what is better

[Flamebug818]

which boat is better the magician or the cee ray in southern california?
also what is a good dive charter from ventura or long beach, san pedro similar
thanxs
Flamebug

 

[pasley]

I have never taken the Magician so I can not comment on it. I took the Cee Ray back when I first got certified in 2001 and found it a good boat, but if I do any boat dives now days I take the Great Escape or the Peace.

 

[JodiBB]

My instructor has used both in the past...I dove off the Cee Ray for my 1st 3 dives for OW certification. My instructor prefers the Magician...The Cee Ray was fun, but I think that's because we had a GREAT DM who set a party atmosphere! The food was only so-so and they were slow on getting our tanks refilled (it was a 3-tank dive!).

I've heard the Magician has good food, good crew and fast on the tank fills (per my instructor)...

 

[CaptainMarvel]

I've been on both the Peace and Spectre out of Ventura. Both are good boats, although I'd probably go with the Peace if I had to pick one.

 

[SoCalAngel]

I like the Peace out of Ventura. Encore out of Long Beach. Pac Star out of Redondo Beach. The creme de la creme is the Truth out of Santa Barbara - especially for multiday trips.

I have not been on either of the two boats - magician or cee ray. Both are often used for Sport Chalet charters, I beleive...which means they are full of students and classes.

 

[Otter]

I've been on the Cee Ray and have seen the Magician from a distance. The biggest difference I can see physically about the boat is the Magician has a nice big open dive area in the aft, where as the Cee Ray has a big "former bait tank?" right in the middle.

The Cee Ray also has a swim step you have to climb up on before you get to the ladder....not difficult in calm seas, but a bit more challenging with swells. Cee Ray had problems with their air (it stunk and tasted funny to me and multiple divers), but I've heard that has finally been corrected.

 

[saf_25]

It's been awhile since I was on the Cee Ray, but was just on the Magician this weekend. I think that both are actually very similar boats (or at least, offer similar trips), and would recommend both. I did have a great time on the Magician - the food was good and plentiful, they were fast with filling tanks, etc... I found the swim step to be difficult to get onto (it wasn't quite low enough for my liking, so you had to pull yourself up onto it), but as the seas were calm, it wasn't a problem. I think the bunks on the magician are roomier than I remember them being on the Cee Ray, but the Cee Ray might have more of them, if that's a concnern. Also, the Magician had a nice sun deck, which was a great spot for the return trip.
HTH!

 

[miket]

I have been on both fairly recently, the Cee Ray I have been on more often:

Cee Ray:
Pros:
- Good captain that finds some good dive spots.
- Plenty of Bunks for all divers
- Good sized Galley, almost fits all divers
Cons:
- Boat seems slow
- Fills can be slow
- Food can range from bad to just OK
- Boat is a little beat up/old
- Attitude of staff can be bad to good (depends on charter, on a Sport Chalet boat the staff was rude and got into verbal spats with the S.C. DMs. On the other hand with a ReefSeekers charter they were pretty nice to all)

Magician:
Pros:
- Great captain
- New galley interior, very clean
- Great food for a dive boat
- Faster fills than Cee Ray
- Nicer crew
Cons:
- Not enough bunks for all divers
- Galley cannot fit all divers

If I had the choice I would go with the Magician again, just get there as early as possible so you can get a good bunk.

- MikeT
http://www.socaldivevideos.com

 

[Lexy]

I can't speak on behalf of the CeeRay but I dove off the Magician just this past weekend.

I found the boat to be very well maintained, the crew was awesome, the Captain was very attentive to both divers and other vessels in our area. The food was impressive - fitting big appetites to those trying to eat healthy. The air fills were fast and the DM, Mike, was seriously on top of things. I would definitely recommend the Magician again and hope to dive off it soon.

 

[kelpmermaid]

I have been on both fairly recently, the Cee Ray I have been on more often:

Cee Ray:
Pros:
- Good captain that finds some good dive spots.
- Plenty of Bunks for all divers
- Good sized Galley, almost fits all divers
Cons:
- Boat seems slow
- Fills can be slow
- Food can range from bad to just OK
- Boat is a little beat up/old
- Attitude of staff can be bad to good (depends on charter, on a Sport Chalet boat the staff was rude and got into verbal spats with the S.C. DMs. On the other hand with a ReefSeekers charter they were pretty nice to all)

Magician:
Pros:
- Great captain
- New galley interior, very clean
- Great food for a dive boat
- Faster fills than Cee Ray
- Nicer crew
Cons:
- Not enough bunks for all divers
- Galley cannot fit all divers

If I had the choice I would go with the Magician again, just get there as early as possible so you can get a good bunk.

- MikeT
http://www.socaldivevideos.com

I, too, have been on both boats in the past month, and MikeT has summarized it well.