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Dive Review of Sea Fever Diving Cruises in
Barbados/Cay Sal Banks, Victory Reef

Sea Fever Diving Cruises, Jun, 2004,

by Debbie Finch, FLORIDA, USA . Report 1157.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Excellent dive operation - very safety oriented, but they didn't "hold our hands." We were treated as responsible divers. They did not restrict the length of our dives, or the depth, other than a request to stay above 130 feet and return to the boat with 500 PSI. The crew was very responsive to topping off tanks. The Sea Fever is using steel 80s and 95s, which allows for very light weightbelts. The captain was very responsive to our group's special requests, such as a 5:30AM dive, and a crew member was always available if a single diver wanted to do a night dive. Captain Red definitely understands the meaning of good customer service!

The food was excellent, and there was plenty of it. Not gourmet, just good eating, especially the ribs, burgers, chops, and freshly baked bread. The cook even baked a cake one night for us to hold a birthday celebration for members of our group. Breakfasts were not cooked to order as on some other boats, but the variety was good. Snacks were generally of the trail mix and bagged candy variety. Wine is available at dinner and is included in the charter price. At the start of the cruise, each diver on the boat is given a mug labeled with his or her name, and there are pegs next to the ice machine for storage; a good system. We were encouraged to drink lots of water. They were very responsive to special dietary requests.

The cabins are small, but adequately ventilated. The top deck has lots of furniture for lounging and catching rays, but is not covered to protect against sun exposure. One member of our group rigged a sunshade with a tarp and bungy cords. The crew advised that a permanent sunshade is on the drawing board, and may be installed this winter.

The diving was very good; because of the remote location of the Cay Sal Banks, the reefs looked extremely healthy, and the visibility was generally very good. We did a mixture of anchor and drift dives during the week. We were given an opportunity to go ashore at Elbow Cay to explore the abandoned lighthouse and derelict structures. Victory Reef, south of Biminii, is very long (several miles), covered with lush coral growth, and contains numerous crevices that hide turtles, sharks, lobsters, ets. We saw lots of Sargassum Triggerfish here. During the week we saw several sharks, numerous large midnight and rainbow parrotfish, and some very big lobsters and crabs, along with the usual tropical reef critters. All in all, a very, very good trip!

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Cozumel, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Roatan, Grand Turk, Hawaii, Truk, Southeast Florida, New York, Massachusetts
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 50-110 Ft/ 15-34 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Please be back on the boat with 500 PSI; please stay above 130 feet.
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Rinse tank, and spacious camera table provided. I especially liked the small air tank available for drying lenses and blowing away those pesky drops of water.
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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.

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