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Dive Review of Golden Rock Dive in
St. Eustatius

Golden Rock Dive, Nov, 2007,

by Jeanie Weimer, WY, USA ( 1 report). Report 3769.

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 N/A
Dive Operation 1 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 1 stars
Comments We had heard wonderful things and reviews about the dive operation so were looking forward to a fun-filled week of diving. I had e-mailed the owners prior to our arrival and Michele was very helpful and accomodating. She answered all my questions and was very amicable and courteous.
We arrived and our lodging and quarters were above average and the Old Gin House was all that we had heard about and more.
We had our first day of diving and the owner Glenn went as our guide and to check out our dive skills. There were 8 of us in our group and all have been diving many years with hundreds of dives. They took us to Wreck Alley and on the tour, a few in our group did not stay together. The wrecks were open and 3 or 4 went inside. Glenn gathered us together and we ascended. On the boat, he came unglued. We did many things wrong like not staying within his sight and he had not given us permission to penetrate the wreck. This set the tone for the entire week. He apoligized later and tried to make it up but we did not have a good feeling about diving here. He did not dive with us again but let his very capable and enjoyable Divemasters, Lisa and Stefan lead us on the other dives. We had no more issues with the diving but the entire operation was very poorly managed. The boat that was the primary mode of transportation was not in working order most of the time. The DM would take us out to the dive sites, tie up and go on the dive. No one was left on board and from a safety stand-point, this was of some concern. We would get back on board and the motor wouldn't start. This happened for 3 days. They would have to wait for a battery to be brought out and then take us back for another tank. Why not have two tanks on-board so we could have done another dive? It took us 8 hours to do three dives and most of the time the local eating places were closed and no way to get snacks or drinks. They did have water, sodas and beer available for $3.00/drink. Most places at least give you water. We tried to give them suggestions (like take a spare battery)but Glenn had an excuse for everything. We saw the same dive sites a couple of times and no one was willing to consider other options. There was considerable amount of current and instead of diving into the current going and let it take you back, we ended up spending most of our dive right around the anchor line. One person in our group was swept off the line and had to surface swim back to the boat (again with no one on board to lend assistance).
We will not be going back to this diving operation, even though Michele was very apologetic and conciliatory, it did not leave us with a good feeling.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Roatan, Ft. Lauderdale, Bonaire, San Juan Islands, San Diego, Catalina
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, cloudy Seas choppy, currents
Water Temp 82-85°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 40-60 Ft/ 12-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions had to be within sight of DM at all times
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities 1 stars
UW Photo Comments no fresh water rinse tank on boat. no area for set up.
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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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