Dive Review of St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures in
Virgin Islands/St. Croix

Other dive reports on St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures

Other Virgin Islands reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures, Oct, 2009, by William Ungerman, California, USA ( Sr. Contributor 24 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 5204.
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
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We met Ed Buckley at the Long Beach Dive show in May and he made diving St Croix sound exciting. My wife maybe was influenced and was plied with two airline bottles of Cruzan Rum. Naw. So, we booked with St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures. We flew into St. Croix airport (a funky little airport) and took the thirty-five minute drive in a taxi into Christiansted. We opted to stay at the Caravelle Hotel, on the boardwalk, centrally located, and right next door to the dive shop and dock where their boats depart. Ed and Molly greeted us like long lost relatives and it was genuine too. We met the staff including Roger, Jon, Michael, Susie, Ross, and Cindy. These are the most accomodating and friendly people we have run across after diving the world for twenty or so years. In fact, that's their slogan: The friendliest dive shop on earth. Small venue, huh? Roger took our wish list of dive sites and during the following week, fullfilled it, with the exception of a few modifications based on recommendations from experience. The diving was between a four and a five based upon the Caribbean scale. The visibility was typically 80-100 feet but ran to 40-50 on a couple dives. A must dive is the Frederiksted Pier. We dove the Bonaire Town Pier but this one was better. We did it as a night dive and it was spectacular. Other good sites were the Butler Bay Wrecks, Eagle Ray, Salt River, and North Star. Pavillions was great. All gear is taken care of. You never have to touch it after the first day. They wash, rinse, store and remount. Perfect service. The boat (Reliance) is large and spacious, covered with all the amenities. Giant stride, easy ladder return. Current line always in the water. Personal attention if you want it (or need it) otherwise you can do your own thing. Your competence is respected. The diving is at least as good as most of the Caribbean. We have been to St. Thomas and St. John and dived both. There is no comparison. St. Croix wins hands down and even when compared and contrasted to other Caribbean locations. For me, this is a toss-up with Cozumel for top Caribbean honors. The Hotel: The Caravelle is a little threadbare and weather worn but you couldn't ask for a better location or a nicer staff. They were outstanding. The bed was a King four-poster and the room had a view of the marina and pool. The Rum Runner restauarant on site was closed but the locals said it was a highlight. They do a nightly Tarpon feed and the beasts are there every night, feed or not. Other good restaturants are Shenanigans (for breakfast and lunch), the Fort Christian Brew Pub (all three and night life), The Bombay Club for upscale dining. The front looks like a cross between the entrance to bin Laden's cave and a third world prison but the interior is cheery and the food is superb. Also try Angry Nates and the Lost Dog Pub in Frederiksted after the night dive for a brew. Open containers are okay in the USVI so the police will hold your open container while they write you a ticket for talking on your cell phone. Mosquitoes are fierce and they are those pesty silent stealh ones. It rained for ten minutes every day and the daytime temps in September topped 100 degrees. Do your shopping at the Pueblo Market, fifteen minutes away or at Sunny Isles shopping center if you need Wal-Mart. If there is a negative (for us anyway being from smokeless California) it's that everybody smokes. Yep, with roosters waking you at 0600, it's a grand place to relax, kick back, enjoy some great diving and meet, mix and mingle with some really grand people. As the man said, I'll be back.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Caribbean, etc.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, no currents
Water Temp	84-86°F / 29-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	70-100 Ft/ 21-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Suggested to stay withing recreational dive limits.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	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	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Large rinse bucket on board reserved for cameras. Had out and retrieve cameras to divers.

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 213 dive reviews of Virgin Islands and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

Other dive reports on St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures

All Virgin Islands Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Virgin Islands
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Want to assemble your own collection of Virgin Islands reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.13 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures in Virgin Islands/St. Croix

St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures, Oct, 2009,

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 St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures in
Virgin Islands/St. Croix