Dive Review of UBS Divers/Tamarind Club in
Virgin Islands/Tortola

Other Virgin Islands reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

UBS Divers/Tamarind Club, Dec, 2005, by Chuck Levine, PA, USA . Report 2202.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Decided that I needed a few days away to clear my head under the waters of the Caribbean due to my wife's health concerns and finally was able to coordinate reasonable airfare (USAirways connecting to Win-Air in SXM), lodging (Tamarind Club), and private diving (UBS Dive Center) for a four day trip. Website for Tamarind Club described a beautiful, intimate 9 room hotel with onsite restaurant, pool, and airport transfers included. Rooms were clean, AC, shower and fridge. Meals were fantastic and reasonably priced for the islands. Entertainment at night was loud and late, but the owners put me in the farthest room from the pool area to minimize the late night disturbance. Apparently airport transfers only means one way: cost me $20 from the airport (actual one-way fare is $7-8 so paying $20 one-way covers the r/t). UBS Divers advertises: "...we run private dive boats for you and your group of family or friends, it will always be just your group on - board the boat." and "...land based guests can choose from half or full day trips with two-tank day dives or afternoon and night dives." "Prices are per person and include your own private dive boat, Captain/Instructor, all equipment & drinks." "2 Persons Full Day (9:30 - 4:00) $150.00 3 Persons Full Day (9:30 - 4:00) $100.00" In fact UBS offered to have one of the owners (husband and wife Tony and Kathryn Brunn)take me out one-on-one on their small boat for half of their usual fee. I expected three dives/day for days 1&2, 2 dives the morning of my third day in anticipation of flying home next day. Conditions were choppy, viz was 50-75 feet, water was a cool 80F. 3mm wetsuit with hooded vest was comfortable...just. Fish were typical caribbean fare. A few southern rays but nothing large and little small. Coral had some bleaching but otherwise was in decent shape. Dove the RMS Rhone twice, Wreck Alley once, Thumb Rock too, and had lunch both days at Cooper Island where we highly recommend the calamari. I was put on a boat with two gentlemen from Omaha, NE who had also expected to have their own private dive boat, dive 4-5 times/day, and were equally stunned to find that Tony/UBS only does 2 dives per day...period. As it was, we three enjoyed ourselves but since diving finished up at 1400, I was unwilling to dive that late on the day before my flight home, and canceled my third day of diving, choosing to explore Tortola topside instead. This decision was greeted by an incredibly obnoxious email message from Tony Brunn upon my return to the States. Suffice it to say, his ugly insinuations and insensitive remarks will not cause me to recommend UBS Divers to anyone. There are many other dive operators in the BVI. All-in-all, a nice few days away, sullied by ignorant remarks made to a one-time customer. I'd like to return to the BVI sometime in the future but will be looking at other Undercurrent recommendations before doing so.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Caymans, St Vincent, Bahamas, Bonaire, Saba, Florida, Pennsylvania
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy, surge
Water Temp	78-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Only two dives per day were offered despite "...all the diving you can do and all the beer you can drink..." email from dive operator/owner
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
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]

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 UBS Dive Center

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 0.15 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 UBS Divers/Tamarind Club in Virgin Islands/Tortola

UBS Divers/Tamarind Club, Dec, 2005,

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 UBS Divers/Tamarind Club in
Virgin Islands/Tortola