Questions about Scuba Mau, please...?

[DandyDon]

I'm looking forward to diving with them for the first time. I liked the hotel and Op I've been using but the hotel has gone up so much well out of my price range, about as high as Iberostar with AI booked with the $200 Orbitz discount. Still like the hotel, but too rich for me, so I'm trying Villablanca - private room for half the money as shared room at my old digs, and going with S-Mau as well.

So, I know where they are, how nice they are from the reviews here, what they charge for trips, 100 cf tanks, Nitrox, really almost all I can think of - but I forgot to ask about a couple of things...

How big are their boats? I assumed 8 divers maximum like most fast boats but someone said 6 in another thread?

Anyone got boat pics? Their site does not.

How many boats do they have? I know it can be a challenge matching divers by experience to respective boats, and while both us of goof up at times, we have done our training including Rescue and enough experience that we don't want to be doing newbie dives really. Coz Ops seem to work that out okay, sometimes taking the newer divers with more DM oversight maybe, but curious.

thanks ​

 

[DiverG]

They own 2 boats, and have others at their disposal. Here is one of the boats they use.

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[DandyDon]

Looks like fine boats and a larger crew than I was thinking. You remember how many divers max?

 

[DiverG]

Well I think normally they try to do only 6 divers. My group used three boats of 7, 7, and 6. Crew is only 2. One divemaster and one boat captain.

 

[firstdive2005]

Hi Don! I'm really happy your going to use Scubamua. I feel just from your posts your time with them will be a blast. Just tell Opal that you want to make sure that your on the boat with experienced divers. She will do that in a heart beat. The possibility that you get your time with all inexperienced divers are usually small. If this occurs the dm will ask you where you want to go and he will let you dive as he will baby sit. Trust me they will watch every move you make the first day there and make the call on your skill level. You dont even notice your being watch or interviewed. They 2boats, one a six pac the other is able to carry 10 but is lisenced for six also. Like Greg said Opal has had 7 boats go out at once. That is never an issue. By the way you probably know this but the shore dive a Villa Blanca is nice. I wish you well. I wish I could be there. Just too busy at work now. kevin

 

[DandyDon]

Hi Don! I'm really happy your going to use Scubamua. I feel just from your posts your time with them will be a blast. Just tell Opal that you want to make sure that your on the boat with experienced divers. She will do that in a heart beat. The possibility that you get your time with all inexperienced divers are usually small. If this occurs the dm will ask you where you want to go and he will let you dive as he will baby sit. Trust me they will watch every move you make the first day there and make the call on your skill level. You dont even notice your being watch or interviewed.

Yeah, I'll mention our Rescue cards and such in my follow-up email next month a week or so before arriving. I think being checked out the first day is pretty standard around Coz and other destinations; no problem. We are getting over to Santa Rosa NM this weekend to try to get as many screw-ups out of the way there, etc. That we are a couple of old fat guys will be obvious too so we'll see what they think of us I guess. Hey, what gear should we take to them the day before diving, when I take my pony over for an overnight fill?

They 2boats, one a six pac the other is able to carry 10 but is lisenced for six also. Like Greg said Opal has had 7 boats go out at once. That is never an issue. By the way you probably know this but the shore dive a Villa Blanca is nice. I wish you well. I wish I could be there. Just too busy at work now. kevin

So 6 is max for each boat? Unusual but cool.

You know, I've never done VB wall from shore. Do you have to go under boat traffic to get to it? Drag a sausage? The third week of August is pretty slow all over isn't it; you should come on down. VB still shows plenty of cheap rooms with the Orbitz discount and cheap upgrade.

thanks! ​

 

[fishin42]

Don, My wife and I were on the boat yesterday with some new divers and we never knew they were diving with us, they even had a seperate dm. we picked the sites and dived our own profiles. the other divers were on the boat after we got in the water and before we got back in the boat. One of the great things about ScubaMau lets u dive ur own profile. we love it!

 

[Fin59]

Don, My wife and I were on the boat yesterday with some new divers and we never knew they were diving with us, they even had a seperate dm. we picked the sites and dived our own profiles. the other divers were on the boat after we got in the water and before we got back in the boat. One of the great things about ScubaMau lets u dive ur own profile. we love it!

Go ahead, rub it in! See you guys in November!

 

[ggunn]

You know, I've never done VB wall from shore. Do you have to go under boat traffic to get to it? Drag a sausage?

I don't think he was talking about the wall; the drift from VB to BA is a pretty easy dive with a bunch of rock piles and small coral heads centered about halfway along the route.

VB wall can be done, though it's a pretty long swim out and back, and the wall is under the main part of boat traffic. If you look at that string of yellow buoys that angles out from the lighthouse across the view from BA, the farthest one out is anchored on the lip of the wall. The bottom slopes off gradually from a depth of 10-15 feet at the end of VB pier to 60-70 feet at the top of the wall. The wall itself varies from about a 45 degree dropoff to pretty much vertical right out front of BA.

You can use the buoy and the bricked over cable leading to it (the buoys mark an electric cable over to the mainland that powers the lighthouse) as a reference point; if you follow the cable in it will lead you to the lighthouse.

You'll want to swim out and back along the bottom to stay below the boat traffic. I'd start back with a minimum of 1200 psi. When I do it, I certainly have a SMB with me, but I don't deploy it unless I have to come up under boat traffic.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok, that's why I've never done VB wall from shore - and won't. Too much swimming for two lazy old farts. The shallow shore diving in that area can be fun, but boat dives are really worth the extra money to us.

thanks!