Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

Dive Review of Dive Aruba/Boardwalk in
Aruba

Dive Aruba/Boardwalk, Dec, 2004,

by Bob Souza, CA, USA . Report 1543.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Went to Aruba to allow my recently certified wife to build up experience prior to hitting some more advanced destinations. Aruba was not my first (or second) choice, but we were using United frequent flier miles and it ended up being the only place to work out.
Booked ourselves on-line at the Boardwalk (www.arubaboardwalk.com), a small 12 room resort acroos the street from the beach at the far end of the high rise hotel area, and reserved diving on-line with Clive Paula at Dive Aruba (www.divearuba.com). Both turned out to be excellent choices.
The Boardwalk was fantastic, very pleasant and clean. The casitas were large and equipped with full kitchens, utensils, outside decks, bar-b-que, cable tv, vcr/dvd (with free movies at the office!),etc. They have a small pool area that can be used repectably at any hour. The supermarkets in town were well stocked and reasonably priced, and we had the majority of our meals at our place. Would definately stay there again if returning.
Dive Aruba is a one man show with Clive doing everything. He promptly picked us up every morning at the resort (without any moaning about ours being the furthest spot from town, even the days we were the only divers). The only hitch in his routine is that our first day diving we went to his house in town to do the waivers and set up weight belts .. and then went their again on the days he had other first day divers. This took a little while, so it seemed slow to get in the water, but after day 1 I just went with the flow. His boat is adequate size for the maximum 7 divers, but could be a little tight if a few camera fanatics were aboard (we never had any). Clive has a regular dive schedule, and had no qualms about motoring out to one of the farthest sites (about 1/2 hour) on one day when I was the only diver. Back roll entry ie easy, and entry is via ladder after removing fins. CLive provided ample assistance with those who needed it. Good dive briefings, and he was able to handle divers with varying skill levels very well. No time limits, most all our dives we went over an hour. Loose group under water, stay with your buddy .. on days I dove alone it was no problem to drop solo down to deeper spots while he guided the others. He always had cold drinks and some fresh fruit onboard. All in all an excellent small group operation.
Diving in Aruba was good enough to keep me interested throughout the week. No large fish or pelagics, but plenty to keep you occupied. The wrecks were interesting (the Jane C was a very good dive)and the reefs were generally healthy. Plenty of Caribbean tropicals, octupus, shrimp and many eels (green, chain and golden). Did a great night dive on an airplane wreck highlighted by catching an octupus feasting on an eel.
All in all Aruba pleasantly exceeded my expectations. Well developed island with great beaches, friendly people, good food and decent diving.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Bonaire, Dominca, Bay Islands, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Fiji, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Greneda, St. Vincent, Los Cabos ....
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas
Water Temp 76-77°F / 24-25°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Clive at Dive Aruba did a wonderful job of accessing divers skill levels and providing each the guidance or freedom they needed. No time limit enforced, on the contrary maximum time/enjoyment was encouraged. Almost all dives were over 60 minutes.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 59 dive reviews of Aruba and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Aruba reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

Undercurrent Home


Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email.
And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.08 seconds