Anybody dove the Aqua View?

[sylvester]

I will be in Ft Lauderdale in 17-20 Apr and I am trying to plan a couple of days diving. Has anyone dove the Aqua View out of Pompano Beach? If so, is it a good choice for 1st salt water trip? I am looking at a couple of easy dives they offer since my wife is a new diver.

 

[USAF Diver]

I dove with them a couple years ago, and from what I remember it was a major cattle boat. Other than that, I can't really remember anything good or bad about them. They took us on a shark feeding dive (that was before it got banned).

 

[amelo1999]

Shark feeding is banned? How come captain slates still does it?

 

[USAF Diver]

Shark feeding on dives has been banned for a couple of years now. I never heard about that being changed. Does anyone else know otherwise?

 

[Padipro]

All marine feeding is banned now. There was a dive site in that same area where we used to feed the Sting Rays. Now that we're no longer allowed to feed them the boat crew "chums" the water prior to the divers getting in the water. It's all legal that way.

 

[MikeJacobs]

Mostly because of proximity, but also because they're fine folks with nice stable boats (pontoons), I prefer them in this area. Here's tip, however: book your dive through LIghthouse Dive Center (they're on the Net) and you'll not only get a disount on your air but also on the trip itself.

Lighthouse is right there at the same dock and provides the air for many local operations. If the aqua view is booked, they'll place you with one of several others in the same general area, and your air/weights will be on board.

The aqua view captain is always a lot of fun, but the DM works his butt off (like most here) so remember to tip!

I will be in Ft Lauderdale in 17-20 Apr and I am trying to plan a couple of days diving. Has anyone dove the Aqua View out of Pompano Beach? If so, is it a good choice for 1st salt water trip? I am looking at a couple of easy dives they offer since my wife is a new diver.

 

[sylvester]

Thanks for the tip but Ill be driving down carring my tanks and stuff with me, I have some appointments in Orlando and added a few days to the begining of the trip so we could dive at Ft Lauderdale.

 

[Scubadubes]

I'm interested in knowing the answer to the question about Captain Slate. We were also told that feeding marine life was illegal but personally witnessed some serious shark and eel feeding on Captain Slate's Creature Feature dive. What's up with that??

 

[newdiverAZ]

The guys from SFDH are great. Captain Dave is a total blast. I dove with them for a week over thanksgiving, and had a great time. The aquaview is large but we never felt pressured or rushed in the least bit. They accomodated alot of the sites that we wanted to do. Just kinda took a vote. I would reccomend them highly.