Club Med - what to expect?

[JDelage]

Hello everyone,

Does anyone has experience diving while at a Club Med resort? They typically (always?) contract with a local dive operator, if I'm not mistaken. I'm just curious what to expect in terms of professionalism, group size, and equipment.

Many thanks,

JDelage

 

[Doc]

what to expect in terms of professionalism, group size, and equipment.

Should be excellent in all respects that you list. These guys know exactly how to please their guests by exceeding their expectations.

You just have to understand what the specific expectations are of the guests that they attract. Other factors come into play, things that will affect the more seasoned and wider-travelled dive vacationer.

They will cater to a couple of the lowest common denominators, that being nothing like the diver who might select a liveaboard ship for a dive vacation. It will be a very closely regimented experience, anyone who says otherwise has never solo dived much less entertained the thought as a passing fantasy.

It is tailored to fit precisely with the clientele that they normally attract, and there is nothing in any way wrong with that, it just is what it is- a much more relaxed version of what a cruise ship diver is exposed to. The G.O. (gentil organisateur = nice animator) DM's are experts at their craft, which in this case is: Bring 'em back alive and smiling.

It is not like a week long stay at a dive resort anywhere. It is fantasy vacay at a lovely, homogenized, "stubbed-toe free" Island Paradise with remarkable food, pools, and many young, pretty people (and kids) with disposable incomes... who might consider a Discover Scuba, and then return next year with a full Cert card from back home. For the volume of guests that they entertain, there are very few Certs being sought after by guests.

It is a vacation... with some diving. I have been told by other instructors that the corporate figures show that of the diving guests who are certified divers (of that small number in the overall group), the average number of dives per week is 1.2 each. One reason? The diving as an add-on simply is not a bargain when compared to the rest of the industry as a whole. You get what you pay for, to some extent, however.

As I get older and more doddering, I think I might like their commodious boats and very attentive DM's quite inviting.

 

[floridakiwi]

Hi,

I've visited the Club Med at Turks & Caicos (Turkoise) and San Salvador (columbus Isle)once. Both have very comfortable catamarans as dive boats and great diving. These are the only Club Meds in the Caribbean with their own on-site diving operations. Very professional and well run - they serve a light "breakfast" between the two morning dives. When you include the whole package - accommodation/food/drink/diving/shows and other activities Club Med is a great deal and a great vacation. The Turks Club Med has an age restriction - guests must be older than 18 and tends to attract a mostly North American crowd. The San Sal Club Med has no age restriction and is a little more "up market". With direct flights from Paris it has a more European crowd and feel -- have fun

 

[JDelage]

Good answers, thank you. It's + or - what I expected. Not intense but mellow and enjoyable, if I understood you both well.

Would you recommend I take some of my stuff, or nothing at all?

 

[mbs]

Depth and times are limited, but if you are diving with a buddy they (turks or san salvador) let you go off on your own. So in that way they are actually more liberal then other ops that force you to play follow the leader The catamarans at those 2 resorts are real big and they often have a lot of divers. We have found that the early boat tends to have the more serious divers whereas the late boat has those shall we say a bit hung over... San Salvador not so much - it's an older crowd. I rented equipment there (turks as well as san salvador) when I first started and it was excellent quality. Now I would never consider going without my own stuff!

 

[floridakiwi]

Hi
I would suggest always taking your own gear

enjoy

 

[lmorin]

The gear is in excellent shape. The boats are large and stable. As someone said above, if you buddy dive, you are on your own. Recommendation: if you buddy dive, be first off the boat and last to return. You will usually get a full hour per dive. The boats contain groups of divers sorted by level. The majority of divers consist of those obtaining some form of instruction or just a guided dive. Each group will have its own instructor/leader. The least competent groups will get wet last; buddies tend to go first. Boats are big, but spacious. My wife and I have done multiple trips to both Turks and Caicos and San Salvador Club Meds and been pleased with the operations and diving in both places. Clientele at San Salvador is significantly older and more European than at T&C. There is a real mixed bag of divers, some who have dived a lot and some for whom it is the first time. During our last trip, we did 11 dives.

 

[colsonfl]

We were at Columbus Isle in mid May 2010 - and were buddy diving. Had a great time and saw 2 hammerhead sharks and a few too many (ie more than 1) lionfish (which were reported to breef.org). The wall has lots of life on it and the diving is very relaxed. We had our own gear but the rentals did not look worn. Get on the boat early and setup near the back of the boat so you can off quick. The buddy divers are put on the 2 benches on the outside of the boat and I recommend that you get on the side with out the ladder upstairs.

 

[Nords]

Hey, I was just at Club Med 3 weeks ago diving 3 days in a row and had a blast!

From all the dive boats I saw around the area, their Bat Ray hands down looks to be the best dive boat in the area. Unlike the other resort boats I saw, it has tons of shade, a bathroom, and plenty of room to walk around while you take the 45 minute trip out to the far sites, and the 45 minute trip back to the sites in front of the village. They provide sandwiches, fruit and cookies between dives.

Since I am new, I went with 3-4 other divers and one guide (you can also sign up for unguided buddy dives), who will give you a tour and be able to point out all the sea life you may miss. They aimed for 60 feet and 45 minutes for all dives. The gear was in very good condition, though I brought my own wetsuit and was glad I did (also brought my own mask and snorkel, but theirs looked fine). All of the guides/DMs/etc were all fun, experienced and we all had a great time. Very professional and organized, since they do this every single morning for months on end.

here is a pic I shot of their dedicated dive boat (they also have a 2nd, dedicated snorkel boat):


(click thumbnail to see the large pic)


Here are some more photos I show while there: Turks & Caicos Islands: Providenciales | Facebook

 

[JDelage]

Thanks all. For now we're thinking of going to Mauricius, as it has a spa for my wife and a "mini club" for our little kid. I very much appreciate all the contributions here!