Dive Review of Scubaqua/Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius

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Scubaqua/Old Gin House: "A gem in the Caribbean", May, 2019, by Peter Pinkerton, NY, US ( Sr. Reviewer 10 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 10944 has 2 Helpful votes.
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	Scubaqua-Hubby and I have travelled the world, diving in some very unique places. This gem of an island and gem of a dive shop is among the very best. From the moment we arrived, staff made it a point to introduce themselves and call us by name. They picked us up at the airport, retrieved our gear from the hotel room and then handled it for us the entire time we were there-getting it to the boat, setting it up, changing over the tanks, and washing it after we were finished. When we arrived they had a very large group from a dive shop using the big boat and a few sets of partners on the smaller boat. Somehow they managed to get everyone where they needed to be in an organized fashion. I never saw any staff member lose his/her cool even under some very trying circumstances. After the big group left they reorganized and led us through an easy transition to the big boat. One thing I really liked was the rope system they had around the boat when we were in the water. Some days the water was choppy with some surface current and it was very helpful to have a line to hang on to while swimming to and from the mooring line. All of the divemasters we dove with were super helpful and skilled. We are both underwater photographers and really appreciated their help finding critters underwater. Some were more skilled than others, but they all tried. There were a couple of instances where the plan had to change quickly (another boat on the site, broken mooring) and the captain just dealt with it with no drama. The diving was great with a variety of scenarios. Lots of little critters, a couple of wrecks, anchors, many turtles and lobsters, and great volcanic fingers to explore. One diver even found a blue bead!!! (Google Statia and Blue Beads). The dives are a little deeper at the top than some places and I strongly suggest Nitrox certification to get good bottom time. I gave 3 stars for beginners as the top of the sites are relatively deep and both air consumption and nitrogen need to be carefully monitored. In all of our travels we have never been to a dive shop with a bar. Yep, Scubaqua has a bar! Coffee/tea in the morning, soda, waters midday and beers and mixed drinks after the last dive. My husband LOVED having a cold beer at the end of the dives as he was cleaning the camera and his wetsuit. We typically went back late afternoon and shared stories and beers with staff as they cleaned up for the day. One other point that I want to make is about the multinational guests and multilingual staff. There were folks from many countries speaking many languages. I think ALL of the staff speak more than 1 language, some of them many languages. It was pretty amazing to watch them switch very quickly. The dive shop is owned by 2 couples (Ingrid and Menno, Marieke and Mike). They all have very high standards. They expect their staff to have very high standards. It shows in every aspect of the business. We will definitely be back. Old Gin House-This was our second visit to the Old Gin House. We chose it because of the proximity and relationship with Scubaqua Dive Center next door. We had an ocean view suite that was really big and comfortable, nicely appointed with unique furniture and a great view. Since our last visit the common areas have all been updated with colorful cushions and furniture and really look nice. The water in the rooms is not potable but they gave us 2 bottles of water each day so it worked out fine. We also had a little refrigerator for drinks and snacks and a coffee machine. Staff were all very helpful and nice, and always acknowledged us with a greeting. Breakfast was included and there was a lot of food- coffee/tea, yogurt, cheese/ham, fruit, and bread basket to start followed by juice, eggs, bacon, and toast. The server at breakfast, Hilma was very nice with a great sense of humour. The first few days there was a very large group there and she dealt with everything very calmly. We had dinner 3 nights at the hotel. All 3 were delicious with good portions. The hotel is in lower town so we were able to walk to other restaurants with no issues. Our room had a strong wifi connection. There are tv's in the rooms but we didn't ever turn them on. I think we were told that they are only for use with a computer. My only negative observation is about the little balcony off of our room. I loved having morning coffee out there and watching the island wake up but it was VERY dirty and clearly isn't cleaned regularly. The ocean view room/suite is worth the upcharge. Sybolt and Marlies are wonderful hosts and we will definitely be back.
Websites	Scubaqua Old Gin House
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Carribbean, Maldives, Australia, Truk Lagoon, Costa Rica, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Philippines...and lots of other places!
Closest Airport		Getting There	We flew Delta to St Maarten and then island hopped on Win Air. Win Air's weight restrictions are a pain for scuba divers who also carry underwater camera set ups. We paid extra for the weight and had no issues with it arriving with us. We also chose NOT to fly on a weekend so there were no other divers.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	70-72°F / 21-22°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	- Ft/ - M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Depth limited by Nitrox
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
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	The big boat was able to accomodate cameras. The little boat did not. No camera table at the dive shop. They did have a dedicated rinse tank. I gave the rating 5 stars because we like the little critters. Lots of macro and midsize subjects (angels, turtles, lobsters...) This would not be 5 stars if divers are looking for the big stuff.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Nancy Boore in MD, US at Jun 17, 2019 21:15 EST

I've been thinking about doing a trip to Statia and diving with Scubaqua, great report, thanks for the detailed info!

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Dive Review of Scubaqua/Old Gin House in St. Eustatius

Scubaqua/Old Gin House: "A gem in the Caribbean", May, 2019,

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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Scubaqua/Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius