Atlantis - Paradise Island

I will be staying at the Atlantis in about ten days. I will only have
time for two mornings or one full day for diving. I see many folks
like each of the dive shops. Have sent emails to four and received a
personal response from DiveDiveDive, a form response from Nassau
Divers and none yet from the others. I would like to do wreck dives,
sharks are ok but not necessary unless you all say it's a "gotto do".
Any thoughts on what shop to use. They all seem to have the same
price but I do not know how far they are from the Atlantis. I don't
particularily like cattle boats. Thanks, Don

"Don T" <dontat@cox.net> wrote in message
news:5bae717f.0309180723.4b11e07e@posting.google.c om...
> I will be staying at the Atlantis in about ten days. I will only have
> time for two mornings or one full day for diving. I see many folks
> like each of the dive shops. Have sent emails to four and received a
> personal response from DiveDiveDive, a form response from Nassau
> Divers and none yet from the others. I would like to do wreck dives,
> sharks are ok but not necessary unless you all say it's a "gotto do".
> Any thoughts on what shop to use. They all seem to have the same
> price but I do not know how far they are from the Atlantis. I don't
> particularily like cattle boats. Thanks, Don


DiveDiveDive, which is my favorite operator on the island, and Nassau Divers
are both located on the southwest ocean side of NP - maybe an hours drive
from Atlantis in Coral Harbour. Both will pick you up and take you back, you
can do a two-tank morning and/or a two-tank afternoon dive with either. The
afternoon dives usually have the resort course people on them. Nassau D has
larger and better equipped boats, D3 better crew, in my opinion. They all
visit the same sites on that side of the island, where the diving is the
best anyway. And their docks are 100 ft apart.

The Bahama Mama wreck is regularly patrolled by a school of reef shark.
Don't do a shark feed. The Caribbe is a new wreck in the vicinity - large,
but not very well inhabited yet. The Bond wrecks are on that side of the
island as well. There are several other wreck sites.

You can't go wrong with either operator - unless you are a relative newbie
or not very into diving. In that case, you might go with Stuart Cove. They
cater more to the occasional diver than D3. They are also on southwest
ocean, and their boats are a little more crowded.

If you go with D3, give them my regards.


--
But then again, what do I know?

Lou Vallone

LouVallone@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/LouVallone

"Lou Vallone" wrote

A lot of good stuff before I got to:

> The Bond wrecks are on that side of the island as well.

In my personal opinion, the Bond wrecks were the most disappointing dive I
ever did in the Bahamas.

Aside from all the reasons Lou cited, I'll add one. Those that respond
personally, tend to get more of my business than those that send me form
responses or, worst of all, don't respond at all.

Lee

"Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:gStab.40793$Aq2.22664@newsread1.news.atl.eart hlink.net...
> > The Bond wrecks are on that side of the island as well.
>
> In my personal opinion, the Bond wrecks were the most disappointing dive I
> ever did in the Bahamas.
>


In general, I agree with you, Lee. However, the Vulcan Bomber is one of the
greatest night dives I have done. You are confined to a very limited space -
about 20 feet vertical, maybe 30 by 20 breadth and depth. At night, the
coral is all out, the macro stuff is very dense, and there are a lot of
critters - lobster, eel, octopus, that are attracted. I have several times
spent close to 2 hours on this site at night ( not dusk - you have to go
down after 9 PM when all the good stuff has come out) not hardly moving
around at all, and have been thoroughly entertained.

In fact, last year I did what I consider one of the most engrossing dives I
have ever done with D3 at night at the Bond wrecks. I had just arrived at
the airport, was picked up by Tony, and was told they were holding the boat
for me at the dock. I did not get to even unpack anything but my dive gear
when I arrived. There were 8 guys from the Canadian military who were doing
night maneuvers from their boat. I went off on my own, and within 10
minutes came across an octopus out feeding. I followed him for 22 minutes,
watching him feed, change colors, go through his normal night's routine. I
was utterly enthralled. I dove without my light on, just viewing by the
ambient light. It might have lasted longer, except at one point, the octopus
latched onto my arm, wrapped itself around my limb, and placed its mouth
over the palm of my hand. When it began to dig into my palm with its
"parrot beak", it drew blood. I had to shake it off and it left me with a
squirt of ink and thereby ended our encounter. But it was one of the most
memorable dives I have ever done.

The "Tears of Allah" is quite disappointing. But, if you go off on your own,
you can do both sites in one hour's dive and that ameliorates the general
mediocrity of the dives.

OTOH, any dive I come up from I consider a good dive


--
But then again, what do I know?

Lou Vallone

LouVallone@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/LouVallone

Lou Vallone wrote

> In general, I agree with you, Lee. However, the Vulcan Bomber is one of
the
> greatest night dives I have done. You are confined to a very limited
space -
> about 20 feet vertical, maybe 30 by 20 breadth and depth. At night, the
> coral is all out, the macro stuff is very dense, and there are a lot of
> critters - lobster, eel, octopus, that are attracted. I have several times
> spent close to 2 hours on this site at night ( not dusk - you have to go
> down after 9 PM when all the good stuff has come out) not hardly moving
> around at all, and have been thoroughly entertained.
>
> In fact, last year I did what I consider one of the most engrossing dives
I
> have ever done with D3 at night at the Bond wrecks. I had just arrived at
> the airport, was picked up by Tony, and was told they were holding the
boat
> for me at the dock. I did not get to even unpack anything but my dive gear
> when I arrived. There were 8 guys from the Canadian military who were
doing
> night maneuvers from their boat. I went off on my own, and within 10
> minutes came across an octopus out feeding. I followed him for 22 minutes,
> watching him feed, change colors, go through his normal night's routine. I
> was utterly enthralled. I dove without my light on, just viewing by the
> ambient light. It might have lasted longer, except at one point, the
octopus
> latched onto my arm, wrapped itself around my limb, and placed its mouth
> over the palm of my hand. When it began to dig into my palm with its
> "parrot beak", it drew blood. I had to shake it off and it left me with a
> squirt of ink and thereby ended our encounter. But it was one of the most
> memorable dives I have ever done.

I should have known better. I responded only realative to the trip to see a
Bond set only to find that it wasn't what I expected. I didn't even think
about the surrounding area which, like you, is were I spent all my time.
I've not done the site at night.

Perhaps my favorite night dive in the Bahamas is a moderately shallow wreck
off the north end of Bimini. For some reason, the sea turtles seem to
congregate there after dark, in noticable numbers.

> OTOH, any dive I come up from I consider a good dive

If I could figure out an acceptable way to stay down, it would be a better
dive. Death is not an acceptable way. 8^)

Lee

"Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote in message



> Perhaps my favorite night dive in the Bahamas is a moderately shallow
wreck
> off the north end of Bimini. For some reason, the sea turtles seem to
> congregate there after dark, in noticable numbers.
>

If that is the one sometimes called "Wreck of the Hesperus" - 20 fsw,
scattered wooden debris, life so prolific that you can't see another diver
15 feet away - I have done it from a liveaboard. I spent almost 2 hours on a
night dive with 5 loggerheads, as big around as a card table, each with 2
large remora attached. It was after midnight, no one else was in the water,
and it was so relaxing it was surreal.



> > OTOH, any dive I come up from I consider a good dive
>
> If I could figure out an acceptable way to stay down, it would be a better
> dive. Death is not an acceptable way. 8^)


True that!


dive SAFE


--
But then again, what do I know?

Lou Vallone

LouVallone@aol.com

http://members.aol.com/LouVallone

"Lou Vallone" <LouVallone@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:vmmjkq9a13i6f3@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Lee Bell" <leebell@ix.remove.netcom.com> wrote in message

> > Perhaps my favorite night dive in the Bahamas is a moderately shallow
> wreck
> > off the north end of Bimini. For some reason, the sea turtles seem to
> > congregate there after dark, in noticable numbers.
>
> If that is the one sometimes called "Wreck of the Hesperus" - 20 fsw,
> scattered wooden debris, life so prolific that you can't see another diver
> 15 feet away - I have done it from a liveaboard. I spent almost 2 hours on
a
> night dive with 5 loggerheads, as big around as a card table, each with 2
> large remora attached. It was after midnight, no one else was in the
water,
> and it was so relaxing it was surreal.

It might well have been the Hesperus. It's been long enough I don't
remember the name. We were on Blackbeards at the time.

On 18 Sep 2003 08:23:47 -0700, dontat@cox.net (Don T) wrote:

>I will be staying at the Atlantis in about ten days. I will only have
>time for two mornings or one full day for diving. I see many folks
>like each of the dive shops. Have sent emails to four and received a
>personal response from DiveDiveDive, a form response from Nassau
>Divers and none yet from the others. I would like to do wreck dives,
>sharks are ok but not necessary unless you all say it's a "gotto do".
>Any thoughts on what shop to use. They all seem to have the same
>price but I do not know how far they are from the Atlantis. I don't
>particularily like cattle boats. Thanks, Don


Buddy, I don't know you and you don't know me but I have to CAUTION
you on PI and Atlantis. If you've never been there be prepared for
sticker shock. I will never go back to that place. I will go back to
the Bahamas but not there. Also, Do not dive with Stuart Cove's. In
being kind, I want to use the word cluster fuck sparingly but the
truth is the truth. Anybody but them. I have over 400 dives and asked
not to be paired with anyone who was unqualified and I got stuck with
the 2nd most skilled diver on the boat, 7 dives, 5 years ago...

Moyo

moyo wrote

> Buddy, I don't know you and you don't know me but I have to CAUTION
> you on PI and Atlantis. If you've never been there be prepared for
> sticker shock. I will never go back to that place. I will go back to
> the Bahamas but not there.

I don't know how you can book with Atlantis and not expect to get hosed on
the price of everything. It is not an economy resort and was never intended
to be. Personally, I have not stayed there. I have payed to do the tour of
the aquarium. It too was a bit steep, but it was vacation, the surrounding
waters were too cold for this warm water wimp, and it wasy pretty.

> Also, Do not dive with Stuart Cove's. In being kind, I want to use the
word cluster fuck sparingly but the truth is the truth. Anybody but them. I
have over 400
> dives and asked not to be paired with anyone who was unqualified and I got
stuck with the 2nd most skilled diver on the boat, 7 dives, 5 years ago...

Stuart has a pretty good reputation and it sounds to me like they did their
best to accomodate you. Presuming you were the most skilled aboard and were
buddied with the second most skilled diver aboard, what more could they have
done? Stuart is not responsible for the fact that no other experienced
divers chartered with him that day or the fact that you didn't find somebody
of acceptable ability for yourself. Sometimes, the best you can do, is the
best you can do.

Lee

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 20:32:01 -0400, Robert <Robert@hotmail.com> wrote:

>WHo the fuck want to dive with an arsehole..................
>

I'll admit to that...when I'm taking pictures or trying to take
pictures, I tend to get a bit anal....so if I'm an asshole then so be
it.

moyo
>On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 00:50:43 GMT, moyo <moyolawn@mindspring.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On 18 Sep 2003 08:23:47 -0700, dontat@cox.net (Don T) wrote:
>>
>>>I will be staying at the Atlantis in about ten days. I will only have
>>>time for two mornings or one full day for diving. I see many folks
>>>like each of the dive shops. Have sent emails to four and received a
>>>personal response from DiveDiveDive, a form response from Nassau
>>>Divers and none yet from the others. I would like to do wreck dives,
>>>sharks are ok but not necessary unless you all say it's a "gotto do".
>>>Any thoughts on what shop to use. They all seem to have the same
>>>price but I do not know how far they are from the Atlantis. I don't
>>>particularily like cattle boats. Thanks, Don
>>
>>
>>Buddy, I don't know you and you don't know me but I have to CAUTION
>>you on PI and Atlantis. If you've never been there be prepared for
>>sticker shock. I will never go back to that place. I will go back to
>>the Bahamas but not there. Also, Do not dive with Stuart Cove's. In
>>being kind, I want to use the word cluster fuck sparingly but the
>>truth is the truth. Anybody but them. I have over 400 dives and asked
>>not to be paired with anyone who was unqualified and I got stuck with
>>the 2nd most skilled diver on the boat, 7 dives, 5 years ago...
>>
>>Moyo