Dive Aruba - Clive

[snturner]

I am going to Aruba the end of next week. I had dive reservations with Dive Aruba - Clive.

I sent Clive an email yesterday asking about fishing in Aruba. He replied back telling me his boat had filled with water during a storm. Bilge pumps couldn't keep up. While they were trying to tow the boat to a safe place, it capsized. Turning over in the water, the boat was damaged by the reefs.

This was very disappointing news. Clive sounds like he is now in a bad situation. I have been to Aruba a few times and have always dived with Clive. Very good man and operation. Hope he can get things together again.

With all the other news about the other dive boats that are bad news, I don't know who to dive with now. Any ideas?

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I always dive with Romeo at native Divers

Native Divers Aruba PADI Open Water Diving certifications

 

[jlevine]

This is sad news. Clive is an outstanding operator.

 

[ronnyballgame]

Went to Aruba in 2005 for a wedding and dove with Clive for 5 days...What a terrible thing to happen to a fantastic guy!

 

[thos]

Clive is a great guy, and a fabulous diver. The sad reality is that he had boat issues. I dove with him on two separate vacations. He had boat problems both times, including 2 rather seasick hours in moderate swells on the south side, awaiting a friend to help out after he'd run out of gas. He had a spare can, but it was also empty.
But it's terrible that his boat's been damaged.

 

[Mike C]

Dived last week with Red Sail. Excellent operation.

 

[BrotherBear]

I am going to Aruba the end of next week. I had dive reservations with Dive Aruba - Clive.

I sent Clive an email yesterday asking about fishing in Aruba. He replied back telling me his boat had filled with water during a storm. Bilge pumps couldn't keep up. While they were trying to tow the boat to a safe place, it capsized. Turning over in the water, the boat was damaged by the reefs.

This was very disappointing news. Clive sounds like he is now in a bad situation. I have been to Aruba a few times and have always dived with Clive. Very good man and operation. Hope he can get things together again.

With all the other news about the other dive boats that are bad news, I don't know who to dive with now. Any ideas?

First, try JADS. A great bunch of folks out at Baby Beach.

As to Clive...I was there when his boat went over, it was quite a while ago now.
I have been trying to find some confirming news out of Aruba in english but have been unable to do so, so this is just a couple of steps above rumor status but it is backed up by some circumstantial evidence.

Apparently when Clive's boat capsized in early October it was during some of the most unusual weather they have had in some time. It had been raining steadily the weeks before and the seas were churned up like I have never seen them there. On the day his boat went over the seas were in the 6~8 foot range with plenty of chop. I can't recall if this was the day of the water spouts or not. Anyway, the reports I got from more than one source that day was that a rescue boat responded to Clive (he had clients aboard) and a rescue diver went in the water to try to retrieve (I never found out what exactly). The rescue diver lost conciousness under water and drowned, the persistent rumor around the dive shops was that he was struck on the head by something he was trying to retrieve.

The reason that I believe most of this story is that I heard it from more than one source on the day of the incident (from opposite ends of the island FWIW), on our way back from morning dives we saw the Coast Guard rescue boat moving at high speed first up the coast past the airport and then a while later again in the opposite direction, finally there was what looked for all the world like a combined police/fire dept honor guard at the Renaissance pier later that afternoon when I was headed back to my hotel. OTOH I could find no news about the incident so I can't confirm beyond what I learned that day.