Bahamas Nov 1-6th

[SBP Studios]

We are going to be working and hopefully a bunch of Diving in the Bahamas that week and hope to meet up with some people for some Diving.

We are open to any suggestions on places to Dive as well since we have never been.

We are new Divers with about 12 dives so far. Any tips are appreciated. Shore Diving is preferred but if there is'nt any then we are game to do a boat Dive. We are staying at the Atlantis so something close would be ideal.

Thanks guys!

 

[jsscuba]

I'll be in Nassau Sept 09 to 24 and will be diving with Stuart Cove's. Basically, there are only two dive operators left in Nassau, Stuart and Bahama Divers. The best dive sites are on the South side which is Stuart Cove's domain. There are excellent wreck and wall dives and if you feel adventerous they have a shark dive which is awesome. They provide free transportation to the dive shop and will pick you up at Atlantis at 7:30 am for the morning 2 tank dive and 11:30 am for the afternoon dive. Bahama Divers is located next to the bridge going to Atlantis so they are close and will get you to dive sites faster, however the diving on the north side is not as interesting except for the Lost Blue Hole dive which I would recommend. I believe that they go there once a week every Wednesday since it is a longer boat ride. If you need some more info on diving or the Bahamas in general, feel free to send a PM. Joe
ps..When you go to Stuart Cove's, watch out for that parrot. He likes to steal things especially the button from the top of baseball caps. I lost two, so far!!!!

 

[cgvmer]

I was diving with Stuart's cove in July, you may want to call them to check out their prices. I was diving with 2 sons, my 17yr old was just doing his referreal dives, my 13yr old is Jr. OW. I did not have to pay for my 13yr old as he was free while diving with me and I was able to add up multiple dives to get a discount for other days.

The only thing they didn't discount was the shark feeding dive which was great.

 

[mstevens]

Basically, there are only two dive operators left in Nassau, Stuart and Bahama Divers.

People keep saying this, but it's not true. Custom Aquatics is located in Coral Harbor a short distance from the Coves' shop. One thing I like about them is illustrated by something that happened several times during our trip a few weeks ago: We'd tie up to a mooring, gear up, and jump in. Half an hour or so into our dive, a large boat would hustle into the area and 20 or so divers would appear. Half an hour later, they'd all disappear. Another half hour and we'd head back to the boat. That, and we got picked up at our hotel at 0900 and were STILL out on the reef before Stuart's boats. I hate 0730, especially on vacation.

 

[divengolf]

As i undestand it, CA only does charters for groups of at least four.

Or have they changed their business model??

I'm going to PI in Nov. and contacted CA a couple months ago. They didn't seem interested in a single diver.

 

[mstevens]

As i undestand it, CA only does charters for groups of at least four.

I've only ever gone out with them with my wife and son, so just 3 of us (apart from one time when my parents went out with us on the larger boat so they could snorkel as we dived). They told us of several different times they've gone out with a single diver. I'm quite certain they don't have any problem with taking one diver or up to the capacity of their larger boat.

The most likely issue for most divers is that you charter one of their boats and them as guides and instructors. The fee is the same whether the boat is full or it's just you. For my family of 3, with my son getting instruction toward certification (OW the first time, "Adventure Diver" most recently since he's not yet 12, AOW next time) it's not indefensibly expensive. If I were diving on my own as a non-zillionaire I'd have a pretty hard time justifying the cost versus Stuart Cove. Fran assures me he's a great diver and is a very conscientious operator.

If you're comfortable with the $595/day fee (minus a discount for multi-day bookings) and they aren't already booked I'd be flabbergasted if they didn't welcome you. I recommend trying to talk directly to Fran about your interest.

 

[SBP Studios]

Hey guys we are staying at the Atlantis and wont have any transport. What would you reccomend? That Blue hole is intriguing but Shark diving is'nt, not this trip anyway. Sharks in general we really are'nt too into coming into contact with.

 

[divengolf]

Has anyone used Bahama Divers recently, say in the past six months. There are some older posts on the board, but nothing recent that I could find.

I'll be staying in downtown Nassau and SC is a hike. Besides, who likes cattle boats. I'm going on the Aqua Cat liveaboard and want to get a few dives in before boarding.

Any recent experience would be appreciated.

 

[rexman24]

SC will pick you up, and I really enjoyed the dive(shark) I did with them

 

[mstevens]

...we are staying at the Atlantis and wont have any transport. What would you reccomend?...

All the operators will pick you up and drop you back off at your hotel, so no personal transport needed.