Diving companies Saipan/Tinian/Rota

[chibafish]

hi..friend and i are doing saipan/tinian/rota this december. we're looking to get advanced licenses. the only two english speaking shops we've found have been abracadabra and stingray divers. are there anymore on tinian or rota...or did we miss any on saipan??? thanks

 

[billfish]

Check out this thread:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=381036

 

[roncreel]

Regarding dive shops in Saipan. Go with Abracadabra rather than Stingray. Abra has been under new management for more than a year and has a much better safety record than Stingray.

I just moved back from Saipan after living and diving there for two years. Not as good as Palau, but some very good dives.

Ron

 

[bluegrotto]

As the owner of Stingray Divers on Saipan, I frequent this site to see what divers experiences have been. I respect opinions of others and have an open mind. However, when someone questions our safety record, this is a concern which I must respond to. When an individual states that our safety record is not good, needs to justify that with proof, a phone call and an email. What diving related injuries is Ron Creel referring to? Perhaps he needs to speak with the Department of Public Safety Dive Rescue Team which we trained, or our in house Dive Safety Officer, Dr. Cooper.

Call me at 670.233.6100, if you have any questions about our safety record, or our training.

Thank you, and Dive Safe.

Brady Barrineau
NAUI Instructor # 18320
Owner, Stingray Divers

 

[roncreel]

Regarding dive shops in Saipan. Go with Abracadabra rather than Stingray. Abra has been under new management for more than a year and has a much better safety record than Stingray.

I just moved back from Saipan after living and diving there for two years. Not as good as Palau, but some very good dives.

Ron

Regarding my post about dive shop safety records in Saipan, I'm afraid I spoke too harshly about Stingray's record in an effort to support my local dive shop. I have no personal knowledge of Stingray's safety record. My regrets to Stingray if my comments have caused them to lose business.

Abracadabra (PADI) and Stingray (NAUI) both have their strengths and weaknesses as dive shops, as with most dive shops around the world, but both work hard at showing their divers a great time in a wonderful place to dive. Dive shops tend to be at the mercy of staff that come and go.

When you have an opportunity to dive in Saipan, give either one of these shops a call and figure out which one best suits your needs. These are the only English-speaking shops available to you.

Do not let my comments direct you away from one shop to another. You decide.

Ron

 

[hisinco]

I lived on Saipan from 1986-2000, and would have no hesitation in recomending Stingray. I knew and dove with the former owner, Rick Northern, and also knew Brady Barrineau before he bought the shop. He is a young man who grew up on the island, so he has his roots there and knows the island well. I was not a fan of Abricadabra, but that was just my personal preference. I do not believe their safety record is any better that Stingray, and always felt Stingray offered more personal interest in meeting the diver's needs.

Dive Rota is operated by Mark Michaels and is a full service shop serving the American divers who find their way to that beautiful island. At the time I left Saipan, I was not aware of any dive operators on Tinian, but since it is only 3 miles south of Saipan, it is only a short boat ride if you are interested. Personally, I prefered the dives on Saipan, although there are a couple of decent dives off the west side of Tinian.

 

[turbittj]

I live in Saipan now and I can tell you that all the serious English speaking divers I know dive with Brady and Stingray. I dove with Abracadabra as a tourist before I moved here, and I find Stingray much more personalized and tailored to the individual diver than the other shop.

Jeff in Saipan

 

[marpacifica]

The Stingray v. Abracadabra comparisons are, quite frankly, really tiring to hear, just like the film v. digital, strawberry v. chocolate, Airbus. v. Boeing and other us v. them debates. Each shop has experienced professionals and which one a diver ends up liking depends on preferences and criteria personal to that diver.

Happy Bubbles to all who enjoy diving in Saipan.

 

[hisinco]

Ok everyone, you heard the man. We can't discuss this anymore because he's gettting tired of hearing about it. Never mind that someone chose to make a totally unsupported and untrue criticism of a good dive operator. We don't want to bore anyone with our tiresome defense of the victim.

 

[marpacifica]

I should clarify that it's not just on this board that I hear the comparisons, both fair and unfair, about the two "American" (as the local islanders call it) dive shops on Saipan. I've heard the comments at least once a week for the few years I've been here and they're on the same lines as those discussed on this thread. They do get old in my perspective, and you're certainly in your right to disagree. It's a small island and an even smaller dive community, as you know, and you may remember how easily gossip and innuendo become "facts" on this island when repeated by enough people. Someone made an unsupported criticism about Stingray, and Brady called him on it. Brady's a nice guy, dedicated to his family and his business, and he's quite capable of defending his reputation as he so aptly did in his post above. Hisinco, it wasn't your defense of Stingray that I was criticizing, but the unsubstantiated comments that I hear about BOTH shops all too regularly and that I've learned to take with a grain of salt each time.

Now getting back to the original post. Chibafish, check back in several weeks. Abracadabra's owners are moving back to the mainland and are selling the shop.