Montego Bay

As usual, I have to go to the USA in May. Last year I thought of nipping
somewhere for a few days diving (flying my wife out to meet me) but we
found it cheaper for me to come back to the UK and then for us both to
fly straight back out to the Maldives!

This year I've forced myself to spend a small fortune and booked flights
for me from the USA to Jamaica, my wife from the UK to Jamaica, a decent
sounding hotel and then both of us home together.

The hotel includes diving, so it says:

http://www.sandals.co.uk/general/scuba.html

Has anyone any experience of them, particularly the Sandals Royal
Caribbean Hotel? Other than that, any recommendations on who to go
diving with (Montego Bay area)?
--
David Mahon

<<Has anyone any experience of them, particularly the Sandals Royal
Caribbean Hotel? Other than that, any recommendations on who to go
diving with (Montego Bay area)? >>

A lot depends on your skill levels. I have dove with Sandals both in
Negrill and Montego Bay. They are EXTREMELY safety conscious. Sandals
has good gear, good boats, nice crew, but your dives will be shallow
and short. I No deep dives, and they tend to make the dives short. f
you do a lot of diving you might not enjoy diving with Sandals.
However, it is free with your hotel!!! Not much to see in Montego Bay
underwter except their u/w preserve.

test
"David Mahon" <news@amigo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:s62fynCYx9FCFwt3@earth.amigo.co.uk...
> As usual, I have to go to the USA in May. Last year I thought of nipping
> somewhere for a few days diving (flying my wife out to meet me) but we
> found it cheaper for me to come back to the UK and then for us both to
> fly straight back out to the Maldives!
>
> This year I've forced myself to spend a small fortune and booked flights
> for me from the USA to Jamaica, my wife from the UK to Jamaica, a decent
> sounding hotel and then both of us home together.
>
> The hotel includes diving, so it says:
>
> http://www.sandals.co.uk/general/scuba.html
>
> Has anyone any experience of them, particularly the Sandals Royal
> Caribbean Hotel? Other than that, any recommendations on who to go
> diving with (Montego Bay area)?
> --
> David Mahon

"David Mahon" <news@amigo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:s62fynCYx9FCFwt3@earth.amigo.co.uk...
> As usual, I have to go to the USA in May. Last year I thought of nipping
> somewhere for a few days diving (flying my wife out to meet me) but we
> found it cheaper for me to come back to the UK and then for us both to
> fly straight back out to the Maldives!
>
> This year I've forced myself to spend a small fortune and booked flights
> for me from the USA to Jamaica, my wife from the UK to Jamaica, a decent
> sounding hotel and then both of us home together.
>
> The hotel includes diving, so it says:
>
> http://www.sandals.co.uk/general/scuba.html
>
> Has anyone any experience of them, particularly the Sandals Royal
> Caribbean Hotel? Other than that, any recommendations on who to go
> diving with (Montego Bay area)?

Make the trip down to Negril. From what I hear, it's the only decent diving
on the island (and decent may be a stretch). I enjoyed it, but I'm an
inexperienced diver...

Chris Guynn wrote:

> Make the trip down to Negril. From what I hear, it's the only decent diving
> on the island (and decent may be a stretch). I enjoyed it, but I'm an
> inexperienced diver...

Negril was wonderful. 7mile beach, the small (expensive) shops, and the
local stops. As for the diving, well, it was a dive. Water temp was
wonderfully warm. The fish have been overfished and over lobstered.
Nothing large. The soft coral and sponges are great.
Again, don't expect anything large to swim by. I did though see a 5 foot
nurse shark....

"TonyP" <arpierre@Hooptonline.net> wrote in message
news:UCKSd.17661$x_5.8789@fe08.lga...

> Negril was wonderful. 7mile beach, the small (expensive) shops, and the
> local stops. As for the diving, well, it was a dive. Water temp was
> wonderfully warm. The fish have been overfished and over lobstered.
> Nothing large. The soft coral and sponges are great.
> Again, don't expect anything large to swim by. I did though see a 5 foot
> nurse shark....

Was that in the drop off at Jackie's on the Reef? Great site that one.
I go to visit dive mates who run Marine Life Divers at the Samsara Hotel
twice a year now (planning on moving there soon)
The dives off the beach are reasonable, but the ones off the low cliff (2
foot giant stride) are better. Seen nurse and reef sharks, dolphin(trying to
break into fish traps!) large stingrays feeding, barracuda and the other
caribbean species. Some ancient wrecks recently discovered off Lighthouse
Point (good reason to put up the lighthouse, eh?) with canonballs in plain
sight.

Montego Bay has Scuba Jamaica ( http://www.scuba-jamaica.com/ ) and they
have several good dive sites nearby includeing good walls, but the sea can
be less than smooth!

"David Mahon" <news@amigo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:s62fynCYx9FCFwt3@earth.amigo.co.uk...
> As usual, I have to go to the USA in May. Last year I thought of nipping
> somewhere for a few days diving (flying my wife out to meet me) but we
> found it cheaper for me to come back to the UK and then for us both to
> fly straight back out to the Maldives!
>
> This year I've forced myself to spend a small fortune and booked flights
> for me from the USA to Jamaica, my wife from the UK to Jamaica, a decent
> sounding hotel and then both of us home together.
>
> The hotel includes diving, so it says:
>
> http://www.sandals.co.uk/general/scuba.html
>
> Has anyone any experience of them, particularly the Sandals Royal
> Caribbean Hotel? Other than that, any recommendations on who to go
> diving with (Montego Bay area)?

Make the trip down to Negril. From what I hear, it's the only decent diving
on the island (and decent may be a stretch). I enjoyed it, but I'm an
inexperienced diver...

Chris Guynn wrote:

> Make the trip down to Negril. From what I hear, it's the only decent diving
> on the island (and decent may be a stretch). I enjoyed it, but I'm an
> inexperienced diver...

Negril was wonderful. 7mile beach, the small (expensive) shops, and the
local stops. As for the diving, well, it was a dive. Water temp was
wonderfully warm. The fish have been overfished and over lobstered.
Nothing large. The soft coral and sponges are great.
Again, don't expect anything large to swim by. I did though see a 5 foot
nurse shark....

"TonyP" <arpierre@Hooptonline.net> wrote in message
news:UCKSd.17661$x_5.8789@fe08.lga...
> Chris Guynn wrote:
>
> > Make the trip down to Negril. From what I hear, it's the only decent
diving
> > on the island (and decent may be a stretch). I enjoyed it, but I'm an
> > inexperienced diver...
>
> Negril was wonderful. 7mile beach, the small (expensive) shops, and the
> local stops. As for the diving, well, it was a dive. Water temp was
> wonderfully warm. The fish have been overfished and over lobstered.
> Nothing large. The soft coral and sponges are great.
> Again, don't expect anything large to swim by. I did though see a 5 foot
> nurse shark....
>

There was a 7 footer in the area I dove two days before the (only :-< )dive
I did there on my last trip...

"TonyP" <arpierre@Hooptonline.net> wrote in message
news:UCKSd.17661$x_5.8789@fe08.lga...
> Chris Guynn wrote:
>
> > Make the trip down to Negril. From what I hear, it's the only decent
diving
> > on the island (and decent may be a stretch). I enjoyed it, but I'm an
> > inexperienced diver...
>
> Negril was wonderful. 7mile beach, the small (expensive) shops, and the
> local stops. As for the diving, well, it was a dive. Water temp was
> wonderfully warm. The fish have been overfished and over lobstered.
> Nothing large. The soft coral and sponges are great.
> Again, don't expect anything large to swim by. I did though see a 5 foot
> nurse shark....
>

There was a 7 footer in the area I dove two days before the (only :-< )dive
I did there on my last trip...