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Dive Review of SunnOdyssey Divers/Ritz Beach Resort and Ocean Reef in
Bahamas

SunnOdyssey Divers/Ritz Beach Resort and Ocean Reef, Aug, 2004,

by Catherine and Gary, WA, USA . Report 1201.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Karen and Nick Rolle have run this operation for some 25 years and are extremely safety conscious with a spotless record to back it up. Their current facilities might seem pretty minimal and put some people off, but they are in the process of building a major dive facility which should be quite impressive. What really is important here though is the quality of the people and their dedication to seeing that you have a great dive experience. This is a family run operation, very friendly and very helpful. Karen runs the office, Nick does most of the instruction from Discover Dive to all kinds of advanced certifications, and their children (ages 17 - 25) handle the boat and lead the dives. They were great fun to talk to and very knowledgeable and highly experienced. They provided good dive and boat briefings. Although we have our own gear, their rental equipment was first rate and well maintained. In the water, while one person led the dive the second brought up the rear with the third person staying on the boat. You always felt you had plenty of time to stop, hang, and watch without being rushed ahead. They checked to make sure everyone was ok and did a terrific job of pointing out interesting finds and even herding special subjects into camera range! They limit their boat to 10 people and several times there were only 4 or less. We had a variety of dives from wrecks to coral canyons and often finished with a shallow second dive requiring a smaller surface interval and a good 50+ minutes of exploring. Karen makes an effort to see that you experience a variety of dive sites but doesn't follow a rigid daily schedule as some operators do - i.e. if it's Tuesday, it must be Theo's wreck. And they often asked us where we wanted to go or what we wanted to see. A few dives were cancelled due to weather but we also had a tropical depression moving through - probably a good call. We liked being able to rinse our gear back at the dock, leave it hanging out to dry, and knowing that it would be locked up at night ready for the next day. This operation far exceeds the big name ones that we researched and later checked out. We had great dives but more importantly, we felt a part of a wonderful, very dedicated family.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Caymans, Tahiti, Bonnaire, Roatan, Utila, Cozumel, Cancun, Kona, St. Thomas
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, rainy, cloudy, dry Seas calm, choppy, noCurrents
Water Temp 84-86°F / 29-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-80 Ft/ 18-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions depth and time suggested though not strictly enforced
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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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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