No photos available at this time
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5
(best):
|
Accommodations |
 |
Food |
 |
Service and Attitude |
 |
Environmental Sensitivity |
N/A |
Dive Operation |
 |
Shore Diving |
 |
Snorkeling |
N/A |
Overall Rating |
Value for $$ |
N/A |
Beginners |
 |
Advanced |
 |
Comments |
Copamarina Resort dive package is excellent for value. Rooms were very clean with daily maid service. Rooms have rear door walkout to beach, dive shop and pier (very handy for wet stuff). Food quality is very good, but a little pricey for full meals. We ate lunch/dinner at locals just a few Km from the resport.
Sea Ventures dive operation has excellent staff, very attentive, outstanding safety and site briefs using colored maps. Dive profiles are open once the DM's have dove once with you. The DM's take you to all the critter sites for UWP. Bill, Tony and Shawna are all well versed on the Wall, Fallen Rock, Aquarium, Pozas, etc.
Location has every UW geography available in the Carribean. Coral gardens are in excellent condition with wide variety of color. BLACK CORAL prolific at 60' and down the wall to rec limits.
Wall construction varies from 45 degree slopes with ledges at 90 to 120 feet, to 90 degree slope with no ledges.
Fish life on reef dives includes most of the Book on Reef Fish.
UWP opportunities abound with excellent visibility at 60 to 100 feet on reef. Macro is great as the area is not well dived and most fish do not seem too skitterish.
Water temp was never under 80 degrees and at 130 feet the temp was still at 80 degrees.
Special thrill was Humpback whales presence one day - heard songs throughout both dives and observed 22 separate breeching whales off port side of dive boat during surface interval. In 30 years of diving, I have never heard or seen humpback whales, let alone an entire pod.
Overall, the week was a "6" on a scale of 1 to 5. |
Reporter and Travel |
Dive Experience |
Over 1000 dives |
Where else diving |
Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman, Florida, Guadeloupe, St. Thomas/John and Vietnam |
Closest Airport |
|
Getting There |
|
Dive Conditions |
Weather |
sunny, dry |
Seas |
calm, surge |
Water Temp |
80-82°F / 27-28°C |
Wetsuit Thickness |
2 |
Water Visibility |
60-150 Ft/ 18-46 M
|
Dive Policy |
Dive own profile |
yes |
Enforced diving restrictions |
One observation dive to 120' with DM, all other dives own profile with stay in sight of group's bubbles request, 1500# signal to DM, multi-level profiles OK, start ascent at 600# from 60 feet, minimum 3 minute safety stop enforced.
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Liveaboard? |
no |
Nitrox Available? |
N/A |
What I Saw |
Sharks |
1 or 2 |
Mantas |
None |
Dolphins |
1 or 2 |
Whale Sharks |
None |
Turtles |
> 2 |
Whales |
>2 |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
|
Corals |
 |
Tropical Fish |
 |
Small Critters |
 |
Large Fish |
 |
Large Pelagics |
 |
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5
(best):
|
Subject Matter |
 |
Boat Facilities |
 |
Overall rating for UWP's |
 |
Shore Facilities |
 |
UW Photo Comments |
Rental cameras available, no film developing on site, computer available for download and disc burn, rinse bucket for cameras ONLY on board, Captain did 2004 Rodales Photo Shoot and has extremely good suggestions for UWP locations to see critters. |