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Scuba diving in Barbados

scubaRN

By scubaRN,
in Scuba and Snorkeling

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WISara

WISara

Posted
Posted

We used West Side too. We had Marlon as our DM - went around some wrecks and then a long jaunt down a reef. Very long dive - it was awesome.

 

 

Didn't hear anything about Reefers and Wreckers when we were looking to book back in December... good luck!

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WISara

WISara

Posted
Posted

We used West Side Scuba -- they picked us up and dropped us off right at the terminal.

 

West Side is actually the outfit that Royal Carribean uses for its excursion -- but just call and ask for an afternoon start time and you get the whole boat to yourself - seriously it was BF, me and 1 hotel guy who went off by himself taking pictures and the DM. And we didn't see anyone under the water either.

 

We only ended up doing 1 dive (it was the last stop and we were tired and poor by this point! LOL!) and I think it was ~$50? Included equipment -- they got everything set up for you. Marlon was our DM -- he was great. He let us wander around pretty much by ourselves and then pointed out stuff as we went along (turtles, a small octopus, different coral/fish, a cucumber or two). We were down for a long time (at least 55-60 minutes) and then did a quick safety stop. They have tanks and hoses to rinse off all of the equipment and a shower to rinse yourself off. I don't remember the tank size - but the equipment was all in good shape and very clean. The staff was very friendly - took pictures for us and chatted about diving and the island while we were hanging out waiting to go back to the cruise ship.

 

We are newbie divers (the cruise was my first diving experience after the cert dives) and really enjoyed this dive op -- would definitely consider going there for a land-based trip just to scuba!

 

Hopefully that info helps --- I'm sure you will have a great time no matter who you use! There was great ocean-life and color here!

Sara

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scubaRN

scubaRN

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Yes very helpful. Thanks. I'll let you know what we decide to do. Sure looking forward to diving. This cruise we are only diving in Barbados, so I want it to be a good experience. We've dived in Roatan, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Puerto Vallarta. So we are fairly new divers also, but each place has been wonderful. In Cozumel my husband and I were with one other couple and the dive master. Fantastic guide! In Roatan it was private with just us and the dive master, again a great experience.

 

Nothing like being in the beautiful blue water with all of the aquatic life around you. The time always flys by and we are disappointed we have to surface. Thanks for the input, it is appreciated.

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CruiserRDH

CruiserRDH

Posted
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YES we dove with Michael from Reefers and Wreckers last June 2004. We loved it!! It was just my two sons and myself ... and my non-diver mother-in-law who tagged along for beach fun. We did two different shore dives, one of which was a wreck dive. When we were there last June they had just opened up their new dive shop ... so if you dive with Michael or his brother ... please tell them, Kim, Greg and Brian from Colorado say "HI". Enjoy!!

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Yobro

Yobro

Posted
Posted

We dove with Reefers and wreckers and had a good experience. Very personable and we loved how few people were on our dive boat. 4/04

 

My only beef with them is that I left my wetsuit there and have continually hounded them (offered to send $$) to have them send it back, but all I've only got unfulfilled promises from them. :rolleyes:

 

Other than that they were as good an operation as I've used in the Caribbean. Small and effective.

 

I guess I'll have to book another cruise to Barbados to get it back.

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scubaRN

scubaRN

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Just back from our cruise. We enjoyed our dive with Reefers and Wreckers. Too bad I didn't know about the wet suit, I would have gotten it for ya.

We had a great trip. We were met at the pier by Michael, and dove with Archie. The first dive was a reef, excellent coral life, we saw a spotted moray eel, and turtle and lots of fish. The second dive was to a wreck. Lots of marine life, schools of fish every where. Equipment was good, and everything was as promised. We were back to the ship by 5:00 pm, after a two tank afternoon dive.

 

We were with one other couple from Atlanta who were also from the cruise ship. They also enjoyed the dive.

 

I wore my long wetsuit and was slightly cold by the end of the dive. My husband didn't wear his wetsuit on the first dive and put on his shorty for the second and was fine. Weather was rainy, but who cares we were under the water. Michael reported that the weather this spring has been very rainy.

 

Archie was a great dive master. Checked our dive cards, and stayed close and was informative about the area. Michael is great tour guide, we learned a lot about the history and way of life in Barbados from him. So I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. If you are diving on a Sunday, they might be the only one you can use. Private, one on one service. Cost the same all over Barbados, a little on the high side at $90-100 pp. but oh well, worth it.

Hope that is helpful, it you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them.

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hdcline

hdcline

Posted
Posted

ScubaRn, I will be diving in Barbados the middle of April and don't know which wetsuit to take with me. If you don't mind me asking do you recommend using a 3 mil full or can I get by with a 2 mil shorty?

 

 

 

 

 

Just back from our cruise. We enjoyed our dive with Reefers and Wreckers. Too bad I didn't know about the wet suit, I would have gotten it for ya.

We had a great trip. We were met at the pier by Michael, and dove with Archie. The first dive was a reef, excellent coral life, we saw a spotted moray eel, and turtle and lots of fish. The second dive was to a wreck. Lots of marine life, schools of fish every where. Equipment was good, and everything was as promised. We were back to the ship by 5:00 pm, after a two tank afternoon dive.

 

We were with one other couple from Atlanta who were also from the cruise ship. They also enjoyed the dive.

 

I wore my long wetsuit and was slightly cold by the end of the dive. My husband didn't wear his wetsuit on the first dive and put on his shorty for the second and was fine. Weather was rainy, but who cares we were under the water. Michael reported that the weather this spring has been very rainy.

 

Archie was a great dive master. Checked our dive cards, and stayed close and was informative about the area. Michael is great tour guide, we learned a lot about the history and way of life in Barbados from him. So I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone. If you are diving on a Sunday, they might be the only one you can use. Private, one on one service. Cost the same all over Barbados, a little on the high side at $90-100 pp. but oh well, worth it.

Hope that is helpful, it you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them.

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KATHY JEAN

KATHY JEAN

Posted
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My husband and I dove with Hightide Watersports in December. They were great. The Stavronikita is a must. We saw an 8 foot Baracuda. If you are there on a Thursday you can dive with oceanogerphers and help them to catch and tag sea turtles. Happy diving!

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