Freeport, Nassau and Key West

[scuba_ali]

My sister and I are going on a cruise in March and would like to do 2 dives. We are going to Nassau, Freeport and Key West. Unfortunately, there are no dive excursions available from our ship.

Does anyone have advice on which of these locations to dive and which dive ops to go through (mostly to be sure we get back to the ship before it leaves!)?

Thanks! :cool2:

 

[diversteve]

Nassau - the cruise operator is Stuart Cove's - they'll shuttle you from the cruise port to their location on the south side - 1/2 hr. + each way. If your time in port is limited... http://www.stuartcove.com/DiveBahamasMgmt.aspx?id=2&pageId=51

Bahama Divers is a short distance away at the bridge to Paradise Island. Their 2 tank leaves at 9AM. Allow 1/2 hr. or so to clear customs so if you dock at 8 or before that may be doable. http://www.bahamadivers.com/index.htm

Those should be your options for Nassau.

oops...too many edit windows open at once. (see post below)

 

[CT Sean]

minor point but those dive ops are in St Thomas - not Nassau.

I can't help with the other two but in Key West I've used both Subtropic and Bonsai Diving. Both are good but are different dive trip experiences. Subtropic is cheaper but has a larger boat and therefore potentially more divers. Bonsai is a six pack so obviously less divers and will get to dive sites faster but is a bit more expensive.

 

[Dantheengineer]

I'm pretty sure Capt. Cory has recently closed up shop.
No more Paradise dive charters :-(

 

[mike_s]

Unless you're going to dive the Vandenberg, I wouldn't bother diving in Key West. But I've had good experiences with SubTropic there as a dive operator.


Note, if you're going to use Stuart Coves in Nassau, they are on the FAR side of the island. they have shuttle bus service from the cruise boat pier, but it's at select times. You'll need to see what time your boat is in port to see if you can make their shuttle schedule.

 

[moneysavr]

If the boat dose not have a dive opp listed I bet your times are too short, unless you have a full day on land your ok, Make sure to check