Belize, Vanuatu, Costa Rica, and Beyond

I'm sure every one of us, before leaving on a dive trip checks our gear thoroughly to make sure it's all working right. We want to arrive at our destinations with no worries and confidence. But, whenever I review a batch of reader reports, I find one frequent gear problem that crops up: divers failed to carry thick enough rubberwear. And even if they do, the water may still be too cold. Here's what our readers had to say.

Marcia Pedersen (Deming, WA), a very experienced diver with more than 1000 dives, went diving with Rocket Frog Divers in Guanacaste, off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, in February, where the daytime temperatures were 90°F. Underwater, it was 60°F to 72°F. Her reaction? "Cold! I quit diving after three days. In addition to the recommended 3mm suit, I brought neoprene socks and a light hood. After the second day of diving, I layered another 3mm from the shop. I was still freezing, and my computer read 60°F. My partner also layered to 6mm and dove for two more days until he quit. His computer read from 64°F to 72°F. Our research prepared us for the low viz, but not the cold.

"We paid for 18 dives each through the PADI package. I only did 5, and my partner did 10. It wasn't the dive shop's fault, but it was a big bummer. They said that the windy weather can bring in the cold currents and recommended returning in the rainy season when it's not so windy." www.scuba-dive-costa-rica.com

Mel McCombie (New Haven, CT), a long-time Undercurrent correspondent, always carries a solution, which she employed while diving from the Belize Aggressor III this winter, where in many spots the water dipped below 70°F. "I was very glad I brought lots of warm clothes to wear between dives. The water was also chilly, with temperatures ranging from 69-77°F. Everyone was cold except me, as I had brought my Venture heated vest and a warm hooded vest." www.aggressor.com

Venture has three battery-powered diving vests, the least expensive selling for $350. More information at www.ventureheat.com/products

Even in warmer water, divers can get cold from upwellings and currents. Patrick Flynn, (Washington, DC) went diving in Panama and Bocas del Toro in January and says, "Although the water temperature registered 80°F on my computer, I was cold in my thin 1mm suit. Most divers wore 3mm shorties."

Rebounding Reefs

Aside from getting cold, Flynn offers good news about the reefs. "There is clear evidence that there is hope for some Caribbean coral reefs. After watching the decline that is universal for several decades, I have found hope here because the whole ecosystem appears to be coming back in places. Coral colonies are small, but numerous. I saw dozens of species; it would take a specialist to validate the statement by an instructor here that there are over 200.

"Fishes are the customary Caribbean assemblage, though mostly small. There were larger fish at two wreck dive sites. There were several species of anemones, too, at a couple of sites. I believe I observed more sponge species than corals, and the previously reported bristle stars were all over the place. I am glad I came out of dive retirement to see the resilience of coral reefs here. It is not a dramatic recovery, but it's there." www.bocasdiversparadise.com/bocasdivecenter

Cuba is another place where divers find little effect on coral reefs. Philip Karp (Scottsdale, AZ), who took a trip to Jardines de la Reina, was aboard the Avalon III liveaboard in December.

"The trip is a reminder of what the rest of the Caribbean was like when I began diving 40 years ago. While there is some lingering evidence of the 2023 mass bleaching that affected the area, coral cover is impressive. Not so much Acropora as in some other locations, but lots of coverage of other hard and soft coral species, as well as sponges of all colors, shapes, and sizes. But what really stands out is the amount of biomass of fish and invertebrates. Huge schools of snapper, grunts, and jacks. Multiple species of groupers, with Nassau and tiger groupers in particular abundance. Lots of lobsters and crabs and numerous queen conch in the sandy areas. Some of the largest hogfish I've ever seen. And multiple Caribbean reef sharks on pretty much every dive, along with an occasional silky and/or nurse shark. We even encountered whale sharks on our return from a couple of dives. Diving is from skiffs.

"The Avalon III is not the most luxurious liveaboard I've been on, but it is more than adequate. The buffets offered a nice mix of Cuban and American food, with lobster on offer at either lunch or dinner pretty much every day. The crew couldn't have been more attentive, both during meals and otherwise. All in all, a great trip, and a refreshing reminder of what Caribbean reefs can look like if they are well protected." www.cubandivingcenters.com/jardines-avalon-3.php

Critters

Theodore C. Recupero (Kanosh, UT) dived with Mayan Divers and stayed at the Mayan Princess on Roatan twice in the past several months, and loves it." Everything here is awesome. The rooms, the food, the grounds, the pool, and the people." He knows how difficult no-see-ums are in Honduras, and unaware visitors can get scores of itchy bites on their legs and arms in no time. "The sand flies (Satan's little helpers) ate well, or so it looked from the welts on people's legs. We have some cheap cotton pants treated with permethrin. My legs went completely unmolested." [DEET is the best repellent to apply, but it's often not enough after dusk, and covering up is the only sure cure.]

As for diving, he made an interesting point about groups of photographers. "Everybody has way too much light. One poor octopus is likely blind and partially cooked from the billion lumens hitting it. I gave serious thought to retaliating after getting hit in the eyes ten times. Anytime I tried to take a picture, somebody would move in with their SuperNova dive light. I did my best to stay away.

"The only thing that caused me any concern was that someone on our boat got a bunch of crap from a cylinder into his regulator set . . . I wouldn't be using that gear until it was serviced. I don't know how or if they made it right. I've never seen this here before, and it surprises me.

"Life-support is something I take seriously, and the air shouldn't be laden with aluminum oxide or other contaminants . . . I'm giving MD the benefit of the doubt as a freak one-off and expect to never hear about it happening again." v2.mayanprincess.com

Too Conservative Diving

We ran comments in our last issue about Blackbird Caye Resort in Belize from a reader who has made hundreds of dives all over the world. Among other things, she wrote:" There were no deep dives -- told to restrict to 60-foot. A real disappointment with dive times." Generally, she found the diving rules so conservative that she didn't care to return.

After the article, a representative of Blackbird wrote a response saying, "The guest holds an Open Water certification, which limits diving depth to 60 feet in accordance with training standards."

Yes, PADI does have that standard, but dive operations for serious divers tend not to enforce it after they have judged divers' skills. Many divers take an advanced course right after their open-water certification, some before making any other dives at all. Then they can head off to Blackbird and drop down to 80 feet, while if a highly experienced diver like the reader in question did it, she'd be grounded for the week.

Since my PADI certification is only BASIC, a category which was the norm before open water certification was even created, I consider this just an effort to sell Advanced Open Water classes. Sure, divers should take such a course, but not get cut off at the knees if they don't.

(To get that Basic certification, for six weeks I spent one hour in a lecture and one hour in a pool. Then, it was off to the rugged California Sonoma coast, where we camped out and made four snorkel dives in 53°F water, using surf mats to train in rescue. At night, we cooked abalone over a campfire. Two weeks later, we camped out in tents in Monterrey, made four open water dives, always under instruction, which included several free ascents. My Basic certification and the thousand-plus dives I have made wouldn't get me very deep at Blackbird Caye.)

She went on to say that "the guest only raised her concerns during check-out, which meant we did not have the opportunity to adjust dive groups or make other arrangements during her stay." C'mon, how else is she going to learn all your requirements until she takes a dive or two? A resort so inflexible as to not make accommodations for a diver after the first day is far too rigid, in my mind. www.blackbirdresort.com

So, here's a destination where Open Water Divers are judged on their skills, not their cards: Vanuatu, where Phil Johnston (Bayswater, Australia) dived in March. It is home to one of the world's premier wreck dives -- SS Coolidge -- and is also one of the world's premier beach dives. He says, "Sunk in 1942, the wreck is still in good condition, and deep penetrations are undertaken. Ten minutes away from downtown Luganville, it is a shore dive. Pacific Dive picks up divers and takes them to their facility directly in front of the wreck, where divers kit up and enter the water from a set of shallow steps.

"The bow of the Coolidge is the shallowest part of the wreck at 60 feet, and the stern is at 220 feet -- I only got to 105-feet, on air. Pacific Dive has nicely set up guidelines to various parts of the wreck, with a spare tank and regulator attached to the guideline at 20 feet. My first dive accessed the forward holds; my second dive entry was via a hole cut in the side of the ship (which lies flush on its port side), through the infirmary. Both dives involved significant penetration into passageways, ward rooms, and holds. Divers need to be confident in passing through small spaces. Divers are rewarded with viewings of jeeps, trucks, aircraft drop tanks, ammunition, piles of uniforms, howitzer guns -- pretty much everything frozen in time from 1942.

"The Dive Pacific manager told me they occasionally see dugongs passing in the shallow slope between the shore. Unlike other operators I have come across, Dive Pacific did not insist upon an Advanced Diving Cert for what is a fairly advanced dive. I only have an open water cert, and I offered to show them my log books with proof of other wreck dives. Dive Pacific applied some common sense and accepted my experience as a diver." www.pacificdive.net

Raja Ampat's Best

Like America was discovered by Columbus (though people had been living here for eons), Max Ammer, a Dutchman, discovered Indonesia's Raja Ampat in 1989, was awed by the underwater world, and opened the first Papua Diving Resort. Sorido Bay, on Kri Island, was his second, and Andres Macia (Pinecrest, FL) visited in January.

"The accommodations are lovely, if not modern (they're working on that), and the staff is as friendly and helpful as you could hope for. The resort's clientele (max capacity of ~20) was a mix of snorkelers, beginner divers, seasoned underwater photographers with large, expensive rigs, and birders with minimal dive experience. Sorido Bay is a two-minute boat ride from the world's most biodiverse reef, Cape Kri. This site lives up to the hype with an abundance of both small tropical fish and large pelagics. Currents can be strong, so reef hooks are used to watch the stream of pelagics pass by . . . Melissa's Garden, a 90-minute boat "excursion" from the resort, lives up to the substantial hype as the best coral reef/dive site in the world. Expect acres-upon-acres of a vast array of coral species along with the small fish they attract and the increasingly larger fish attracted to them.

"During a week's stay and 17 dives, we saw: pygmy seahorses, large seahorses, nudibranchs, Mandarin fish, crocodile fish, octopus, oceanic mantas (one of them leucistic), turtles, dolphin, wobbegong sharks, black-tipped sharks, grey reef sharks, and white-tipped sharks. zebra sharks are endangered, walking sharks require a night-time muck dive, dugongs are nocturnal and very skittish, and blue-ring octopus are hard to find. www.papua-diving.com/sorido-bay-resort

These great tales all come from our reader reports, so I urge you to complete one for any trip you have taken. Our online form makes it a breeze to submit a report. You can access it right here.

Until next time, I wish you great diving and a safe return.

Ben Davison