The cruise ships are back !

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Last October our dive crew thought it might be “interesting” to do our 2nd dive closer to town. So we dove under the cruise piers. Found lot’s of “interesting” stuff…

Technically, that’s not allowed, is it? We accidentally drifted under one of the piers once - but the crew made a valiant (but failed) effort to fish us out before we went there. The pier was pretty cool looking from underneath!!
 
Technically, that’s not allowed, is it? We accidentally drifted under one of the piers once - but the crew made a valiant (but failed) effort to fish us out before we went there. The pier was pretty cool looking from underneath!!
The only reason we did this was because we knew there was no danger a large ship would be coming into port anytime soon. This “dive site” is not within the marine park and is certainly not on anyone’s regular itinerary,…so it was a bit of an adventure.
 
I believe we’re not allowed to dive cruise ship piers when a ship is in, but at least in some places can otherwise. I think that’s how it works with the pier in St. Croix.
And at the old Town Pier on Bonaire…many years ago…
 
The only reason we did this was because we knew there was no danger a large ship would be coming into port anytime soon. This “dive site” is not within the marine park and is certainly not on anyone’s regular itinerary,…so it was a bit of an adventure.

I was lucky enough to get to dive it myself (and the surrounding areas), I thought it was an excellent dive and a nice change of pace for Coz. I was able to get quite a few (cool IMO) pictures from it too, very photogenic.

Brought back memories of diving the oil rig in the Flower Gardens, I very much enjoyed that dive too. Besides boring lake piers the only other similar cool pier dive I can recall doing off the top of my head was the pier in Curaçao with Noble Bully II docked at it, I believe it was at the end of “Tugboat”. It was pretty special (to me at least) to get to dive that close to/almost under a ship that big. I can absolutely understand why they forbid it.
 
How brave or reckless does a cruise passenger have to be to go on one of the first barges? I do not trust the cruise lines.
 
The Salt Pier in Bonaire is another great pier dive that is usually open to divers. Somewhat disorienting the way in spreads out in a couple of directions. Lots of great aquatic life, schools of tarpon and a mini bait ball come to mind.
 
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