This story is long, really long, so long you better take a quick potty break then grab a snack and drink from the kitchen before you start reading. 
We cruised to Bermuda on the Norwegian Majesty out of Baltimore, MD; we arrived at 3pm on Monday and were scheduled to depart the island at 11am on Wednesday. This was our first real cruise; the closest we had come was a weeklong live aboard dive trip on the Nekton Pilot several years ago. The Majestys itinerary didnt show any diving excursions and when Bruce called Norwegian he was told it was ok to book his own diving. Bruce contacted Triangle Divers and booked a two tank afternoon dive plus a night dive for Tuesday, our only full day on the island. The airlines recent addition of fees for luggage that used to be free plus the fact we were only diving one day and really wouldnt have a place to store wet gear drove our decision to rent BCs and regulators.
When Bruce booked the dives he was told we would be picked up at the cruise ship in St. Georges by a van at 1:30pm. The van would take us to the shop where we would fill out the necessary paperwork as well as be assigned our rental gear. The dive boat was scheduled to leave the dock at 2pm, the shop employees assured us that was enough time to get to the shop and take care of business. Their waivers are online so we were able to come prepared to sign in. A call to Triangle closer to the date of departure for the cruise revealed a change in the method of transport to the dive shop. Instead of being transported in a van we would be picked up by their dive boat Tenacity and taken to the shop. This was just as convenient and it was far more comfortable than cramming a group of divers, with all the stuff divers carry, into a van.
There were about 7 of us from the cruise ship who had booked directly with Triangle. We would be joined by other divers vacationing on the island as well as some students when we arrived at the shop. I believe there were about 19 divers scheduled to be on the boat. We arrived at the shop and took our c-cards and waivers as well as a credit card inside. We were not required to show our logbooks but they did ask how many dives we had and when our last dive was. That information plus our name and certification level was entered into a spreadsheet that was used for roll call as well as to break divers into experience-based groups. Once we had signed in we were taken to the gear shed and assigned BCs and regulators; masks, fins and weight belts were available on the boat if you needed them. My rental BC was a ScubaPro Pilot and the regulator was a ScubaPro MK2, I believe Bruce had the same type of BC but his regulator was a Sherwood Brut. Ive heard a lot of horror stories about rental gear so I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the gear we received. The BCs looked pretty new and the regulators performed well.
Aboard the dive boat plenty of help was available for those who wanted or needed assistance setting up their gear and no offense was taken if you wanted to do it yourself. Some people hadnt been diving in a while and asked the DM to watch them set up to make sure they did it right, the DMs gave instruction where it was needed while being friendly and polite. I felt it was a very nice environment for less-experienced divers while still being enjoyable for those of us with more experience.
The owner of the dive shop, Graham, was also our Captain. There were at least 5 other staff members on the boat, Im not even sure if that counts the instructors who were out with students. The staff to customer ratio was higher than Ive ever seen on a dive boat. Roll call was taken at the dock then we were on our way to North Rock, about an hour ride from the shop. During the ride one of the DMs used the roll call spreadsheet with our dive experience and certification level to sort us into experience based groups. The Captain acknowledged that the large boat looked like a cattle operation but he tries to run it so it doesnt feel like one. The experienced divers are put in the water first and students are dropped in last. Triangle expects the experienced divers to be first in, last out and they dont severely limit your dive time though they do ask you to keep your dive to about an hour so you can get two dives in and get back to the dock in time for the night dive to go out. There is no time limit on the night dive; you can stay as long as your air will allow but they do ask you return from all dives with 500-600psi remaining.
Bruce and I were asked if we wanted to take on a third diver for our team and dive at North Rocks without a guide. The diver they wanted to pair with us had over 500 dives and would probably make a good match but I was diving unfamiliar gear in an unfamiliar place and just wasnt comfortable adding an unknown buddy. The three of us ended up assigned to a DM named Josie so we would have a foursome. She asked if we minded if she took us to explore areas of the reef she hadnt seen and we said that was fine. You never know what you might find in an area of the reef thats not part of the normal tour.
The dive boat Tenacity has room to giant stride four divers in at a time. Two can enter off the back platform at once and there is a gate on each side of the boat at roughly mid-ship where divers can enter in single file. We geared up at the bow of the boat so using the mid-ship gate was very convenient for us. There was no waiting in line, we just geared up and got in. The newer divers tended to prefer striding in off the back of the boat as the drop to the water was shorter thanks to a custom designed stern.
They ask you to enter and go to the trail line then do a weight check before descending for your first dive. Evidently the water around Bermuda is the third saltiest ocean water in the world, at least thats what the Captain of the sunset tour sailboat told us the previous evening. Is that true? I really dont know. The air procedure is simple if you choose to use a guide, give them the T signal aka time out sign to indicate you are at half tank at which point the dive is turned.
The four of us met at the trail line then descended and Josie headed off around the reef with the three of us following. There are a lot of swim-throughs, undercuts and arches in the reef system. Josie led us along the sand, weaving around the maze of large coral heads and peeking into the cracks and crevices. We had a max depth of 37 feet and were down for nearly an hour in the 83 degree water. Im not really a fan of reef diving, give me a wreck any day of the week. We saw the standard reef stuff (fish and coral) with the notable moments being the discovery of a large lobster, seeing some large anemones and then being followed by some sort of wrasse. The fish was just hanging out with us staying mere inches away. It was acting much like the trout at Gilboa just following along as we went about our dive. The coral were spawning so visibility was rather cloudy and limited to roughly 50-70 feet. A reef lover would have had a grand time Im sure, for me it was just a dive full of the same old stuff Ive seen on every other reef Ive been on.
I had taken the Omega Flip Fins along, the yellow XL pair I originally purchased. This was their first time in open water and they had performed well. I had done a standing backroll entry with the fins in the locked position and they remained locked through the entry and through the entire dive. I had a little difficulty getting them unlocked while bobbing on the trail line but eventually managed to coordinate the movements of both legs during the unlock process. Climbing the ladder was tricky; you have to really focus on keeping the fin tips by your shin. Thats easy enough in the calm waters of the quarry when exiting via stairs but on a bobbing boat with a ladder to contend with the tips tend to get washed into your way as you climb. There was one point where the fin blade had washed away from my shin and wedged between the top of the step and the bottom of the boat as I moved my foot toward the second step. That was a bit unnerving for a few moments as I worked to free the blade while riding what the captain told me were 3-4 foot swells. There was definitely a moment where visions of a broken ankle and dislocated knee were dancing in my head. Once I figured out how to time my climb with the waves I was able to use the water pressure to keep the blades against my shins. Climbing the ladder was much easier on later dives; I even managed a successful climb in the dark with 5-6 foot swells after the night dive.
When you exit the water the DMs remove your gear right as you get on the boat and change your tanks for you if you didnt request otherwise. I think my new tank beat me to my seat; they are super efficient at the gear change. Capt. Graham helped me out of my gear the first dive, I told him I had set the tank too high and asked him to lower it for the second dive. I couldnt have done a better job of placing it myself, he hit the position I wanted it in dead on.
Our second dive site was the wreck of the Cristobal Colon. The wreck is broken up but huge! The ship is nearly 500 feet long and scattered over a fairly large area so there is plenty of room for a large group of divers. We shed our DM now that I was comfortable with the unfamiliar gear and the three of us, Bruce and me plus the other experienced diver went and did our own thing on the wreck. We hit the water immediately after the briefing and were on our way. I caught myself trying to hit my drysuit inflator at one point in the dive, an instinctive reaction to being cold. I checked my watch and realized I was cold in a 3mm full suit after only 17 minutes on my second dive in the 83 degree water. There was one point where the herd caught up with us because we were taking pictures and moving slowly along the wreck. We were at 48 feet and at the far end of the wreck at the time so we patiently waited while they wallowed around, burned through their air and had to return from whence they had come. The three of us continued to inspect the wreck. Its a metal wreck and even though its heavily damaged from the original accident and being blown up by the Air Force during target practice in WWII theres a lot of intact parts to explore. The boilers, drive shafts and parts of the engine as well as extra props on the deck along with what looked like the windlass make for nice photos.
Capt. Graham said the portholes are oval but I've read elsewhere that they are rectangular, Bruce said he noticed they were ovals but they looked round to me. I was entertained by the abundance of brain coral on the wreck. There is one part of the deck where it looks like the ship was carrying a load of brains on board. The scene had such a surreal feel to it that I couldnt help but giggle and chant Theres a brain and another brain and another brain to myself. Bruce said it looked like one of the scenes in a Tribble episode of Star Trek.
Near the stern you will find a bathtub though I'm not sure that was part of the ship when it wrecked. We were told in the briefing that a gigantic moray lives on the wreck but none of us were able to find it. We spent almost an hour on the wreck and probably didnt even see half of what it has to offer. Its a wreck I could spend days diving, first to investigate the structure then to peek into nooks and crannies to see what I can find hiding there.
The long dive times and long drive back to the dock meant the dive boat might be late picking up cruise ship passengers who were booked on the night dive. Capt. Graham was in constant contact with the shop via cell phone. He kept them informed of our progress toward the bay and when it was obvious we would not be at the cruise ship dock on time he had his employees arrange land transportation to the shop for the cruise ship passengers. The cruise passengers arrived at the shop at approximately the same time we did and were signing in while the crew changed empty tanks for fresh ones and re-stocked the cookie supply.
Bruce had asked if there was food available for purchase at the shop since we had been on the boat for almost 6 hours and we were booked on the night dive. Capt Graham asked what we wanted and when we said sandwiches he called the shop and sent an employee to the deli dept of the grocery to pick some up. We went inside the shop and paid for the sandwiches while the crew was prepping the boat for the night dive.The boat was nearly full; I believe 21 of the scheduled 24 divers showed up.
**continued**
We cruised to Bermuda on the Norwegian Majesty out of Baltimore, MD; we arrived at 3pm on Monday and were scheduled to depart the island at 11am on Wednesday. This was our first real cruise; the closest we had come was a weeklong live aboard dive trip on the Nekton Pilot several years ago. The Majestys itinerary didnt show any diving excursions and when Bruce called Norwegian he was told it was ok to book his own diving. Bruce contacted Triangle Divers and booked a two tank afternoon dive plus a night dive for Tuesday, our only full day on the island. The airlines recent addition of fees for luggage that used to be free plus the fact we were only diving one day and really wouldnt have a place to store wet gear drove our decision to rent BCs and regulators.
When Bruce booked the dives he was told we would be picked up at the cruise ship in St. Georges by a van at 1:30pm. The van would take us to the shop where we would fill out the necessary paperwork as well as be assigned our rental gear. The dive boat was scheduled to leave the dock at 2pm, the shop employees assured us that was enough time to get to the shop and take care of business. Their waivers are online so we were able to come prepared to sign in. A call to Triangle closer to the date of departure for the cruise revealed a change in the method of transport to the dive shop. Instead of being transported in a van we would be picked up by their dive boat Tenacity and taken to the shop. This was just as convenient and it was far more comfortable than cramming a group of divers, with all the stuff divers carry, into a van.
There were about 7 of us from the cruise ship who had booked directly with Triangle. We would be joined by other divers vacationing on the island as well as some students when we arrived at the shop. I believe there were about 19 divers scheduled to be on the boat. We arrived at the shop and took our c-cards and waivers as well as a credit card inside. We were not required to show our logbooks but they did ask how many dives we had and when our last dive was. That information plus our name and certification level was entered into a spreadsheet that was used for roll call as well as to break divers into experience-based groups. Once we had signed in we were taken to the gear shed and assigned BCs and regulators; masks, fins and weight belts were available on the boat if you needed them. My rental BC was a ScubaPro Pilot and the regulator was a ScubaPro MK2, I believe Bruce had the same type of BC but his regulator was a Sherwood Brut. Ive heard a lot of horror stories about rental gear so I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the gear we received. The BCs looked pretty new and the regulators performed well.
Aboard the dive boat plenty of help was available for those who wanted or needed assistance setting up their gear and no offense was taken if you wanted to do it yourself. Some people hadnt been diving in a while and asked the DM to watch them set up to make sure they did it right, the DMs gave instruction where it was needed while being friendly and polite. I felt it was a very nice environment for less-experienced divers while still being enjoyable for those of us with more experience.
The owner of the dive shop, Graham, was also our Captain. There were at least 5 other staff members on the boat, Im not even sure if that counts the instructors who were out with students. The staff to customer ratio was higher than Ive ever seen on a dive boat. Roll call was taken at the dock then we were on our way to North Rock, about an hour ride from the shop. During the ride one of the DMs used the roll call spreadsheet with our dive experience and certification level to sort us into experience based groups. The Captain acknowledged that the large boat looked like a cattle operation but he tries to run it so it doesnt feel like one. The experienced divers are put in the water first and students are dropped in last. Triangle expects the experienced divers to be first in, last out and they dont severely limit your dive time though they do ask you to keep your dive to about an hour so you can get two dives in and get back to the dock in time for the night dive to go out. There is no time limit on the night dive; you can stay as long as your air will allow but they do ask you return from all dives with 500-600psi remaining.
Bruce and I were asked if we wanted to take on a third diver for our team and dive at North Rocks without a guide. The diver they wanted to pair with us had over 500 dives and would probably make a good match but I was diving unfamiliar gear in an unfamiliar place and just wasnt comfortable adding an unknown buddy. The three of us ended up assigned to a DM named Josie so we would have a foursome. She asked if we minded if she took us to explore areas of the reef she hadnt seen and we said that was fine. You never know what you might find in an area of the reef thats not part of the normal tour.
The dive boat Tenacity has room to giant stride four divers in at a time. Two can enter off the back platform at once and there is a gate on each side of the boat at roughly mid-ship where divers can enter in single file. We geared up at the bow of the boat so using the mid-ship gate was very convenient for us. There was no waiting in line, we just geared up and got in. The newer divers tended to prefer striding in off the back of the boat as the drop to the water was shorter thanks to a custom designed stern.
They ask you to enter and go to the trail line then do a weight check before descending for your first dive. Evidently the water around Bermuda is the third saltiest ocean water in the world, at least thats what the Captain of the sunset tour sailboat told us the previous evening. Is that true? I really dont know. The air procedure is simple if you choose to use a guide, give them the T signal aka time out sign to indicate you are at half tank at which point the dive is turned.
The four of us met at the trail line then descended and Josie headed off around the reef with the three of us following. There are a lot of swim-throughs, undercuts and arches in the reef system. Josie led us along the sand, weaving around the maze of large coral heads and peeking into the cracks and crevices. We had a max depth of 37 feet and were down for nearly an hour in the 83 degree water. Im not really a fan of reef diving, give me a wreck any day of the week. We saw the standard reef stuff (fish and coral) with the notable moments being the discovery of a large lobster, seeing some large anemones and then being followed by some sort of wrasse. The fish was just hanging out with us staying mere inches away. It was acting much like the trout at Gilboa just following along as we went about our dive. The coral were spawning so visibility was rather cloudy and limited to roughly 50-70 feet. A reef lover would have had a grand time Im sure, for me it was just a dive full of the same old stuff Ive seen on every other reef Ive been on.
I had taken the Omega Flip Fins along, the yellow XL pair I originally purchased. This was their first time in open water and they had performed well. I had done a standing backroll entry with the fins in the locked position and they remained locked through the entry and through the entire dive. I had a little difficulty getting them unlocked while bobbing on the trail line but eventually managed to coordinate the movements of both legs during the unlock process. Climbing the ladder was tricky; you have to really focus on keeping the fin tips by your shin. Thats easy enough in the calm waters of the quarry when exiting via stairs but on a bobbing boat with a ladder to contend with the tips tend to get washed into your way as you climb. There was one point where the fin blade had washed away from my shin and wedged between the top of the step and the bottom of the boat as I moved my foot toward the second step. That was a bit unnerving for a few moments as I worked to free the blade while riding what the captain told me were 3-4 foot swells. There was definitely a moment where visions of a broken ankle and dislocated knee were dancing in my head. Once I figured out how to time my climb with the waves I was able to use the water pressure to keep the blades against my shins. Climbing the ladder was much easier on later dives; I even managed a successful climb in the dark with 5-6 foot swells after the night dive.
When you exit the water the DMs remove your gear right as you get on the boat and change your tanks for you if you didnt request otherwise. I think my new tank beat me to my seat; they are super efficient at the gear change. Capt. Graham helped me out of my gear the first dive, I told him I had set the tank too high and asked him to lower it for the second dive. I couldnt have done a better job of placing it myself, he hit the position I wanted it in dead on.
Our second dive site was the wreck of the Cristobal Colon. The wreck is broken up but huge! The ship is nearly 500 feet long and scattered over a fairly large area so there is plenty of room for a large group of divers. We shed our DM now that I was comfortable with the unfamiliar gear and the three of us, Bruce and me plus the other experienced diver went and did our own thing on the wreck. We hit the water immediately after the briefing and were on our way. I caught myself trying to hit my drysuit inflator at one point in the dive, an instinctive reaction to being cold. I checked my watch and realized I was cold in a 3mm full suit after only 17 minutes on my second dive in the 83 degree water. There was one point where the herd caught up with us because we were taking pictures and moving slowly along the wreck. We were at 48 feet and at the far end of the wreck at the time so we patiently waited while they wallowed around, burned through their air and had to return from whence they had come. The three of us continued to inspect the wreck. Its a metal wreck and even though its heavily damaged from the original accident and being blown up by the Air Force during target practice in WWII theres a lot of intact parts to explore. The boilers, drive shafts and parts of the engine as well as extra props on the deck along with what looked like the windlass make for nice photos.
Capt. Graham said the portholes are oval but I've read elsewhere that they are rectangular, Bruce said he noticed they were ovals but they looked round to me. I was entertained by the abundance of brain coral on the wreck. There is one part of the deck where it looks like the ship was carrying a load of brains on board. The scene had such a surreal feel to it that I couldnt help but giggle and chant Theres a brain and another brain and another brain to myself. Bruce said it looked like one of the scenes in a Tribble episode of Star Trek.
Near the stern you will find a bathtub though I'm not sure that was part of the ship when it wrecked. We were told in the briefing that a gigantic moray lives on the wreck but none of us were able to find it. We spent almost an hour on the wreck and probably didnt even see half of what it has to offer. Its a wreck I could spend days diving, first to investigate the structure then to peek into nooks and crannies to see what I can find hiding there.
The long dive times and long drive back to the dock meant the dive boat might be late picking up cruise ship passengers who were booked on the night dive. Capt. Graham was in constant contact with the shop via cell phone. He kept them informed of our progress toward the bay and when it was obvious we would not be at the cruise ship dock on time he had his employees arrange land transportation to the shop for the cruise ship passengers. The cruise passengers arrived at the shop at approximately the same time we did and were signing in while the crew changed empty tanks for fresh ones and re-stocked the cookie supply.
Bruce had asked if there was food available for purchase at the shop since we had been on the boat for almost 6 hours and we were booked on the night dive. Capt Graham asked what we wanted and when we said sandwiches he called the shop and sent an employee to the deli dept of the grocery to pick some up. We went inside the shop and paid for the sandwiches while the crew was prepping the boat for the night dive.The boat was nearly full; I believe 21 of the scheduled 24 divers showed up.
**continued**
We were at a friend's wedding reception and they had books on the tables for guests to write their well wishes in. All of the divers were at one table and they gave me the book first even though I kept saying I didn't know what to write. Four pages later I finally shut up 
I think everyone else wrote "what she said" and signed. Any time writing is mentioned and it's my turn someone from the group will say "I don't know what to write...4 pages later"
