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Dive Review of Golden Rock Dive Center/ The Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius

Golden Rock Dive Center/ The Old Gin House, Feb, 2010,

by Ben Beulen, WI, US ( 1 report). Report 5373.

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 5 stars Shore Diving 2 stars
Snorkeling 4 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Statia is a great deal for the money and relative ease in getting there. It is NOT for the tourist minded that needs lots of shopping, high rise expensive accomidations, miles and miles of beaches to walk on and hustle and bustle of late night entertainment.
It is friendly,low key island with lots of hiking, site seeing and history.
Glenn & Michele at Golden Rock Dive Center try to meet all the needs of their customers. They go out of their way to "do what you want to do". They will take you to reefs, wrecks, walls or sand flats depending on what you want to see, just ask. The divemaster are great at pointing out the minature sealife, they are very safety minded and give informative dive briefings. However, it is your responability to listen and follow suggestions to insure your safety and fun.
On this trip we saw turtles on almost every dive and while we were snorkeling. A huge Spotted Eagle Ray stayed with us one whole dive!! 5 ft. Baracuda, huge Angels and lobsters, a Scorpion Fish and the hard to find Flying Gurnard were just some of the sealife that we saw. On our last trip we saw a Seahorse and had Dolphins next to the boat on the way in from a dive. We have heard Whales and seen Sharks.

The Old Gin House has great rooms, a very neat setting with a professional management team of Dominique & Wouter who work very hard to see to all of your wants and needs. The breakfast that comes with the dive package is very enjoyable and substantional.
Going to the island with a relaxed mind set will help you enjoy the whole experience. Remember there is such a thing as "island time". So just relax, enjoy, experience and stop watching the clock!!! Time is NOT money on vacation!! Leave that mind set back home!!
Just about anything can be arranged through Dominique or Michele, to see that you have a wonderful vacation.
The little island hopper airline, Winair, is the only problem area that can be problematic.Check reservations carefully both to and from and keep a copy of corespondance. If a problem does arise they do attempt to rectify the issue.
Websites Golden Rock Dive Center   The Old Gin House

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Grenada, St. Lucia, Utila, Dominica, Nevis, St. Kitts, Tobago, Bonaire, Saba, Statia, Montserrat
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, choppy
Water Temp 79-84°F / 26-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions No gloves to be worn, due to diving in a Marine Park. No touching coral or harassing marine creatures. No wreck penetrations unless designated.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Glenn, owner of Golden Rock Dive Center, has published photos in several magazines. His photos are very well done and he is more than willing to offer tips and advise to help the novice "UWP" achieve better pictures.
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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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