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Dive Review of Low Key Watersports/Gallows Point Condos in
Virgin Islands/St. John, USVI

Low Key Watersports/Gallows Point Condos, Feb, 2013,

by Dorothy McDonald, OH, US (Sr. Contributor Sr. Contributor 22 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 6893.

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 N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 5 stars
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 3 stars
Comments Everyone at Low Key Watersports was friendly and helpful. Normally they have 2 dive boats, but the week before we arrived one of the boats blew an engine so only one boat was available. Divers wade to the boat. The crew always seemed happy to help carry things back and forth for people. The dive shop's rental gear was in great condition - a lot of it new. We were happy that usually dive groups were 4 divers and a guide; sometimes we did run into the other groups underwater. One day we were put in a group with a family all of whom were very inexperienced (one of the boys told me at the end of that dive day that they now had 6 dives). Drinking water was always available on the boat and sometimes fresh orange slices were also provided. All dives were shallow - 52' was the deepest dive. One of the guides told my husband that he felt bad telling us we had to surface since he knew we always had over half a tank remaining, but that was the policy and he said that most of their divers couldn't stay down longer than that anyway. We saw a few nurse sharks resting on the bottom, one reef shark, several turtles, a spotted eagle ray, southern sting ray, some spotted moray eels, and a variety of colorful reef fish. Our first ocean dives were done on St. John with Low Key Watersports many, many years ago and it was great to return and find the dive shop still has such a wonderful staff. They even have a very nice brand new location. St. John is especially good for new divers. Our 16 year old nephew did 2 Discover Scuba dives while there and pronounced them "awesome". Max, his instructor was patient and helpful and allowed my husband and I to make the dives with our nephew. We had arranged a private charter with Low Key one afternoon for the Discove Scuba and snorkeling. While Max directed the diving, Ben was captain and kept the rest of the family happy snorkeling - a great team that kept children and adults happy and excited about their new experiences. This is a great dive operator and location for new divers, and there were also experienced divers on board who have been diving with Low Key every year for many years.

We stayed at Gallows Point Condominiums. The condos are very nice and have daily maid service. There is a small swimming pool; rocky entry into the ocean, but great snorkeling and a nice deck arrangement overlooking the water (both sun and shade spots). There are also grill areas on the grounds for those wishing to have an outdoor picnic. The on-site restaurant, Zozo's, is one of the most popular on the island and I would recommend making reservations before you leave home if you want to eat dinner before 8:30 or 9:00 PM. It is an easy 3 minute stroll from the condos to Low Key Watersports. It is also a great location for walking to other restaurants and shops, making a car unnecessary unless you want to drive around the island to see some of the beautiful beaches.

The National Park Service conducts hikes - one called The Coral Reef hike is extremely popular. If you want to go on that hike it is a good idea to make reservations before leaving home.


Websites Low Key Watersports   Gallows Point Condos

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Various parts of the South Pacific, Micronesia, Maldives, Philippines, throughout the Caribbean
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 72-76°F / 22-24°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 25-60 Ft/ 8-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Divers were put in small groups, led by a guide - dives ended after 40 to 45 minutes. The guide would point out the boat to his group and signal that buddy teams could look around under the boat for 5 or 10 minutes but then must surface, no matter how much air you had left.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 3 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

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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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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