Nitroxjunkie - Bluewater Dive Travel

Nitroxjunkie

Nitroxjunkie

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Reviews (58)

Ocean Frontiers Dive Shop - East End, Grand Cayman Island

5
5
5
5

Ocean Frontiers is the on-site dive operation at Compass Point Dive Resort. They are a true valet service. They load and set up your gear each day, then at the end of the day, they break it down, rinse, and store it. The crews and dive masters are all incredible. The location at the far east end of the island allows diving under most weather condition since they have the ability to head north, east, or south, depending on conditions. There are 55 different marked dive sites that they visit. They have a great challenge to complete all 55. I love this place, have made many trips here, and I'm already planning a return trip.

Visited on 04/2022 - Submitted on 10/25/2022

Cenotes Diving

5
5
5
5

I just returned from Playa del Carmen, Mexico where my buddy and I did 4 days of Cenote diving. I had been many times before but my buddy had never been in a cenote. We chose The Cenote Guy to be the dive operator we would use.

Making reservations was very easy, everything being done online and no payment required until after diving each day. The meeting place every morning was Xtreme Dive Center in downtown Playa del Carmen. The diving included transportation to 2 different cenotes each day, a cave-certified guide, lunch, and rental gear (we brought our own – no discount).

Our guide, Paco, was better than we could have hoped for. He was knowledgeable about the ancient history of the area and an expert on the cenotes. Mexican law limits a 4 diver to 1 guide ratio. The water temp in all of the cenotes was consistently 77° F. The shop supplies 3mm full Wetsuits but we used our own 5mm.

Paco took us to the ones we requested and suggested some alternates to others we had reserved. Each one of his suggestions was a perfect “upgrade". He also took us to a restaurant on two days for lunch, and allowed us to pick our own box lunches from a local stand on two days.
After returning in the afternoon, the great crew at Xtreme Divers rinsed and stored our gear overnight. The whole staff treated us like family.

I would not hesitate to use The Cenote Guy for my next trip to the Riviera Maya.

Visited on 02/2024 - Submitted on 02/29/2024
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Puerto Galera

5
5
5
4

I booked a package at a dive resort in Puerto Galera and arranged for my own transportation, including transfers. I chose to use a public transit bus from Manila to Batangas and the ferry to Puerto Galera. Dive resort staff met me at the ferry dock and led me across the beach to the resort. The town of Puerto Galera has a beautiful white sand beach backed by hotels, restaurants and bars. Although I spent a great deal of time at the resort, both diving and eating, I used off time to walk into town. During the day, people are enjoying the beach and eating at the beachside restaurants. There is a bustling nightlife after the sun goes down. The bars are loud and fun.

The diving at Puerto Galera is quite diverse. We did reef diving, wreck diving, and some “muck" diving looking for critters. We also did a trip to Verde Island. All of the diving was beautiful and awe-inspiring.

Bottom line: Puerto Galera is a warm, friendly place with a welcoming population, superior diving, and top-notch food. I loved my time spent here and would return again.

Visited on 02/2016 - Submitted on 02/21/2020
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Southern California

5
5
5
5

I live in SoCal and could write a book about diving here. I'll try to just hit the high points.

The diversity includes shore diving, wreck diving, oil rig diving, offshore islands, kelp forests, and aquarium diving. Between San Diego and Santa Barbara there are at least 100 shore diving sites offering different topography, marine plants, and marine animals. Most are easily accessible and the local dive shops can give directions, conditions, and tips on diving individual sites. In the San Diego area, about 2 miles offshore from Mission Beach, is Wreck Alley. Several ships have been intentionally sunk in depths well within sport diving limits. The best of these is the Yukon, a 350+ foot Canadian naval destroyer.

Farther north, offshore from Long Beach, there are 3 oil rigs that allow diving with prior consent. It's easiest to dive these on an arranged trip aboard a charter boat. It's a live drop off and pick up, since boats are not allowed to tie up on the rigs. You can expect to see large schools of bait fish, invertebrates like sea stars and strawberry anemones, sea lions, and a lot of other marine life. Whales are sometimes seen in this area. At any given time there are around 20 charter boats operating in southern California. They mostly take divers to the offshore Channel Islands.

In the south these are comprised of Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Barbara, and San Nicolas. The northern islands are Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel. All of these usually offer great viability, and excellent opportunities for photographers and hunter/gatherers. One example of marine life found around the islands is the Giant Black Sea Bass which can weigh hundreds of pounds. They are making a wonderful comeback after having been hunted to near extinction. They have been protected for many years now and scuba divers are spotting them more frequently.

One of the highlights of diving SoCal is the kelp forests along the coast and around the islands. It's somewhat surreal diving amongst the fronds reaching from the bottom to the surface. Giant kelp is one of the fastest growing organisms on earth, up to 2 feet a day. The forests provide an excellent refuge for fish and invertebrates.

Another novel dive is at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. For a fee, you can scuba dive in their largest tank surrounded by a myriad of sea creatures. It's a fun and thrilling experience. I have been a hunter/gatherer for many years and opportunities for game are plentiful: lobsters, crabs, scallops, mussels, clams, urchins, and many different types of edible fish. Abalone in Southern California have been under a moratorium for many years to allow rejuvenation of the species following a number of factors which severely depleted the population. The marine animals run the gamut from Blue and Grey whales to macro subjects like nudibranchs and seahorses.

The topside attractions are nearly endless: gorgeous beaches, world-famous zoos, theme parks, concert venues, museums, movie studios, some of the country's best restaurants, over a dozen professional sports teams, theater, symphony, etc.

Bottom line: Southern California is a diving vacation destination that rivals all others. This should really be considered a bucket list place that everyone should visit more than once.

Visited on 04/2020 - Submitted on 04/19/2020
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Aldora Divers - Cozumel, Mexico

5
5
5
5

I've been diving in Cozumel at least a dozen times. The last several times there, I used Aldora Divers. They cater to experienced divers. They use 100cf steel tanks for long bottom times and all dives are computer dives. They visit the best southern sites, such as Maricaibo, Punta Sur, and the famous Devil’s Throat. They also visit the world renowned Palancar Reef dive sites. For advanced divers, they will dive the little-explored east side of the island on pristine reefs. Highly recommended and will use them again.

Visited on 06/2022 - Submitted on 01/23/2023

St. George's Caye Resort

5
5
4
4

My buddy and I visited St. George's Caye Resort to try diving in this area of Belize. We were met at the airport in Belize City by resort staff and taken to the harbor to meet our transfer boat to the island. After a pleasant, short boat ride, we arrived at St. George's private dock. We were met by the island staff who took our bags and had a cold island cocktail ready for us. We were led to the main lodge for check-in and an extra rum floater in our drinks. We were then taken to our overwater bungalow set with two single beds, perfect for two guys. Meals are served in the great room of the main lodge. It is a fixed menu for all meals and served communally. The food was hearty local food packed with flavor and enjoyed by all. Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding are available to all guests. All of the staff were very friendly and helpful and treated us like family.

While we were there, the dive boat broke down a couple of times, preventing us from diving. On another day, the one and only divemaster was injured and diving was canceled. We missed 1½ days of diving. We understand that sometimes unavoidable things happen and that they shouldn't spoil your vacation. We spent the downtime in their beautiful pool, sipping island cocktails. The resort refunded us for all the missed dives and was very apologetic. We still made some great dives, including two trips to Turneffe Atoll and local diving which included a lionfish hunt. Overall, a great place, but some improvements could be made to the dive operation.

Visited on 11/2018 - Submitted on 02/26/2020
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Bohio Dive Resort

4
4
4
4

I had been diving in the Turks & Caicos Islands, based in Providenciales, several times but wanted to try Grand Turk. We stayed at Bohio Dive Resort. Our dive package included accommodations, diving, breakfast, and lunch every day. The resort only has 16 rooms, so it's never crowded. We stayed in a beachfront standard king room. It has a wonderful ocean/beach view from your private balcony. The room is furnished with a king-size bed, TV, mini-refrigerator, A/C, and ceiling fan. Beach towels are also provided. The room was adequate and kept clean with daily maid service, but we thought a little renovation was in order. The resort is located on Pillory Beach, a beautiful white sand expanse with lounge chairs and beach umbrellas. There's also a pool. The grounds are kept immaculate and the lobby and restaurant areas are beautiful. They have a small gift shop and offer spa services in your room from an outside vendor.

Breakfast and lunch (included in our package) are served on the outdoor patio next to the beach. You place your lunch order before leaving for the morning dives so they can have it ready for you shortly after returning to the resort. We ate dinner at the onsite restaurant every night. Jorika, the executive chef, changes the menu daily and prepares many cuisines, including Greek, Indian, Thai, Italian, and Spanish. They also offer a Saturday night barbecue, with reggae music, on the outdoor patio and Sunday brunch. We found all the food delicious, although somewhat pricey.

Diving is provided by the onsite dive operation, which was very professional and dedicated to giving scuba divers the best dives available. We did a lot of wall diving with swim throughs, canyons, and coral arches. There's an abundance of corals (including black coral at easily diveable depths) and plenty of marine animals, including friendly groupers. The boat picks you up right on the beach in front of the dive resort.

Bottom line: This is a beautiful beachfront dive resort with great amenities and world class diving. Two small negatives were that some cruise passengers came to Pillory Beach for a day trip and local children came to swim at the resort pool, sometimes monopolizing the deck and pool. These were not big problems for us and we never complained to management.

Visited on 09/2017 - Submitted on 04/26/2020
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Phantom Divers - Playa del Carmen, Mexico

5
5
5
1

While staying in Playa del Carmen, I used Phantom Divers to visit and dive in some of the local cenotes (underwater caverns). I went to their shop in town and arranged to meet at the shop the following morning. As it turned out, I was the only diver scheduled and I had a private guided tour for the regular price. In three days, we dove 6 different cenotes, including Taj Mahal, Car Wash, Chak Mool, Eden, and the 2 dives at Dos Ojos. The price included transportation, lunch, and a cave certified guide. These dives do not require cave certification because they are considered cavern dives in which you don’t lose sight of the entrance. I found the operation to be very professional and a true joy to dive with. The person at the shop also gave us his favorite places to eat. They were not the typical tourist restaurants and were very good. I recommend this shop.

Visited on 06/2022 - Submitted on 01/24/2023

Belize

5
5
4
4

I have traveled to Belize twice. The first time was to Ambergris Caye. The trip required a short flight from the international gateway of Belize City to San Pedro, the main town, where you can find many great restaurants, shops, bars, and dive operators. We stayed in a private villa, toward the south end of the island, that was oceanfront and had a 100 foot dock. The dive operator I used picked me up here every morning. Accommodations include rental houses, hotels, and resort. We traveled here with several non-divers and they enjoyed themselves very much. Travel around the island is basically by golf cart. See if you can watch the feeding of the saltwater crocodile toward the south end and join in at the “Chicken Drop" in town. I did local diving in Belize around Ambergris Caye and also long range boat diving to the Great Blue Hole and Lighthouse Reef. The Great Blue Hole is a fascinating bucket list dive. See stalactites and sharks, and prepare for a dive to about 130 feet. The dives at Lighthouse Reef were on spectacular, pristine reefs. This was my favorite area to scuba dive.
My second trip was to St. George’s Caye, a small private island accessed by a short boat ride from Belize City. The island has one resort that is all inclusive. This is truely an island getaway destination. We did local diving and trips to Turneffe Atoll. Other guests were non divers and some honeymooners and they said they were very pleased with their stay.
Overall, I found the scuba diving in Belize to be excellent, the food delicious, the people very friendly, and the culture to be diverse and interesting. When you visit, be sure to taste and take home some of my favorite hot sauce, Belize's famous Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce.

Visited on 11/2018 - Submitted on 02/26/2020
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Turks and Caicos Diving

4
5
5
4

We've traveled to Turks & Caicos many times; several visits to Providenciales (Provo, as the locals call it) and once to Grand Turk.
Provo is the most developed and highest populated of the islands. Each time we visited, we were traveling with a small group of friends and rented a villa to accommodate all of us. Being able to cook for ourselves and buy our own liquor and wine, helped defray part of the food and beverage costs. Each villa had a pool and ocean access, so we felt it was a more private experience. There are many to choose from and there are websites dedicated to T&C villa rentals. If this isn't an option for you, there are many hotel options.

We used rental cars as our transportation to get to the dive boat, restaurants, shopping areas, and exploring. Restaurants range from five star gourmet to small local food joints. One of our favorites is a local spot specializing in the conch taken directly from the ocean to the restaurant’s kitchen. In Provo, there's food available to please everyone.

This island has a lot of gorgeous beaches, and its most popular one is Grace Bay Beach, which makes every world's most beautiful beach list. The turquoise water of Chalk Sound is likely the most beautifully colored water anywhere on earth. Other topside activities are too numerous to list here. There is also a robust nightlife.

The scuba diving around Provo mostly concentrates around the great wall diving of Northwest Point. This area can be crowded with boats from several dive operators. The dive shop I used took us instead to West Caicos, French Caye, and Sandbore Channel. The wall diving at these sites was fantastic. I can't remember a single dive that sharks weren't spotted. These locations require a longer boat but are worth the trip.

Grand Turk is a smaller, quieter, and more laid back Island. We stayed at a beachfront dive resort with only 16 rooms. There are beautiful beaches here as well. Topside activities are limited to watersports, beach combing, and exploring the island, including Cockburn Town, the very small capital city of Turks & Caicos. We went beach combing and found a good collection of sea glass. Keep in mind that cruise ships come here and the town may be crowded when a ship is in port. Most of the passengers stay at the cruise center, an enormous facility with restaurants, shops, a simulated surfing machine, and one of the largest swimming pools in the Caribbean. I highly recommend staying away from this place, as it is mostly a tourist trap packed with people when a ship is in.

The dive sites here are much closer and require only a short boat ride. We did mostly wall diving with swim throughs, canyons, and coral arches. There's an abundance of corals (including black coral at easily diveable depths) and plenty of marine animals, including friendly groupers.

Bottom line: Turks & Caicos is not a budget destination. Prices here are higher than many other Caribbean locations. That being said, it is one of our favorites. The beauty, people, food, and spectacular diving are all top notch. Don't forget to drive on the left!

Visited on 09/2017 - Submitted on 04/26/2020
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