Dive Review of Dive Aruba/Marriott Renaissance in
Aruba/Oranjestad

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Dive Aruba/Marriott Renaissance: "First Dive vacation during Covid", Dec, 2020, by Richard Rigg, ID, US ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 11816.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I dove with Clive, the owner of Dive Aruba back in 2009. In December 2020, Aruba was one of the only islands open for tourists. They had low numbers of Covid cases and Covid entry requirements. I had been there before and new the diving would be about a 3 out of 5 so off we went. I used Clive again as I had dove with him and knew what to expect. He is a one person show. His boat holds at max maybe 8 divers (this would be tight). I had between 4 and zero additional divers on the boat, this made for a very nice and easy dive trip. Clive knows the area and I am always amazed at the sea life. It is good, not Cayman quality but worth diving. He had nitrox, but no calibration meter to get the percentage. I travel with one so this was not an issue. He is very casual dive operator and safety is there but not like at a larger shop. For this reason, I would not recommend him for a new diver because of the area, the boat and his style. If the new diver is with an experienced diver, then it would work. For experienced divers he is a must, you dive your profile and just come up with 500 lbs of air (and a buddy – no solo diving). I have always felt comfortable diving with him, but I have about 1,000 dives under my belt. We stayed at the Marriott Renaissance, because it is at the marina where his boat is docked, so an easy walk to dive and home. We did not do the all-inclusive package for food. The Marriott is downtown near a number of outstanding restaurants. We saved approximately $2k by not doing the all-inclusive. We usually had an appetizer each, shared a main, a bottle of wine and shared a dessert. The meals were approximately $150 US. Lunch and breakfast $20 to $50 depending on what you order. We had a blast walking around downtown and finding places to eat and have drinks.
Websites	Dive Aruba
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos (Provo and Grand Turk), Tulum Mexico (Cenote and Ocean) The ABC islands, St Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Saba, Barbados, Bahamas, St. Lucia, Hawaii, Kona
Closest Airport	Queen Beatrix International Airport	Getting There	I live in Idaho so multiple flights, but direct flight from Atlanta
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Come up with 500 pounds of air
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	There is no camera area on the boat. I do underwater photographs and just held the camera on the boat. Back on the dock he has a rinse bucket for the camera

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Dive Review of Dive Aruba/Marriott Renaissance in Aruba/Oranjestad

Dive Aruba/Marriott Renaissance: "First Dive vacation during Covid", Dec, 2020,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Dive Aruba/Marriott Renaissance in
Aruba/Oranjestad