St. Vincent diving expensive ?

[ronrosa]

Package cost more ? That's backwards. I'll ask them about personal checks. I don't like to carry a lot of cash.

I can be a little gruff too, so Bill and I will either hit it off or butt heads.

Funny thing is sometimes I get annoyed with those cute cuddly hold your hand operators.

I don't necessarily need or want a 10 minute dive briefing describing what I am about to see. Get me in the water.

 

[Damselfish]

You'll like it then. It's pretty much go dive, and staying down as long as you can is actually encouraged. I've been last person down with Bill and if you have lots of air his attitude is "great, we get to dive longer." All his DMs have always been very good and nice, most of them tend to be pretty quiet.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Yeah...First time I ever logged 3 hours plus in two consecutive dives!

The boats are a bit crowded and unsophisticated. They set up your tanks and then lay them down in a heap, as I recall, until you're at the site. Most sites are very close by, though.

I saw people get offended with Bill's manner--he'll lay into you in a gentle but needling way. I found him really funny and, because I was willing to jive back at him, we had a great time. He does LOVE to dive and is definitely the critter king! Ron, if you don't spot at least 3 frogfish and 2 seahorses, I'll buy you lunch.

You do have to watch your wallet a bit. Bill will try to make as much money as he can. But if you're alert, you'll be fine.

Have a great time.

 

[Damselfish]

If you're good on air, it's actually a pretty decent deal on a $/minute basis.

 

[ronrosa]

This trip is sounding better and better. I am decent with my air. Diving with my video rig, consistently my computer says my SAC rate is around .40.

 

[tvictory]

Having seen the high quality of your videos, I think you will really like St. Vincent. Bill T. caters to people who want to see the macro stuff, and there is plenty of it in SVG. Bill can be a bit of a skinflint, but there is lots to photograph and he knows where it lives.

Incidentally, Dive St. Vincent does not (or did not) use aluminum 80cf tanks. As I recall, we used steel 72's filled to about 2,400 PSI, but still averaged 50+ minutes per dive.

 

[ronrosa]

Thanks, hopefully I can get good footage of the unique muck stuff. I've never seen a frogfish, nudibranch etc..

Steel 72's ? What's the weighting difference compared to an aluminum 80 ?

 

[peterjmaerz]

For me, Ron, about 5 pounds less weight than I need with an AL-80. We were using steel 72's with Aldora in Coz, weren't we?

 

[ronrosa]

The St. Vincent trip is with my wife's brother in law. He's not an experienced diver, so 5lbs. less weight is good to know.

I think we used steel 120's with Aldora. I hear Coz took quite a hit.

 

[Tom Winters]

Dive Saint Vincent is a very mercenary organization. I would recommend booking your package through the hotel rather than through Dive Saint Vincent. Be aware that if you book through Dive Saint Vincent, the entire package will be marked up by 5% if you pay with a credit card. The hotels themselves all accept credit cards with no surcharge.

I've heard there is a new dive operator called Indigo Dive which also offers packages. Young Island Resort is very nice. It's pricey, but the all-inclusive plan compares well to what you'd pay eating a la carte at the local restaurants.

Kay owns Indigo Dive, and you will have a great time with her. If you don't, she'll give you your money back. She's right at Blue Lagoon now.
Young Island is gorgeous - I just anchored there for the night and ate dinner there while I was reprovisioning. You gotta take a ride out to Petit Byehaut though and check that out. Superexpensive to stay at, but hey, it's only money.
Stop at the supermarket by the airport and at least get yourself a case of Hairoun beer. I'm not that big a beer drinker, but I went through a few cases sailing around the Grenadines. You know you're drinking the real thing when you look under the bottle cap and it says, "Pimp my Hairoun ride!"