Dive Fair Helen OR Eastern Caribbean Diving - with Donovan??

[coconutgirl]

I am trying to decide in St. Lucia - whould you go with
Eastern Carribean Diving
takes 6-8 divers
- boats don't look as nice
- boats have shower
-
OR

Dive Fair Helen
- probably a better lunch - who cares that much about that, right?
- Longer day - dunno why - pick up is 8:30-8:45- drop off is 2:30-3:45

If you have used them... can you let me know which you liked and why?
Thanks,
Coconutgirl

 

[Torontonian]

We went with Dive Fair Helen in Aug. of last year. The ship docks near the north/west of the island. The picked us up near the ship, and took us to their shop a bit south for paperwork and get people gear. That took some time.

As we went further south, they stopped at another place to pick up some snorkelers. We then went south for the diving/snorkeling.

Depending on where you go (I requested Superman's Flight) by the piton, so we went further south. Some don't go as far and so can return earlier.

It's a bigger boat, more people, but it was comfortable.

The lunch was pretty good too.

 

[jaybombs25]

they are two completely different ops.. however, dive fair helen has a different style boat than eastern caribbean diving, which has a new more spacious boat which runs on days with larger groups and 2 fast smaller boats which run for smaller groups lessening transfer times..

 

[Hawkwood]

Nice to hear that Donovan and Egret are doing well enough to have a larger boat. We did our referrals with them in early 2006 and had a great time. The Abi was a fast little boat.

 

[coconutgirl]

I heard that Dife Fair Helen also picked up snorkelers on the way to diving. Does this seem like they would not be as focused on the divers? I am not so sure about this. I also heard that there was some waiting around at the shop, picking up the snorkelers, that took a lot of time. Is this your experience?

 

[Torontonian]

Dive Fair Helen does advertise for both divers and snorkelers. At the shop the time spent is more for the paperwork and getting divers fitted.

The boat heads south, and goes into a small bay/pier to pick up snorkelers. So it takes a few minutes to do that.

In my trip, there was even one person learning with an instructor. The boat lets them off at one place. They let us more experienced divers off at another before going to a nearby site for the snorkelers. At the end we all get picked up. That repeated itself for the second site(s). So the diving doesn't suffer because there are snorkelers. A good dive boat will know if the diving site is also suitable for snorkelers.

While on the boat I talked to some divers. They did sites closer by the day before. They were glad were were going to Superman's flight that day. I was glad that we were going there too. I had requested that from my emails, not only for the dive site, but because it is by the petite piton, which means we would get close and be able to see the pitons. There were 6 in my group (I'm the only diver, the other 5 were snorkelers), but I guess that helped to get our request satisfied.

 

[coconutgirl]

Ok - so the boat LEAVES the divers??? and goes off with the snorkelers... If this is the case... WHAT are you supposed to do in case of emergency? No on boat support, no oxygen.... I am worried about that.

 

[Torontonian]

Ok - so the boat LEAVES the divers??? and goes off with the snorkelers... If this is the case... WHAT are you supposed to do in case of emergency? No on boat support, no oxygen.... I am worried about that.

This is not uncommon. The boat is not that far away. There is the DM who has a reel and watches over you.

When we surface, the boat was either already there, or wasn't far away.


We've also been to Cozumel where the DM and I went down first, then others snorkeled above us. It was drift diving/snorkeling and by the time we surface the boat was some distance away. But the sausage (and if necessary some sounding device) lets the boat know where you are.

 

[Handley]

I would recommend eastern caribbean divers, new boat and good crew.