Question on Sandals Royal Caribbean

[genxweb]

This October I will be going to Sandals Royal Caribbean for my honey moon. The link below shows that they offer nitrox and customized deep dives, but all the info I read in post on this resort show the opposite. When I called sandals they had no clue what nitrox was though they offer the certification at the resort. My travel agent has ensured me they do offer it, but what happens when I get there and they don't. This is my first tropical trip. I been diving 15 + years in deep , dark cold water and have recently got my technical certifications. I don't plan on doing tech dives there but they do have a few wrecks in the 100' foot zone that I would like to see more then a coral reef. I plan to bring all my own gear minus tank and weights. I will be diving my backplate with a singles wing and bracket, long hose setup with din to yolk converter, redundant computers and so on. Basically everything I am use to diving daily with minus the doubles, deco bottles, and drysuit.

What has been your guys experience if you have been there before.

Caribbean Sailing, Snorkeling, & More - Water Sports Resorts at Sandals

 

[BAMA6977]

Have only been to White House Sandals Resort and did not see Nitrox. Really liked the resort and ease of the dives. You will enjoy the resort but keep in mind "diving is not primary focus of the resort". Going to Ocho Rios this year.

 

[Rand]

I can't speak specifically to the situation at your resort, but I did do a Discover Scuba at a Sandals in St. Lucia in 2005, prior to getting certified.

I did not notice nitrox there and I remember one of the DMs or instructors telling the certified divers on the boat that their depth limit was 60 feet. They required even certified divers to dive with a guide and there was a 2 tank/day limit.

I would suspect that these limitations/restrictions are across the board at all Sandals resorts, but I would suggest calling or e-mailing them with specific questions before you arrive and are deeply disappointed with the disparity of what you envisioned versus what their reality is.

My impression with Sandals was that they cater to vacation divers and their restrictions are in place to help keep safe those who may not dive very frequently.

 

[Damselfish]

I think you are expecting way too much dive-wise from a mainstream AI. While it seems some are better than others, they have a reputation for offering somewhat limited diving oriented more towards casual rather than serious divers. You might want to see if there are any off-property ops in the area that while less convenient, might be able to give you more of what you are looking for. I have no idea what's available around there, but I've often heard of people staying at AIs like Sandals using an outside dive op even though some diving is included with their package.

If you are talking to a general reservations or whatever person at Sandals, and not someone actually involved with the diving, it's not surprising they don't know what Nitrox is. (And if your travel agent is a general travel agent rather than a dive specialist, quite possibly they're just looking at the same web page.)

The page you linked talks in general terms about what is available amongst all the Sandals resorts, but doesn't give much for specifics. The bit about "customized deep dives", I think you might be misinterpreting (maybe wishful thinking)-

"Customized deep-dive, freshwater pools for beginners and refresher courses"
That sounds like they are referring to a deep training pool, nothing to do with the deep-dives you are hoping for.

If you dig deeper, the section talking about their "best of the best in equipment" lists "Luxter tanks" and "Slicone mask & snorkel". Seriously, don't get your hopes too high...

 

[drrich2]

I've never been to a Sandals. I think someone once posted about a Sandals somewhere in the Caribbean where the dive op. limited dive times to 45 minutes. You may want to find out if that's true. And whether their charter trips cater mainly to 'vacation divers' - in which case 100' wreck dives may not be on the agenda. Let us know what you find out!

Richard.

 

[genxweb]

Thanks for the posts. I will def update you all on my experience. It kind of saddens me if all of the above is the case as this is my first tropical trip and I was really looking forward to getting some nice long dives in clear warm water vs. my normal dives.