scorman
Registered
We just got back Dec17th from a week at BM.
This resort has 1 1/2 miles of beach!
Many posts bash the on-site dive op ..this post is NOT one of them!
Five adults, all certified ..been there two times before
note: that week is still considered "off-season" ..fully booked the following week
Got rooms in middle of "J" building ...closest to dive shop and pier ..very convenient
The head op guy was Sergio ...terrific management/personality, great staff
The gal at the desk was Daniella ...always on top of the bookings/destinations
We split up a few times, so we were going out all five, or four, or three, or one,
mixing double and single tank dives ..when finished we sucked down 46 tanks.
They let us choose the dive sites almost every dive.
They had two boats and dropped off diff small groups at diff areas ...most local dive sites are within two miles of the dock. They try to limit 6 divers with each DM. Many times we were the group ...daughter even went on a single tank with personal DM.
They have double tanks at 8am and single shallow at 1pm.
Local dives sometimes get split at 8am and 10am (come back to pier)
For the upcoming high season, they get a third boat.
Things we really liked:
no time limit ...some deep dives went 40 min, shallow 55min
if someone runs low, next lowest goes up as pair, rest continue
staff really helpful at shop and on boat
Two DMs were especially good and knowledgeable: Marc and Matthew
they have discounted "family" packages of 12 tanks, whereby anyone in group can use the tanks ...extra tanks at discounted rate of $37 when paid for in advance thru internet.
Water got a bit rough a few days, so couldn't take longer trips to further out sites.
Clarity wasn't great, but reefs are really in great shape compared to Negril.
Some areas had more fish than others, but saw turtles, rays, morays, lobster ...only a few very large lionfish .....no sharks <sigh>
One site had such large schools of grunts/porkfish, that you had to push them away to get through.
Digressing to the resort:
Got in room at 3pm ..wind was calm, went snorkeling for an hour on the Palace side ...five turtles close up, one eagle ray ...big French angels, decent variety of fish.
Went different time starting from Palace (way out couple hundred yards) all the way to pier island on ocean side and around shoal to channel buoy. Saw turtles, large green moray (dn 25ft?), Caribean ray (6 feet across). Got back to pier and there were literally 1000+ fish (grunts/porkfish) underneath stacked like cordwood. Many (including me), feed the larger silvery fish (?) bread or fruit loops and there is no short supply of sergeant majors.
Best reef is directly north of the pier (150ft) with staghorn and brain, then wrap around outside coral island (when calm) to south side boat buoy channel (200yds) and back to pier.
Exposed reef area in center of Colonial beach is shallow, but goes far out.
Area nearest Palace is rocky/shallow, but has deep sandy channel up to 15ft deep ...most turtles and rays sightings, but they come right up to where people are swimming too.
Last snorkel morning before we left, two small turtles but wife saw Caribbean ray and Octopus whose head was larger than a grapefruit!
I would like to have off-line conversations on snorkeling with others who have been to Gran Bahia and Grand Palladium as alternatives to Barcelo.
Stew Corman from sunny Endicott (NY/USA)
stewart.corman@gmail.com
This resort has 1 1/2 miles of beach!
Many posts bash the on-site dive op ..this post is NOT one of them!
Five adults, all certified ..been there two times before
note: that week is still considered "off-season" ..fully booked the following week
Got rooms in middle of "J" building ...closest to dive shop and pier ..very convenient
The head op guy was Sergio ...terrific management/personality, great staff
The gal at the desk was Daniella ...always on top of the bookings/destinations
We split up a few times, so we were going out all five, or four, or three, or one,
mixing double and single tank dives ..when finished we sucked down 46 tanks.
They let us choose the dive sites almost every dive.
They had two boats and dropped off diff small groups at diff areas ...most local dive sites are within two miles of the dock. They try to limit 6 divers with each DM. Many times we were the group ...daughter even went on a single tank with personal DM.
They have double tanks at 8am and single shallow at 1pm.
Local dives sometimes get split at 8am and 10am (come back to pier)
For the upcoming high season, they get a third boat.
Things we really liked:
no time limit ...some deep dives went 40 min, shallow 55min
if someone runs low, next lowest goes up as pair, rest continue
staff really helpful at shop and on boat
Two DMs were especially good and knowledgeable: Marc and Matthew
they have discounted "family" packages of 12 tanks, whereby anyone in group can use the tanks ...extra tanks at discounted rate of $37 when paid for in advance thru internet.
Water got a bit rough a few days, so couldn't take longer trips to further out sites.
Clarity wasn't great, but reefs are really in great shape compared to Negril.
Some areas had more fish than others, but saw turtles, rays, morays, lobster ...only a few very large lionfish .....no sharks <sigh>
One site had such large schools of grunts/porkfish, that you had to push them away to get through.
Digressing to the resort:
Got in room at 3pm ..wind was calm, went snorkeling for an hour on the Palace side ...five turtles close up, one eagle ray ...big French angels, decent variety of fish.
Went different time starting from Palace (way out couple hundred yards) all the way to pier island on ocean side and around shoal to channel buoy. Saw turtles, large green moray (dn 25ft?), Caribean ray (6 feet across). Got back to pier and there were literally 1000+ fish (grunts/porkfish) underneath stacked like cordwood. Many (including me), feed the larger silvery fish (?) bread or fruit loops and there is no short supply of sergeant majors.
Best reef is directly north of the pier (150ft) with staghorn and brain, then wrap around outside coral island (when calm) to south side boat buoy channel (200yds) and back to pier.
Exposed reef area in center of Colonial beach is shallow, but goes far out.
Area nearest Palace is rocky/shallow, but has deep sandy channel up to 15ft deep ...most turtles and rays sightings, but they come right up to where people are swimming too.
Last snorkel morning before we left, two small turtles but wife saw Caribbean ray and Octopus whose head was larger than a grapefruit!
I would like to have off-line conversations on snorkeling with others who have been to Gran Bahia and Grand Palladium as alternatives to Barcelo.
Stew Corman from sunny Endicott (NY/USA)
stewart.corman@gmail.com
