Sorry, just got back last evening and have been trying to catch up on some sleep. The trip went great. I spent 5 days / 4 nights on OceanQuest and did 22 dives total. As hmoffat said earlier they have a 5 dive a day schedule on your full days on the boat, 6:30, 9:00, 11:00, 3:30, and 7:00 (night dive). On days heading out you can do 2 on the ReefQuest before you transfer over, and 2 more once you get to OceanQuest. On the day you leave OceanQuest you can do the 3 dives before lunch. Make sure you do the night dive, it's fun to swim with the Giant Trevally and the sharks.
We had good weather the whole time, no rain, with one day a bit cloudy on and off. The last 3 days were pretty much clear and sunny with warm breezes. I was in the water every chance we had. If your an air hog like I am, they can set you up with a little larger tank, they have at least 3 sizes on the boat and after the second day I got the largest one which was a little heavier, but holds a bit more, which gave me a few more minutes on each dive. I do a lot of photos so I often am not the best on air consumption.
They have a variety of sites and we typically moved twice a day, usually after the first morning dive while we ate breakfast, and then in the afternoon when they do passenger transfer from the day boat. The sites varied a bit, but overall were all pretty easy dives, usually starting in about 18 meters of water and then working to the shallow parts of the reefs often in only a few meters of water. They give great dive briefings, with a detailed drawing of the site and mark all the things to look for as well as any currents. Briefings start 15 minutes before dive time, and between diving, briefings, and eating the day is pretty full except for the afternoon break when you have a little time to catch up log books and enjoy the sun.
I really had a great time. It was fun being able to do so many dives. On almost every dive we found something we hadn't seen before, either new fish, clams, turtles, or sharks. We had quite a few white tip as well as gray reef sharks around. The early morning (6:30 am) dive starts out fairly dark and as the sun comes up the fish are just waking up and getting active. The boat is really nice, the cabins are decent sized, with good storage, and private bathrooms. There are a couple showers on the dive deck as well to rinse off and warm up with. The food was good and plentiful. And the lounge deck is comfortable and a great place to unwind at the end of the day.
Overall, great trip, I'd do it again if I could without hesitation.
, but anything else that has a decent bed works fine for me.
