Anyone know if a cruise line will allow filled tanks to be brought onboard? I want to do a beach or kayak dive off coco cay, which is Royal Caribbean's private island. Anyone try something like this before? If no tanks allowed, is there a dive shop that rents tanks there?
Tanks on cruise ships
- Thread starter tlawler
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emcbride81
Contributor
As far as I can remember there is no dive shop, it is on the boat. As for tanks...I highly doubt it...that would take away from your need to use their excursion and that will lose them money.
emcbride81
Contributor
ps..what does your signature mean...I know two words
emcbride81:
Learn as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow
Good point about them losing the money. As long as they will rent me a tank and some weights, what do you think about shore diving coco cay? Do they rent individual kayaks or just the "kayak adventure"?
mike_s
Contributor
diversolo:
I doubt they'll let you bring tanks... and really it'd be a huge hassle to bring them on a cruise ship.
CoCo Cay does have a dive shop. However, they aren't open for business like normal dive shops. Its more like a dive equipment building than to say "shop".
They don't rent tanks as far as I know.
What they do is have a dive equipment building with gear and tanks in it for the "Dive Excursion" they do on CoCo Cay. The dive excursion is done about 8am before the island gets crowded. It's a shore dive on the reef about 150 to 200 yards offshore. They tow you out there on a jet ski sled. The reef I think is about in 40' of water.
They tow you back when done. It was a pretty decent dive, but nothing great, but I'd do it again. I think it's something like $45 w/o gear and $55 with gear provided. You have to book it in advance through the cruise line.
After the dive they tow you back in. After that they lock up the "shop" and the dive masters have other duties working other water events there such as jet ski tours, etc. So no other tanks or gear is available the rest of the day.
so can you get a tank from them and take it out on a kayak? I doubt it based on what I saw.
hope that helps some. -Mike
I think the cruise lines would highly frown on bringing a tank on your cruise. If it is their private island, I would do their excursion. They're unlikely to allow any competition. If I were you, I would inquire in advance.
As mike_s said, it's a nice little dive. Back then it was a one-tanker, and the last time I looked, it still was. We did it a couple of years ago, and saw a few nice things, although the ambiance was a bit beat-up. It was also my first outing with an underwater camera. If you haven't been to CocoCay before, it's basically a sand island with amenities.
When we dove CocoCay, it was our only dive of the trip, so we rented gear. I'm a bit of a klutz, so climbing out up the beach is quite entertaining for the onlookers, and I usually end up with my gear full of sand. I believe the difference was $10, and that beats spending an hour getting sand out of my BC any day. The DM was absolutely shocked (and quite appreciative) that we rinsed out our rental gear.
However, be aware that the fins there are full-foots, and we wore some old socks with ours. Definitely a dweeby look, but we peeled them off and tossed them at the end, and no sore spots on our feet.
I heard on a later Sovereign trip that the reef was quite nice for their dive, but I don't know if they took a different route from ours. I've been intending to do it again, but we usually end up on the Sovereign in December, and the water is too cold for me at that time of the year!
If you take the Jet-Ski lift out to the rock - keep your arms at full length - I was trying to hold myself up more, and had a sore shoulder afterwards. It took a couple adult beverages to get in shape for the casino that evening.
I put a review of our trip on the Cruise Critic Scuba and Snorkeling board if you would like to take a look at it.
Have a great trip!
Wendy
review
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16565
dive pix
http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith
When we dove CocoCay, it was our only dive of the trip, so we rented gear. I'm a bit of a klutz, so climbing out up the beach is quite entertaining for the onlookers, and I usually end up with my gear full of sand. I believe the difference was $10, and that beats spending an hour getting sand out of my BC any day. The DM was absolutely shocked (and quite appreciative) that we rinsed out our rental gear.
However, be aware that the fins there are full-foots, and we wore some old socks with ours. Definitely a dweeby look, but we peeled them off and tossed them at the end, and no sore spots on our feet.
I heard on a later Sovereign trip that the reef was quite nice for their dive, but I don't know if they took a different route from ours. I've been intending to do it again, but we usually end up on the Sovereign in December, and the water is too cold for me at that time of the year!
If you take the Jet-Ski lift out to the rock - keep your arms at full length - I was trying to hold myself up more, and had a sore shoulder afterwards. It took a couple adult beverages to get in shape for the casino that evening.
I put a review of our trip on the Cruise Critic Scuba and Snorkeling board if you would like to take a look at it.
Have a great trip!
Wendy
review
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=16565
dive pix
http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith
mike_s
Contributor
Yes, my visit was a one tank dive also. Though it wasn't a spectacular dive, I would have paid extra to do a 2nd tank.
While CoCo Cay isn't much, we REALLY liked it. We liked it better than Nassau in fact. It was very relaxing.
I went and found the trip report I did for it.
see http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=103594
Also, this was another post that you might find informative about it.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=117356
While CoCo Cay isn't much, we REALLY liked it. We liked it better than Nassau in fact. It was very relaxing.
I went and found the trip report I did for it.
see http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=103594
Also, this was another post that you might find informative about it.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=117356
I don't think it would be that big of a hassle to take tanks onboard if you could check them with the rest of the baggage. I specifically wanted to avoid the crowd scene Wendy described in her trip report and just go off on my own, no DM and no vacation divers to contend with. Call me antisocial if you will, but I really hate cruises altogether. I just do them for my wife's benefit because she claims it keeps her sane to make a cruise a year and get away from the kids. My idea of a vacation is 20 dives on a five day liveaboard with a group of experienced divers doing deep wrecks. But my wife is a warm water, perfect viz, led by a DM diver only.
But thanks for the feedback anyway guys, I guess I'll just have to suck it up for a few days everyyear.
But thanks for the feedback anyway guys, I guess I'll just have to suck it up for a few days everyyear.
all4scuba05
Contributor
Last time I took dive gear on a cruise, the dive gear didn't make it on the ship the day we left port. The backplate scared the workers at the baggage screening machine. They thought it was a knife. I was already on board having my first drink. They forgot to call me and have me go downstairs to open the bag for inspection. That was because of a backplate.
Throw a tank in the bag and who knows what they'll think I'm trying to smuggle on board. Next time the back gets rolled onboard by me, not the porters.
Throw a tank in the bag and who knows what they'll think I'm trying to smuggle on board. Next time the back gets rolled onboard by me, not the porters.
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