[DiveBarbadosBlue]

Sorry for the delay, been underwater too much In terms of places to stay in Barbados we dive the length of the south and west coasts, with some east coast diving when the currents and weather allow. The west adn south coasts are designed to accomodate visitors with hotels, villas, apt, restaurants, bars, shops etc. The east adn north coasts are beautiful stunning examples of rural and natural Barbados. Between the south and west coast the west is a bit more pricy, and higher end accomodation. The south coast has a varied selection of high end, intermediate and very affordable accommodation. Landmarks of the south coast include St. Lawrence Gap (night life and restaurants), Oistin's (fishing town with great fish markets and outdoor grill parties on Friday nights). Bridgetown the capital is on the south west corner between the two coasts, and of course we are just below Bridgetown on the peninsula that is the southwest corner of the island. Great bank reefs and wrecks dives. Lots of turtles. I may have missed your interest from last month but Barbados is always worth considering. I hope you got through and let us know if you are indeed on your way down
Best