Instant Reader Report
on aquamarine dive / blue waters inn in
Trinidad and Tobago / tobago / speyside on
2003/05
by
glen kitchens , nm, usa
Report Number 030628140213250

 Australia; Fiji; Micronesia; Many Carribean locations; Papua New Guinea;
Mexican cenotes;  

Dive Conditions

Stay with divemaster, due to strong currents on most dives;  

Due to water shortage, dive shop dunk tank was empty. No water in rooms
after diving. No dunk tank on boat. Boats have no storage for cameras.  

Overall Rating

My dive buddies & I have for years made an annual April - May
pilgrimage to some place none of us have been to before. That's how we
ended up on Tobago. Flight is BWIA from Miami to Port of Spain, Trinidad,
then a puddle-jump to Crown Point, Tobago. We got there at 10PM. That's
where the trouble started. Blue Waters Inn is a one-hour taxi ride ($50 /
cab)from the airport. We had paid for transfers both ways. No one was
there to pick us up. It took two taxis to haul divers & gear. The next
day, we approached management about reimbursement for taxis - they told us
in no uncertain terms that we arrived after normal operating hours, &
would not be reimbursed.

Next, we discovered that water rationing was in effect & water was on
only a few hours at night, except the last night we were there, when water
never came on at all. Most of the staff at Blue Waters gave the distinct
impression that they were doing us a favor by being there. Don't dare walk
wet into the open-air bar - they will toss you out. Lodge location, just
out of Speyside, is a very scenic location with good beach. The rooms are
spacious with plenty of storage, but the new air conditioners do not cool
the rooms.

Shore diving is allowed, but only until 4PM, due to strong current at
north point of bay. Night dives only by boat, at $50 / person. PSI in
tanks not consistent - anywhere from 2,500 PSI up. All diving we were
offered was within ten minutes' boat travel from the dock, which allows
for shore break between dives. All dives were drift dives with good
visibility & reefs in good shape. Pretty good macro subjects, but no
big fish. Boat exit & entry was often complicated by surge &
waves. Boats are crowded with no storage space, especially for cameras
& no dunk tank. One of my buddies had his camera passed to him in the
water with one strobe dangling on the cord, the mount having been broken
in the boat, after we got in the water.

All dives are led by divemasters, who don't seem to appreciate meaning of
drift diving, on several occasions leading divers against strong currents
with intent (my opinion) to shorten dives. Once back at the Aquamarine
dive shop, no water in the camera dunk tank, & no water in the rooms -
not a good situation for cameras. Oh, & we got to see the world's
largest brain coral (you've all seen the picture in magazines)on three
separate dives.

My buddies & I have stayed in some pretty rough places around the
world (Papua New Guinea comes to mind), but this one ranks right up there.
Oh, & the majority crowd at Blue Waters is birders, not divers. So,
don't plan to stay up late & get rowdy - birders can be a cranky
bunch! At least our transfer back to the airport was paid for. 

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