AB+C Cruise dive shop/location recommendations

[mitchdives]

My wife and I are planning a cruise to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao in January (12-19), 2018 on the Crown Princess. I would like some recommendations on some PADI dive shops and "not-to-miss" dive sites. Also, she's working on her AOW cert and would like to do her check dives while on the trip.

We'll be in each port for a full day.

Is anyone else on that cruise?

 

[Altamira]

Bonaire: Ship's dive op is likely Dive Friends Bonaire, I have used them on several occasions, and thought they did an excellent job. I would use them again, except for the fact that they have a max age of 70 for their dive shore excursions.
Excellent alternate option is to contact Don's Habitat or Buddy Dive to see if you can arrange to do shore dives from their dock or join their boat dives. Both shops are PADI, and you might be able to do some of the AOW checkout dives with them. You can check to see what time their boats go out and options for diving from their docks.
There are so many excellent dive sites in Bonaire, many easily reached from shore, but you would likely need to rent a truck for the day, and many of the dive sites might be problematic if using a taxi. Diving from the Habitat or Buddy Dive is easily accessible by taxi, and you would not have to mess around with lugging 4 tanks with you for shore diving.

Curacao: I have used Oceans Encounters at Lion's Dive and Beach Resort twice, and had excellent dive experiences with them. If they are not the ship's dive op, you can easily get to/from by taxi. They are also a PADI shop, so you might be able to do two of your AOW dives with them with prior coordination.

Aruba: Weathered out both days in port, so I have no recommendations.

 

[jlcnuke]

I had a really good time with Aqua Windies in Aruba earlier this year. Prices were pretty reasonable and they did pickups from my hotel so I imagine they'd pick you up at the cruise ship too. They are a PADI dive shop as well.

 

[diversteve]

How many dives does she have to do? If more than two, you'll have to contact both locations and see if the instructors are comfortable with signing off on only part of them. It's probably more likely some will than if it was OW but I wouldn't show up assuming they will.

As mentioned, on Bonaire - Dive Friends has a shop within a short walk of the cruise pier (Town Pier) and there's a shore dive there. VIP diving might be another option that can work around a cruise arrival time - unless it's pretty early IDK if you can make the early boats at Buddy's/Habitat - about 10mins. away by cab. They're going to go sometime between 8-9am since they have to do two dives before lunch and their afternoon boat.

Toucan Dive at the Plaza just south of town should have a PM boat also - and the 18 Palms shore dive where you could possibly set up with the shop to be a checkout dive with one of their staff.
Advantage to that is they'd probably offer you a ride on the golf cart - the shop/boats are on the south end of the property and the dive on the north.

Some, not all of the Bonaire boats return between morning dives so it might be possible for you to do the later dive and an early afternoon 2nd dive.

Surprisingly the Divi Flamingo - so close to the cruise pier that you can hear the props - doesn't take cruise walk-ins.

One last option could be the other Dive Friends location at Sand Dollar condos as they're on Bari Reef - the dive site with the largest counted species of fish in the Caribbean. They don't have any boats there though although maybe they do now since they took over the dive concession at Den Laman condos immediately south and there's a dock there - plus stairs into the water. Sand Dollars dive is off the beach - we're just talking maybe 100' apart.

The other consideration is the required Marine Park Orientation/tag - it's $10 for cruise divers but don't know what that entails - on-island it's a 1/2 hr. orientation, buoyancy check which also turns into a dive usually.

On Curacao see what Bas Harts Diving can do for you. Atlantis Diving alos offered a cruise program at one time. Just for fun dives, the Dive Bus will rent you tanks for across the street diving off Pierbaai Beach. The Megaport is on the north side of the harbor next to the Renaissance resort which is supported by Caribbean Sea Sports from their shop about 3mi. north in Piscadera at the Hilton - they do both boat/shore diving there.
A ccloser option might be Goby Divers at the Veneto resort - they offer local pickup that should include the Megaport area. Smaller 1-boat shop so may be able to tailor a better experience.

I'd bet money Ocean Encounters will want you there early enough to do a check-out dive off their dock first - they did for us even though we were on island all week using other shops. In my experience they're a little inflexible which might be a factor there if your wife still needs a couple of dives signed off then.

Also I believe they're still renovating the Megapier so not sure if that impacts your arrival processing time.

hth

 

[mitchdives]

Thanks for the recommendations. I expect I will look into several shops to see what best coordinates with our arrival time and my wife's AOW check dives.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Surprisingly the Divi Flamingo - so close to the cruise pier that you can hear the props - doesn't take cruise walk-ins.

Although during my conversation with Divi Flamingo, they said they cannot accomondate me on boat dives, I just did a walk-in during my time there, and I did a self guided morning shore dive, signed up for a 1 tank afternoon dive, and then did an one tank night dive. We thought about doing 4 tanks (or 5), but the walking back and forth for lunch, rinsing gears, some added relaxation time, and the long morning orientation, precluded us from doing it. We might have done 4 if we decided to have dinner later.

Maybe if one walks to Toucan diving, which is a little farther, we could have done more, given that the last time I was there during my stay, I don't remember anything about an orientation.

I passed Dive Friends on the way to Divi Flamingo, they dive off the seawall right in front of the cruise ship. I don't know how far they can go given that we were not allowed to dive the reef toward the cruise pier whenever a cruise ship is docked.

 

[releck97]

Thanks for the recommendations. I expect I will look into several shops to see what best coordinates with our arrival time and my wife's AOW check dives.

Hey mitchdives, my wife and I are heading down on the Crown this winter. I'm curious about your choices and how things worked out. We are not doing any check-outs, so we're looking to pleasure dive in both locations. Any feedback is most appreciated. Thx!