Dry Tortuga Diving?

[ScubaLuuke]

Anybody have any experience on the dry tortuga diving in general or on the Ultimate Getaway Liveaboard leaving Ft Meyer's?
ScubaLuuke

 

[mike_s]

You'll find lots of mixed varied opinions on that boat on here.

try the search option and look at old threads and it should tell it all.


Also check out www.spearboard.com and read the reviews there.

 

[Travler108]

Anybody have any experience on the dry tortuga diving in general or on the Ultimate Getaway Liveaboard leaving Ft Meyer's?
ScubaLuuke

I went on the Ultimate LiveAboard in 2005 and it was a lot of fun. You might want to check if this is a spearfishing trip or only photo because I'm told there is a HUGE difference in the people along and who doesn't understand that "it's the people that make the trip". That said, the boat is spartan living but the food is good and plentiful and the diving is good. They take you on the photo trip to the area that isn't fished and there are some huge groupers. Dry Tortugas National park ( i think it's called) is a Civil War Union prison and they make a couple hour visit to tour it...it makes a nice surface interval.

When i said spartan about the boat, I mean it is simple and the beds are hard. You get a bunk and not much privacy. You provide your own bed linens and pillows so you won't confuse it with an Agressor trip. The crew provide some help in getting into and out of the water and it is a moderately safe operation. The reason I say moderately is that we had no dingy and lots of current and anyone swept away while getting ready to get out and missed the current line took awhile to retrieve. Unlike some dive operations, the crew don't dive with you to show you the sights but give you a fairly decent dive briefing.

All in all, I think it was a good trip!

Frank

 

[atedeschi]

We have a few spots left for easter weekend if anyone is interested please pm me for more info and pricing. It is a great trip

 

[ScubaLuuke]

I am going March 13-16th, so I am hoping for good weather and calm seas, lol. Any one offer advice for a wetsuit size. I have a 3mm I am guessing that it will be fine for water temps this time of yr in Tortuga? Strong currents AAA? I guess that explains the mandatory safety sausuage you must have, lol.

 

[purduepete007]

I did the Ultimate Getaway a few years ago, it was fine, but the boat caters to the spearfisherman, which I'm not. We couldn't dive some of the supposedly better reefs because they were in the "no take" areas, and we already had speared fish onboard. However my very first dive I encountered a sea turtle and got some good pictures. Make sure you try and get them to dive inside the no take zone, before they move to start spearfishing. Also if you haven't been to Ft. Jefferson, take advantage and visit the fort.

 

[mike_s]

I am going March 13-16th, so I am hoping for good weather and calm seas, lol. Any one offer advice for a wetsuit size. I have a 3mm I am guessing that it will be fine for water temps this time of yr in Tortuga? Strong currents AAA? I guess that explains the mandatory safety sausuage you must have, lol.

you'll want a LARGE safety sausage for this boat and a dive alert horn.

make darn sure that the trip he sold you doesn't have spearfishermen on it. Nothing wron with folks who spear fish, but they want to do a different kind of diving than those that don't. Also you can't enter the park with speared fish. So when the first fish is shot, you're stuck outside.

be leary of any trip that he sells that is 'half in the park and half spearfishing'. The capt will lean the way of the spearfishermen if they outnumber the regular divers.

 

[atedeschi]

We did a trip there last march and it was chilly I think you may want to add a hooded vest and/or a thicker suit. The people on the trip where from NJ so if they could they would have worn 3mm.

 

[Walter]

I am going March 13-16th,

Not on the Ultimate Getaway.

 

[CBulla]

Ski-n-Scuba? But thats Ultimate Getaway out of Fort MYERS Beach