After a false start due to Hurricane Bill, we finally made the crossing to Bermuda last Saturday. I am delighted to say that we had a lovely time, made some great new friends and will certainly be returning to dive with Triangle Divers.
Bermuda is a small, pricey island, just 22 miles long and a short flight from the east coast. The first thing that struck me on the cab ride to the resort was that beautiful azure water. I have never seen lovelier beaches anywhere. Grotto Bay Resort is about a 7 minute ride from the airport. I must admit that I was concerned when I made the reservations regarding the close proximity. It was not an issue. In fact, I don't think I heard a plane all week. Grotto Bay had a special rate that made the cost equivalent to that of any nice hotel in the states. The resort grounds were lovely, the room was clean and we had a stunning ocean view. Patricia was particularly helpful. The dive shop and dock for Triangle Divers is located on site. The owner is Graham Maddocks. I found him to be one of the most accomodating shop owners I have ever dived with. Clearly, he will assist however possible any request made within reason. He has a great crew, especially Graham Christmas and Captain Stephen. We never felt rushed and trips to and from the sites were fun, relaxed and comfortable. Graham even added an additional camera tank to accomodate both my DSLR and my husband's video camera.
We did 9 dives. Visability averaged about 75 feet - not bad considering the recent hurricane and tropical storm in the Atlantic. Bottom temps averaged 82 degrees. I wore a 1.5mm all week and didn't get cold until my last dive. Experienced divers can dive on their own or with a guide if they wish. We dived the wrecks of the Cristobal Colon, the Pelinaion, the Iristo, the Manilla, the King George dredger, both during the day and as a night dive, and a couple of reefs (one of which, rumor has it, may have produced a newly discovered wreck). Boat rides to the sites were from 30 mins to an hour, depending on where we needed to go for the best dive conditions. Tenacity, a larger dive boat, was never crowded. The wrecks we dived were relatively shallow which made for great photo and video ops and long bottom times. And the reefs have wonderful swim thrus. Not an abundance of fish, but many of the ones they have are HUGE! On the night dive I saw trunkfish the size of footballs. No joke. Also, giant hogfish, queen parrots and black grouper. And I found creatures I have not seen elsewhere like the black spotted sea goddess and bluestriped lizardfish. Thanks, Christmas, for understanding that night dives creep me out. Even after all this time. Dark water gives me the yips.
Triangle Divers is a great value. Graham converses with equal enthusiasm about the history of a wreck, their study of black grouper aggregations or his last rebreather dive. These guys have a lot of great things going on and are giving back to the diving and scientific community. Thanks, Graham, for making us feel like part of the family.
A few recommendations. Buy the one week bus and ferry pass for $45. Bermuda's public transportation is efficient and clean and the best value. There are no car rentals on Bermuda. Scooter rentals are expensive IMHO. Food is expensive. We typically take power bars with us to eat for breakfast. They also make a good after dive snack. Grotto Bay has refrigerators in the rooms for drinks and such. Next trip we will buy sandwich fixings at one of the local markets for lunch, eating out our evening meal only. Some restaurants are more affordable than others. Ask around. The Swizzle Inn is a good value as is the Specialty Inn. Just make sure you can meet the bus schedule or your savings will all go for cab fare. Cabs are expensive.
In closing, Bermuda is a beautiful island and is safer than lots of places we've been. We will be returning. I would not hesitate recommending Triangle Divers to divers of any level of experience. And if you bring Graham's Border Terrier, Mack, some treats you'll have made a friend for life.
A special shout out to Stephen. May the force be with you, Captain. Touched up photo of Tenacity forthcoming.
Take care! RG
Bermuda is a small, pricey island, just 22 miles long and a short flight from the east coast. The first thing that struck me on the cab ride to the resort was that beautiful azure water. I have never seen lovelier beaches anywhere. Grotto Bay Resort is about a 7 minute ride from the airport. I must admit that I was concerned when I made the reservations regarding the close proximity. It was not an issue. In fact, I don't think I heard a plane all week. Grotto Bay had a special rate that made the cost equivalent to that of any nice hotel in the states. The resort grounds were lovely, the room was clean and we had a stunning ocean view. Patricia was particularly helpful. The dive shop and dock for Triangle Divers is located on site. The owner is Graham Maddocks. I found him to be one of the most accomodating shop owners I have ever dived with. Clearly, he will assist however possible any request made within reason. He has a great crew, especially Graham Christmas and Captain Stephen. We never felt rushed and trips to and from the sites were fun, relaxed and comfortable. Graham even added an additional camera tank to accomodate both my DSLR and my husband's video camera.
We did 9 dives. Visability averaged about 75 feet - not bad considering the recent hurricane and tropical storm in the Atlantic. Bottom temps averaged 82 degrees. I wore a 1.5mm all week and didn't get cold until my last dive. Experienced divers can dive on their own or with a guide if they wish. We dived the wrecks of the Cristobal Colon, the Pelinaion, the Iristo, the Manilla, the King George dredger, both during the day and as a night dive, and a couple of reefs (one of which, rumor has it, may have produced a newly discovered wreck). Boat rides to the sites were from 30 mins to an hour, depending on where we needed to go for the best dive conditions. Tenacity, a larger dive boat, was never crowded. The wrecks we dived were relatively shallow which made for great photo and video ops and long bottom times. And the reefs have wonderful swim thrus. Not an abundance of fish, but many of the ones they have are HUGE! On the night dive I saw trunkfish the size of footballs. No joke. Also, giant hogfish, queen parrots and black grouper. And I found creatures I have not seen elsewhere like the black spotted sea goddess and bluestriped lizardfish. Thanks, Christmas, for understanding that night dives creep me out. Even after all this time. Dark water gives me the yips.
Triangle Divers is a great value. Graham converses with equal enthusiasm about the history of a wreck, their study of black grouper aggregations or his last rebreather dive. These guys have a lot of great things going on and are giving back to the diving and scientific community. Thanks, Graham, for making us feel like part of the family.
A few recommendations. Buy the one week bus and ferry pass for $45. Bermuda's public transportation is efficient and clean and the best value. There are no car rentals on Bermuda. Scooter rentals are expensive IMHO. Food is expensive. We typically take power bars with us to eat for breakfast. They also make a good after dive snack. Grotto Bay has refrigerators in the rooms for drinks and such. Next trip we will buy sandwich fixings at one of the local markets for lunch, eating out our evening meal only. Some restaurants are more affordable than others. Ask around. The Swizzle Inn is a good value as is the Specialty Inn. Just make sure you can meet the bus schedule or your savings will all go for cab fare. Cabs are expensive.
In closing, Bermuda is a beautiful island and is safer than lots of places we've been. We will be returning. I would not hesitate recommending Triangle Divers to divers of any level of experience. And if you bring Graham's Border Terrier, Mack, some treats you'll have made a friend for life.
A special shout out to Stephen. May the force be with you, Captain. Touched up photo of Tenacity forthcoming.
Take care! RG
I am sure Triangle Diving will be running in May and doing all that they can to get a boat but please keep them in your thoughts it is a hard time for them 
