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 Parrot Island Scuba Adventures/Comfort Inn, Ocean View in
The Continental USA/Pompano Beach

Parrot Island Scuba Adventures/Comfort Inn, Ocean View, Dec, 2009,

by Dan Huthwaite, VA, United States (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports). Report 5329.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Parrott Island Scuba was recommended to me by a dive shop in Merritt Island, FL. I was in Orlando on business and my wife offered to extend my trip to dive as an early Christmas present. It took roughly 3 hours to drive to Pompano Beach from Orlando but it was an easy drive. The Comfort Inn I stayed at was adequate but not anything memorable. It was old but well maintained and the staff was very helpful. Food in the area was expensive with not a lot of choices although they weren't your usual chain restaurants. Parrott Island operates from the wharf about a mile south of the Comfort Inn. They have no dive shop. Payment is made at an open Tiki hut right next to the boat and they have a small shed where they store tanks, weights and little else. Make sure you bring everything you need because if you need something, they won't have it. To their credit, both the morning and afternoon dives were very lightly attended but we went out anyway. 6 people in the morning, 4 in the afternoon. They had nitrox (32% but they did not have a O2 tester so you had to believe what was on the label). They also ran out of nitrox after the morning dives. The boat was ok. Tank bungees were dog-eared and there was a bit of diesel fumes in the air most of the time. You take care of setting up your own gear on all dives. The DM (actually an instructor) was very nice but offered short briefings and did not stay in the water. You dove your own profile. Most of the diving in this part of FL is drift diving. Someone in each buddy group was issued a flag to tow. At the wrecks where boats tie off, the instructor went over the side to tie off the boat to the wreck. I guess they don't believe in mooring balls. The area has a lot of wrecks, all of them fairly close to shore and they are worth doing. The reefs were so-so, with "razzle dazzle" being more like a dying wasteland than anything else. There are a lot of huge purple barrel sponges on most reefs but not a lot of fish. I didn't see one lobster on four dives. We dove the United Caribbean and RSB-1 wrecks. Both were very nice. UC was in 60 - 75 feet of water, decent viz, and had a lot of fish. Grunts, Porkfish, French Angels, Rock Beauties, Butterfly Fish, Tangs, Spotted Drum, Goatfish and one Green Moray. RSB-1 was between 75 and 110 feet and while the descent was through some pretty murky water, viz improved on the wreck. A very large sea turtle chased us around and followed us up almost all the way to our safety stop. We also noted a very large barracuda moving about the wreck but not too many other fish. The boat was stocked with sodas but no food. There was no tip jar and when i asked they just kind of shrugged it off. (I tipped them anyway and they were very appreciative.) Over all I would say this was an average operation. Not having a shop was rather unusual but the boat captain and instructor were pleasant. There are other operators in the area that offer better service. The buddy I was paired up with on my morning dives was a retired native and he highly recommended Dixie Divers (especially after he found out his 2nd tank only had 1,800 psi in it and Parrott Island doesn't bring spares.) Should I ever return to Pompano I'll probably dive with them.
Websites Parrot Island Scuba Adventures   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Florida Keys, South Florida Coast, Barbados, Red Sea
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy, no currents
Water Temp 77-78°F / 25-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-40 Ft/ 9-12 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Return to boat with 500 psi, other than that you could dive your own profile.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 2 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 1 stars
UW Photo Comments Rinse bucket on board but no table.
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 676 dive reviews of The Continental USA and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of The Continental USA 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 0.11 seconds