Blackbeards Was Great

[Rod Koehler]

I did the Blackbeards cruise in mid June and was totally satisfied with all aspects of the trip. The other divers were friendly, and the crew was great.

The diving was special. I've done a lot of diving in the Hawaiian Islands, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and the Mendocino Coast. Diving the Blackbeard sites in the Bahamas we saw so much sea life. Lots of fish, turtles, rays, ramora, and mucho, mucho sharks.

On some dives yould see sharks as soon as your mask hit the water.

Early on I noticed many people on the boat spoke with southern accents, and as we were getting pretty close, I (perhaps unwisely) started imitating their accents saying "were goin on a nat dav (night dive). This immediately set me up as the California crazy and I got a lot of good natured ribbing I hadn't planned on.

The stop in Bimini was also a wild time.

 

[Rod Koehler]

The overnight stop in Bimini was wild. Bimini is this little island with some little bars, lots of beach, souveers, and locals.

Anyway, most of us made it down to a tiny bar with a sand floor called "Top of the World" or something like that. Its standing room only and everyone is drinking. The bar has lots of underware and bras tacked to the ceiling . . .

Anyway, the dive master and mechanic decide they want the cooks underware for the ceiling because it's his birthday. They creep over from the bar and take the struggling cook down. It's a wild yelling mess for a while, and then the mechanic is ripping off the cooks shorts while the divemaster holds him down. The cook then takes his beer bottle and shatters it on the mechanics head and everything stops.

They all make up within an hour, but it was a pretty good show. I decide to walk back to the boat alone and get propositioned by a Bimini lady who looked like she is probably someone's grandmother. I tell her I must go back to my bunk immediately and catch up on my reading.

Totally awesome trip and crew. I'm sure I'll be writing more. Loved it.

 

[mwrager]

I leave this friday. I am taking my son for his 16th birthday.

 

[djanni]

Sounds like you had a great time.

 

[leadweight]

Blackbeard's rocks. Have done two and will do more.

 

[scubabrn]

thats "ni'te dihve", not nat dav. Maybe they were from Alabama. Anywho, Blackbeards is a#1.

 

[sebranom]

I just got off of the Sea Explorer and spent the week on the Bimini reefs. The dives were fantastic and we were delighted with a visit to a Shark Research Station. This is my 3rd Blackbeard's and I plan on returning. Thanks Capt's Red and Nate for making me feel so welcome!