St Thomas Diving?

[Seuss]

You cannot go wrong with either operator... both are excellent. Chris Sawyer's group is more of a laid back, easy 'take a vacation and let us do the work' sort of deal. They carry your gear to the boat, set it up for you, help you into the water, lead a tour style dive, etc... I have never seen more given towards customer service from any other operation. The Blue Island group is every bit as professional, but much less hand holding. Kind of a 'take you out and dump you' sort of thing... which can be a good, depending upon the diver. You will see more/better wrecks with Blue Island than with Chris Sawyer because of the geographic location of the operators... most of the wrecks are on the south side, not the east side of the island. Based upon your previous statements, I would go with Blue Island if I were you... however, the Chris Sawyer operation is much closer to where you will be staying.

Water temps right now are are a frigid 77F, but will be a degree or two warmer by March/April. Nothing like bathtub temps of 84F to 86F we have in the summer, but not too bad either.

 

[caymaniac]

I would not choose Blue Island divers again. I was staying on St. John and had some excellent diving. Last year we came in by cruising and dove with B.I., they were not good on there dive breifings and were not helpful to anyone on the boat when it came to getting in or out of the boat. Their choice of dive sites stunk. There is some really decent diving off St. Thomas and St. John but B.I. didn't show us any.
By all the above posts, it would indicate they may be the ones to go with. And, maybe one day of diving with them isn't a fair critic as far as dive sites. But the way we were treated on the boat is no excuse for a dive op and this was the opinion of others on board their dive boat.

 

[The Natural]

All I want is a ride to the wreck and 2 tanks filled with 32% and a general description of the site along with the boat procedures. I don't want anyone touching my gear or leading me around the site, I'm a big boy.

 

[Rule62]

I'm heading there 3-14 and plan on diving with Chris Sawyer and staying at Pt. Pleasant. Given the temps do you think a full 3mm w/hood will work? I usually use a 3mm shorty this time of year in MX.

 

[Rule62]

You cannot go wrong with either operator... both are excellent. Chris Sawyer's group is more of a laid back, easy 'take a vacation and let us do the work' sort of deal. They carry your gear to the boat, set it up for you, help you into the water, lead a tour style dive, etc... I have never seen more given towards customer service from any other operation. The Blue Island group is every bit as professional, but much less hand holding. Kind of a 'take you out and dump you' sort of thing... which can be a good, depending upon the diver. You will see more/better wrecks with Blue Island than with Chris Sawyer because of the geographic location of the operators... most of the wrecks are on the south side, not the east side of the island. Based upon your previous statements, I would go with Blue Island if I were you... however, the Chris Sawyer operation is much closer to where you will be staying.

Water temps right now are are a frigid 77F, but will be a degree or two warmer by March/April. Nothing like bathtub temps of 84F to 86F we have in the summer, but not too bad either.

I'm heading there 3-14 and plan on diving with Chris Sawyer and staying at Pt. Pleasant. Given the temps do you think a full 3mm w/hood will work? I usually use a 3mm shorty this time of year in MX.

 

[Boat Diver]

From what I have heard (and read), Chris Sawyers does a lot of hand holding since they get a lot of cruise ship business. They may hit some wrecks, but it depends if the boat is full of cruise ship divers. Blue Island Divers actually led me through the wrecks we visited. I was in St. Thomas in September and was the only paying customer on the boat for all three days of diving I did. The staff went with us and we dove some of their favorite wrecks.

Chris Sawyer, located about 30 minutes from the cruise ship dock rarely ever gets cruise ship divers. If they do have cruise shippers, it is the ones in the "know". Blue Island Divers, Admiralty Dive and Underwater Safaris cater to cruise shippers as they are all located close to the docks. Every Friday Chris Sawyer dives the wreck of the RMS Rhone in the British Virgin Islands which is rated one of the top five wreck dives in the world (way better than any of the wrecks located anywhere around St. Thomas). Yes, they do "hold hands" and also offer nitrox.
A 3mm fullsuit is plenty for thick tourist blood.

 

[oly5050user]

can also try Aqua Action at Secret Harbor hotel..Not sure how they operate now,but it could be an option for you if you have problems getting out..Can't hurt to call.. I worked there for a short time 29 years ago,owners had been Palmer Williams and wife Mary,very nice people,..different owners now..

 

[wolfegirl]

My husband and I dove with Chris Sawyer last year (late April) and thought they were great; I was getting OW certified and so was assigned one person to dive/demonstrate skills to. My husband went with a buddy from the boat or the DM. They selected excellent reef sites - one with lots of tunnels and pass-throughs --on our dives and said that they made a weekly (usually Friday) trip to the Rhone.

Since then I've dived with 2 other operators in the Caymans. CS was comparable to them in most regards: helpful at entry/exit, water, snacks. But CS didn't touch your gear: you move it from tank to tank, etc. They also had weight bags if I recall.

 

[Guy Carrier]

CS does not touch your gear if you're in training. I did my OW and AOW with CS and did all my own equipment on every training dive. Every other dive I've done with them (over 25) they've told me to relax and they'll move the equipment. I usually move it myself anyway because it makes me feel useful but they are always quick to help a non-student and they expect students to show they can handle the gear themselves.

Guy