Crusie ship diving in Grand Cayman

[dman]

Going on a cruise from New Orleans in December that is making three stops - Cozumel, George Town, Gr. C. and Costa Maya - and would like to at least dive Cozumel and George Town. Of course the cruise ship offers two tank dive trips ($119.00 pp at George Town and $95.00 at Coz) with equipment, but offers no information about the dive operator. What difficulties can I expect if I try to book with an operator prior to the trip directly rather than going through the cruise ship. Also, what equipment would ya'll recommend bringing vs. using the operator's equipment. I think using my own mask and reg at a minimum. All comments, especially from those who have been there will be appreciated. Oh yeah, we're going on Royal Carribbean - Grandeur of the Seas.

 

[redman]

Well I'm going diving in Grand Cayman and Cozumel on a cruise as well, but I am going in March, I plan on taking all of my gear (minus weights and tank) and we are going to set up our own dives- we already have cozumel diving set up. So hopefully when I return I will be able to give you the most current view possible and who we used as well as if they were worth while to look into.

Ryan

 

[redman]

Well I'm going diving in Grand Cayman and Cozumel on a cruise as well, but I am going in March, I plan on taking all of my gear (minus weights and tank) and we are going to set up our own dives- we already have cozumel diving set up. So hopefully when I return I will be able to give you the most current view possible and who we used as well as if they were worth while to look into.

Ryan

sorry about that: **** SBC internet

 

[dman]

Thanks for the info. Any concerns about setting up your own dives and times being missed or messed up due to changed ship times?

 

[redman]

The Cozumel dives are not a worry at all, we are going to meet up with instructors from the LDS and as for Grand Caymans I'm not real worried, I guess I'm kinda of banking on the fact that nothing will go wrong with the ships arrival and departure times.

 

[dman]

Thanks. Let me know about the dive operators you use too.

 

[BurBunny]

In general, if you don't make the port at all (which is more of a risk in Grand Cayman than elsewhere), the dive operators refund any deposit you've given.

All three locations are fairly easy to set up on your own, with Grand Cayman being the most logistically challenging. In GC, I recommend Neptunes Divers or Off the Wall Divers as two excellent operations who make accommodations to cruise ship schedules when possible. There's good info on the Costa Maya options down on the Mexico board. In Cozumel, there's a wealth of operators, though I always try Blue XT Seas first

 

[ScubaCrow]

When I was diving in GC last summer, I believe Red Sail Sports was contracted with Royal Carribbean. I stayed in GC for 9 days and dived with RSS. They are safety conscious, especially with cruise ship divers, and their equipment is first rate. I cruised to Coz two years ago and took everything but weights/tanks with me. I would recommend not bringing a dive knife. The cruise ship will confiscate it and give it back at the end of the cruise. Although it is appealing to book your own diving that gets you away from the "cruise ship divers" who dive once every couple of years, you do take the risk of being left behind if you don't make the departure time. The ship will wait for the contracted dive operator to get the divers back. Regrardless, both GC and Coz are great diving experiences. Have fun.

 

[dman]

Thanks Butch. Do you have any suggestions on how to find out who the cruise lines book with other than a shotgun email to operators or a call to the cruise ship? The prices in Coz only differ about $15 - $20, so we may just use the cruise line for that one. I would like to know who the DO is though and get some feed back. GC prices seem to differ about $40 pp. We will have me, wife and 2 kids diving.

 

[cowjazz]

In January, I used Seasports on Grand Cayman. Their trips go out a 10AM, and was the most compatable to my cruiseship's port schedule (7AM-4PM). Cost was $95 per person for a two tank dive. Visit www.bestdivingingrandcayman.com for more information. We had two great dives with them. They let you dive your computer's limits. They provided the right level of attention and care to divers based on their experience and skill.