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Dive Review of S.C.U.B.A./Divi Carina Bay in
Virgin Islands/St Croix

S.C.U.B.A./Divi Carina Bay, Oct, 2004,

by Kevin Robertson, TN, USA . Report 1440.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Our room at Divi was clean and had a nice wet bar with frig and microwave. We did encounter very tiny ants on the desk and wet bar counter top. Our slidding door to the balcony was filthy with a film from the sea air. It took them three days to clean it. You will need a car regardless of where you stay. All in all I would stay at Divi again. Its the best place to stay for the money. The Buccaneer looks very nice for almost twice the price. Good restaurants we enjoyed were "Just-Case-Deli" for excellent sandwiches. I stopped there on the way back to the hotel from diving. The sandwiches are big enough to split with my wife. "Duggans Reef" for surf and turf. We ate dinner there twice. "Hamburgers in Paradise" I promise the best hamburger you have eaten. "Tutto Bene" very good italian. All these restaurants are reasonable priced. Wear long pants when dining outside. The mosquitos are relentless. Duggans Reef keeps a can of OFF spray if guests feel the need.

I did my diving with S.C.U.B.A (St Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures). They are located in Christiansted and about a twenty minute drive from the Divi. SCUBA is a wonderful dive operation. They made my vacation enjoyable. They are very professional, well staffed, experienced, very friendly and helpful. If they were located in the Caymans or Bonaire they would rate one of the best. Their dive baot is approx 40ft. and very roomy with lots of storage under the bench seating or in the bow. Half the deck has a roof. Rinse tank for cameras. The boat is kept very clean and orderly. I did five days of diving with them and there was no more than six divers. One day I thought I was going to be the only one and they were still going to take me by myself. Others did show up at the last minute. I was pleasantly surprised by the decent diving in St Croix. Water visability most days was around 60 ft. Not exactly Cayman quality but a nice option topside for my non-diving wife. The reefs seem to be slightly above average in health. Some dive sites included walls and some nice swim throughs. Lots of large tube sponges and nice soft and hard corals. I saw lots of species of fish but not a large quantity of them. I was told that the locals spear fish with no regulations. They especially like angelfish and lobsters. Also there is a lot of commercial fishing near by. Apparently if the situation continues, recreational diving could be in jeopardy over the next five years or so. I did see turtles, queen angels, french angels, baraccuda, spotted and purplemouth moreys. No green moreys. Also saw giant lobsters, yellow headed jawfishes, spotted drums, peacock flouder, puffers, trunkfishes and plenty of others. Schools of small tropicals. We encountered a school of squid. On my last day diving we had a giant manta swim within 30ft of us.

Don't plan on any last minute shopping at the airport departure terminal. You will only find a hotdog stand. So, eat up and shop before you get to the airport.

St Croix was a nice trip and I would like to go back again. It's not a "must dive" destination, but should be considered for those of us with non diving spouses. If I do return, I'll be diving with S.C.U.B.A. and will stay at the Divi Carina.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Curacao, Bonaire, Little Cayman
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather rainy, cloudy Seas choppy, surge
Water Temp 83-85°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions 130ft max. They preferred your 1st dive around 80ft and 2nd dive 60ft. Back on boat with 500 PSI. They gave a lot of freedom based on how they saw you dive. Most of my dives were 55-65 min
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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 [None]
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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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