San Carlos choices

[boulderjohn]

I wrote a while back with some questions about San Carlos, and I got some great responses that included recommendations for a bunch of dive operators. I am afraid I let things go too long, and I am leaving Saturday with no plans at the moment. I sent off email messages to all the recommended operators, which was just about all of them, but I found a message that concerns me on the web site of one that was not mentioned: Sonoran Sports Center.

We specialize in small groups of divers who are tired of being squeezed on to a boat with 30 other divers like most of our competition does. Most other dive services take divers to the best anchorage because they have open water students on board, which means the experienced divers are forced to dive with students thus lowering the quality of the dive. We on the other hand will take you to the best dive site for your experience.

That has me worried. I have been around the scuba block a few times, and I have seen the nightmare they describe. Can anyone who knows the area tell me

1) What is the likelihood that what they describe will happen with other dive companies?

2) How good is this company?

3) Is there any one company in particular that can pretty much assure the best diving for someone with experience?

 

[Dzscubie]

I've dove with Gary's dive shop for over 15 years and have never,, ever,, had a bad trip. This is my opinion only as I have never dove another operation at SC.

 

[diversteve]

My personal experiences:

Ocean Sports has a big boat. I've seen it moored in an inlet at San Pedro when I know that a local LDS trip had students on board. Not that it's a bad dive, just not the best one I know of there.

We dove with Gary's also one day. They let us pick the mooring since the five of us were the only divers - only 3 other snorkelers on the boat. But we might've gotten lucky since another LDS had a large group diving with them that day so they filled their bigger boat.

I would've recommended Surface Time, but they recently closed I read somewhere that they still do private charters if you have a group.

 

[boulderjohn]

One more thing....

What kind of Internet access can I expect?

 

[diversteve]

Marina Terra has wireless in their lobby but I found it more reliable (and faster) to go into their business center and use one of their cat5 connections. It wasn't much above about 1MBPS but that was almost 2 years ago.

 

[billeelou]

look up my report on San Carlos that I posted last month- complete I will resurrect it for today....