Give PEACE boat a chance...

[HBDiveGirl]

... and the Peace dive boat will MAKE YOUR DAY!!!

I've just gotta pour on the lovin' to the Captain and crew of the Peace dive boat, operating out of Ventura Harbor.

I enjoyed 4 wonderful dives with them on Saturday, April 15, 2006.

1) The boat was ready and clean the night before, and I felt very welcome to sleep on board and be well rested for a day of diving. (Pacific Star, please notice this makes a big difference to divers living more than one hour away.) Dessert from that day's trip was set out on the counter for the enjoyment of anyone boarding Friday night. Yum. Peace dive boat rules.

2) Smooth boarding, paperwork was no big deal, and the boat left on time. Nice reminders to park in the right spot to avoid tickets. Peace dive boat runs like a smooth machine.

3) The captain took the high road on the crossing and got us to Santa Cruz Island, instead of settling for Anacapa. I really appreciated the variety it offered. Two dives at Santa Cruz, then a short crossing and two dives at Anacapa Island. The boat set the stern anchor right on the edge of the dive site reefs, then anchored the bow, and gave a detailed and accurate briefing of the site. Neither I nor my buddy had ever been to this part of Santa Cruz Island, and we found the reefs easily and enjoyed fantastic life-filled dives. Great Site Selection!!! Peace dive boat rocks!!

4) BRAND NEW FANTASTIC COMPRESSORs!!! The Peace has two brand-new compressors that fill tanks almost faster than the able crew can keep up with! Wonderfully plump 3300 psi fills greeted my happy eyes for dive after dive, in less than 10 minutes. Later dives were shallow, and the surface interval was more like an Indy 500 pit stop!! We laughed that they could have refilled our tanks while we were still wearing our rigs, if we hadn't also needed some other convenient boat facilities ;-) Peace dive boat compressors are amazing!!

5) Excellent food, and plenty of it, whether you were early or late for meals. Lots of variety, and adequate galley space for chilled divers. Great upstairs space for the sun-lovers. The Peace boat keeps you well-fed and ready to dive... all day! Fresh baked desserts for the ride home, too... Double yum!

6) Precise and careful dive-mastering. Every diver was checked in and out for every dive. Roll calls after every dive. DMs suited up and ready to respond at all times when divers were in the water. Precise "be-back-by" times given when asked for (by 130 cu.ft.-water-heater-carrying divers who love being underwater more than anything else!) The cheerful crew members greeted us at the swim step every time, smiling, taking fins and cameras, lending a hand when needed. We were on time every dive, and they were smiling. The Peace dive boat crew is like no other... The Best!

7) The PEACE dive boat took us out diving. My buddy and I had originally booked this day on the Conception dive boat, out of Santa Barbara, scheduled to try for San Miguel Island. The Conception cancelled on us, with only 40 hours notice due to "lack of interest and bad weather predictions." The Peace boat immediately welcomed our reservations. The weather prediction was "partly cloudy". 26 very happy divers had a SUNNY day of diving on the Peace boat, while the Conception sat empty at the dock. Can you guess which boat I'll choose next time I want to dive the Channel Islands National Park?

8) Four dives in one day. Run times: 75 minutes, 58, 49, 50. This is what I go on dive boats for... TO GO DIVING!!! Everytime I've been on a full-day trip on the Peace, they have offered 4 dives. They do this by motoring purposefully, anchoring efficiently, offering concise and accurate dive briefings, giving generous but reasonable "be-back-by" times to the divers who like to do long dives, filling tanks quickly, weighing anchor quickly, and keeping the whole thing happy and fun. The crew makes me feel like I'm not a bother, I'm part of the fun. I am happy at the end of a day on the Peace dive boat, having enjoyed what I came for: a wonderful day of scuba diving.

So, Thanks, Peace dive boat! You all are the best. I can't wait to dive with you again.

Sincerely,
Claudette

 

[L.A.Dave]

Not to mention that the Captain of the Peace met a scuba chick and married her....kinda romantic if you ask me..

I have always liked the Peace too, I've been diving it for over 20 years.

 

[Frank O]

Glad to hear it was a great day, Claudette -- I've always thought the Peace was at the very top among Southern Calif boats. Besides everything you cite, I've been impressed with where their heart is with things like cruises for special-ed kids. Plus they pump membrane-filled nitrox.

I wouldn't be *too* hard on the Truth Aquatics boats -- schedule flipflops can happen to anyone -- in fact once years ago the Peace guys assured me they'd be running on a particular day despite impending snarfy weather, and it was only after I drove up there in the rain that they cancelled at 6 a.m. -- so nobody's perfect. Mostly I'd take one of the Truth boats if they were going to one of the off-the-beaten-track destinations they occasionally throw in (such as the Humble SM1/Gosford wrecks, which I did last year). But everything else being equal, for North Channel Islands I'd flash the Peace sign ...

 

[drbill]

I agree on the Peace boat. I've had a few great trips with them in the past and hope to do more in the future. Of course I've also had some great experiences with Truth Aquaticcs.

Heck, if I'm getting wet it usually is a great experience!

 

[Turbo][]

Actually I think I will be on the Peace sometime in late May or June.

 

[Mo2vation]

Peace rocks.

I've beat on them for some of their faults on this board a number of times, but slowly over the last two seasons, they have become my first call dive boat.

Other plusses:

* Air conditioned bunk room.

* Professional crew - most of the crew has been there for years and years. They're complete pros.

* Camera table - modest as it is, it has plenty of AC and enough room for my chargers, strobes and stuff.

* Large freshwater camera rinse buckets. I can fit my DSLR and two strobes into the buckets. On some boats, I just can't get the rig in there.

* Diver-friendly swim step

* Benches (if you get there early, you can stage your stuff under one. If not, you can always use one to don your rig.)

* Indoor access heads. Some boats force you to go outside from the bunk room to get to the head. you're always inside on the Peace.


I could go on and on... but C-Dor hit it on the head. If you wanna dive, its the best choice. They will almost always go out, find a site and get you 4 real dives. With fat, fast fills on the SI, plenty of snackage and sustaining grub - its just a smoov operation.

---
Ken

 

[jacek_smits]

[...]

7) The PEACE boat took us out diving. My buddy and I had originally booked this day on the Conception dive boat, out of Santa Barbara, scheduled to try for San Miguel Island.

I was supposed to be on the Conception as well that day and was disappointed when they cancelled (less than 30 hours notice in my case). They didn't mention the weather to me, just the lack of sign-ups. Truth Aquatics will do this. It has happened to me before and it stinks.

Peace Boat is indeed a great boat. It's the only boat I'll take when I go diving for fun. Except if I want to go to San Miguel and Truth Aquatics has a trip scheduled. Although, after this last cancellation I'm getting fed up with their operation and I may not dive them again

Jacek

 

[Makin Raider]

I also agree, it's my boat of choice when I'm diving with my JOW. Best boat, best crew, best drive (126 over the 405 anyday) and of course best sites. I'm glad you guys had a blast.

 

[drbill]

And they have a great new galley girl appearing this summer. We tried to get Shelley for the King Neptune, but she was too smart for that!

 

[Kevfin]

I have been extolling the virtues of the Peace Boat for a while. Every dive on Peace has been top notch (or top shelf).

Glad to see others appreciate it as much as I do...