Cruise Ship Diving vs Land-based Diving

I realize this blog is for people who prefer cruise ship diving, however you may have friends who can't understand why you would prefer to dive from a cruise ship than just staying at a resort, or on a live-aboard. We'll discuss the live-aboard in another blog, but for now I want to give you a few advantages that cruise ship diving offers over land-based diving.

First, cruise ships can take you to places you probably would not be able to dive otherwise. In the Caribbean cruise ships stop in Dominica, St. Lucia, Grand Cayman and other very nice dive spots. These islands are basically inaccessible to the budget-minded diver because of the high airfare and lodging costs. Dining at these locations is expensive and frequently requires a taxi or rental car just to get to the restaurant. Cruisers know how delicious and convenient it is to dine on the ship. No stress over deciding where to eat, figuring out how to get there, or finding your way back in the dark.

Second, cruise ships move around so inclement weather is less of an issue. If you spend a week in Cozumel and the weather patterns turn ugly you may spend the week under cloudy skies and in rough seas. A cruise ship may experience this weather for a day, but the next day it very likely will be far away where the weather is much nicer for diving. Yes, some cruises can be completely unlucky with the weather patterns given their itinerary, but your odds are better with the ship than in one of their ports for a week.

Third, divers with non-diving spouses can dive more because their spouses have so many more options for entertainment in their absence. Although resorts are lovely and some offer interesting day tours, a week waiting for your diving spouse to get back from diving can get old quickly. If your spouse is having so much fun exploring these new ports she is far less likely to demand that you spend your morning with her.

Finally, land-based vacations in diving spots are usually very casual. You may only pack shorts, T-shirts and swimsuits because that's all you'll need. On a cruise you have the added luxury of seeing your beloved dressed to the 9s with that new golden tan. Take some great pictures and walk around the deck pretending you are in a scene from Titanic - living the life of luxury. My husband says the main thing he loves about cruising is seeing me in an evening gown, something I have no other place to wear.

Yes, we love our land-based trips and the casual, carefree, barefoot-in-the-sand atmosphere. But cruising is a nice change without sacrificing great diving. Next time your dive buddies try to convince you that staying at a resort is better than cruising get out your photos and prove otherwise. Bottoms up!

Cruise Ship Diving vs Land-based Diving

Port Spotlight: San Juan, P.R.

Since many southern Caribbean cruises begin in San Juan, let's take a look at the possibilities for diving here. Puerto Rico is not known for tremendous diving, but there are some very good places to dive. When we first started diving in Puerto Rico we would fly to San Juan two days before our cruise departed. We would rent a car, drive across the island (south) past Ponce to La Parguera and rent a hotel for two nights. The drive over the mountain pass between San Juan and Ponce is beautiful, with a like-new toll road (divided highway) that makes the journey fast and safe. The entire trip from San Juan to La Parguera was approximately 2.5 hours.

The next morning we caught the dive boat and within 20 minutes were on the wall. The dives were very nice with viz that reached 100 feet. Black coral, schools of fish and an occasional shark blessed our dives. The dives tend to be deep (80+ feet) which means bottom time can be limited. The sleepy little fishing village of La Parguera was a delightful place to spend our non-diving time. Day two we again dove the lovely reefs and then raced back to San Juan to catch the ship.

A few years ago we discovered another excellent place to dive in Puerto Rico. Just off the west coast of Rincon lies a very small island known as Desecheo Island. Although the trip to the island takes about 35 minutes, and is not always possible if the waves are too high, it is well worth the effort. The reefs around the island are in excellent condition because of the constant currents surrounding the area. In my opinion the diving at Desecheo is much better than the south walls.

The problem with diving out of Rincon is that if you are only diving two days there's a good chance you won't get to dive the island. Although the reefs around Rincon are nice, the reefs off La Parguera are better. Additionally, the commute from San Juan to Rincon is brutal. Part of the way is on divided highway (toll road), but much of it is still on two-lane roads with stop lights at every town. It takes 4-5 hours to drive west across northern Puerto Rico, and the scenery is frequently city traffic instead of mountain splendor. If your flight arrives late in the day much of your trip to Rincon will be in the dark, and partly on side roads that are not well marked.

After your second day of diving in Rincon you again must race back to San Juan to catch the ship, but the journey isn't much of a race. Heavy traffic and irritating stop lights compound the stress level so that you arrive at the ship with wild hair, dripping baggage, and exhausted. Our plan now is to fly to Puerto Rico three days before the cruise, dive two days, and then on cruise day we can leave Rincon early, before the traffic hits.

I am told that the diving off of Fajardo (east Puerto Rico) is nice, and that the outer islands of Culebra and Vieques have some good diving as well. However, unless you want to spend a week before your cruise, the time involved to take a ferry across to the islands make this an impractical choice.

Top side Puerto Rico has some very nice beaches and the tropical forest is beautiful. You would not run out of things to do if you did decide to spend the week before your cruise in Puerto Rico. But for serious divers it's difficult to stay out of the water for long, especially when such amazing scenery awaits just 80' below. Bottoms up!

Port Spotlight: San Juan, P.R.

Setting Up Diving On Your Own

My first step when I'm looking for a dive operator in a port is to go to scubaboard.com as well as Cruise Critic's snorkeling & scuba section. Both forums offer actual diver reviews of the operators in most port cities. If you don't see a thread mentioning the port you're researching then do a search on the board and see what random posts pop up. Once you have a consensus on the top one or two operators check out their websites and see what they offer.

Some have special offers for cruise ship divers that include picking you up at the port. If the dive operator you're considering is contracting with your ship then they probably won't let you book separate from the ship's excursion. Check your ship's sail date "Roll Call" on Cruise Critic and see if there are any other divers setting up diving on their own. If you can gather a group of four or more divers the dive shops may be willing to set up a special excursion for your group outside their normal dive times.

Email the prospective dive operators and ask them if they have any openings for the day you'll be in their port. Be sure to check your ship itinerary carefully so that you inquire about the right date and time. One challenge you may run into is the difference between "ship's time" and local time. Most (but not all) cruise ships like to stay on the time zone of their departure port. Miami is on Eastern time zone but Cozumel is on Central time. This gets even trickier with Daylight Savings time. Not all islands observe Daylight Savings time so be sure to search the Internet for local times at each port, then compare that with the time at your departure port. Some dive operators know when each ship will arrive and will work around your schedule, but most will expect you to show up in time to catch their dive boat.

Ask if they provide transportation from the port, and if not, what the cost of a taxi is to their shop. Ask how long it should take to get there and if they have lockers for any gear you leave at the shop. If they do have lockers be sure to pack a padlock. If not don't leave anything behind that you can't afford to lose (i.e. like your ship card or passport). If you are going to rent gear tell them what you need and ask what that will cost.

Each shop will email back with an affirmation or denial. Most will ask for a deposit and should give instructions for paying that deposit. Don't email credit card info, instead ask for their fax number and send it via fax. Some will take Paypal. Be aware that these deposits are usually non-refundable if you cancel less than 48-hours before the scheduled dive. Once you have a confirmed reservation (that acknowledges your deposit) print that confirmation and bring it with you on the day you arrive at that port. Mistakes can be made and they may overbook their boat. If so you want proof that you have a reservation. While this is rare it has happened.

It is wise to set up your diving as soon as you have booked your cruise, but at least 2 months ahead of time. Good operators fill up quickly. A few weeks before the cruise email each dive op and remind them when you will be there. Email them again once you are on the ship, especially if you are expecting someone to pick you up at the dock. Confirm where you will meet them once you disembark. Cruise ports are unlikely to let the dive op drive right up to the main gate because taxis and tours are given preference. Make sure they are aware of the time you must be back at the ship. Always plan to return at least an hour prior to the last ship tender, or if the ship is docked, an hour before the ship sails. Traffic can get very congested near the port so plan accordingly. The last thing you want is to be running for the ship with all your gear.

One last thing to remember, you are on their time schedule, commonly known as "Island Time." That means they may be there when you get off the ship, or they may be 30 or 40 minutes late. You are on vacation so don't get all worked up about it. One way to avoid stressing over this is not to plan anything else in port that day (i.e. shopping, drinking, site-seeing). We don't feel comfortable booking diving in a port if the ship will be there less than six hours, unless the dive op, and the dive sites are very close. You'll find that a little pre-planning makes the adventure so much more enjoyable. Here's to cruise ship diving, bottoms up!

Setting Up Diving On Your Own

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?

Evaluating Cruise Deals

After you've narrowed down your search to just a few potential cruises it's time to evaluate the price against the value. Here are some questions to ask yourself. 1. How much money can you afford to spend on this trip? If you only take one vacation each year then your "splurge" factor may be higher than mine. We are fortunate to have almost six weeks of vacation each year so if we keep our costs down we can afford more trips. If you can afford it, a Windstar or Regent cruise offers some excellent itineraries for divers. Because the ships are smaller they can get into more remote ports like Bequia or Jost Van Dyke. However the cost is higher than say a Princess or Carnival cruise. For many of us that means the diving better be amazing and available at every port!

Which brings us to our next question, 2. How much diving does each cruise offer? We are avid divers so we want to get at least four dive days in each seven day cruise. A cruise that offers six dive opportunities is even sweeter, so we may be willing to pay more for it. Even if you don't plan to dive more than two or three days you'll want to make sure you're diving in the best spots you can. A cruise that stops in San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten isn't as attractive as one that stop in Dominica, St.Lucia and Barbados because the diving won't be nearly as good.

Just to give you an idea based on rates from one cruise discounter, the cost for an inside cabin April 17 on Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas is $545 with five dive ports. Just a week later on April 25th the Carnival Victory is $439 for an inside cabin and the itinerary includes six potential dive ports. Of course there are many non-diving reasons to choose one cruise over another. Personally, I want the most and best diving for the buck so that is how we evaluate the cost of a cruise.

Finally, question number 3. How much will it cost to upgrade to a balcony? If you are taking your own gear (something we'll discuss in the next post) then a balcony gives you a place to store your gear. Dive gear can get very stinky after several days of diving so if the cost for a balcony is reasonable then choose the balcony. If you plan to rent all your gear then the decision to upgrade may be based on other reasons (like saving enough to pay for another cruise in the fall!).

Other cruise divers may have their own criteria for evaluating cruise value and if so feel free to comment. Bottoms up!

Evaluating Cruise Deals

Choosing the Right Cruise for Diving

If your spouse is set on a Caribbean cruise and you were hoping for a week of diving in Bonaire take heart. You can dive and cruise but it takes some careful planning. It's true that you may get in more diving on a land-based vacation, but if the weather turns foul you are stuck in the same spot all week. The great advantage of cruise ship diving is that every day you wake up to new weather conditions. If one port is wiped out the chances are good that your next port will be just fine for diving.

Your first step in planning a cruise/dive vacation is to consider which cruise to take. Some itineraries are more conducive to diving than others. Additionally, some cruise lines are more "diver friendly" so check out the shore excursions before you book. Note the times the ship is in port. If the ship is only in a port five hours your chances of getting in some diving are greatly reduced. Check out the Cruise Critic forum on diving (http://www.cruisecritic.com) and see what others have said about diving in various ports. The time and money required to get to the dive shop at some ports may be prohibitive.

I love diving from cruise ships because I have been able to dive in some remote locations that would cost too much to fly into and stay. For example, St. Lucia has some lovely diving, but the cost to fly into St. Lucia, and the cost of lodging is much higher than what you'll pay to cruise to St. Lucia. Another advantage of cruise ship diving is that you can check out dive locations without risking a week's vacation as well as your hard-earned vacation dollars. If a port you visit has some nice diving then you can plan on returning at a later date for a land-based vacation.

For Caribbean cruising many of the ports are well worth diving. My favorites include Dominica, Grenada, Barbados and St. Croix in the Eastern Caribbean. The western Caribbean holds such delights as Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Southern Caribbean cruises often stop at Aruba, Bonaire and/or Curacao -- all very nice dive spots. The added advantage to some of these ports is that shore diving is possible, which means you save money on the cost of diving. We'll talk more about the diving at each port in a later post.

Once you know which ports you want to visit you can start watching for a deal on cruises going to those ports. In my next post I'll discuss how to weigh the cost of a cruise against the value to you as a diver. It's not always the cheapest cruise that wins your vote, but rather the cruise that offers the right balance of convenience, time in port, overall itinerary and the best diving opportunities. Until then, bottoms up!

Choosing the Right Cruise for Diving