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Dive Review of Aquanauts Grenada in
Grenada

Aquanauts Grenada: "GRENADA FEBRUARY 2016", Feb, 2016,

by Matt Overholt, OH, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 8838 has 4 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations N/A Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments THE OPERATOR:

I can't say enough good things about Aquanauts. Their prices were competitive. It was easy to pre-book some dives online before we arrived. They were prompt in responding to my emails and they touched base with us via email a few days before we departed on our trip. They provide free taxi service from your hotel to their dive shop if you are staying in the southern to mid-southern area of the island. All of the staff members we met were very nice, friendly, and helpful. The dive boats are large with covered cabins, heads, and contain the necessary safety equipment. They also provide FREE nitrox if you're certified. They have two shops: Main shop at the True Blue resort, and a satellite shop on Grand Anse beach (easy walking distance from anywhere on the beach). We used both, depending on where the boat was going each day. We dove with Bugsy, Bruce, and Myron on our trip. They were really cool and friendly guys. (I highly recommend that you take an afternoon and take a tour of the island- Bugsy runs his own tours and will hook you up for a good price. The island is beautiful and he shares his vast knowledge of the island as he takes you around). The boats were never crowded, and the shop provided a dive master for every 3 to 4 divers, and grouped divers according to skill level.

THE DIVING:

The good: For us, the draw of Grenada was the shipwrecks, and it did not disappoint. The Bianca C is enormous, and I recommend diving on it more than once so you can really take it all in. The Shakem and Veronica L were also very nice dives. Due to windy conditions, we were not able to dive the "Atlantic" wrecks King Mitch and Hema 1. Also, the reefs in the Marine sanctuary were very nice and well populated with the usual reef fish (at least small to medium sized fish....). Probably the best dive we had the entire trip was on the "car pile" reef in Flamingo Bay. It's beautiful, even with dozens and dozens of rusting car hulks on the bottom.

THE "SO-SO":

The visibility was a little disappointing during our visit (February). It was never better that 70 feet, and probably averaged in the 50-60 foot range. The Aquanauts guys said that summer and early fall visibility was the best. I would also gladly pass on any reef dives outside of the Marine Park. There were very few large tropicals, and only a few pelagic sightings. During the 10 days we were there, we didn't see any sharks and only two turtles (A couple of Eagle rays and the largest southern stingray I have ever seen did show up). Interestingly, barracuda and large angel fish (queen, gray, and french) were also rare sights (although I have never seen a highler concentration of trumpet fish, large and small). In short, come here for the wrecks, not for the reefs and large fish. As far as checking out the area topside, I usually do a lot of exploring on my own and feel pretty comfortable. However, I felt like a lot of the local reaction to tourists, especially in St. George's, was indifferent at best (Don't take that the wrong way- I never felt unsafe or threatened). The feeling of indifference kinda just killed my urge to explore the local nooks and crannies.

THE TOWN:
We stayed at the Allamanda Resort on Grand Anse beach. It was an inexpensive, clean, but not fancy place to stay. If you're not high maintenance and just want a clean room and a decent pool, this place is a great option, and it's right on the beach. Rooms have fridges and there is an IGA grocery store right across the street. I discovered that the resort had mandarin orange trees on the property, and I ate them constantly. They were DELICIOUS. I also have to give a shout out to Rocky, groundskeeper at the resort. He's a very interesting local guy, and provides you with very entertaining conversation as well as making damn sure you have a lounge chair for the beach. Also, there are some great restaurants within walking distance (Carrib Sushi, La Boulangerie). However, the best food we had was home cooked food sold by locals from tents on Wall Street across the Street from the Allamanda. Grilled Jerk chicken and home made "oil down" was delicious, and you can have dinner dirt cheap ($10-15 U.S.). Taxis are expensive so take the bus (vans). Bus stops are plentiful but they will flag you down and pick you up where ever. They are very enthusiastic about picking up passengers because they make more fare. The #1 bus (look for a sticker in the top corner of the windshield) runs between Grand Anse and St. George's, and costs $2.50 E.C. ($1 U.S.) each way. Don't be scared of the bus- super easy to use and it's a fun ride. Also, if you want to get a real good taste of local cooking, check out Patrick's. 20 or so courses of tapas and the #1 bus will drop you there. Just tell the bus conductor that's where you want to be dropped. Grand Anse beach is beautiful and calm, and the country as a whole is very clean and generally beautiful.
Websites Aquanauts Grenada   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Cozumel, Salt Cay (Turks and Caicos), Costa Maya, multiple cenotes in Mexico, Honduras, Grand Cayman, North Carolina wrecks, multiple Florida Springs and rivers
Closest Airport Getting There Pretty easy. Connected through Charlotte and Miami using American.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-81°F / 27-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Let the dive master know when you were at half a tank and then when you hit 750. No strict time limits on bottom time.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

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

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments Plenty of room on boat for equipment and a large camera-only fresh water tub on the boat
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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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