Dive with the Ship's Excursion?

If you are a new diver then yes, the ship's dive excursion may be just what you need. They tend to contract with the largest dive operators and are required to keep the diver to divemaster ratio low. The ship handles all transportation to and from the dive shop or the dive boat picks you up at the ship. Dive gear can be included and all charges are through the ship so you don't have to worry about monetary conversions or having a lot of cash on hand. These operators tend to be overly cautious and that's why more experienced divers may opt out of the cruise dive excursion.

If you've been diving for a while then you might prefer a more customized dive experience. Most experienced divers try to avoid the "cattle boats" with 15 or more divers. Sometimes that's just what the cruse ship dive excursion is. Or a worse situation is when the ship doesn't draw enough divers for the excursion and cancels it. Sadly you then must scramble to find an operator at the last minute, and will likely end up not diving at all. The safety margin that the cruise dive operator observes may mean you come up with 1500 psi, a real bummer when you know you had another 15 to 30 minutes of dive time. But those safety margins are there for good reason.

Cruise ship divers can include people who haven't been diving in several years or newbies who just got certified for their cruise. Experienced divers like to avoid these individuals because they tend to be more accident prone. If one happens to be assigned to you as your buddy then you are stuck diving their profile, which may mean a dive that is shallow and brief. Additionally, you may end up "baby sitting" your buddy because they have forgotten or are unfamiliar with diving protocol. And sometimes it's just painful to watch these inexperienced divers knock over coral and chase after eagle rays!

Arranging your own diving in each port requires some research, and will definitely take more time than just signing up with the ship's excursion. However your work is usually rewarded with a much nicer dive experience. The next post will discuss how to set up your own diving in each port so that you don't end up in an unsafe situation or missing the ship. For those who decide to stick with the ship's excursion just remember to bring your C card and log book or you won't be allowed to dive. One other caution, if you check yes to any of the questions regarding health (ie, "do you have high blood pressure?") you won't be diving either.

We have used the ship's dive excursion, especially when the price is reasonable, the dive operator is highly regarded and the time in port is minimal. My advice is to bring your own buddy and be sure you get in a group that matches your experience level. If you're lucky the dive master may let your group dive your computers and you'll have a great dive or two. Bottoms up!

Dive with the Ship's Excursion?

Bring or Rent Dive Gear?

This question is always difficult because circumstances in the travel industry keep making it less attractive to bring your own gear. With increasing baggage fees, weight restrictions and now carry-on restrictions, bringing your gear may mean leaving your clothes at home. Since that's not really an option on a cruise where dressing up is part of the fun, bringing your dive gear may cost you more than it's worth.

Having your own gear is safer, more comfortable and less costly. Rental gear isn't always in great shape. Because you will be diving with different operators throughout the week you may find a wide discrepancy from one shop to the next. Some of this uncertainty can be alleviated by checking with scubaboard.com or other dive review venues to see what others have said about a potential dive shop's equipment. Of course, with your own gear you know exactly when it was last serviced.

Even with relatively new equipment your discomfort level increases when you aren't sure how the weight release works or how to use a BC-integrated octo. If you wear a size M BC and the operator has only S or L the BC won't fit and you will struggle the entire dive. It's important when diving with different operators to settle some of the uncertainty by feeling comfortable in the gear. As you know you have enough to worry about - gear shouldn't be one of your concerns.

Finally, dive shops can charge anywhere from $15 to $45/day for equipment. If you are diving several days the cost for rental gear can really add up. It might actually be cheaper to pay the baggage fees and skip the hassles of rental gear. That said, your own gear isn't without it's share of hassle.

Cruise ship cabins are small. Not only will you battle where to put your gear when you aren't diving, but rinsing and drying the gear can be nearly impossible on the ship. Fortunately, most dive operators have a fresh water rinse of some sort (hose, dunk tank) so you may not have to actually stand in the shower with your gear to rinse off the salt water.

But even rinsed gear is drippy, leaving a trail from the dock through the hallways and around your bed. If you chose a balcony cabin (as mentioned in my last post) then the gear can stay outside and dry in the breeze. If not, then the gear will take up precious space in your bathroom requiring you to unload the shower every time you want to use it. If you do decide to go this route ask the room steward for extra beach towels for when you have to move the gear out of the shower.

I personally prefer to bring my own gear even though the cost and hassle factor may be high. Why? Because my life depends on that gear. My comfort level under the water is much more important to me than my comfort level in the cabin. However I do try to spring for the balcony room as often as possible. Not only because if provides a convenient place for my gear, but also because we enjoy a glass of wine while watching the sunset on our balcony. These quiet, peaceful moments are precious to me. It is here that we reminisce about the day's dives, and plan future trips. Thanks for reading -- bottoms up!

Bring or Rent Dive Gear?