Dive Review of Aqua Mania Adventures/Cruise ship in
St. Maarten

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Aqua Mania Adventures/Cruise ship: "Good Cruise ship excursion", Dec, 2014, by Hugh E Aaron, VA, US ( Sr. Contributor 26 reports with 20 Helpful votes). Report 8136.
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	We were in St. Maarten for a day call on a cruise ship and arranged to dive with Aqua Mania Adventures. I was very skeptical, as the web site was mechanized and had different names and locations, but the reviews were good, so decided to give it a try. The communication by email was quite good until I booked my dive, then it seemed to stop. I could not tell from the site exactly what I had booked, and could not get anyone to respond. In frustration, I cancelled my reservation a few days later. I immediately got a response from another employee who assured me that I had correctly booked a 2 tank trip from the Divi Little Bay Resort, which is a beach resort nearest the cruise ship terminal, so we stuck with the plan. When we arrived in port, we took a taxi to Divi Little Bay which was a short inexpensive ride. We located the dive shop and checked in. Initially they overcharged us, but corrected it when I gave them my reservation paperwork (so bring yours with you). Not only did they check our C-cards, but they took our gear back to the workshop and set up our kits to make sure everything was in working order before boarding the dive boat! We waited on the beach for the dive boat pickup. There is no pier, so you board the boat by loading into a shallow draft boat from the beach then transferring to the dive boat. The dive boat was well appointed with a full complement of safety gear. There was a short run out to a recent wreck for our first dive. The divers were grouped into smaller groups for dives led by guides. We navigated the outside of the wreck in opposite directions, after which some divers were able to penetrate parts of the wreck if they chose to do so. We saw lots of turtles, rays, and some fish, although not as many as other Caribbean destinations. The dive guide was taking pictures, which seemed a bit at odds with keeping track of his group of divers, but it worked out okay. The second dive was on a shallower reef. This was reported as a spectacular site with lots of sea life, but I stayed up on the top side, feeling a bit under the weather from a mild case of food poisoning. My dive buddy was able to pair up with another group and complete the dive, which was reported as excellent with lots of fish and corals. There was fresh water on board. Also ginger ale and sodas were available. The boat was full, but not crowded and easily accommodated the passengers. After the dive we were dropped back at the beach resort and shown an area to wash and dry our gear. We left it secured, and went to have lunch (I could not eat – food poisoning, but my husband enjoyed it quite a bit!). We lounged for awhile, trying to get the wifi to work (it never did), then packed our gear and caught a taxi back to the port. I would rate this operation very professional and accommodating and would absolutely dive with them again!
Websites	Aqua Mania Adventures
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	USVI, BVI, California, Hawaii, Cozumel, Caymans, Roatan, Belize, Saba, St, Barths, St Kitts, Nevis, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida
Closest Airport	Princess Juliana	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	80-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	85-100 Ft/ 26-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	We dove as a group, but it was very relaxed, with much latitude to explore within sight of the dive guide. Everyone was allowed to run out their tanks.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
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	N/A
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Aqua Mania Adventures/Cruise ship in St. Maarten

Aqua Mania Adventures/Cruise ship: "Good Cruise ship excursion", Dec, 2014,

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 Mania Adventures/Cruise ship in
St. Maarten