San Salvador

[mbs]

Back from a week in our favorite island of San Salvador! We stay at Clubmed, but we did meet Michelle Williams of Riding Rock in the airport in Miami. We were there last just before covid. The dive op changed hands and is now called Only Blue Diving. Same gentleman running it and its pretty much dedicated to Clubmed divers. The beginning of the week was unusually calm, mother nature made up for it midweek with major wind and surf closing the watersports on the beach. BUT the dive boat moved to the marina and we didn't miss any dives! We did 2 morning dives Sunday-Friday and chilled the rest of the time. We buddy dive so we get a briefing and go off on our own. Averaging ~100 feet for 60 mins. Nitrox included. The topography of the walls, swimthrus, etc is spectacular. Plenty of sharks, rays, massive lobsters, groupers, etc to keep you entertained.
The resort is just perfect. The beach is a cove probably a couple of miles long. Some of the clearest water ever. They have hobie cats, kayaks, kite surfing, paddle boards. Tennis is also popular. But as divers we are forced to do nothing, but hang on the beach with a book Really the perfect vacation for us. We still go to Bonaire once a year, but even there we seldom do more than 3-4 dives a day anymore. Oh and the food... My god! Most of the customers are from France or French Canadians. Apparently they require great food, and a lot of it

 

[diverswifey]

so nice to hear something about SS - we were there in May of 2022 and Club Med was closed due to covid- we stayed at RR for a week and it was basic, of course, but completely fine except for a few issues I won't get in to ( we were told there would be small group diving then got attached to a group of 22 - not at all what we bargained for- uncool) . We did go over and walk on the beach there at Club Med to see the resort- wow, it surprised me that it was rough crushed sand beach! It was so much nicer on other parts of the island to have soft white sand. We enjoyed the dive crew- I especially enjoyed talking to Bruce (boat captain) about his island.
We are not AI people but even with a car when staying at RR there were very few local places to eat so it is nice to hear that CM has good food- we may try again some time as SS had been on my bucket list for many, many years before we went in 2022 and I am not sure we had the optimum experience. I love the out islands of the Bahamas better than anywhere and understand all that comes with a more remote location. LOL- due to CM, the airport at SS is head and shoulders above most out island airports- someone sunk some serious money in that airport!!

 

[rhwestfall]

My first and only trip to San Sal was now nearly 35 years ago. The laid back funk there then to dive, dive, dive was fantastic to me. Riding Rock Inn was the only game in town, and though "simple" was perfect for me. No thought of eating out as the resort was adequate. We did go in town and played a few games of dominoes over some beers. As to the diving, fish life was abundant, and the walls were spectacular.


I think the state of the Island with CM there now would just ruin my memories....

 

[mbs]

Somehow the island Mayaguana popped up in my news feed recently. This island sounds like a throwback to the old out islands. All the way down by Turks & Caicos. Anyone dove there???
Growing up on the Connecticut shore I guess I never really noticed the sand at ClubMed SS being "rough." Helps the viz

 

[diversmith]

What is your U/W camera setup? Nice pics.

 

[mbs]

What is your U/W camera setup? Nice pics.

Thanks! My feet are from my cellphone . The underwater are using my Sony A6000 in a Meikon housing. No external flash and I'm lazy so although I do shoot raw, I just post process the jpegs that need it with a photoshop action routine.

 

[Green Frog]

Was just cruising through ScubaBoard topics and saw this thread about my idea of Heaven on Earth, San Sal. I first went at New Years, 1992/93, but not to RR. I went to a research station built on the old Navy base around San Sal on the North End. That began a long, loving relationship with San Sal , and me going back about once or twice a year for most of the next 15 years or so. The research station is now called Gerace Research Station and is over 50 years old.

Within a couple of years of my first trip to San Sal I got certified and since I already knew the Riding Rock, I signed up for a dive at the RR... my first ocean dive. It was love at first sight! By then I was studying up on diving and discovered that RR had been the first dive dedicated hotel in the Bahamas and had been written up often in Skin Diver magazine. It had its own photo lab and studio designed by Paul Tzimolous and was just about as good as it could get. I stayed there a couple of times, either getting to San Sal early or staying late when there for an event at the Research Station. The last couple of times I was there I got to dive with Jean Paul who was back and forth between RR and CM as a dive master, and Captain Bruce, who was my “private guide” the last time I stayed there, the only diving guest @ Riding Rock. My great wish is to go back to San Sal and the RR for one last week of diving!

Froggie

PS The first time I was there Iris, who who ran the the gift shop in Cockburntown, told me that “if you get the sand of San Sal in your shoes, you’ll always come back”, so as I leave each time, I put a pinch of sand in my shoe, just to make sure. 🏝

 

[Green Frog]

So many memories have flooded back. Cracked Conch and grilled Wahoo at the Riding Rock Restaurant, Peaches at the bar (and the ring and hook game) as well as the other bars and a couple of small, family style restaurants on the island... I didn’t spend much time at CM, but it seemed pretty nice too.

And of course the diving... the “best wall diving in the Bahamas”, the scalloped hammerhead sharks, the ‘cudas, groupers, rays, turtles, and on and on! My very first ocean dive I went down the anchor line to find my dive buddy with a 5’ ‘cuda looking over his shoulder! I could go on, but you get the picture, don’t you?

 

[rhwestfall]

I met Paul T. when I was diving there in '89... Showed me how to use an underwater camera. My first picture I ever took is on the wall in my house to this day.... It remains as one of the best I have ever taken.

 

[mbs]

Was just cruising through ScubaBoard topics and saw this thread about my idea of Heaven on Earth, San Sal. I first went at New Years, 1992/93, but not to RR. I went to a research station built on the old Navy base around San Sal on the North End. That began a long, loving relationship with San Sal , and me going back about once or twice a year for most of the next 15 years or so. The research station is now called Gerace Research Station and is over 50 years old.

Within a couple of years of my first trip to San Sal I got certified and since I already knew the Riding Rock, I signed up for a dive at the RR... my first ocean dive. It was love at first sight! By then I was studying up on diving and discovered that RR had been the first dive dedicated hotel in the Bahamas and had been written up often in Skin Diver magazine. It had its own photo lab and studio designed by Paul Tzimolous and was just about as good as it could get. I stayed there a couple of times, either getting to San Sal early or staying late when there for an event at the Research Station. The last couple of times I was there I got to dive with Jean Paul who was back and forth between RR and CM as a dive master, and Captain Bruce, who was my “private guide” the last time I stayed there, the only diving guest @ Riding Rock. My great wish is to go back to San Sal and the RR for one last week of diving!

Froggie

PS The first time I was there Iris, who who ran the the gift shop in Cockburntown, told me that “if you get the sand of San Sal in your shoes, you’ll always come back”, so as I leave each time, I put a pinch of sand in my shoe, just to make sure. 🏝

It really does draw you in doesn't it? This last trip I really wanted to look at condos, but my buddy/wife vetoed me I didn't realize Jean Paul worked at RR. We have been going to CM and he has been there the whole time. He now owns/runs the dive op there. The diving is still very good there, but I'm afraid the sea life has suffered as the rest of the Caribbean over the years.