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Dive Review of St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures/The Palms at Pelican Cove in
Virgin Islands/St. Croix

St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures/The Palms at Pelican Cove, Aug, 2007,

by Tammy & Randy Hauk, MO, USA ( 1 report). Report 3619.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving 4 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 5 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments Aug. 25 - Sep. 2 trip. We booked with SCUBA based on a referral, and we're very glad we did. Their entire operation is friendly and helpful, and their overall Company Motto seems to be "Have Fun!" Once you set up your gear the first day, they take over including swapping tanks between dives, rinsing at the end of the day & hanging to dry in a secure area, and loading it on the boat the next day. We wanted to do shore dives each afternoon, and after a leisurely lunch we could go back and gather our rinsed gear, grab some tanks and head out, returning the tanks the next morning. Tanks were sometimes a bit short of 3000psi, but were usually a bit over that mark. Hurricane Dean had passed south of St. Croix the week before, so vis was probably not as good as it should have been for August. The boat crew was always willing to chat with us about anything and everything, and I've never seen a more pleasant bunch of people to dive with. The dive leaders were there if you needed them, but allowed us to dive our computer limits. They were always pointing out interesting things, and we were lucky to be on a dusk dive during the full moon and literally ran into a field of coral spawning. We saw just about every Carribean creature imaginable, and they were small in size, but there were massive numbers on every dive. Only saw 1 nurse shark, but saw turtles of various sizes, spotted eagle rays, roughtail rays, and more lobster, arrow crab, banded shrimp and various eels than we have seen elsewhere. The corals looked great, with plenty of color and lots of variety. The wall diving on the north side was surprisingly good. The Palms at Pelican Cove is right on the beach, about 10 minute drive west of Christiansted. Quiet and right on the beach, you can snorkel the close-to-shore reef. Good room for the price, but the sliding glass door to the lanai only opened about 12 inches. Restaurant on site, but it closed for a month right after we arrived. We enjoy diving but don't like to feel "herded" or treated like kids or, worse, that we're keeping the crew from something they'd rather be doing. SCUBA is the first dive operation we've used that we will definitely go back to and can recommend to others. They were happy to have us dive with them, and it showed in everything they did all week.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 51-100 dives
Where else diving Belize, Cozumel, Cayman Islands
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm
Water Temp 84-85°F / 29-29°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions None, other than standard safety issues
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures (SCUBA) welcomes photographers and allows divers all the time they require with a subject. The dive leaders are quick to find and point out sea life of interest, then move away to make room for the photographers. They have designated rinse tank onboard for cameras only, although a little small, and don't mind handing down your equipment after you get in the water. No one got harangued if you fell behind the group waiting for that special photo op.
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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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