Aruba dive ops

[Pacman23]

Diving in Aruba next week. We're staying on Palm Beach. I've read some previous posts and am thinking of going with Dive Aruba. I like the idea of a small boat. But I have a few questions:

1) Do all boats leave from the same area?
2) Are there better dive ops to go with if you stay on Palm Beach?
3) Are there any dive ops that will store your gear?
4) Do any dive ops dive on Sunday?
5) Non-diving question: Does Aruba have good discount shopping like St. Martin, etc.?

Thanks!!!

 

[Tim-O]

1) Do all boats leave from the same area?

No - there are several marinas, and dive ops all along the west side of the island. There are some that leave from Palm Beach, all the way down to Baby Beach. That said, depending on where you will be diving on any given day, most ops will either pick you up on the beach, or by car/van at your hotel and take you to the marina where the boat is.

2) Are there better dive ops to go with if you stay on Palm Beach?
Can't compare better or not, as I have not used Dive Aruba. The only op on the island I have used is Native Divers - Romeo is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed diving with him. While his boat is not small, he only takes small groups. I think 6 is the max he will take. He likes to cut up and will let you dive to your experience and profile. Again, most of the ops will pick you up by boat or van - even JADS which is at the complete other end of the island.

3) Are there any dive ops that will store your gear?
Yes, but I am not sure which ones do and which don't. I know the hotel dive op where I stay had lockers available... but I am not a fan of cattle boats, so I haven't used them and can't help w/ any details.


4) Do any dive ops dive on Sunday?
Yes, though I can't say for sure that all of them do.

5) Non-diving question: Does Aruba have good discount shopping like St. Martin, etc.?
Shopping is plentiful, and while prices on some things is good/fair - I don't think you can call it "discount". There is are a lot of shops and stores in Palm Beach or you can go to Oranjested for a bigger selection - a short cab ride (or the bus fair is really cheap).
Wacky Wahoo is a great place to eat - you may need reservations this time of year.. It is close to the hotel district - an easy walk, and the locals will point you in the right direction. We have done the sunset cruise/catameran as well, was a great way to spend an evening unwinding.


Have a Balashi for me.

 

[Pacman23]

Tim, thanks a bunch, great advice!!!

 

[irie1029]

I agree with the above... Personally we go to Aruba every year and always dive with JADS.. I cannot comment on others as we enjoy the staff at JADS so much. JADS store gear dives Sundays only small groups and have a really nice restaurant at the shop on Baby Beach. Enjoy your stay!

 

[ddmattos]

Dove with Romeo @ Native divers. He probably still has a picture of me in his phone because I dove in a drysuit. He is a lot of fun but when he's light bookings he will cancel dives. When he did I called Mermaid Divers because Clive was booked.

Next time I go I'm going to give Clive a try @ Dive Aruba. He runs a tight schedule but at least you know where you are going when and I heard he doesn't cancel because of lack of divers. Ask him to be sure though.

All the dive ops listed will pick you up and drop you off. You can drive the entire length of the island in 30 minutes without traffic.

Have Fun, stay hydrated and wear your sunblock. The sun is extremely strong.

 

[Pacman23]

I wanted to close the loop on this and provide advice to any future first-time divers in Aruba.

In late December, I stayed at Divi Phoenix on Palm Beach. I dove with Clive for 3 days. The experience was OK -- not great, not horrible, just OK. Here's why:

• Clive, like many Aruba dive ops, doesn't take reservations over email or the internet (yes, even in 2011). With that being said, I was still able to get in with him last minute.
• Clive's boat is on the dock in downtown Orenstad. This is about a 10-15 minute drive from Palm Beach. There are dive ops right on Palm Beach. More on that later.
• Clive, like many ops, provide free pick-up, which is great because cabs are expensive in Aruba.
• The first day I was picked up at 8am and didn't get back from a 2 tank dive until about 2:30pm. What took so long? Well, after being picked up along with a family of 5, we had to go to Clive's house where diving certification paperwork was completed, payment was taken, and divers were outfitted for rental equipment (I brought all my own). So, we didn't get on the boat until 10am.
• The dives on Monday and Wednesday were OK. Not fabulous, not horrible, but OK. Clive knows the area -- I have no doubt about that and his son Mark is a good guide. Like many on this board have said, he allows full tank dives, which usually are about an hour.
• One thing I didn't like about Monday and Wednesday was the fact that three people on the boat were in the process of being certified. While Clive took them out on his own (and we went with Mark), I tend to think that the fact they were in the boat led to a limited selection of dive sites. Personally, I think pre-cert divers should go out on separate trips, but that's my own opinion. At worst, I think I should have been told this upfront when I made the reservation.
• The Tuesday dive to Antilla was excellent.
• Oh, by the way, Tuesday and Wednesday were much faster--we got back both days about 1ish.
• I found Clive's prices to be in line, or slightly better, than other boat prices.
• All in all, I enjoyed diving with Clive although I didn't like diving with pre-cert divers. On a return trip, however, I will look into dive ops on Palm Beach. Although they tend to be more cattle boats, you avoid the car trips to downtown. Regardless, I would still not hestitate to dive with Clive again (and probably will).

 

[kendallpg]

I wanted to close the loop on this and provide advice to any future first-time divers in Aruba.

In late December, I stayed at Divi Phoenix on Palm Beach. I dove with Clive for 3 days. The experience was OK -- not great, not horrible, just OK. Here's why:

• Clive, like many Aruba dive ops, doesn't take reservations over email or the internet (yes, even in 2011). With that being said, I was still able to get in with him last minute.
• Clive's boat is on the dock in downtown Orenstad. This is about a 10-15 minute drive from Palm Beach. There are dive ops right on Palm Beach. More on that later.
• Clive, like many ops, provide free pick-up, which is great because cabs are expensive in Aruba.
• The first day I was picked up at 8am and didn't get back from a 2 tank dive until about 2:30pm. What took so long? Well, after being picked up along with a family of 5, we had to go to Clive's house where diving certification paperwork was completed, payment was taken, and divers were outfitted for rental equipment (I brought all my own). So, we didn't get on the boat until 10am.
• The dives on Monday and Wednesday were OK. Not fabulous, not horrible, but OK. Clive knows the area -- I have no doubt about that and his son Mark is a good guide. Like many on this board have said, he allows full tank dives, which usually are about an hour.
• One thing I didn't like about Monday and Wednesday was the fact that three people on the boat were in the process of being certified. While Clive took them out on his own (and we went with Mark), I tend to think that the fact they were in the boat led to a limited selection of dive sites. Personally, I think pre-cert divers should go out on separate trips, but that's my own opinion. At worst, I think I should have been told this upfront when I made the reservation.
• The Tuesday dive to Antilla was excellent.
• Oh, by the way, Tuesday and Wednesday were much faster--we got back both days about 1ish.
• I found Clive's prices to be in line, or slightly better, than other boat prices.
• All in all, I enjoyed diving with Clive although I didn't like diving with pre-cert divers. On a return trip, however, I will look into dive ops on Palm Beach. Although they tend to be more cattle boats, you avoid the car trips to downtown. Regardless, I would still not hestitate to dive with Clive again (and probably will).

I agree with most of what you said above, with only one change:
I dove with Clive in November and I reserved ALL of my dives using email. He only responds to email in the evenings. Which means it did take a couple days to get the confirmation email from Clive.

One of the best things about diving with Clive is that he does not limit your bottom time. 3 of the 4 dives I did with Clive were longer than 70 minutes. When we dove the Antilla another dive company boat(from Palm Beach) pulled up as we were descending. They were done with their dive, loaded on the boat, and gone by the time we surfaced.
I met a guy that was staying in the same resort we were and he dove with one of the Palm Beach dive shops every day. I talked with him at the airport when we were leaving and he said that ALL of his dives for the week were limited to 45 minutes.

I will be diving with Clive again when we go back to Aruba this Thanksgiving.