Providenciales Dive Operators

[Damselfish]

I agree Caicos adventures is a great op, and no one paid me to say so.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Tim,

I did not intend to strike a nerve with you or Fifi, but something obviously struck you as personal in my comment. As with any opinion, not everyone likes the same things or ways of doing things....especially diving.

ONESPEED, based on 1000 logged dives, I assume would have a very personal preference on how to dive. He/She probably knows what to look for in their preferred dive operator.

I have never dove with Fifi, therefore I will not offer an opinion for or against. My comment was just general input for any diver doing research. To look at all the opinions and check them out personally if possible by internet, email, and/or phone. Because, whether we like it or not, diving is a business and this is free advertising space targeted towards divers....which I have learned personally.

Peace,

Tony

No worries. I have been on the board for a while and don't recall a negative report on CA or a "canned" dive report from a Scubaboard newbie. I do recall several Provo Turtle Diver reports that seemed a little too glowing from people new to Scubaboard but its hard to tell when you don't really know for sure. I used to use turtle divers but gave up on them when I found CA.

 

[Rescue Diver68]

Bieszczat,

I also resent your statement.

I can say that as far as Caicos Adventures is concerned....... on my week of trips with them....

Fifi did these things:

Picked me up from my hotel
Carried my gear to the boat
Captained the boat
Fixed my regulator (for free)
Fixed the boat motor
Handed out sandwiches
Kept my camera gear out of the sun and harms way
Helped me on and off the boat
Delievered me back to my hotel

Never once did he or any other dive op ever offer any perks to jump on a message board and give a favorable report on them. The service speaks for itself.

 

[Bieszczat]

To all.....DID I REFERENCE C.A. IN MY EARLIER MESSAGE....NO. Obviously, Fifi has a large following here, but my message was not directed to any operation. Eveyone needs to learn to not read into comments. Artificial reports do happen. Diving is a business. This is a fact. My messasge is just a word of caution from an well traveled and experienced diver who has been apart of this board and other boards in the past. The goal is to ensure research is done thoroughly by any diver looking to go to a new place to them. If I HAD referenced Fifi, then I wouldn't feel unrightly chastised. Everyone has the right to speak their peace, but to infer I was talking specifically about C.A...It did not happen and I just don't get it.


Peace,
Tony

 

[Bieszczat]

No worries. I have been on the board for a while and don't recall a negative report on CA or a "canned" dive report from a Scubaboard newbie. I do recall several Provo Turtle Diver reports that seemed a little too glowing from people new to Scubaboard but its hard to tell when you don't really know for sure. I used to use turtle divers but gave up on them when I found CA.

Tim, in reply to your second post, I also dove with Turtle Divers my first two trips to Provo. After my second, I decided to look elsewhere. Wayne, with Oceanvibes, actually was a Dive Master with Turtle Divers for a while. He decided to start his own, smaller profile outfit. My wife and I loved diving with Wayne with Turtle Divers and thought we would give him a shot with his own operation after he started it. We have been going back to him and OceanVibes ever since.

Take care all.

Peace,
Tony

 

[Rescue Diver68]

So how much did Ocean Vibes pay you to say that Biesz?

Just kidding.

We have also dove with Turtle Divers and they were good, we just prefer CA.

 

[Rescue Diver68]

oops. double post

 

[colby]

No worries. I have been on the board for a while and don't recall a negative report on CA or a "canned" dive report from a Scubaboard newbie. I do recall several Provo Turtle Diver reports that seemed a little too glowing from people new to Scubaboard but its hard to tell when you don't really know for sure. I used to use turtle divers but gave up on them when I found CA.

Tim,

I'm not sure if you are referring to me or not, and not only am I new to ScubaBoard, but I'm new to diving also. The only experience I've had with CA was to buy some shirts from their shop, they have a great selection by the way.

I took my lessons and confined dives here in Ottawa and did my referral dives with Turtle Divers because I was staying at Ocean Club Resort, and Turtle Divers are the on-site dive strore there. Having never been diving before, they made me feel comfortable from the moment they picked me up in the Chuck Wagon, were professional in their demeanor on the boat, and having grown up living on boats on the West Coast I know a thing or two about that at least. They were complete, as far as a newbie can tell, about the pre-dive site explanation and making sure that things were good for everyone before and after the dives. The sites they choose were suitable for me taking my certification dives as well as those with more experience. They had enough DM's to make sure everyone was comfortable in the water within their individual limits.

The second day out, we went to NW Point and the water was bad there, very little visibility. They were the first boat to turn around and head back to Grace Bay as voted on by the people diving. As well, I was impressed that an owner at Ocean Club, who lives in NY, but has 800+ dives in TCI and mostly off a small boat that he keeps at the resort, chooses to dive with Turtle Divers when the water is too rough for the small boat.

I found ScubaBoard after I started diving, so it makes sense that I was a newbie posting a glowing report about a dive operator that in my experience, limited as it is, was a top notch operation that I would have no problem at all returning too. I can only hope that all my future dive experiences are as enjoyable as the three days of diving that I spent with Turtle Divers.

Cheers
Dave

 

[joeabroad]

This is a weird thread. I dove with Provo Turtle Divers two weeks ago and they were fine, just fine. I think part of me chose them because of my natural contrarian bent--nothing against Fifi, who no doubt runs the excellent operation so often pitched here, but I sometimes run in the opposite direction from such uniform agreement. But mostly I think I chose them because I was staying in the Turtle Cove Inn, almost next door.

On my dive days the sea was rough and all the operators, including CA, Dive Provo, and Beaches were on the same stretch of West Caicos coast. I think any one of them would have been great those days. Provo Turtle Divers had good snacks (lack of a sandwich is not a deal breaker for me), good briefings, good divemasters, picked people up, dropped them off, changed our tanks, rinsed our gear. The diving, to me, was phenomenal.

Will I use them again? Maybe--but I think I might be more inclined toward Ocean Vibes, which I really only learned about while I was there. If there are too many operators to chose from, why not go with a Belonger and help support a native dive operation?

 

[Bieszczat]

Joe,

Couldn't agree with you more on supporting the locals. My wife and I really like Provo and it is our choice of dive destinations after visiting a dozen or so other caribbean locations. Therefore, why I probably have posted most of my input related to diving Provo threads.

My wife and I like to "explore" each island we visit and after witnessing the true poverty for natives that is common to most dive destinations, we wanted to give Wayne and OceanVibes a shot....and we haven't regretted it one time at all.

Everyone likes different things and likes different kinds of operations. I don't want to give any false impressions of his operation. His boats are nothing spectacular and his amenities are fairly basic or common to most operations. But what you do get is someone who really knows the island and the waters around it, a very fun and friendly dive guide who is very helpful in and out of the water, and an overall experience that will keep me coming back to dive with him over and over again. Once he gets to know you and where you are staying, he more than likely will offer a beach pickup and drop off if it makes sense based on the dive profile for the day and where you are staying.

I am sure that C.A. and Fifi offer a top notch operation and will look into his operation if Wayne and Ocean Vibes have any issues during our next trip in July.

Take Care.

I Hope All Have Fun and Safe Diving This Year.

Peace,
Tony