BOSS underwater, scaryness factor?

[fuzzel]

Splitting off from another thread:

St Thomas - Boss Underwater Adventure (NCL) - $238.00

 

Anybody done these and have insight? I am not directly inclined to do one due to having my Open Water Diver, just really wondering how scary it is if at all ;)

(yep, I don't like enclosed or uncontrolled environments)

 

When scuba diving you can always surface in an emergency (well unless you go deeper than 20m then doing a emergency ascent is not advised), which is one of the prime thing one also learns during a OWD course to make one feel quite a bit more comfortable for those situations.

 

The scary part about BOSS to me thus is sitting in a device and not knowing how one would be able to get out.... anybody done this? :)

 

Looking at:

 

Seems to be quite simple to get in/out though and also that one is not too deep (~2m cable to the floater on the surface). There seem to be multiple divers along, which is a good thing who clearly pay a lot of attention to the group too, thus that is definitely a plus ;)

 

And tssk.. fish feeding, that is only for places with little amounts of fish ;)

 

17 excellents on tripadvisor though:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147404-d4278511-Reviews-BOSS_Breathing_Observation_Submersible_Scooter-St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

Oh, and do they tell people how to equalize their ears? (though not really needed maybe as that depth) as that is quite a bit harder when you possibly can't reach your nose which is one of the primary methods used ;)

 

Hmm, I also wonder how fresh (cold) it is as one is not moving at all.

Water temperatures in Jan 2014 where not too warm there.

[utwofan]

I did the Boss excursion in November. Had a great experience. Yes, they feed the fish but with a group of people with no experience you need to have a controlled environment to keep an eye on everyone. No problem in getting in or out and no problem with equalizing ears. They did have a medical emergency after our 1st group on the scooters and they had to cancel the 3rd group to speed back to an ambulance. That passenger was apparently hospitalized as we saw her husband leaving the ship with their luggage. Plenty of staff on board and in the water. Crew was professional throughout even though they started the excursion with lots of joking around to calm those with some apprehension. I would not do it again but glad I gave it a try. I think i would prefer a snuba excursion more.

[whisker2193]

Wasn't as scary as the helmet walk we did in grand cayman. My DD was 12 when we did this in st. Thomas. We had a blast. If DD can do it anybody can. If you have your certification you won't have any problem. Enjoy.

[mrsfuzzmo]

I did one in Cozumel. Easy in and easy out. I did not feel at all "trapped". You don't go deeper than about 15' so if there was an emergency, you could easily just swim up. The only thing that I thought was crazy was how LOUD it was in that bubble! It was awesome though. I would do it again.

[fuzzel]

I did one in Cozumel. Easy in and easy out. I did not feel at all "trapped".

 

The easy in and out what was I was wondering about, great to hear that that is indeed the case that will allow a lot more people to enjoy what is below the sea.

 

The only thing that I thought was crazy was how LOUD it was in that bubble! It was awesome though. I would do it again.

 

Well, most people claim one does not hear much under water while scuba diving either, but if you scream hard enough the sounds carries quite far ;)

 

 

And tomorrow, off to NYC and then the Caribbean ;)