Dive Review of Patagon Divers/Ritz Carlton in
Virgin Islands/St. Thomas

Other Virgin Islands reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Patagon Divers/Ritz Carlton, Mar, 2010, by Kenneth J Davis MD, NJ, US ( Reviewer 6 reports). Report 5438.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Patagon Divers is the on-premises dive shop for the Ritz Carlton. This is a very well-run operation with personal service. Two boats, one larger one for beginners taking certification classes, a smaller one for certified divers. On the smaller boat there were no more than 6 divers with 2 dive masters, one in the water and one on the boat. No head, but short rides - really didn't matter. Bring down your gear and they bring it out to the boat (short Zodiac ride), set it up for you, bring it back to the shop and rinse and dry it after the last dive. Ready for you on the boat the next day. My power inflater malfunctioned the first day, and was repaired overnight without my asking. They offer 2 tank morning and afternoon dives, which is great for those of us who don't want to get up at the crack of dawn on vacation. We did the afternoon - relatively shallow dives on nice reefs with interesting topography. One sight, Cow and Calf, featured spectacular canyons on one dive and lots of swim-throughs on the other. Stingrays, a turtle, lots of tropicals. The dive staff was excellent - hand up as much gear as you want, easy climb up the ladder. There are some deeper sights for those who need the adventure. The Ritz Carlton is a beautiful property but VERY expensive. The service was good but not what you'd expect for the money. I was traveling with my wife and teenage son. We had reserved a two-bed room, but when we arrived there was only a king available, and my son had to sleep on a rollaway before we got moved. We did get a credit. Food was good but very expensive, and since the resort is somewhat isolated there was really no alternative for breakfast without a cab ride. St. Thomas is very hilly, so some of those cab rides to restaurants (generally good but expensive) were roller coaster rides.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Caymans, Cozumel, Bora Bora, Maui, Bahamas, Provo, Key West, Curacao, Aruba,
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Guided dive - that's what we wanted.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
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]

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

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.

All Virgin Islands Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Virgin Islands
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

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

Page computed and displayed in 0.09 seconds

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

Dive Review of Patagon Divers/Ritz Carlton in Virgin Islands/St. Thomas

Patagon Divers/Ritz Carlton, Mar, 2010,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Patagon Divers/Ritz Carlton in
Virgin Islands/St. Thomas