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Dive Review of Green Monkey/Bunkum Beach Guest House in
Caribbean (General)/Montserrat

Green Monkey/Bunkum Beach Guest House, Mar, 2008,

by Timothy A. Kolakowski, PA, USA (Contributor Contributor 12 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 4464.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Montserrat is one unique place. They don't have much tourism. Most of the visitors are US & Canadian ex - pats who live there in the winter, friends & relatives of those ex - pats, and scientists checking out the volcano. There's only one dive shop, the Green Monkey, and they wear many hats....fishing charters, travel agents, boat rental, island boat tours land tours, etc.
The dive sites are along the shoreline, 1/4 to 1/2 mile out. If on shore waves kick up, you're done diving until it settles down again. Unfortunatley, that's what happened the week we were there. I was lucky enough to make the 15 mile trip out to an uninhabited island called Redonda, between Montserrat and St. Kitts. It's considered the best diving that Montserrat has to offer. It was a nice morning 2 tank dive. Better than average vis, good fish life (typical Caribbean). Thanks to a weather front that sent huge surf crashing on shore, it was the only diving I got to do.
It left lots of time to explore the island. Driving around the island on the narrow roads is great fun with steep hills, hairpin turns and switchbacks. There are small grocery stores with a decent selection. The restaurants are tiny, charming and awesome. The lava flows the make more than half the island uninhabitable are surreal! You can actually drive across one big flow that covers a river valley, golf course and beach. At one edge is house buried up to its roof, and another buried up to the second floor. You can go inside it and see kitchen utensils, furniture, books, etc. that were left behind. We roamed around the deserted Vue Pointe Resort, kicking up lava dust as we walked around.
The people are amazing. It's incredible to watch the locals live day to day as the smoking volcano looms just a few miles away - a gray - brown monster that has risen out of the lush, green hills.
The ex pats seem thrilled to have visitors - we were treated like family. One morning we stopped a retired gent on his morning walk to ask directions, and he ended up getting into our car and spending two and a half hours showing us around! At a restaurant (actually a deck off the owner's house) we stopped to say hello to a couple we recognized from the airport. After a few minutes' visit a lady with them invited us to her house - she has a dance party one night a week where she teaches different kinds of dances! This led to an invite the next night to the monthly full moon party at the edge of a lava flow, getting us an invite the next day to a hike up a hill to the edge of the restricted zone, overlooking the buried capital city of Plymouth.
Plymouth is a must - see. The Green Monkey will take you on a boat trip down the coast to see it. Buried up to 60 feet in lava, it looks like like an apoctolyptic science fiction movie. Buried buildings as far as you can see. leading up to the volcano's hillsides.
Try Montserrat as someplace different for a dive trip. Here diving is a bonus along with the above ground wonders.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Florida Keys, Grand Bahama, all 3 Caymans, Saba, Curacao, Bonaire, Hawaii, St. Vincent, Provo, Grand Turk, Salt Cay
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas surge
Water Temp 76-78°F / 24-26°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions Stay with divemaster
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Bucket on boat
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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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