stretchthepenn
Contributor
Because reasons, I've been stuck in Arid-zona for the past month-plus. It's an OK place to be, generally speaking, but it's unfortunately short of dive spots. In order to get my nitrogen fix, then, I've been diving Lake Pleasant, a reservoir to the northwest of Phoenix.
For the past two weekends, I've had very good experiences with a shop called Cyborg Pirate and their boat, the Diver Down. Cyborg Pirate's shop (which is, by the way, super-clean and beautifully organized) is located just east of the intersection of the Carefree Highway and I-17, to the north of Phoenix, and only about a 15-minute drive to the Pleasant Harbor Marina.
Both the customer service and the gear that Cyborg Pirate provide impress me. When I stop in, the employees immediately greet me and engage me in conversation; they're all friendly and make me feel at home. The regulators I've rented are in excellent condition, with a DIN connection and a well-considered mix of rubber and braided hoses. And rental tanks are already on the boat; I don't need to schlep them myself. Plus, I've had some special requests, and the staff was glad to oblige. Clearly, these folks are serious divers and aim to serve people of the same mindset.
Their boat, the Diver Down, also impresses me. It's a clean, well-maintained, and well-organized pontoon boat, with ample under-bench storage and comfortably wide walkways. I quite also like the lack of scuppers along the benches' undersides; it's a small detail, but I knew that if my stuff gets loose, it can't slide into the drink. Plus, the Diver Down features a well-organized and well-stocked supply of weights, as well as complimentary water and soft drinks. It's a nice ride.
The dive sites have been interesting, too. Last Sunday, the boat anchored off a pinnacle called Tech Island; it starts at 35' and descends to well over 100'; the shallow area viz was 10-15', but below 60', the viz expanded to 40'+. My insta-buddy -- the shop owner and boat's normal captain, who's a technical instructor and was fun-diving for the day -- learned that I was qualified for deep dives, so he upgraded my tanks to steel 100s and led me on a wall dive to 110'. Then, for the day's second dive, a divemaster arranged a friendly search-and-recovery competition in the shallower area. I didn't win the (very nice) prize, but I still had a great time.
Then today, we motored to a shallower pinnacle called Iron Maiden. It's a 15-to-60' pinnacle with lots of interesting attractions such as a field of boat props, a scuba-tank garden, a drone graveyard, a pair of skeletons enjoying cocktails, and...um...dang, I dunno what that thing was. But it looked cool. And there was more stuff that I didn't find. And today, in addition to a divemaster, the boat had a dogmaster, Sully. He's a Chi-Weenie mix and more conscientious than some human divemasters I've encountered. You'd giant-stride off the bow, he'd bark until you gave the overhead-OK, and he'd then turn and look for the next diver.
In sum, I've thoroughly enjoyed diving with Cyborg Pirate, and I recommend this shop.
For the past two weekends, I've had very good experiences with a shop called Cyborg Pirate and their boat, the Diver Down. Cyborg Pirate's shop (which is, by the way, super-clean and beautifully organized) is located just east of the intersection of the Carefree Highway and I-17, to the north of Phoenix, and only about a 15-minute drive to the Pleasant Harbor Marina.
Both the customer service and the gear that Cyborg Pirate provide impress me. When I stop in, the employees immediately greet me and engage me in conversation; they're all friendly and make me feel at home. The regulators I've rented are in excellent condition, with a DIN connection and a well-considered mix of rubber and braided hoses. And rental tanks are already on the boat; I don't need to schlep them myself. Plus, I've had some special requests, and the staff was glad to oblige. Clearly, these folks are serious divers and aim to serve people of the same mindset.
Their boat, the Diver Down, also impresses me. It's a clean, well-maintained, and well-organized pontoon boat, with ample under-bench storage and comfortably wide walkways. I quite also like the lack of scuppers along the benches' undersides; it's a small detail, but I knew that if my stuff gets loose, it can't slide into the drink. Plus, the Diver Down features a well-organized and well-stocked supply of weights, as well as complimentary water and soft drinks. It's a nice ride.
The dive sites have been interesting, too. Last Sunday, the boat anchored off a pinnacle called Tech Island; it starts at 35' and descends to well over 100'; the shallow area viz was 10-15', but below 60', the viz expanded to 40'+. My insta-buddy -- the shop owner and boat's normal captain, who's a technical instructor and was fun-diving for the day -- learned that I was qualified for deep dives, so he upgraded my tanks to steel 100s and led me on a wall dive to 110'. Then, for the day's second dive, a divemaster arranged a friendly search-and-recovery competition in the shallower area. I didn't win the (very nice) prize, but I still had a great time.
Then today, we motored to a shallower pinnacle called Iron Maiden. It's a 15-to-60' pinnacle with lots of interesting attractions such as a field of boat props, a scuba-tank garden, a drone graveyard, a pair of skeletons enjoying cocktails, and...um...dang, I dunno what that thing was. But it looked cool. And there was more stuff that I didn't find. And today, in addition to a divemaster, the boat had a dogmaster, Sully. He's a Chi-Weenie mix and more conscientious than some human divemasters I've encountered. You'd giant-stride off the bow, he'd bark until you gave the overhead-OK, and he'd then turn and look for the next diver.
In sum, I've thoroughly enjoyed diving with Cyborg Pirate, and I recommend this shop.
