HELP! Caribbean Cruise - advice needed!

[quikcolin]

My friend and I just booked a carnival cruise (on the glory) for May 6th - 13th. Now that the booking is out of the way, it's time to book our dives.

We are going to the following destinations.

-Nassau
-Grand Turk
-San Juan
-St. Thomas

The only thing we're sure of is that we want to dive the "miss opportunity" and/or Witt Shoal II (we're wreck divers at heart) while in St. Thomas. Not sure of what dive outfit to go with?

We have two other locations we can dive (need to spend time with our wives lol) so what other two stops do you suggest we dive? We're advanced/nitrox divers looking for adventure. wrecks would be great, but ledges and arch type dives would be of interest as well.

Im beyond bummed that Stewart's coves in Nassau doesn't have a shark dive going on that gives us enough time to get back to the ship before it departs.... really bummed.

Locations and dive site recommendations would be appreciated! We'd love to get this all booked ASAP.

Thanks for your advice
Colin

 

[diversteve]

My friend and I just booked a carnival cruise (on the glory) for May 6th - 13th. Now that the booking is out of the way, it's time to book our dives.

We are going to the following destinations.

-Nassau
-Grand Turk
-San Juan
-St. Thomas

The only thing we're sure of is that we want to dive the "miss opportunity" and/or Witt Shoal II (we're wreck divers at heart) while in St. Thomas. Not sure of what dive outfit to go with?

Blue Island Divers Dive SItes - they'll pick you up off the cruise dock. If your ship docks at Crown Point Marina - most don't as Havensite is the main cruise port - you can walk there.

Admiralty is another frequently mentioned option - they also have free pickup. Wreck Diving St. Thomas USVI

We have two other locations we can dive (need to spend time with our wives lol) so what other two stops do you suggest we dive? We're advanced/nitrox divers looking for adventure. wrecks would be great, but ledges and arch type dives would be of interest as well.

Im beyond bummed that Stewart's coves in Nassau doesn't have a shark dive going on that gives us enough time to get back to the ship before it departs.... really bummed.

What day/time do you arrive in Nassau? On M-W-S Bahama Divers dives the Lost Blue Hole - there's often sharks there. They're located at the base of the bridge to Paradise Island but depart at 8:30 so you'd have to clear customs and get off the ship quickly - it's probably 10? mins. away by cab. Bahama Divers - Dive Trips

Some of the sites near where Stuart Cove's does the feed also have sharks swimming around waiting. I'm not certain what sites but SC's must know. Depending on what cruise line you're on - Stuart Cove's has a contractual obligation to do two dives and get you back to the ship - it's a 45min. shuttle ride from the port to their location. http://www.stuartcove.com/DiveBahamasMgmt.aspx?id=2&pageId=51

I'm fairly certain those are your only two options on Nassau now. There was another charter on Paradise Island but their website seems to have recently gone dark. Of course if you can't make diving work on Nassau there's the Atlantis resort/casino nearby. There's a lot to do there but some activities require pre-purchase of a day pass. They have dolphins there now also. Atlantis Paradise Island Resort

We saw quite a few sharks off the walls in West Caicos but I've never dove Grand Turk.

Might do something with the wives in San Juan. The better diving is on the other side of the island. The cruise port is downtown. Shopping, etc. nearby. IDK much about San Juan - we had a day long layover so gambled a little at the casinos then went downtown. There's a old fort near old town if that's of interest.

 

[quikcolin]

Thanks very much for your help!

I've already sent an email to Blue Island Divers, as their reputation is outstanding... but they haven't replied yet (2 days ago)?

What about the other locations? What other two stops should we dive at? For some reason there is very little info available on suggestions for Grand Turk, San Juan, etc.

Thanks again diversteve!!!!

 

[diversteve]

What about the other locations? What other two stops should we dive at?

If you're not going to dive in San Juan it's a very short list...

For some reason there is very little info available on suggestions for ...San Juan, etc.

The better diving is on the other side of the island.

This appears to be the cruise operator for Grand Turk: Cruise Ship Guests Grand Turk Island, Oasis Divers, Grand Turk, Grand Turk beaches | Oasis Divers

The wall off Grand Turk is supposed to be an excellent dive.

 

[Ray and Pam]

Grand Turk has been on my short list for awhile now, St. Thomas is supposed to have good wrecks. San Juan has some cool forts at the cruise ship piers and I believe shopping in Old San Juan. Cruisecritic.com would have good info.

 

[rivers]

If you dive on Grand Turk, use Blue Water Divers (Grand Turk Scuba Diving: Blue Water Divers, Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands). Grand Turk was my favorite port to dive when I worked on ships.