Anyone have any reviews, good or bad, on the diving here? I'm looking to go around October, and we'll be staying at the Breezes Resort in Runaway Bay. Any reviews on the resort would be helpful too.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Runaway Bay, Jamaica
- Thread starter Tanked
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OP
Anyone? Even if you tell me it sucks, I'd like to hear.
I ran the watersports/scuba at a comparable all-inclusive resort in the Ocho Rios area years ago and now try to get to Runaway Bay at least once a year. I book guests into Breezes Runaway Bay regularly. Breezes Runaway Bay went through a 20 million dollar (US) rebuild last year and also purchased a new dive boat at that time. Boat diving is included when staying there but you need to sign up a day in advance. I like the plane and boat wrecks as they make for great photo ops.
Here is a link to a page with underwater photos at took in Runaway Bay.
Scuba One Travel - Runaway Bay Jamaica Underwater Photos
Here is a link to a page with underwater photos at took in Runaway Bay.
Scuba One Travel - Runaway Bay Jamaica Underwater Photos
OP
Thanks One Speed. Looks cool! My girlfriend (fiancée?) is a non diver. Hows the snorkling, and would you reccomend one of those resort courses?
Also, Hows the weather in late October, early November. I know thats the tail end of hurricain season.
Also, Hows the weather in late October, early November. I know thats the tail end of hurricain season.
The offer a "Resort Course" that was $70 the last time I checked. To see if your girlfriend will like diving or not I would recommend she do a pool session with your local dive facility at home, then do the resort course on vacation. That way you don't waste the time and money at the resort if she doesn't like. Plus she can get more practice ahead of time and will be more comfortable in the water.
Another idea would be to have her do the full class and pool at home then do the dives at the resort to be completely certified.
There is a snorkeling reef right in front of the new oceanfront rooms that you can reach from shore. The resort does run a snorkeling boat out during the day. If you plan to do much snorkeling from shore you might want to take your own mask, fins, and snorkel with you.
Breezes Resorts offered by Scuba One Travel
Another idea would be to have her do the full class and pool at home then do the dives at the resort to be completely certified.
There is a snorkeling reef right in front of the new oceanfront rooms that you can reach from shore. The resort does run a snorkeling boat out during the day. If you plan to do much snorkeling from shore you might want to take your own mask, fins, and snorkel with you.
Breezes Resorts offered by Scuba One Travel
I stayed there two years ago before the renovation and also did my OW certification there. One 2 tank boat dive a day was included in the cost of the stay, that includes gear too. The gear was a little beat up but worked. I did a night dive (additional cost) while I was there. Now that I have been other places I would rate it as "just OK", nothing special. But I'm still in the "any time in warm water is better than nothing" mode.
All in all, I had a great time and my wife and I are thinking of returning to Jamaica. Negril this time though.
Enjoy your trip. Oh, despite the No tipping rule, I tipped.
All in all, I had a great time and my wife and I are thinking of returning to Jamaica. Negril this time though.
Enjoy your trip. Oh, despite the No tipping rule, I tipped.
flareless
Contributor
Sorry for the late chime-in. My wife (non-diver) and two other couples stayed at the Bahai Gran Principe in Runaway Bay this past January. The resort was beautiful and featured a local dive operation on site. The dive op was ScubaCaribe. Unfortunately the sub-link for Runaway Bay on the web site seems to be down.
My buddy and I went to do our open water dives after completing the refferal course here in Toronto. ScubaCaribe had a nice facility which was recently built. They offered AquaLung rental BCs (we brought our own though) and some decent looking wet suits. The gear seems pretty new and in good shape. The tanks also seemed in good shape and the fills were well topped off.
The staff was professional. Our Dive Master / Instructor Pablo, while seeming very laid back, ran a tight ship with a heavy focus on safety. The sites we visited were never outside of the range of anyone's capabilities and he was always checking up on each diver to ensure their dive was going smoothly and safely.
They have two dive boats on the site. We took the small boat the first dive but it developed a mechanical difficulty when we returned. The larger boat was much nicer, newer and in great shape. It had plenty of room for tank storage plus room to move around under a sun-blocking canopy.
The dive sites in the area were all just a short boat ride away. You're probably aware that Jamaica isn't the greatest spot on Earth for diving, however, we managed to see some interesting terrain and sea life. We did a nice wall dive down to about 75 feet but we could see it went much further down into the blue void.
Our experience was a very good one and we'd recommend it to anyone heading to the Runaway Bay area.
The dive boats
Dive Master Pablo
Inside the shop
ScubaCaribe
My buddy and I went to do our open water dives after completing the refferal course here in Toronto. ScubaCaribe had a nice facility which was recently built. They offered AquaLung rental BCs (we brought our own though) and some decent looking wet suits. The gear seems pretty new and in good shape. The tanks also seemed in good shape and the fills were well topped off.
The staff was professional. Our Dive Master / Instructor Pablo, while seeming very laid back, ran a tight ship with a heavy focus on safety. The sites we visited were never outside of the range of anyone's capabilities and he was always checking up on each diver to ensure their dive was going smoothly and safely.
They have two dive boats on the site. We took the small boat the first dive but it developed a mechanical difficulty when we returned. The larger boat was much nicer, newer and in great shape. It had plenty of room for tank storage plus room to move around under a sun-blocking canopy.
The dive sites in the area were all just a short boat ride away. You're probably aware that Jamaica isn't the greatest spot on Earth for diving, however, we managed to see some interesting terrain and sea life. We did a nice wall dive down to about 75 feet but we could see it went much further down into the blue void.
Our experience was a very good one and we'd recommend it to anyone heading to the Runaway Bay area.
The dive boats
Dive Master Pablo
Inside the shop
ScubaCaribe
OP
Thanks for the response.
Any idea of what kind of weather I can expect in late October, and early November?
Any idea of what kind of weather I can expect in late October, and early November?
I see nobody repsonded to your request for info on the weather in October. That is probably because it is hard to predict. I have seen perfect weather during this time and have also seen the wind blow bad enough that the dive boats don't go out for a week. The North Shore is prone to winds that you don't get in Negril.
Scuba One Travel - Runaway Bay Jamaica Underwater Photos
Scuba One Travel - Runaway Bay Jamaica Underwater Photos
OP
Thanks for the reply. I've heard its hit or miss that time of year, but its the only time we can go. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
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