Dive Review of Aqua Cat in
Bahamas/Exumas

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Aqua Cat, Jun, 2009, by Deborah Campbell, MD, USA ( Reviewer 4 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 4892.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Aqua Cat is a great boat for liveaboard diving, with larger-than-expected cabins, a comfortable dining/salon area, large dive deck with a head and two showers, a shaded "alfresco" deck for relaxing (where dive briefings were held) and a large sun deck with self-serve beverages. The captain and crew are excellent, with just the right balance of professionalism, safety-consciousness and fun. Food is top-notch with a surprisingly good variety at every meal, and special dietary needs can be accommodated. The option of doing non-diving activities using the Sea Dog (their 28-foot launch with its own captain) was appreciated by divers who weren't up for doing the maximum number of dives offered (up to 26 during the week's charter.) The condition of most of the dive sites we visited in the Exumas was disappointing. Except at shallower sites (40 feet or less) there is extensive algae which often smothers both the reef structures and the sandy bottom. Reef topography was interesting and varied, but extremely "brown." Visibilty was mediocre for tropical diving and there was often a distinct greenish, murky quality to the water. There were several cloudy days, which also adversely affected the viz. While there was a nice variety of fish, the quantity of marine life overall was usually quite a bit less than we've experienced elsewhere. The shark-feed dive was well-organized and resulted in many sharks visiting the site. We also saw sharks at other sites, particularly the "Lost Blue Hole." We saw multiple lionfish on nearly every dive. If they are freely eating juveniles (as reported in DAN's "Alert Diver") that could explain a reduced quantity of fish overall. The Aqua Cat is an excellent choice for a live-aboard dive trip, and we would definitely choose them again - especially if the itinerary changed to areas with better reef conditions.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire, Curacao, Cayman Islands, Grand Turk, Belize, Cay Sal Bank (Bahamas)
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	79-83°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Max depth 130 feet, no deco diving, return with 500psi
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Two camera-only rinse tanks, large camera table and extreme care by dive staff when handing and retrieving cameras to/from divers in the water.

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Dive Review of Aqua Cat in Bahamas/Exumas

Aqua Cat, Jun, 2009,

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 Aqua Cat in
Bahamas/Exumas