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Dive Review of Dive St. Vincent/Mariners Hotel in
St. Vincent and the Grenadines/S. St. Vincent island

Dive St. Vincent/Mariners Hotel, Aug, 2002,

by Jose Kirchner, CA, USA . Report 202.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 2 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 2 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Dive operator Bill Tewes has been here 16+ years, knows it inside out. He and his friendly, long-term experienced dive crew very customer oriented, great critter finders, entirely used to video and photo divers with long u/w times. When you've been to the spectacular walls and seen the pelagics in the Caribbean and want log, relaxed diving with rare critters, you finally come here, and probably come again.

DSV has a competent, basic dive op with frills- smaller dive boats, one partially coverd, two open, rinse, store and set up your gear, happy to make no commission air and land arrangements, even offer to drive you to a restaurant, or the market on occasion. They cater to experienced divers with critter fixation, not the luxury-seeking or pelagic-chasing divers.

We saw a number of Black Brotula, goden hamlets, seahorses, colorful frogfish, pikeblennies, and any number of fish aficionados are happy to document in their fish lists, not to mention film, on every dive. Sites ranged form open water walls to bays and "Critter Corner", a true muck-diving shallow flat with muck, eel and turtle grass, and a huge cast of characters that has divers begging for more.

Land arrangements available range from the posh Young Island to apartments to several moderate hotels. Food tends to be expensive- everything is imported. We stayed at Mariners Hotel for convenience- close to the dove op and several other hotels with restaurants. Rooms were clean and had 240 volts with Euro plugs, Internet TV. Some were noisy. Management was accomodating, can arrange drivers and land tours. Our stay was pleasant enough, with a room with A/C and a ceiling fan- but the restaurant was maddening. (Rates: $125 - 175 for two dependent on grade of room and season.)

Mariners restaurant was not always open advertised hours, and though food was frequently good, sometimes it was limited in offerings, or poor. Service ranged from very friendly and enjoyable to distant and cglacially slow, with mixed-up orders. The cook was occasionally a no-show, and the replacement cook would have had trouble in a short-order house. Fortunately, other restaurants are nearby, including the excellent Lime'n Pub, moderate to expensive, with great variety, seafood, imported beef and friendly service. Lime'n Pub provided the consistency lacking at Mariners. (But, we came for the DIVING, not the dining!)

St. Vincent is serviced by LIAT and Caribbean Star short-haul flights from Barbados, serviced by US Airways, American and others form the US. Diving is good almost any time of year. (Though hurricanes are not common, the rare one can happen in this sector, usually later in the season.)


Dive St. Vincent
P.O. Box 864
St. Vincent, West Indies
Main Office: 784-457-4928
Dive Shop: 784-457-4714, Fax: 784-457-4948
[divestvincent.com link]
email: bill2s@DiveStVincent.com

Mariners Hotel & Royal Harbour Restaurant
Villa Bay ~ St. Vincent
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, West Indies
Phone: (784) 457-4000, Fax: (784) 457-4333
Toll Free U.S. & Canada 1-800-223-1108
Local US and Canada, 310-440-4225, Fax (310) 440-4220
[marinershotel.com link]



Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 0-25 dives
Where else diving Wordwide, 46 years' dive experience.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny,rainy Seas calm
Water Temp 80-84°F / 27-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 20-80 Ft/ 6-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions With experience you are welcome to do your own profile and times. Air only. Computers encouraged.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Dunk tank can be requested, no dedicated photo facilities onboard. No big fish, but very healthy, picturesque corals and inverts, many rare fish and fabulous macro; best Caribbean macro and rare fish we've experienced- from Keys to Bonaire and much in between.
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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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