Turks and Caicos or Aruba, all info please

[scubadada]

Hello everyone. I have an opportunity to go with a group to Club Med in Turks and Caicos in October 2016. I am considering this trip as a vacation trip and not a dive trip.

Can anyone give me info about the diving? I would probably find my own dive shop and I rent BCD and reg.

I guess or assume I would want a 2-3 tank dive day and go at least 2 days and maybe a third. I would like a good shop that has newer gear and can be trusted.

anyone have experience with the Club Med there? anyone have experience diving with the Club Med associated dive shop? better to find my own shop? (for those that know me from my liveaboard questions, I know this is a fav of liveaboard and might go back soon (early 2017) for a liveaboard)

any question that I didn't think to ask would be appreciated if you let me know that too.

Thanks all.

Jeff

My son and I did a land-based trip to T&C. I know nothing of the operator that Club Med may have. We used Caicos Adventures and found them to be a very good operation. They have a 3 tanker once a week for more adventuresome divers.

 

[KathyV]

Many, many years ago we took a diving vacation to the Club Med St. Lucia, it was so long ago that the SL Club Med no longer exists. We were very disappointed with the dive operation and vowed that we would never visit another Club Med.

We found ourselves on cattle boats with incompetent, inflexible divemasters, and the boat was loaded with divers that didn't know what they were doing because Club Med gave resort courses and issued a "Club Med C Card" so that card holders could travel the world to other Club Med resorts and dive without ever being fully trained and certified.

I often heard people bragging that they didn't have to waste the time, money, and effort to get certified because "they could always dive at Club Med". I remember standing on the boat one day (there was no room to sit!) and a woman said to me "how come you have to wait a day before flying home?" I told her it was to give her body time to get rid of all the Nitrogen in her system before it would be safe to fly because of the pressure changes, she looked at me blankly and said "Nitrogen, what Nitrogen?"

As I said, we were not happy with our Club Med dive experience but I have heard that the organization has made significant improvements in their dive operations and they now outsource the service to competent professionals rather than trying to run their own dive operation. I do not know if they still give out Club Med C Cards.

Hopefully someone that has dived with the T&C Club Med recently can give you current information.

 

[Jeff85248]

Many, many years ago we took a diving vacation to the Club Med St. Lucia, it was so long ago that the SL Club Med no longer exists. We were very disappointed with the dive operation and vowed that we would never visit another Club Med.

We found ourselves on cattle boats with incompetent, inflexible divemasters, and the boat was loaded with divers that didn't know what they were doing because Club Med gave resort courses and issued a "Club Med C Card" so that card holders could travel the world to other Club Med resorts and dive without ever being fully trained and certified.

I often heard people bragging that they didn't have to waste the time, money, and effort to get certified because "they could always dive at Club Med". I remember standing on the boat one day (there was no room to sit!) and a woman said to me "how come you have to wait a day before flying home?" I told her it was to give her body time to get rid of all the Nitrogen in her system before it would be safe to fly because of the pressure changes, she looked at me blankly and said "Nitrogen, what Nitrogen?"

As I said, we were not happy with our Club Med dive experience but I have heard that the organization has made significant improvements in their dive operations and they now outsource the service to competent professionals rather than trying to run their own dive operation. I do not know if they still give out Club Med C Cards.

Hopefully someone that has dived with the T&C Club Med recently can give you current information.

OMG..... all I can say is WOW. (now I can understand why people seek out their own dive shop when traveling.)

 

[Jeff85248]

My son and I did a land-based trip to T&C. I know nothing of the operator that Club Med may have. We used Caicos Adventures and found them to be a very good operation. They have a 3 tanker once a week for more adventuresome divers.

Thanks. I'll look into it.

 

[Mia Toose]

Thanks for all the info. It looks like we will do mainly kayaking, snorkeling and sup. I am planning on bringing our own regs and computers so we may do a day or two of dives. Not sure it is worth bringing BCD and wetsuit though. Again this is more of a relax vacation and if we get a dive or two that's a bonus. May just do a couple dives and go back to Bonaire next year for more.
Mia Toose, I may msg you as we get closer or even when we are there with questions. Thanks again for the offer.

Absolutely! Check out www.supprovo.com

 

[KathyV]

Thanks for all the info. It looks like we will do mainly kayaking, snorkeling and sup. I am planning on bringing our own regs and computers so we may do a day or two of dives. Not sure it is worth bringing BCD and wetsuit though. Again this is more of a relax vacation and if we get a dive or two that's a bonus. May just do a couple dives and go back to Bonaire next year for more...

Bonaire is great for the abundant, cheap shore diving and the culture of diving freedom and there is lots of great sea life to see in Bonaire - but T&C diving is something special, particularly the walls around French Cay and West Caicos. Beautiful, vast healthy coral reefs, great vis, lots of sealife, loads of big animals including sharks, tarpons, turtles, morays, and spotted eagle rays. It would be a shame IMO if you came so close but didn't take advantage of the opportunity to dive.

Perhaps you could make plans to do the all-day 3 tank trip to the more remote but nicer sites. And be sure to do more research about the T&C Club Med dive operation, our bad experience with the SL Club Med dive op was a long time ago and they may have improved their operations since then.

Have fun!

 

[tkaelin]

Hey Jeff, in response to your questions I know nothing about Club Med diving but was diving Provo this week and watched the cattle call over at Beaches loading up dive boats and if Club Med is similar you may want to go with a dive op off site. We dove with Diveprovo and would recommend. They are close by and will provide transfers. The boat diving is fun and if you can get on a three tank and like to spend the entire day out on the water I would recommend. I have taken trips with Diveprovo to French Caye, West Caicos and Grace Bay and all were enjoyable. Grace Bay diving is very good and has the advantage of the shortest boat ride. We had our own gear but the rental gear looked like it was in good shape.

PS Diveprovo only does the 3 tank if they get at least 6 divers signed up. Usually on a Wed.

 

[Jeff85248]

Bonaire is great for the abundant, cheap shore diving and the culture of diving freedom and there is lots of great sea life to see in Bonaire - but T&C diving is something special, particularly the walls around French Cay and West Caicos. Beautiful, vast healthy coral reefs, great vis, lots of sealife, loads of big animals including sharks, tarpons, turtles, morays, and spotted eagle rays. It would be a shame IMO if you came so close but didn't take advantage of the opportunity to dive.

Perhaps you could make plans to do the all-day 3 tank trip to the more remote but nicer sites. And be sure to do more research about the T&C Club Med dive operation, our bad experience with the SL Club Med dive op was a long time ago and they may have improved their operations since then.

Have fun!

I totally agree. to be that close to a dive site and not get in the water would be a shame. Actually, the reason I'm considering the club med trip is to dive this area. I figure, I can get in a few days of diving and if it is as great as I hope. I can go back and dive there again.

on a another note: I just got my kids certified. (kids... 21 and 23 years old) and hope to put together a dive vacation for their first experience. I'm thinking some place easy diving. Florida keys, Roatan, and alike.

again, thanks for all the info you give. really helpful.

 

[Jeff85248]

Hey Jeff, in response to your questions I know nothing about Club Med diving but was diving Provo this week and watched the cattle call over at Beaches loading up dive boats and if Club Med is similar you may want to go with a dive op off site. We dove with Diveprovo and would recommend. They are close by and will provide transfers. The boat diving is fun and if you can get on a three tank and like to spend the entire day out on the water I would recommend. I have taken trips with Diveprovo to French Caye, West Caicos and Grace Bay and all were enjoyable. Grace Bay diving is very good and has the advantage of the shortest boat ride. We had our own gear but the rental gear looked like it was in good shape.

PS Diveprovo only does the 3 tank if they get at least 6 divers signed up. Usually on a Wed.

Thanks for the info. I just emailed Diveprovo and will look into them. I also was advised Caicos adventures and hopefully can pick between the two.

 

[Jeff85248]

Bonaire is great for the abundant, cheap shore diving and the culture of diving freedom and there is lots of great sea life to see in Bonaire - but T&C diving is something special, particularly the walls around French Cay and West Caicos. Beautiful, vast healthy coral reefs, great vis, lots of sealife, loads of big animals including sharks, tarpons, turtles, morays, and spotted eagle rays. It would be a shame IMO if you came so close but didn't take advantage of the opportunity to dive.

Perhaps you could make plans to do the all-day 3 tank trip to the more remote but nicer sites. And be sure to do more research about the T&C Club Med dive operation, our bad experience with the SL Club Med dive op was a long time ago and they may have improved their operations since then.

Have fun!

Bonaire was great but I'm looking into new adventures. I will circle around and go back when I finish seeing as many new places. I would say this about my experience in Bonaire. the dive sites were similar and it wasn't my favorite dive vaca so far.