Main Menu
Join Undercurrent on Facebook

The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975 | |
For Divers since 1975
The Private, Exclusive Guide for Serious Divers Since 1975
"Best of the Web: scuba tips no other
source dares to publish" -- Forbes
X
 

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

Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House: "Great place to dive in the Caribbean", Jul, 2015,

by John Davis, TN, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 8660.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments I've been taking divers on dive trips for over 30 years and St. Eustatius (Statia)was one of the best I can remember for avid divers. Glenn and Michele Faires run one of the best dive operations in the Caribbean for my money. They truly want to share their part of the underwater world with their guests. They are very diver friendly and down to earth, going out of their way to accommodate their guests.
As an underwater photographer, I never lacked for subject matter. There are not many big animals other than an occasional nurse shark, but the coral is very healthy and there are large turtles and lots of tropical fish on every dive, as well as a plethora of wrecks.
You don't go to Statia for nightlife or shopping. In fact if you need glitz go elsewhere. But if the main goal is to dive this is a great place to do it. Most dive locations are within easy access of the shop and you don't have to take long boat trips to get to the mooring.
While the Old Gin House is a very nice place to stay (Michele got most of my group and upgrade to ocean front rooms at no additional cost),the food there tends to be a little expensive. With that said, there are many other restaurants on the island -none very fancy, but the food is good and not extremely pricey like other places in the Caribbean. The very best meal we had was prepared at the dive shop one evening- we had lobster and lion fish along with some rice and vegies all fresh caught by one of the locals for $25US. You can't eat that well for that price anywhere else in the world!
You can fly from Atlanta or any major hub in the US into St. Maarten and connect with Winair to make the final journey to many of the islands in the Greater Antilles. Winair has consistently been on time and performed well for us, unlike LIAT which no human being should ever be subjected to use!
I hope to take a group back to Statia in the future and would always welcome any opportunity to return-I think it's a place I could go every year and never get tired of. It's good for beginners or advanced divers as there's something for everyone to enjoy. I highly recommend it to any diver of any level.
John Davis, PADI MSDT
Websites Golden Rock Dive Center   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Galapagos, Truk, Yap, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Provo, Grand Turk, Salt Cay, Nassau, Grand Bahamas, Abaco, Saba, Dominica, BVI,
Florida Keys, Panama City, & various liveaboards
Closest Airport St. Eustatius Getting There Atlanta to St. Maarten then Winair to St. Eustatius

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 82-83°F / 28-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 1
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions We were allowed to dive our own profiles-someone from the shop dived with us and would offer to lead if we wanted them to do so. However, we usually let people like Glenn lead dives because they can point out things that you'd never see otherwise.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's N/A Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments [None]
Was this report helpful to you?
Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here
 

Subscribe Now
Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 59 dive reviews of St. Eustatius and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

 

Want to assemble your own collection of St. Eustatius 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


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

Free Undercurrent Issue
Get a free
monthly email and
a sample issue!


Find in  

| Home | Online Members Area | My Account | Login | Join |
| Travel Index | Dive Resort & Liveaboard Reviews | Featured Reports | Recent Issues | Back Issues |
| Dive Gear Index | Health/Safety Index | Environment & Misc. Index | Seasonal Planner | Blogs | Free Articles | Book Picks | News |
| Special Offers | RSS | FAQ | About Us | Contact Us | Links |

Copyright © 1996-2024 Undercurrent (www.undercurrent.org)
3020 Bridgeway, Ste 102, Sausalito, Ca 94965
All rights reserved.

Page computed and displayed in 0.12 seconds