Dive Op Reviews
Which Dive Operations Are The Best? Look Through Our Reviews...
Dive Op Review
Aquatrek Fiji (Taveuni)
Aquatrek is who we called and booked our entire trip through. This made things very easy - and we got a great deal, but there were also a couple of hiccups.
When we arrived at the Nadi airport, we found that Air Pacific had failed to get our luggage to Fiji - we then had to hop on a small prop plane run by Fiji Air to get to Taveuni, which has to have the absolute worst customer service I have ever seen for an airline (story for another time).
Our scuba vacation started on the island of Taveuni at the Garden Island Resort (that review is here). Aquatrek dive shop is located on the resort grounds, and very convenient. We were very happy to find that the dive shop would provide us rental gear at no charge until our luggage made it over from the States.
[ 1 Comment(s) ]
Dive Op Review
Dive House COZUMEL
Dive house was very well run. We did 13 dives in 4 days. Never the same site twice. Ask your DM to take you to Palancar and Columbia Deep, Paradise is too shallow and not much to see.
Tormentos is another good reef.
If you do not tell the dm's where you want to go, they will take you to the closest reef to the hotel, so they can get back quickly. SO make sure to ask them where YOU want to go.
Make sure and reserve your trip to punta sur, the signature dive of cozumel. It is 10 dollars more but well worth it. Also, they have 100 cu ft tanks available to those air hogs out there for 6 bucks more. The night dive was cool..
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Dive Op Review
NEKTON BELIZE ~ March 12-19th 2005
I have been diving for over 10 years. This was my first "liveaboard" trip. I was very exited. I was going with a good buddy Divemaster named "Larry" and his "instructor" Buddy named Joe.
Continental offers a direct flight for me from Newark to Belize and even though we were 1/2 hr late departing, we quickly made it up in the air. Customs was a breeze entering.
We waited for the van for Nekton to pick us up and were met by Jeff, a young college student aged lad. Alex, the driver, picked up our bags and kept us company while we wated for the next plane to arrive an hour later... Not very cool , considering it was 90 + degrees out... SO I waited in the van..Nice and cool in there. They weren't making multiple runs to the airport as Gas prices were recently hiked.
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Dive Op Review
Dive Safaris (Dive Op Review) : St. Maarten
Dive Op Name: Dive Safaris
Address: Bobby's Marina, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, NA.
Phone: 011-599-545-3213
Email: divesafaris@caribserve.net
Website: http://www.diveguideint.com/divesafaris
http://www.thescubashop.net
http://www.divestmaarten.com
Staff Rating: 8.5/10
They, like most modern dive shops hire divemasters from around the world. They all seamed excited about diving and tried to be as courteous and accommodating as possible
They do a lot of cruise ship divers and if you don't let them know your interest they tend to point out the same eels, lobsters, stingrays and scorpion fish over and over, but they can be very helpful in helping find the stuff you are interested in (for me I'm on a macro kick). Sometimes it may be better to go out on the second boat and sometimes the first. If you are spending several days there talk to them they are very accommodating.
[ 1 Comment(s) ]
Dive Op Review
Lands End Dive OP: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
We went to Cabo San Lucas Mexico in march 2004. I had pre- booked diving with a site I had found on the internet. However, when I arrived, the phone number I was given of course did not work. I went to the concierge and had them call him . The office phone was disconnected and the mobile # was a voicemail, who by the way never called me back.
So what was I to do? I needed to dive!
I went with the concierge's recommendation and was very, very happy with Land's End Divers.
http://www.mexonline.com/landsend.htm
I am happy to see that someone else here on the board recommends them. My Divemaster's name was Chalo. An unforgettable character who I would dive with any day. He went very out of his way to make sure I had a great time. I did about 6 dives and each one different. From Pelican Rock to Neptunes Finger. We dove Lover's Beach and Land's End. Pelican Rock and Neptune's finger are multiple dives and you'll not see the same fish twice. We also saw the Sand Falls, very nice. I was disappointed by lack of Sharks though. The marine life was abundant, with Pufferfish, Grunts, Squirrlefish, Parrotfish and Grouper.
[ 1 Comment(s) ]
Dive Op Review
Nekton Rorqual / Southern Belize
Overall rating: 7
Dive Operation Name: Nekton Rorqual (Liveaboard: Southern Belize Itinerary)
Address: Belize
Phone: (800) 899-6753
Website: Nekton Diving Cruises
Type: Liveaboard
Cost: (per dive/or package + days) $1500 (+$100 for Nitrox which was later refunded) / 25 dives
Staff: 8/10
Were they organized? Yes
Did they have a method for accounting for your presence on the boat? Yes (sign in board)
Were they knowledgeable about the area? Fairly, the boat did a last minute change with the Pilot and the crew had only made one or two runs through the area.
Did they point out underwater life? Yes
Were they Friendly/Personable? Definitely
Were they interested in helping you have a good time? Yes
Did you feel safe? Always
[ 1 Comment(s) ]
Dive Op Review
Anthony's Key Resort (Dive Op) : Roatan, Honduras
Anthony's Key Resort is an all inclusive resort that includes accomodations, meals and diving. It is located on Roatan, one of the Bay Islands, just off the coast of Honduras in Central America. Because this resort is all-inclusive, I will be providing 2 Undercover Diver reports. This one covers the diving Facilities. The other report will include information on the room, meals and service provided by the resort.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Dive Operation Name: Anthony's Key Resort
Address: Sandy Bay, Roatan, Honduras (Bay Islands)
Phone: 800.227.3483 (Reservations)
Email: akr@anthonyskey.com
Website: http://www.anthonyskey.com
Type: Standard Dive Operation
Cost: $825 for room, diving (3 dives per day + 2 night dives + unlimited shore dives), 3 meals a day
Staff: 9/10
Were they organized? Yes
Did they have a method for accounting for your presence on the boat? No - no on board method that I was aware of.
Were they knowledgeable about the area? Yes
Did they point out underwater life? Yes
Were they Friendly/Personable? Yes
Were they interested in helping you have a good time? Yes
Did you feel safe? Yes
Comments on staff: Aside from them being not quite as outgoingly nice as the AKR 'hotel' staff - they were still very friendly.
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Dive Op Review
Blue Angel Dive Shop - Cozumel, Mexico
OVERALL RATING: 7
After doing some research on the Internet prior to our trip, we decided to go diving with Blue Angel, versus the dive operation at our resort. The biggest factor in this decision was price. Blue Angel was cheaper and would still come pick us up on the Fiesta Americana dock. When making your arrangements, be sure to mention that you are looking for a package deal. When we went to pay our bill, we discovered that they had changed their quoted price. My advice... print any email communications you have with the company.
[ 2 Comment(s) ]