Providenciales Dive Operators

[ONESPEED]

Yikes, looks like I stirred it up pretty good for a newbie! I appreciate all the input, based on responses from this forum and other referrals I am going to try C.A. I'll post a report when I return. Thanks again for all the input!

 

[Bieszczat]

This board is also good to get info on topside places to stay and places to go...if interested. Ask and you shall receive....and more....and more.....and more!

 

[ONESPEED]

This board is also good to get info on topside places to stay and places to go...if interested. Ask and you shall receive....and more....and more.....and more!

Good point Bieszczat, I'm open to any and all suggestions for nightlife and things to see and do in Provo as it will be my first time there. BRING IT ON!!!!

 

[Bieszczat]

Are you going single or with a significant other.....this makes a difference on some things I may suggest?

 

[ONESPEED]

Flying solo but going with friends.

 

[colby]

Food prices can be expensive. Don't miss the Chicken and Rib night at the Tiki Hut.

 

[Damselfish]

Another thing to keep in mind with reviews is they will be flavored not only by what someone likes, but by what other places they've been and operators they've used. For example someone on their first tropical trip who got certified in a quarry, will often rave about a place, even if it is someplace most people don't consider that great. They have nothing similar to compare it against. Someone who has been diving lots of places may very well have a different opinion.

 

[ronrosa]

I haven't noticed too many "suspicious" reviews. If you spend a little time on the board, the honest reviews far out number the fake one's.

I think what is far more common are the post's with the attitude of the "best" and everything else "sucks". You'll see a ton of these kind of posts in gear, operators, resorts, destinations etc..

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

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

No offense intended and I wasn't specifically referring to anyone. The reason I started using CA over Turtle Divers was that Turtle Divers was running out of Turtle Cove and ended up dumping us in Grace Bay every time the water was rough (which was quite often). CA runs out of the south dock and also runs the big catamarran which is frankly one of the best dive platforms I have had the pleasure of using. For the money its just a better op.

 

[colby]

No offense intended and I wasn't specifically referring to anyone. The reason I started using CA over Turtle Divers was that Turtle Divers was running out of Turtle Cove and ended up dumping us in Grace Bay every time the water was rough (which was quite often). CA runs out of the south dock and also runs the big catamarran which is frankly one of the best dive platforms I have had the pleasure of using. For the money its just a better op.

Tim,

No problem, however the post of yours that I referenced said:

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.

People can look back, but I'm pretty sure I am the only ScubaBoard newbie that has posted glowing reports on Turtle Divers, so it was a little hard not to believe that it was intented towards me, especially when a couple of posts before someone was "suggesting" that people were posting positive reports because of some other motive, which I don't believe is the issue. People usually feel strongly about the things that they believe in. You see it on this board all the time from some of the DIR people, the anti-agency people, etc, etc. It doesn't mean that they are wrong, just that they believe in what the believe.

Thanks very much for explaining why you use CA instead of Turtle Divers. To me that is much more useful than a bunch of "CA is the best". If I am evaluating, I want to know the reasons why someone feels that something is better than something else, and I feel more comfortable with facts rather than statements. If something is wrong, I want to know about it rather than just hearing that the operation sucks, not that you said this. I see it all the time in other forums that I particpate in, usually golf-related, where someone will say "This facility sucks". I want to know why it sucks. Did they aerate the greens recently? Are the fairways brown and thin? I generally skip the statement posts, and look for the ones with some meat.

Cheers and happy diving.
Dave