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Dive Review of
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| Reporter | |||
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Dive Experience
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101-250 dives | ||
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Where else diving
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Grand Cayman; Cozumel; Hawaii |
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Dive Conditions |
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Weather
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sunny, windy |
Seas
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choppy |
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Water Temp
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80 to 81 ° Fahrenheit |
Wetsuit Thickness
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0 |
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Water Visibility
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25 to 75 Feet |
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| Dive Policy | |||
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Dive own profile?
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no | ||
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Enforced diving
restrictions
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100 feet (most dives were 50-90 feet) |
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Liveaboard?
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no |
Nitrox Available?
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N/A |
| What I saw | |||
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Sharks
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1 or 2 |
Mantas
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1 or 2 |
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Dolphins
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None |
Whale Sharks
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None |
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Turtles
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1 or 2 |
Whales
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None |
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Ratings 1
(worst)- 5 (best):
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Corals
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 |
Tropical Fish
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Small Critters
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 |
Large Fish
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 |
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Large Pelagics
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 |
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| Underwater Photography 1 (worst)- 5 (best): | |||
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Subject Matter
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Boat Facilities
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Overall rating for UWP's
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Shore Facilities
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N/A |
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Comments
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No camera bucket on board. Divemasters did point out critters to photographers. Interesting wrecks, especially Antilla and airplane. |
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| Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst)- 5 (best): | |||
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Accommodations
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 |
Food
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Service and Attitude
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Environmental Sensitivity
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N/A |
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Dive Operation
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Shore Diving
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Snorkeling
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N/A |
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Overall Rating |
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Value for $$
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N/A | ||
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Beginners
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Advanced
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Comments
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Hotel used to be the Sonesta Beach Hotel until bought by Marriott in June, 2002. Well maintained, comfortable rooms. Small terraces. We had room overlooking the pool, with afternoon sun, convenient for drying dive gear. Downtown location across from marina, convenient for shopping for non-divers. Two casinos within 3 blocks.. Many excellent restaurants nearby. Inexpensive taxi ride to Palm beach for other dining choices. Three pools available between hotel Marina Tower and Suite (timeshare) buildings nearby. Beach available at Suite building and larger beach on private island reached by complimentary shuttle boat (10 minutes one way.) Small dive operation. Boat moored across from Hotel (very convenient.) Office at Manchebo Beach Hotel. Free pick at hotels. Dive boat is 38 foot Mermaid II, equipped with DAN oxygen, radios, cell phones, and marine head. We had 8-16 divers per day. Students were segregated from certified divers. Dive packages begin with three dives and average out to $25/dive with tank and wt. belt. Other equipment available for rental. Boat captain (Tito) very helpful with equipment, espec. for my buddy with recent back surgery. Divemasters were safety conscious, and made an effort to find critters. Green morays seen on almost all dives. Reasonable numbers of typical caribbean reef fish. Antilla wreck was excellent with many areas to swim into and through. Lack of shore diving was a disappointment for one of our group who gets seasick on dive boats (Bonaire would be a better choice.) Aruba is a reasonable choice for a group of mixed divers and non-divers. |
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