Question about Hartley's Helmet Dive

[curlyjbs]

We would love to try this excursion. Hubby and I are a little "plump". I'd hate to be embarrassed if the wetsuits don't fit :eek:

 

Are they mandatory? We will be in Bermuda the first week of Nov....will the water be too cold?

[Deb1113]

I am also wondering about the wetsuits. I have leg circulation problems and can't wear anything tight. What are the chances I will need one in early-mid June?

[NextOne]

We didn't use the wetsuits for our dive last year and that was early June.

[Pleiades]

I will be cruising to Bermuda in September on Explorer of the Seas...generally how many dives happen during that time? Also it seems that your excursion is only available through the ship on a Tues...are there less people when booking privately? I was thinking of doing it through the ship just for the time slot.

 

Thanks

There are usualy 4 dives per trip when it's busy. Mid to late September will be a bit slower as the school year is just starting.

 

 

 

We would love to try this excursion. Hubby and I are a little "plump". I'd hate to be embarrassed if the wetsuits don't fit :eek:

 

Are they mandatory? We will be in Bermuda the first week of Nov....will the water be too cold?

We get this question a lot and we have a wide range of sizes as a result. The wetsuits are completely optional, but by November you may want one (72-74F).

 

 

 

I am also wondering about the wetsuits. I have leg circulation problems and can't wear anything tight. What are the chances I will need one in early-mid June?

The water will still be a bit cooler than is ideal, but by that time of year many people are opting not to wear the suits. We could probably give you the next size up so it isn't tight, but that defeats the point and won't keep you warm if it's loose.

[Deb1113]

Thanks for the responses. One more question - do you breath normally (through your nose) or do you have to breath through your mouth like you do while snorkeling?

[Pleiades]

You can breathe through your mouth or nose, nothing is touching your face. Deep breaths are not recommended as the water level will rise momentarily until the air pump replaces the air you breathed in.

[Deb1113]

Thanks again for the response. I will most likely be signing up through my cruise ship.

[chickadee1]

My dh and I have this booked for our cruise and after reading Ben's answers to the many questions, I am quite sure we will love it. I went snorkeling before but due to my myopic eyes - did not see anything! I am looking forward to seeing the fish! Can't wait!

[Deb1113]

I'm signed up through my cruise ship, The Summit for 6/11. I can't wait. I'm just hoping the water is warm enough, not to wear a wetsuit.

[dmr19]

Is there any advantage to signing up through the cruise ship or directly through Hartleys? We will be on the Dawn.

Thanks,

Dianne

[chickadee1]

We booked through the cruise ship. The difference in price was $2. per person BUT we were picked up and brought back to the ship's pier - that is a great advantage, I think.

[cannoneer]

Looks like the price differance is $19/person higher when booking thru the ship

[Deb1113]

Ben - I had a great time on Friday - despite having to wear the wetsuit. The video is beautiful.

 

Debbie

[rps2004]

We did the dive on 5/19 off of the 5/16 sailing of the Veendam. The dive itself is one of the most amazing excursions we have ever done. We are in our 60s and were accompanied by two granddaughters - ages 14 and 19. Wetsuits were easy to put on and take off. Ben and his father make it very user friendly. It's strange and wonderful to be on the ocean floor, breathing normally w/o scuba gear and having a full range of vision to see the fish and the coral reef.

 

Ben: Say hello to your Mom and Dad.

 

Richard

[maryanne356]

Has anyone ever taken a non diver along on this excursion? Is the boat small and does it have enough space for everyone to sit comfortably? We are traveling with 7 people, all 6 of us are booked to do the hemet dive, but just wondering if it would be worth it to take my mother along so she would not be stuck on the ship by herself while we go on this excursion. Royal Caribbean have a price for a non diver for this excursion

[hftmrock]

Has anyone ever taken a non diver along on this excursion? Is the boat small and does it have enough space for everyone to sit comfortably? We are traveling with 7 people, all 6 of us are booked to do the hemet dive, but just wondering if it would be worth it to take my mother along so she would not be stuck on the ship by herself while we go on this excursion. Royal Caribbean have a price for a non diver for this excursion

 

This is an excellent question for me as well. I have my DW, DD- 9 and DS - 15 and my DS does not want to do this but all of the rest do. We cant leave him on the ship himself so either we have him come and not dive or we dont go.

 

(BTW - I am going to be on the Norwegian Dawn)

 

Thanks

[chickadee1]

You would have to e-mail Hartley's to see if there is a special rate for non-divers. There was one woman on our trip who said she had never planned to dive and she never mentioned paying less. As it was, her husband was suffering from motion sickness and he never went down either as they were scheduled for the last dive group and by then it was very, very rocky!

 

Really lots of fun - everyone from young to 80 went diving on our trip. It is not a physically difficult trip and Greg and his helper will be pleased to help you. They really want everyone to have a super experience and they were very encouraging for everyone - even those who didn't dive down- to dive and seemed genuinely disappointed when a couple people chose not to dive. Really a great excursion!

[chickadee1]

This is an excellent question for me as well. I have my DW, DD- 9 and DS - 15 and my DS does not want to do this but all of the rest do. We cant leave him on the ship himself so either we have him come and not dive or we dont go.

 

(BTW - I am going to be on the Norwegian Dawn)

 

Thanks

 

BTW - teenage boys are notorious for controlling the family's good time. I am sure if your DS to dive, he would love it! Just make sure you plan something he really wants to do! My sons (25 and 27) would have loved to have had the opportunity to cruise at 15 but we weren't able to afford it - or so we thought!

[rps2004]

$40 for non divers. Everyone should dive. Experience of a lifetime

 

Richard

[NYGirl1002]

I did the Hartley dive a couple of weeks ago when in Bermuda. Greg is so nice and informative.

 

The water was very rough the day we were there. I am a little chubby and I could not for the life of me get the wet suit on so Greg gave me one with short sleeves and it came up to my knees. Went on very easily.

 

My daughter and I loved the dive. We were in the first group and after we were done we watched the other 2 groups on the computer monitor.

 

It was our favorite excursion.

[travelgip]

i'm going on RCCL Explorer in October and can't wait, this is the one excursion I have been most looking forward to (and the only one I plan to take)

[Pleiades]

Riders/Observers are half price when booking with us directly, I don't know what the shore excursions charge, we have no control over their pricing. Riders under 5 are free.

 

If you are not sure whether you wish to dive or just observe you must make the decision before you reserve a space. If you make a reservation as a diver there are no refunds if you decide not to dive at the last minute. If you make a reservation as a rider, you may be allowed to upgrade to the diver price if there is space.

 

The boat's capacity is 40 but our working maximum is 28.

 

To all the "survivors" who have been diving with us: thank you for taking the time to post your positive comments. It is always nice to be reminded that people have such a great time.