Instant Reader Report
on Carriacou Silver Divers / Ben & Jenny's Guesthouse in
Grenada / Carriacou on
2003/01
by
Chuck and Nancy Anson , CA, USA
Report Number 030213151222986

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 Caribbean 

Dive Conditions

130', 500 psi, 60 minutes, safety stops  

Seperate rinse for cameras if you asked.  Crew handled equipment
professionally.  No seperate camera tables on boat.  Film and batteries
available in stores but no spare parts for cameras.  

Overall Rating

CARRIACOU (pronounced: Kari-uh-coo), Arawak for “Island of Reefs” is a
ninety minutes north of Grenada by ferry.  This small island (pop. 8000)
dotted with pristine reefs is notable for its great abundance and
diversity of underwater life and Max and Claudia Nagel of Carriacou Silver
Diving (CSD) take great pleasure in showing it off.  CSD is a PADI 5 Star
Gold Palm IDC Center that makes diver safety and satisfaction their top
priorities.   Max (owner/PADI Master Instructor) and Leander (boat
captain/PADI Divemaster) were present on all the dives.  Both are highly
skilled and completely accommodating.  Whatever you desire, just make it
known and they will try and make it happen.  They knew how to attend to
those who needed help and let the seasoned divers do their own thing. 
There were rarely more than 6 divers on a single boat and there was always
someone in the boat on the surface to pick you up.  Dive restrictions were
130’, 500 psi or 60 minutes.  Tank fills were always 3,000 psi plus. 
Entries were back roll and exits were by sturdy ladder.  A camera rinse
tank was made available upon request.  Gear storage was available at the
dive shop.  It was a short walk across the street to a sandy beach where
you waded in waist deep and passed your gear up to the boat driver.  Most
dive sites were within 5-10 minutes.  All dives were preceded by a
thorough briefing.   Surface intervals were spent on shore.  If you were
doing an afternoon dive, your gear stayed on the boat and tanks were
changed and ready to go again in the afternoon.  Rental equipment was well
maintained.  I got my regulator serviced by CSD and it works better than
ever.

We stayed at Ben & Jenny’s Guesthouse, a fully furnished apartment 12
minutes walk from the dive shop. ($35 US/night)  Website:
www.grenadines.net/carriacou/bandj.html  It had a large kitchen, separate
dining area, good sized sleeping area with a comfortable bed and TV.  No
phone or hot water, but the “cold” was luke warm so it was tolerable.  The
second week we stayed at Peace Haven, an upstairs apartment directly on the
beach. ($45 US/ night) Phone: 473-443-8365   Same amenities + hot water. 
Sunsets were beautiful from both locations.  We opted to do most of our
own cooking and found the stores adequate.  Fresh vegetables arrived
twice/week by boat and there was fresh bread daily at the bakery.  There
were plenty of good restaurants in Hillsborough at reasonable prices for
those who enjoy eating out.     

We flew in and out of Grenada on American Eagle from San Juan.  The Osprey
ferry between Grenada and Carriacou is a modern, clean and reliable form of
transportation.  Claudia arranged a taxi tour of Carriacou that proved to
be an excellent way to spend our last day on the island.  We had
originally planned to stay for 10 days but we were having so much fun that
we extended our stay another week.  CSD Website: www.scubamax.com email:
scubamax@caribsurf.com
 

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