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 Admiralty Dive Center/Bluebeard's Castle Resort in
Virgin Islands/St. Thomas

Admiralty Dive Center/Bluebeard's Castle Resort, Jun, 2011,

by Faithe A Evans, TX, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 6094.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Admiralty Dive Shop owners Duane and Laura are the best!! We arrived late on Saturday and stopped by the shop to sign up for Sunday dives but it was way past closing. Upon arrival at our resort, Bluebeard's Castle, we found them waiting for us at the bar. We got to meet and talk and get to know each other before our first dive! Dwayne is an awesome divemaster and on the way to each site he gave us an in depth description and history of what we were about to see. He has a "special" USCG safety briefing for anyone that has not been onboard his vessel. Lots of fun but with safety being a priority. I made 25 dives and Hubby 27 during our 2 week vacation. Dwayne and Fishbutt, our alternate great divemaster and CORE Dive Coordinator, even made a special night dive for us having only 3 divers. The reef life is great. We saw green and hawksbill turtles, many, many lobster and prolific conch everywhere. There were nurse sharks sleeping under overhangs on several dives. The wrecks are making great reefs as well as wonderful backdrops for underwater photo ops. Eels, spotted eagle rays, huge southern sting rays, tiny crabs, big crabs and cleaner shrimps, all kinds of reef fish, anemones and corals and sponges and I learned of other reef creatures like corallimorphs from Duane.

Duane and Fishbutt worked with several new divers completing certification as well as some very young divers that had been certified recently. I can't say enough good about each of these men as divemasters, boat captains, environmentalists, historians of the island and all-round nice guys. Go dive with them if you are on St. Thomas - they will even pick you up!! Full service?? YOU BET!

The one day I didn't get to dive I was in pain with an ear fungus. Laura was great to get me in to see her "doctor", a nurse practioner on the island. I was able to get some drops from the pharmacy right away and didn't miss any more of the fun.

Bluebeard's Castle is so centrally located and convienent to everything, sitting just above the main Charlotte Amalie Harbor for a spectacular view. There have been recent renovations and some still ongoing to make the resort up-to-date and clean. The staff was always quite cheery and helpful. Beverly was the clerk on duty when we arrived and directed us to find Duane and Laura at the Banana Tree bar. She and I chatted several times and shared a few laughs. The concierge was helpful to arrange and re-arrange reservations for us and supplied great directions to a number of locations we needed around the island. Tho' Bluebeard's Castle is not a 5-star resort I would certainly be happy to stay there again and again as our 1 bedroom condo apartment more than suits our needs. The Banana Tree Grill was our favorite restaurant on the island being so convenient for us at least 6 times. The food was superb and we were always greeted by either James or Chris at the bar and chef Douglas would always check on us. Need I say the food was fantastic.

Several other restaurants we enjoyed were Oceana near the Frenchtown Harbor, The Old Stone Farmhouse on the north side near the golf course, Funchi's was a fun snack place with good conch fritters and local cuisine and Pie Whole had great pizza. Good breakfast at the Frenchtown Deli on the waterfront.
Websites Admiralty Dive Center   Bluebeard's Castle Resort

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Cozumel, Maui, Bonaire, Palau, Yap, Aruba, Belize
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 80-83°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 25-50 Ft/ 8-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Because these are boat dives 1 hour is maximum time or 700 psi minimum air return. Nitrox is a $15 upcharge per bottle.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments FREE USE OF 35MM CAMERA WITH ANY PACKAGE advertised on Admiralty's website but I have my own. No rinse tank on boat but there is a fresh water shower available. Boat captain will pass and receive your camera from the water. Duane would find me underwater for "special" pictures of marine life he would find. Never more than 30 minutes to the dock.

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 213 dive reviews of Virgin Islands and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of Virgin Islands 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