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Dive Review of Seafari Bahamas/Club Med in
Bahamas/San Salvadore

Seafari Bahamas/Club Med: "Outstanding dive operation in connection with Clubmed Columbus Isle", Aug, 2019,

by Roy jennings, CA, US (Sr. Reviewer Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 11416.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 2 stars
Snorkeling 3 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments I lashed up with an acquaintance for a seven day trip to Club Med Columbus isle. Recommendation had really good diving through a charter operating on Club Med property.
The package deal at base covered airfare from Miami and accommodations. The diving was an option to the package. I chose a five day 2dive per day package and opted for nitrox on my second dive for an extra seven dollars per dive.

I arrived on a Saturday after an uneventful flight from Miami. Check in was fine. The one overarching issue is Club Med’s centric catering to citizens of France and Quebec. You will find very few English speakers at the resort. The majority of the staff source from France and Quebec. My first few days were a bit disconcerting due to my sense of the staff and other guests resenting the presence of Americans at the resort.
Things improved well after a few days. The rooms and the food are fantastic and a great value.

The diving.
Dive operations are conducted by Seafari Bahamas. They operate two powered catamaran boats and two smaller boats for snorkeling tours.
My first dive was on Sunday with a report time of 8 o’clock at the dive center. The boat was pretty crowded, about 45 people. Deck space was tight, so one was best off consolidating personal gear into as small a footprint as possible. Getting space to rig your gear was a challenge due to a lack of elbow room. The trick I learned was to let everyone else rig his or her gear, and then take care of your own. Dive briefs were conducted in French and English. Plenty of water and juice and croissants were provided for snacking. I had no need for that since breakfast was so incredible.
The two dives were a deep followed by a shallow dive. If you were an advanced/experienced diver, you were left to your own dive. There were restrictions on no greater than 40M and no deco only. The briefs were well executed with a good amount of detail and instruction. The guides had hard copy sheets of each dive and a recommended route to go on along with depths and expected sea life.
Overview of my 10 dives. Lots of tropical fish, coral, eels, and rays. On fourth day finally had shark encounter.
Vis was at 80-100 feet and more water temp 84 at depth. Summer at club med is hot, and you need bug spray. Very enjoyable dive excursion.
Websites Seafari Bahamas   Club Med

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Australia Thailand Philippines Red Sea British Columbia Cuba
Closest Airport Cockburn Town Airport, Getting There Bahama Air from Miami

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 79-84°F / 26-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 2
Water Visibility 80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No deco diving
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

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

Subject Matter 3 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 3 stars
UW Photo Comments [None]Provided cleansing tanks.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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