Bay Islands | Belize | | Bonaire | Cayman Islands | Cozumel | Curacao | Dominica
Fiji | Kids Sea Camp | Palau | Puerto Adventuras | Saba | Statia | Turks & Caicos | Socorro Islands

BAHAMAS

The dive trip which we recently booked with your service to Stewart Cove was beyond our expectations. Your handling of my forgetting the camera tray, to the hotel accommodations was just great. South Ocean is a great dive hotel, located right next to the dive center of Stewart Cove. They have everything a diver would want and more. Leon, one of our boat captains, gave excellent briefings, and made every effort to make sure all his "guest" where happy. ViVi, our dive master and resident camera expert, was more than willing to give helpful hints, and even pointed out creatures for Macro shots. The ease of diving, and "left alone" feeling was great. If you wanted to buddy dive, or dive with the guide, it is all up to you. I love that about Stewart Cove. I have been many places that have a guide in front and one in back. You feel like a heard of cattle. This is NOT how things are done at Stewart Cove. On one day there were only 15 divers. Yet Stewart Cove used two separate boats. One boat could easily handle 15 divers, but instead they chose to use two. This was done for the comfort of the divers. it is easy to see why they have such a successful dive operation. As a current active dive master, this is one place I would not hesitate to recommend. Every dive operation can learn from how Stewart Cove operates its facility. You may forward this e mail to Stewart Cove with my blessing and many thanks for a great dive trip. Sincerely; Gerry Goldstein NAUI Dive Master

The Painters had a great time. Said the diving was great. Hotel and accommodations very nice. Staff very friendly at hotel and dive shop. Only thing he would have done differently would be to add a meal plan (which he had a chance to do at the hotel and didn't when asked). I asked him to please complete and mail the survey, which he said he would do. Talked about maybe trying Bonaire next and will be in touch when they decide on their next trip. Thanks once again for your assistance. I think you're batting 1000! Rob

BALI/KOMODO

by Tanya Burnette We have just returned from a fabulous journey through Bali and Komodo, Indonesia. A bit jet-lagged but yet energized by new inspiration and appreciation for another unique part of the world. Bali is really a special little gem with a culture that is in many ways a world apart from most of Indonesia. Balinese people are charming and open -- carrying a unique spirit for life and their traditions. From the moment we stepped foot on the island we were extremely well received - they made it clear that they love Americans and I think Kevin and I were just about the only ones on the island. We covered much of the terrain, through the mountains, rainforests, coastlines, neighboring islets and of course all the best dive sites (many of which are truly world class). There is even a 360 foot freighter wreck that begins less than 50 feet from shore and drops to less than 100 feet. It is a photographers paradise with little to no current - rivaling those of Truk Lagoon, with fabulous architecture for wide-angle and a multitude of unusual macro creatures. It is a dive that can be dived over and over. The accommodations are terrific, the food spectacular, the massages to die for and the constant stream of unique sights, services and breath taking views can keep you occupied for weeks. We were literally non-stop everyday for 3 weeks and could still have taken longer and would not have covered all the tempting nuances. We then headed over to the Komodo National Park; about a 2 hour flight or 2 day cruise by boat from Bali. The flight over is gorgeous and interesting. Landscapes of organized rice fields, sea weed farms and even just the volcanic peaks keep you peering out the window for the entire flight. The Komodo region is so different from Bali, as is all of the regions within the Indonesian archipelago. Komodo is very dry but the islands appear deep green (in the rainy season) and covered in scrub and grass - not your typical palm laden South Pacific scene. The islands appear to have scalloped edges with a pristine beach in every pocket. Some of the islands rise very high above sea level and at times with the right lighting appear like fiords of British Columbia. In one area where we were moored, we witnessed wild Komodo Dragons walking across a black sand beach, later a teem of monkeys, then a wild boar and finally a few deer came from the dense green towards the open sea. It is a unique ecosystem from the life harboring within the mangrove estuaries to the current washed coral gardens teeming with life. The South end of Komodo and immediate surrounds receives cold (70F) currents from Australia which inhabit a host of unusual marine life not found anywhere else in Indonesia or the world. You need a 5mm suit, a hood and a good macro camera system. The colors combinations are spectacular and the numbers of species are endless. On one dive, I shot pictures of at least 8 different nudibranchs that I have never seen before. The wide angle is also quite beautiful with large fan growth, soft coral and crinoid clusters beyond description. But the water has a lot of nutrient rich particulate and carries a green hue - so the super wide lenses are the best. The North end of Komodo the temps ranged closer to (82F).Thank goodness for warm water... this is one destination where it pays to bring layering options! This amazing difference in conditions over a very small distance accounts for some of the striking variations we encountered. The south is a macro mecca, but that doesn't mean it's about muck diving. We found on some of most beautiful soft coral covered walls we have ever seen! The north on the other hand has clear, warm water to appreciate the clouds of anthias, trains of bump-head parrotfish, grouper aggregations, and occasional schooling jacks and barracuda. As a photographer you will find yourself torn between shooting macro or wide. In most cases I took both, as long as the currents were not creating a rip-roaring roller coaster dive. We shot tons of film and got to add several "first sightings" to our library of marine life encounters. The Nature Conservancy was conducting their twice yearly cetacean survey while we were in the park and they have documented some 18 species that play in these waters during various migrations - including the magnificent Blue whale. We didn't see any whales or too many sharks, but did have some dolphin and a number of good size mantas and sea turtle encounters. Kevin and I were on the Evening Star II - a wonderfully classic motor sailor from Australia with many years of experience in the Komodo area. Very well run with excellent food, good crew, and nice space for photographers. The general feel of the boat is very comfy with lots of varnished wood and portholes that open in the cabins. The emphasis here is on practical comfort more than all the luxury bells and whistles... and of course, lots of quality diving. They only carry a max of 12 pax, have two rigid dive boats, and charged a reasonable fee for a week. It is certainly a worthy alternative to the Peter Hughes -Komodo Dancer and meets the expectations of experienced divers with a few less frills. I had the opportunity to take a look at the Komodo Dancer while she was moored close to us. It's a nice looking boat (built in traditional Indonesian style) inside and out. Very well set up in the usual PHD fashion. There were about 8 guests on board (16 max) and they were having a good time. They generally begin their itinerary from Bali and dive along the way to Komodo. We were a fortunate and also a bit braver than most traveling during both the SARS issue and the Iraq war. We had a window of opportunity and did not want the ways of our world to interfere. This doesn't mean we were not alert and especially careful about hygiene. In our honest opinion, traveling towards the South Pacific dive destinations like Tahiti, Fiji, Vanuatu, Micronesia, PNG, Solomons or even Bali are absolutely not a problem. Even though we traveled though Taipei and Kuala Lumpur we were not in least bit nervous about it. The airports are spotless and conscientious and yes some people are wearing masks, but that is to protect from people possibly traveling from infected areas as a voluntary precaution. On the return we had to lay-over in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - but in reality it was a nice break to have a shower and libations with a 5- star hotel right at the airport. Like I mentioned in the beginning - it was a fantastic journey and I would do it again and again. As always, safe travels and diving - Tanya

BAY ISLANDS

We would go back today if we could. It has been a bit hectic since we got back - I have a major software project that came up in a production environment (in fact, it was the entire Oklahoma State government that implemented a new financial management system - PeopleSoft), and I have been very busy with it. CoCo View was a great place for diving. We were under the impression that Cozumel was a good diving destination, but now we have seen a true resort. Cozumel is still a great place, but the facilities and atmosphere for diving at CoCo View made us understand that there is a big difference in destinations. We were fortunate enough to be there at the same time as Harold Owens (the guy who was making his 35th trip - and had received 3 free trips from CoCo View - their record). He was a great guy to dive with. In fact, the entire staff at CoCo View was unbelieveable. I can't imagine a better facility for someone who wants to dive. We did get your survey, but I have misplaced it (ok, that is a nice way to say I just flat out lost it). Can you send another one? We wanted to get it sent in, but haven't been able to locate it since "I" did something with it. We are still interested in going somewhere next June, and will be giving you a call soon to see what we can work out. Thanks for all your help with this trip. We sit and look at the pictures and DVD we purchased from Tim Blanton (he runs the CoCo View photo store) each day now. Talk to you soon. Philip Wallace

We just got back from our trip to Utila on Saturday, October 20th. We couldn't be happier. Don't hesitate to suggest this resort to anyone. We loved it so much, we would like to plan a trip back and bring our two junior divers with us. We weren't lucky enough to see any whale sharks because Hurricane Iris chased them away, but the reefs were gorgeous, and we were lucky enough to see a huge spotted eagle ray and a very large stingray with a remora attached and much, much more. One request: If ever I book a dive trip, and you feel another place would be more to my liking, such as Laguna Beach Resort, please don't hesitate to say something. This was the perfect trip. Thanks again for all your help, and you certainly can use this e-mail or refer someone to me if they'd like to ask anything about the Resort. You will definitely hear from us again in the future!! Karen Kearns

Thank you so very much for your help in my planning my first dive trip! I can't tell you how comfortable, and relaxed I was at Coco View resort. The staff was helpful, friendly, and wonderful. My fellow dive buddies assinged on my boat were even more terrific. The diving was spectacular! I could not have hoped for a more perfect holiday. A couple of friends of mine, who I meet on the trip are considering an exteneded weekend over labor day. Of course after this trip we would like to keep the cost as low as possible. We're thinking of cozumel, but are open to other suggestions. thank you again, Joseph G. Illovsky

Well, we just got back from Utila and we had a wonderful time. Everything went nice and smooth. It was great to have the gentleman waiting for us in San Pedro Sula. We did not have any problems with the "no see ums". Maybe we didnt have trouble because Utila lodge is located over the water? The only time we got any bites was when we were waiting at the "airport" to leave. The airport is a grass runway if you have never been there. Too cool or what! The diving was really great and we got to see a whale shark and get in the water with it twice. It was about 20 to 25 feet long. So beautiful and graceful. We also got to see a pod of Orcas! Almost unheard of in Utila, they usually are in colder waters! There were at least 5 that we were able to count.. one was tagged on it's dorsal fin, but no one could read it. :0) You don't get in the water with Killer whales!!! During one surface interval, we did a little scavenging. Apparently a cargo ship crossed from the mainland to one of the islands during the night, and had to dump some cargo. We collected 20 bottles of fabric softener, 4 pineapples, cantelope, watermelon, sqash, and bananas! It was really funny to see all the veggies in the water. I hope turtles like green beans and cellery. We got to see two sailfish in the water that were checking out the debris. That was pretty cool too. We ate well, watched some fabulous sunsets, hung out with some really cool Honduran parrotts, played a little pool,met some nice people, did a little "shopping" ( not much on Utila... bought an orange from a street vendor, and a little painted wooden box, made in Honduras, but NOT on Utila) and relaxed, did a total of 17 dives each, and they were nice long dives too, some were as long as an hour. So now we need a vacation from our vacation. I cried when I left. You were absolutely right that we would like the place. We will go back there again. It's just so nice to go to dinner in your bare feet! Thank you so much for helping us gave such a wonderful vacation. Sincerely Ellen and Randy Adams

We had a great time in CoCo View last May, and appreciated all your help in making it happen.  We'd like to go back, but are also interested in trying out other resorts.  We decided last week that we'd like to go somewhere this fall, perhaps in the next month or so.  Do you have any "last-minute" suggestions?   I remember that you lived in the Caymans for a few years -- we're interested in diving there, too, if you have any suggestions. Thanks, Rick Cherry

Caribbean Adventures I love getting your newsletter! We just returned from Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan - what a wonderful experience. Diving was wonderful, food great - loved the rooms on Anthony's Key and of course the dophin dive was fantastic. Cathy Treadway

Rain, rain and more rain. The week on Roatan was terrible weather. We did not dive the first day due to high winds. They moved the boats to the south (leeward) side of the island. The diving there was ok but the north side is supposed to be better. We were on the southside the whole week. There was virtually no sunny weather. The dive boats were outstandin and the crews excellent. Anthony's is a fine resort. I would highly reccomend the place. Mayan Carribean tours did a great job as well. Roatan is not the real Honduras. I would reccomend the inland trip to anyone. The Hondurans are very nice people and it is a lovely country. Traveling is cheap and the ruins of Copan are outstanding. How was Belize? Where did you stay? Thanks again for your help. You have always come through. You will hear from me in the future when I am planning a diving trip again. Happy holidays !!! ... Scott

BELIZE

Thank you for all your help in planning the vacation. We had an EXCELLENT time! Mary got certified with no problem and the diving was incredible. We really liked the Exotic Caye resort. The bar scene there was a lot of fun and we had a great ocean view from our balcony. We walked through Ramon's Village and while that was very beautiful it felt more "sterile" than Exotic Caye. There were so many palm trees you had an obstructed view of the ocean and the bar was way back from the beach. We were very happy with our resort and it was a great place for couples (Romantic). There was actually a "Fairy Princess" there. The food in Belize was amazing! We ate at a different restaurant for lunch and dinner everyday and never had a bad meal. Everything was very fresh and flavorful. One restaurant in particular was extraordinary, Casa Picasso. It was the only restaurant we ate at twice. Luckily when we saw the weather report on Friday we called AA and changed our flight to leave Saturday. We were the last flight out of Laguardia on Saturday and the airport was closed the next three days so we avoided disaster. Next year we may plan a trip to Bonaire and we will definitely use you for that trip if you handle that destination. Thanks again, Todd

Overall, we had a good vacation. Thanks for your recommendations. Neal liked the Tropica Resort because it was rustic and out of the way. I did too, especially because our room was right on the beach and it had a beach instead of a seawall. I wish their beds weren't quite so hard and that they had more than just a sheet on their beds. Took me three days to get a bedspread, not even a blanket. We liked the restaurant - lots of mounted crab & lobsters. Excellent breakfasts. And I enjoyed the walk each day to town and back. Aqua Dives was a good outfit although I don't recommend anyone go with the idea of using their wetsuits - they were deplorable. We used shorties to go over our 1 mil suits. We were going to buy our own before we left but didn't get around to it. However, they did really good dive briefings and were helpful & friendly. We saw several turtles and a very large Jewfish which was the highlight of the diving. I think the diving overall would have been good with better weather - it was cool and cloudy and seas were rough. We actually skipped one day of diving that we had paid for because the weather was unpleasant. Can we get a refund for that day? Aqua Dives said to bring it up with you. We paid for 5 days and only did 4. Ambergris is a fun island with lots to do out of the water as I'm sure you know and this added to the fun of it. I did hear, however, that diving on the atolls (not necessarily the Blue Hole dives) like Long Caye were really good - more coral & fish, like you had said. Anyway, thanks for your help! Shelley

We had a fantastic time in Belize! It was everything we had hoped for and more. The diving may have spoiled us though. Water temp was 86 degrees, the reefs were magnificent and the fish variety was awesome. My family had the time of their lives and I'm grateful to you for arranging the trip for us. The dive company (Aqua Dives) was first rate. They have a great group of divemasters that took care of my family and made sure that we saw the best dive sites local to Ambergris Caye. Our favorite local dive was Pillar Coral . The wall dives on the Blue Hole trip was our highlight (Eagle Ray Wall and Half Moon Wall). The Blue Hole was cool but, I'll take the wall dives anytime. Other aspects of the trip: The Sun Breeze is a fine hotel. It was clean, well built, insect free and had filtered water for drinking. We enjoyed the restaurant, bar and pool. We were quite comfortable there. Food - Our favorite restaurants were Mangoes and Cannibals just a few hundred feet north of the hotel on the beach. The portions were huge and the prices were reasonable (about $12-$22 Belize). Ruby's was great for breakfast on the go. People - The people of Belize are the most polite people on the planet. We were made to feel welcome by everyone we met. We were riding bicycles one morning, well away from town and a young man (7th grader) riding along invited us to go fishing with him. He wasn't working us for a tip, he just welcomed the company. Just a minor example of the wonderful people of Belize. Money - We had thought with the 2:1 exchange rate that our cash would go far but the prices were typically twice as much so it was a wash. Belize has to fly or truck-in most of their goods so it's expensive for them. I would recommend that a family of four bring $300 just for exit fees ($80), park fees ($60), divemaster tips ($100) and other misc tips. We typically spent about $100 (US) a day on food and drink while we were there. Thanks again for arranging the trip for us. It was the single greatest time that I've ever shared with my family. As soon as we got back, my wife asked, "Where are we going to go next?" We couldn't wait to start planning our next adventure. All we need now is for her to accrue some vacation time and we're off again. I'll definitely be using your services in the future. Joe Lacey

BONAIRE

Our trip was great and everything went really well. Thanks again for getting us re-routed through BWI as I'm certain our trip would have been ruined otherwise. Our flight was late but they held the connection for us and 20 other people. This happened coming home as well as Air Jamaica routed through Curacao to pick up more passengers. Anyway, when we arrived at Flamingo Airport, we got to our bus and were talking to to people who had arrived from Boston and were meeting friends who didn't show up. We asked where the friends were coming from and had to laugh when they said "Philadelphia" - we told them they weren't coming and explained the deal. It's not funny but I felt very grateful that you helped us avoid that disaster. We got our requested room at the Plaza and everything was just as we remembered. The weather was perfect as well which apparently was good luck since they've had a bad winter supposedly. Our favorite restaurants were still in business and the general feel of the island was the same. The one change was that the reefs weren't as we remembered - it seems like the fish population was not quite as the same...not as amazing as before with numbers, diversity and size of some species. We were told that fish populations can shift during the year which may explain it. In fact, I'd say it was no different than Curacao which I wouldn't have said after our last visit. It might have been Ivan - I heard there was some reef impact from the hurricane. I did see a shark at the Hilma Hooker although no one believes me - I went with a guy we met and dragged him back to shore after I realized what I was seeing. I kept thinking, "Is that another tarpon?, No., Is it a baracuda? No., oh geeez." This was a first real shark sighting for me (other than nurse sharks) and spooked me because we were so alone down there. My buddy was from Florida and a lot more used to the experience, obviously. He was very understanding though and appreciated that I kept my cool....even if I was a baby and made him abort the dive. FYI- I think Town Pier is off limits now and Salt pier requires that a dive master accompany the divers. We didn't get to Salt pier because there was a boat there all week. Thanks again - we look forward to doing business with you in the future. Cheers- Michelle

The trip worked out very well. The long layovers in San Juan were a drag, but we learned that there are few alternatives because of the limited flight schedule. The condo was great. The unit we were in appeared to be the best in the complex. It had a large, fully equipped kitchen, very large living room/dining area, and a patio with two seating areas and a table that set six. We ate all of our meals on the patio. There were two bedrooms and two baths in the main part of the unit. The third bedroom opened off of the patio and had a separate key. For your reference, it was unit E1. We highly recommend trying to get it for any clients you book into the Sand Dollar. Service at Sand Dollar was excellent. We had two minor maintenance issues, and they had them resolved within an hour of our reporting them. We had daily maid service, and they did a thorough job throughout. We had no problems with check in at the condo or the dive shop. They had everything organized very well. The dive operation was excellent also. They were very accommodating. The dive masters were mostly knowledgeable. We had our favorites, but there was no time that we felt rushed or unsafe with any of them. Some were just better at pointing out interesting features during the dives. The check in, orientation and equipment handling couldn't have been easier. They had anything we needed from rental gear to batteries to regulator repair. The boats were well set up for diving, and we usually didn't feel crowded on the boats. You can tell your clients that they can skip the boat dive package. There is excellent shore diving all over the west side of the island, and right off the pier at Sand Dollar. We used most of the boat dives for Klein Bonaire, but we read about a new water taxi service that runs three times a day to Klein Bonaire, so that might be cheaper than the boat dives. Then they can pick a couple of sites that they want to visit on a boat and just pay for those. The diving was as good as the reviews. We didn't see the huge schools of fish like in Roatan, or the big pelagics, but there was an amazing variety of species, and we saw something new on every dive. The coral and gorgonians were prolific and in very good condition. One highlight was the pod of 30 to 40 pilot whales traversing the deep cut between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire. We cruised along side of them returning from one boat dive, and then picked them up again going out on the next one. Our 11 year old completed his Jr. certification on the trip. His instructor was great, and very good with him. The instructor stayed over his days off to continue the course so he wouldn't have to change instructors in the middle. He completed the certification in time for us to dive together the last day. The Ocean Classroom camp for our nearly 6 year old was equally terrific. He was the only kid in the class, and the instructor, a dive master and naturalist, did an amazing amount of activities with him. He was educating us on fish identification, mangrove species and the importance of the lagoon to the reef, and snorkeling out to the reef with ease. If you have families that want a vacation that allows them to dive and not feel guilty about being away from their kids, this is perfect. We haven't found many places that have a combination of great diving and kids activities, so we will probably make a return visit to Sand Dollar in the future. Our only regret was that we didn't book 10 days or 2 weeks. We could have stayed longer. There were still lots of sites we wanted to dive, and repeat dives on, and several out of the water activities that we never got to. Thank you for setting up a really enjoyable vacation. We were able to completely relax because everything was so well controlled. Don

Everything went great! Air Jamaica is a great airline. The service and scheduling were perfect, The Belmar was great. It is nice and quiet and a fantastic view of the water. And Toucan Diving was great to work with also.. You are right the Plaza is nice, but a very big complex. I liked my little walk to the water much better. We are definately heading back to Bonaire....maybe even later this year. We noticed the visblity was not great during our stay, but we then we learned that June there is more plankton in the water and something to do with the wind. Some people on our dive boat mentioned later summer and fall the visiblity is much better. What have you heard about best times to dive in Bonaire? Next time we go, I would have you create a combination unlimited shore dive and also boat dives. It was nice being on a package, because our boat dives were discounted. Anyway, I wish I was still there and am looking forward to another trip. Thanks again for everything. Christine Fallon

The trip was a 100% success. Everyone had a great time and agreed to return to Buddy Dive. Buddy run's a top notch operation. I will run another trip next year. I want to plan this trip around the same time frame. A week before there big event in June. Bob

We just got back this evening. We spend the first week at Buddy's and the second at Plaza Resort (so we could play some tennis). Actually, we had a problem with the flight leaving Miami and got stuck in San Juan for 24 hours, so were a day late getting into Bonaire. The time at Buddy's was great; the condo was near the dive operation (Joyce had recently had knee surgery and was on crutches, although she could dive), which worked very well. The staff was very helpful; they let us share the boat dives, with Mike and I giving some of our 6 dives each to Joyce and Steve; diving was wonderful as usual; breakfasts were great; dinners were so-so; service at dinner the night we were there was not good, appeared to be understaffed. We had 3 other meals at Lion's Den next door, which were excellent, with good service. The drive-through worked well; the truck was rather old (had such a depressed driver's seat that I couldn't see over the wheel to drive), but got us around. We were there at a slow time according to the staff, so it was nice for us. Lourdes in the dive office was wonderful; remembered our names from the beginning and was so welcoming and friendly. The only very minor complaint about the dive setup was that there were no lockers, so it was suggested to us that we take our regulators with computers to our rooms after diving to keep them safe. As I said, very minor. The condo was fine - great balconies off the living area and each bedroom; bathrooms small but OK; kitchen could be better equipped - only 1 or 2 glasses; furniture comfortable; bedroom ACs very noisy when they clicked on; the fact that the living area was not air-conditioned didn't seem to be a problem since the doors could be left open. The advantages of the Plaza over Buddy's was the ability to play tennis, the entire condo was air-conditioned, and larger, and there were 3 restaurants on site. The disadvantages of the Plaza over Buddy's was the distance you had to go to get from the Villas to the dive operation, restaurants, beach, etc. was great (with a person on crutches), the staff was not as competent (refrigerator was not working when we arrived, although replaced the same day; the microwave caught fire and was never address after 4 phone calls, sheets didn't fit the king-sized bed); furniture was very uncomfortable; outside furniture had only 2 chairs for a 2 BD condo; the lighting was horrible; had to go to bed if you wanted to read after dark; it was a long way from the dive operation to the beach when hauling gear for a beach dive (tanks were kept on the beach, but all other gear was at the dive operation). All in all, and given our preferences for diving, I'm sure we would select Buddy's the next time and see if we could arrange tennis access at the Sand Dollar or elsewhere. I see we received a comment form in the mail; will mail this back to you. If you have any specific questions, please let me know. Ann

The trip was awesome. Great diving. Great weather. We will be going back. Very nice people and the Plaza (Bonaire Plaza Resort ) was very nice too. Just too bad we had to come back home. Maybe some day I will start my own Dive Shop down there...... Thanks for everything, Have a Great Holiday Season........ Perry

I can sum our entire trip up in three short phrases..... Unbelievably wonderful!! Too Short!! and....How soon are we going back? Bonaire was phenomenal!! We fell in love with it instantly. Thanks so much for the Bonaire recommendation, you were absolutely right!! We stayed at Bel-mar and plan to stay there again as soon as we return. We won't even bother to look elsewhere. The girls in the dive shop and Toucan Diving were wonderful!! Everyone there is very friendly and the rooms, patio, pool, ambiance, and dock 20 feet from our patio all led to an unbelievable week! The setting was beautiful and with only 22 total rooms at Belmar it was very quiet. Belmar has a beautiful house reef that we dove several times. Two of which were night dives where we found two seahorses, the King Kong of all lobsters, and the most beautiful fish life around. We did have 1 tank boat dives with Toucan diving each morning. The staff there is unbeatable. We had great boat dives each time and ran into a pod of dolphins TWICE while going north to dive sites. They were two of the most breathtaking moments in my life. The diving was great and very different from site to site. We both had great dive experiences. The shore diving was great as well.....just not enough time in 1 week to see even 1/4 of everything. The island was very clean. I think Jeff and I were both shocked by that. We didn't see a speck of trash anywhere and everyone was very friendly, LOVE THE DONKEYS, and the iguanas were fun too.....However the Chibi Chibi birds (the little black birds with yellow bellies, not sure but I think they are chibi chibi birds) absoluetly captured my every moment on the patio, they were mesmirizing. We rented an underwater video camera from Toucan on our last diving day there and got some great footage from two dives, a run in with dolphins, lots of fish, squid, eels and crabs, a baby flamingo in our dunk tank, donkeys and much more of the island life. It was definitely worth the money for the day. I'm sorry to run on, but I just want to be thorough. We got our airline tickets in time and had no trouble with Air Jamaica. We found that suprising friendly, the food was quite good and the service was excellent. We met lots of great people there, including a couple from England that we intend to dive with again sometime. And of those friends I passed along your name and the website information, hope you don't mind. We were impressed from start to finish....and we thank you Larry. IT was a trip we will never forget and will be taking again in the near>future. I will be calling you when we know when. Thanks again Buddy Dive is a class "A" operation. We filled out the survey at the resort prior to departure, and after a week had hardly any suggestions for possible improvement. Thanks again. I would travel to Bonaire again in a heartbeat, and would stay at Buddy Dive without giving it a second thought. The trip was far more affordable than I anticipated. Reasonably priced restaurants for dinner with great food. A $ 99 deal to upgrade unlimited "air" to unlimited "Nitrox" 32% and 36% always available, made it possible to safely do 4 - 5 dives daily. The diving in Bonaire is very good, I can't compare it with the North Wall of Grand Cayman, or, Bloody Bay wall - but - those sites are not available but once a day (if you stay on Brac, you only get 1 day on Bloody Bay wall during a trip!) Any dive on Bonaire beats any 2nd, or 3rd dive of the day (usually a patch reef) in the Caymans hands down. The freedom of driving around and picking your dive sites was priceless. The donkey's and goats running around provided additional free entertainment. Another thing great about Bonaire. Safety. I didn't think twice about visiting remote beaches, walking anywhere in town at any time of day. People are good there - no begging, no robbery, no physical threat of any kind - ever!!!!! Can't think of any vacation spot domestic or foreign where I felt secure like Bonaire. In Cozumel, we couldn't go to town without hassling with the cab drivers and seeing security walking around with machine guns. In Cayman East, the Cayman Dive Lodge didn't have locks on the doors of the rooms, and sure enough, the night before we left, two couples were robbed in their rooms in one night! Finally, your assistance in changing our schedule, at the last minute, in our time of need speaks volumes for your operation as well as Buddy Dive. I am sure I will book future trips with you. Thanks again.... Rick Filsinger

This is a note to let you know we had a great time on Bonaire. The Divi Flamingo was a really nice place to stay. Even though our plane was late arriving, they had a bus waiting for us and they even kept the kitchen open so we could get something to eat and drink. The dive shop operation is one of the best run I've seen and Serge (the manager) went out of his way to accommodate us. As you remember this trip was based around our handicap divers. Who were very impressed with the service and accommodations. The staff, as a whole, were friendly and very helpful, and the place was fresh and clean. The rooms were all big and roomy with full kitchens; except the handicap accessible rooms, they were just big and roomy. Couldn't have picked a better place. Rooms with a view, breakfast and dinner over the water and diving was excellent! Everyone left very happy and tired, but not wanting to leave. I appreciate the way you put the package of twelve together for us and for the lack of problems we faced because of it. I feel you covered all the bases very well. We will definitely contact you for our next big trip (and will even be making a return to Bonaire). Again, Thanks and Bon Bini... Steve Phillips

I will just tell you a little about the trip this time versus the trip to Bonaire year before last. Buddy Dive is wonderful and the food has improved 100% I mean they had really good food. I could have eaten every meal there and never gotten a bad meal. The staff from the people who cleaned up after us to management could not have been nicer. The dive masters were great and made you feel like they had known us for years. I was heart broken about the devestation at slagbai from the storm, but it did not dampen my love of Bonaire. My schedule while there went like this: Up at 5:00 am to run. I would run through town in the dark until the sun came up. I never had one problem with any one fishermen and dogs sleeply greeted me, people going to work early would honk and wave. I would head back to the resort for a wonderful breakfast outside watching the ocean and a manta ray that showed up every morning about 7:30 or 8:00 am. Then a dive, hike, kayak or what ever and so it went I have not one bad comment. I cut this short ha ha, because it looks like I am running out of room. Thanks for every thing, Sydne Hampton

Just got back today. What a great dive vacation you arranged for Carolyn and me in Bonaire. Plaza Resort was outstanding. Toucan Diving operation was great. I thought I couldn't dive because of my ear problem, but after the check out dive at 18th palm on the beach, I said $%#@ and dove every day as my ear improved with each dive. What can I say? Diving was awesome. Best visibility my wife and I've experienced...150 ft plus. What fish life and coral reef! Irene da Cunda from the photo shop filmed two days of diving for only 45 American dollars and made us a beautiful video for us to take home. Richard's was outstanding...ate there 3 nights. Judith gave Carolyn and me a terrific massage. Met lots of great fellow divers and made new friends. We'd definitely do a repeat trip to this property. Kenji

I did mean to get back with you after my wife and I made our September trip to Bonaire, but time does fly. I thank you very much for the travel trips you gave me beforehand. They came in handy. We had a great stay at Buddy Beach and great diving. Everyone at the resort was very helpful, especially Murphyn and Alex, who are great characters. We did get delayed on our return because of Hurricane Floyd, but who can complain about the accommodations. We definitely want to return next year. So many dive sites, so little time!! I do have a question I would like to run by you. Can you handle the next trip directly with us, including the flights to and from Greensboro, NC? We booked this trip with you through our local travel agency, with whom we have dealt for a number of years. They handled the flight reservations with Delta and ALM directly. Trying to reschedule the return flights due to the hurricane delay was less than satisfactory with me as I was able to deal with ALM directly on Bonaire much better and I ended up wasting money on fruitless phone calls to my travel agent. So, if you at WorldDive can handle the whole package directly, I may wish to go that route for the future. Please advise at your convenience. Thanks again for great service. Bill Johnston Kernersville, NC

Yes, we had a wonderful time, as we always do at Buddy's. The first thing that struck me when we got there was how they really make an effort to continue to improve everything. It's obvious money is being poured back into the resort as it never looked better! The truck worked out so well and our rooms were cleaned and fresh sheets every day. We had so much fun and can't wait to go back in 2003. The one thing that really bummed me out was the damage that Lenny did on the coral from about 30 ft. to the shore. Of course, ALM didn't get our stuff to Bonaire until late in the evening of the 1st. It was sort of a hassle having to go through Curacao, but at least all the flights left on time and we got home safely. They may be dysfunctional but at least it's a safe airline. Next time, we will make sure we book EARLY so we don't have to deal with Curacao. Other than that, we're back to normal in the cold, grey north. We have the realtors coming over today to meet with us on selling the house. As soon as that's done, we will move back to Connecticut. Lots of stuff to do in the next few months. Thanks again for everything. You're the best! I promise to keep in touch once things slow down here. Ciao, ciao, ciao! Gail

We all loved Bel Mar Resort in Bonaire! The reef outside Bel Mar was nice during the day, but wonderful at night. Everyone at Toucan went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed our diving. We saw five small Reef Shark while we were there at Repel. Very unusual for Bonaire I understand. Some of the more shallow reef was damaged by Lenny, the deeper was beautiful as always. The north side of Klien was hit and no diving is going on at this time. I could go on and on... We had a great vacation! All of our travel and accomodation arrangements were uneventful, which is amazing since we were on United! We'll be in touch. Jim and Carla Coats

We had a great time despite the fact that AA over booked our flight out of SFO to Miami and didn t forward our luggage. We got into Bonaire with only our regulators and toiletries. The Plaza staff was great and provided us with BC s, wetsuits, etc at no-charge and we offered to pay the one day rental charge and they wouldn t take our money. The hotel concierge went beyond the call of duty and got on the task of getting through his contacts with ALM and had the bags picked up at the airport the next day as soon as the next flight from Miami arrived the following day and brought them into our room as quickly as humanly possible. Annabelle gave us a big hug when she saw us again and offered Alice some of her clothes to help us get by until they arrived&what a sweetie. The dive boats were in great shape as always and we liked having Jerrad (our Dive Master) all week as he was always smiling and was a pleasure to dive with. We dived with another couple and the five of us swam right up to a giant turtle sleeping on the reef at aprox. 20 meters down. The five of us agreed that his size was approximately 1.5 meters wide not including his head or flippers. Jerrad dives these waters every day and had never come across a sleeping giant turtle nor had see this big guy before&a great treat. The Plaza was beautiful and clean as always and we had a wonderful time. TC was our daily bartender and told us of the best restaurant in Bonaire and made the reservations for us the day before on her off day just to make sure we got in. Alice is sending thank you notes to both TC and Annabelle for their thoughtfulness. You just can t put a price on this kind of thoughtfulness from a great staff of hard working people. We found the reef cam at Small Wall and were surprised to find Cellular One now in operation on the island. Maybe someday we ll have a chance to dive with you. Bill

Our trip to Bonaire at Buddy dive was the best trip we have ever had and we have been diving everywhere. Thank you so Much! We are ready to book for next year for a 3 bedroom condo at buddy dive. Could you give us a price for 2 weeks and possibly 3 weeks. Thank you, the VanSteenkiste family

Great trip! All went well. The flights going were on time, and we didn't have any problems getting the ALM tickets reissued in Miami. Buddy dive had a Bonaire Tours van at the airport to meet us. Accommodations, meals, the van, and the dive shop services at Buddy Dive were all excellent, and the entire stay was extremely enjoyable. Absolutely no complaints--everyone was very helpful, accommodating, and pleasant. Making the return confirmation with ALM was a pain, since we had to go to the airport to accomplish it. Also, as anticipated the ALM flight from Curacao to Maimi was delayed several times. ALM did provide a snack and drink at the Curacao airport while we waited, and the plane finally departed at 1:00 PM. All bags arrived in good condition, and the AA checkin in Miami went smoothly. Clearly scheduling the six-hour layover in Miami was a good decision, since we were able to avoid resheduling the Miami-to-SFO flight. Ultimately, the AA SFO flight delayed an additional 45 minutes due to bad weather at SFO, so we didn't arrive home until about 1:30AM this morning, a little tired but in great spirits. Again it was a wonderful trip, and the diving was incredible! Thanks again for you assistance in helping us to pull this thing off. We certainly appreciated the special effort you made to ensure everything went so smoothly. Russ

Totally different!!  Compared to Cozumel.  Lots of soft coral, larger schools of fish.  Strong fish nursery.  We had a great time.  Buddy Dive is a good value for the dollar.  The plaza resort is pretty nice.  What is the cost of that resort for a week??  Just curious.  Lynn won $1,500.00 on one poker hand at their casino!  Pretty cool.  A highlight of the trip for me was a shore dive off of Bachelor beach.  I saw the largest drum, and peacock flounder I have ever seen. Gorgeous!  Several pederson shrimp and a huge school of blue tangs feeding by some elkhorn coral, and a sharp tailed eel. The whole dive was iced with a swim with a hawksbill that had no fear of us at all. We swam with her side by side without stressing her out but  as close as three feet for about 8 minutes. A great moment in the sea.  Great meals at Green Parrot, Mona Lisa, & Blue Moon. I have one question. What eats spiny lobsters?? I found a very large carcass. Kevin Schlegel

We were very happy with the Bonaire arrangements made by Larry.  The resort was well managed.  The dive operators were friendly and helpful.  The boat dives were a lot of fun.  We definitely plan to revisit Buddy Dive at some point in the future. Dave Lieberman

I can't believe I haven't done this before this, but I want to thank you for your efforts, and especially for your patience with our group trip last February! We had a wonderful time on Bonaire, and everyone at Buddy Dive Resort were wonderful! We got first class treatment, and really enjoyed our trip! My husband, who isn't even a diver, enjoyed it, and was talking about going back before we even left! I want to apologize, again, for some members of the trip group and how they treated you. I know from Shelia and Rick Wagner that you are a professional and take pride in your work, so doing your best comes natural. And this especially showed when you were able to change our trip arrangements from Honduras to Bonaire without breaking your stride. We really appreciated your insights about Buddy Dive Resort, too! Just for your information, the other part of the trip group did go to Honduras, and had a good trip. Again, thank you! Keep up the good work, and maybe we can arrange that future return trip to Bonaire through you! Thanks! Janet Boley

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Julie, Good morning, I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you what a wonder time we had on our vacation to Cayman Brac. First I would like to thank you for the wonderful job of booking the trip for us you are to be commended. We encountered no problems what so ever during the entire trip, every thing was just great from the food to the diving (Elizabeth was so amazed at the critters down there) along with the resort accommodations no complaints what so ever. I would and will highly recommend you and your agency to anyone with out hesitation. Just to let you know I will be using you to book future trips we are thinking perhaps Cozumel, or back to the Bac there is still a lot of diving to be done there this was my second trip to the Brac and I’m still amazed at the diving. Please keep me in mind regarding any special dive packages that might come along regarding the above stated location or perhaps other great diving locations. Thank you so much again for making our vacation such a wonderful and rewarding experience for Elizabeth and myself. Sincerely, Al Tate / Iceland

My husband and I went to Little Cayman Beach Resort in January and it was amazing--hands down the best vacation we've ever had. Everything, including food, room, resort, diving and of course, the island itself, exceeded our expectations. Even the weather was ideal. Just wanted to say thank you so much for putting this incredible trip together the last minute. Please keep me updated on all the Caribbean "deals" this summer, we'd like to escape to some incredible place again. Sincerely,   Salvija Hofheimer

I just wanted to thank you for your recommendation for our accommodations in Grand Cayman.  The Christopher Columbus was a wonderful place to stay.  We were in #9, and the owners had done a beautiful job refurnishing it after Hurricane Ivan.  Snorkeling off the beach and at Cemetery Reef was great! The Villa was 4 star, the new pool beautiful and one of the nicest beaches I have seen. Thanks again for your help.   Marsha

We had a FABULOUS time in Cayman Brac!! I was very impressed with the dive operations and would highly recommend them to anyone. The facilities were nice and the food was wonderful. All in all, one of the best vacations I've ever had. I'll contact you when we're ready to take another trip. Susan

"As always, love Grand Cayman, Victoria House and Fisheye. Fisheye was wonderful working with us to schedule dives given family (kids) and weather conditions. Sabah was excellent to work with in booking and scheduling our trip. She was wonderful in helping my sister and I coordinate our trip across the country. Loved working with her." Jeanne

Just thought you'd like to hear that Nathan's and my trip to Cayman Brac was great. Flights and connections worked, no problems. American even managed to get our bags through Dallas without losing any. (I've had problems with them in DFW in the past) Divi Tiara was fine...not fancy, but Brac is a small island and I wasn't expecting some fancy-schmancy resort. Their dive operation is very well run, boats go out on time, run to a wide variety of different sites through the week. Brac is quiet (we expected that) and there aren't many other restaurants, but we managed to hit several of them...Captain's Table is the nicest, but also pricey. Aunt Sha's is good for local food and within a reasonable bike ride of the Divi, as is Captain's Table. We rented a car one day and ended up driving back to the north side of the island to L'Esperanza for dinner that evening. Had to eat pizza from Domino's one night (that's the penalty for travelling with a 12-year old...they HAVE to have pizza at least once a week!). All-in-all, a great trip...thanks for your help...we'll keep World Dive in mind the next time we're headed down into the Caribbean... Alan Ritter

I wish to express my enthusiasm with Caribbean Adventures of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I had no intentions of making a trip to Grand Cayman this Summer, but after receiving your newsletter and Summer Price Special I decided to enquire about a trip.From the very first telephone conversation with Margo, I was not only pleased but excited! Her excitement and professionalism are an excellent and rare combination. I found her to be knowledgeable and very east to work with. After several conversations, the arrangements were finalized. I was very happy except for the fact that a flight from Buffalo to New York involved a small plane. This was a significant problem for two out of the three divers in our party. I made Margo aware of the situation but believed it to be a 'done deal'. I was absolutely ecstatic five and a half weeks later to receive a telephone call from margo stating that she was still working with the airline on this problem. A change fee might be required but there was the possibility of a solution. A week later, following several more conversations with the airline, Margo called with different flight arrangements involving a large airplane and NO CHANGE FEE! I was very impressed and satisfied. I wish all my travel arrangements for dive trips were taken this seriously and followed up on with this type of dilegence. I formally recognize Margo's efforts on my behalf and she will certainly direct my travel choices in the future because this has been such an easy and pleasant experience! Her work ethic is yet another example of the excellent service I have come to expect from Fisheye over the last several years. Sincerely Moe Mullen

Just wanted to thank you again for arranging our incredible trip to Grand Cayman. All 4 of us had a spectacular time! The weather was perfect, the accomodations fantastic and of course the diving fabulous. You were certainly right about the Anchorage! Thanks for switching our rooms. It was just PERFECT!! I really appreciate your help----You are the BEST. I am passing your name & e-mail address onto some friends who want to go to Grand Cayman in November. Also, how are we doing on info. and prices for Christmas? THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANKYOU!!! Moe Mullen

Awesome...we had a very good time. Thank you for all your help. The people at Georgetown Villas could not have been nicer. We are already thinking about when we want to go again next year. We would certainly stay there again. I am just curious if you represent any of the other MANY developments along the beach. The car was great, we had a lot of fun in our little open air Suzuki, we drove around a lot. Definitely the best way to go. Anyway, I have a weeks worth of work on my desk, thats the price for going away and swimming with the stingrays! Thanks again, Bruce, Jan and Andy Love

Thanks for all your assistance with our travel plans. Our trip to Grand Cayman was absolutely perfect. We had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful surroundings and fabulous activities. Of course, we snorkled nearly every day and took a boat trip to stringray city and the reefs. Jack also chartered a fishing boat. Troy and Jen caught two barracudas! We rented a car and explored the island...Pedro's castle was especially interesting. From there we went to Rum Point, which was the only site we were alittle disappointed in (very crowded and touristy). Horsebackriding on the beach, trips into Georgetown, and relaxing poolside rounded out the week. We were very pleased with Georgetown Villas. The accomodations were perfect, the staff was exceptionally helpful, and the condo was immaculate. We had an excellent dinner at Casanova's in Georgetown and overall were very satisfied with the food and service wherever we dined. Unfortunately, our trip home was alittle frustrating. Our bags were held in Grand Cayman because of a weight issue and we didn't find out till we arrived in Charlotte and were waiting for our luggage to go through customs. One of our group, Jen, was flying out the next morning for Japan and had packed her bag to take with her. Additionally, our flight out of GC was delayed so we missed our connecting flight out of Charlotte. We were booked on the next flight at 10:20 p.m. which was also delayed until 11 p.m. Two of our bags were forwarded by the next day, but the last two took five days to reach us and for Jen's bag to catch up to her in Japan. It was definitely good to see them! Overall, the vacation was awesome. Thanks again, Sabah, for all your help and I'll be in touch when we begin planning our next trip! Sincerely, Dawn (McCall)

Well we certainly had a great time, but then you knew we would. While Little Cayman may be first island we've visited that we could NEVER afford to live on, it is certainly a great place to visit. The diving was stunning and Harold & Vinnie at Paradise Divers are great. Thanks to the tropical wave that stomped us on Sataurday, we had a few days of winter like rough seas, reduced visibility and strong currents and it was still even better than Bonaire. Our villa was wonderful (we weren't in the one that had a collapsed cieling from a leaking water pipe) and the only thing between our villa's porch and the ocean were Sea Grape trees with hammocks. I'll let you know when I post images from this trip. In the mean time, I've included a video frame grab of one of two octopus we saw on my last day of diving that were out for a stroll during the day. Dave Beebe http://home.tampabay.rr.com/b2gallery

Everything was excellent.  Island Pine was a nice place, especially as it was next to the Royal Palms beach bar.  Used Frank's Water Sports for snorkeling and had the best time with Captain John John.  I would recommend him to anyone needing a boat captain near shore or offshore. Thanx for you help in setting this up. Tom Robinson

Rachel and I are now back from Grand Cayman. We had a wonderful time and I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the arrangements you made for us. Everything worked perfectly! The accommodation and the dive operations were excellent. Rachel passed her Advanced Open Water (I was very, very impressed with DiveTech and would highly recommend them.)and I had a great time! So thanks for everything. I will certainly recommend Caribbean Adventures/World Dive Adventures to my friends and colleagues. Julian

COZUMEL

The trip was great!!! Everyone liked Brisas and we are going to go again next year, if not earlier. The rooms were clean and kept clean and the hotel food was some of the best we had. The people as always were friendly and helpful and it went off without a hitch. Great diving and of course Dive Paradise did their usual great job. We went to Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Tulum was great but I was disappointed in Playa, we like Cozumel much better. Found a great Italian plce in town, Amber, run by a Sicilian who has been on the isalnd for fourteen years. You might like it next time down. Only problem we had was the condo reps who try to get you to visit La Ceiba etc. They look and act like govt tourism folks and then drop the brick on you with ther "deals." We learned that once someone starts drawing on a map - run!! You did a great job and hope to use you again. Dr. Troglen

In November, I took my third trip through your firm in the last three years. This year was Honduras, the first two were Belize and Cozumel. I just wanted to let your know the service and follow up from Larry Friedman has been excellent. I plan to be doing a diving trip annualy and will continue to use your company because of the great job he has done. (I do not blame him for bad weather.) I am in service oriented industry and know that peolpe are quick to complain. I just wanted to pass on some good thoughts. Scott Fitzpatrick

CURACAO

The trip to Curacao was EXCELLENT!!!!!! Sunset Waters is a terrific place... very easy and relaxing. The people who work there - at every level - are terrific, which really adds to the whole experience. Food was above average and we ate too much of it. Our room was huge with a large bathroom and seemed to either be quite new or very recently renovated. The grounds of the resort are very nicely landscaped and the beach is clean and attractive. It's not a posh, ritzy place, but it's got just the right ambience... for us, anyway. From check-in to check-out, they know how to do things right. Laura and I were sad to leave. The diving was better than I had expected. The reefs at the dive sites we visited were lush and very healthy, dense with various kinds of corals and loads of fish. That northwestern end of Curacao is different from the southwestern end... the water's clearer, the reefs seem to have more fish and the corals are growing on top of each other. Five seahorses on our last dive! Sunset Divers took great care of us. The first two days there were 17 divers on the boat ("Day Dreamer") but it's a big, comfortable boat that is optimized for diving, and never felt crowded. Mike, Kevin, Carlos, Lynn and Kurt are all efficient, safety-conscious, very enthusiastic about diving and fun to spend time with. The house reef at Sunset Waters is a super shore dive. We'll definitely return to Sunset Waters... hopefully all four of us, for a week next time, and SOON!! Thanks for all your help making this trip happen! Best regards, Deborah & Laura Campbell

Boy what a switch it was flying into 41 degree weather in Detroit after enjoying 88-90 every day! The weather was perfect and we have nothing but good things to say about Sunset Waters Beach Resort and Sunset Divers. SW is a larger resort operated as a small one... excellent personal attention, beautiful grounds, easy diving, great food and drinks!! We were impressed with the friendliness of the dive and resort staff and didn't have one complaint on service. We definitely recommend them and think many others should also visit during the "low" season as well. Jim Hunter (GM) surprised us when he personally greeted us from the van ride from the airport and told us he had upgraded us into the Jr. Suite. The room was awesome and had a balcony on main floor and a huge window to view the ocean from the bed upstairs! Our scuba experience was loaded with more eels than we have seen on our past six trips to other locations in the Caribbean - green morays, spotted, chain, sharp-tail and yellow. We saw Scorpionfish, Trunkfish and cute Ballonfish on every dive. The highlights were the Octopus on the night dive and the three Seahorses on our last dive day. The house reef was the best we have dove on and we managed to dive it 5 times after the two tank morning boat dives and even once at night. Mt. Christoffel was well worth the 7:30am hike before the sun was at its peak. The view of the island was incredible! We saw different birds and cool iguanas while there. The resort staff was very accommodating and even let us eat breakfast before they officially opened. Overall our trip to Curacao was a blast! Thanks to you and Digger for recommending such a nice, quiet, service oriented resort with great scuba diving and calm waters. Thanks, Traci & Dan Bash

We had a fabulous trip and were not ready to come home at all. The apartment was fantastic, really confortable. Arielle and David spent the week partying with Nolo's kids, who they have become quite close with. The diving was great, they've really expanded the choice of sites since last year. We did mushroom forest and Wata Mula, and were supposed to dive the Superior Producer wreck but it got cancelled because a cruise ship was there. Anyway, thanks a lot and happy new year! regards, Tammy

RE: Curacao Dive In, Sept 2 - 9, 2001 Judy and I both greatly enjoyed ourselves and had so much fun with you and Ray (and Mike and Diane). We definitely need to do this more often. I hope you and Ray managed to get through the hurricane last week with no damage. The Lions Dive Hotel is a very quaint Caribbean lodging with a pleasant twist. While many such resorts often have deficiencies in the upkeep of their rooms, The Lions Dive Hotel is kept in excellent repair with every appliance operating (AC, refrigerator, lamps, electrical outlets) and problem free plumbing. The rooms were kept clean and tidy by the staff, who were very friendly and eager to make our stay enjoyable. We would definitely stay there again. The "Ocean Encounters" dive operation was one of the finest it has ever been my pleasure to dive with. The staff are exceptional, and Hans and Sandy run a first class establishment. The boats were in excellent shape, although I would recommend some carpeting or matting on the decks to prevent slippage and would also suggest some deck-tread on the boarding ladders for the same reason. If I stayed anywhere else on the island, I would still dive with Hans and Sandy at "Ocean Encounters". The island of Curacao has a lot of history, only some of which we had time to explore. Next visit, and we have no doubt there will be another visit, we will do a little more island exploration. As a personal note, I would also like to say a special thanks to you and Hans for arranging the ride in the police helicopter. That was a piece of this vacation I will never forget. thanks you. Do you have an e-mail address for Hans and Sandy so that I can e-mail a personal thank you to Hans? Thanks for arranging this trip Sabah. Let's do it a gain soon. Bring Ray!! :-) Tim & Judy Kary

Well, we are back in the cold, snowy, miserable midwest. We actually got back a day later than planned - Indy had high winds on Monday night so our flight from Atlanta was cancelled. Delta did put us up in a Days Inn and gave us breakfast vouchers and we were able to fly out the next morning.. Other than that problem, the flights were good. We were very pleased with ALM, and as you had indicated, they even had good food! We were pleasantly surprised to find someone waiting for us at the airport in Curacao - the driver was very informative (as much as we could understand) about the island, sights, etc on the way to the hotel. It was after dark when we checked in and found the "ocean view" from the room was mostly the view of a restaurant, parking lot and construction, with a very small spot of ocean from a corner of the balcony. The next day we went down to see if there was a mistake and they moved us to a room with a great ocean view. (They did say that a room was considered ocean view if you could see the ocean at all). This room overlooked the pool, bar area, beach, ocean and had a perfect view of the sunset! I don't know if you are aware of it, but they are in the process of converting the hotel to a Radisson, so there was some construction going on, but they left a letter of explanation/apology in the room along with a sampler of three small bottles of Curacao . The beach and grounds were very nice. We had windy weather with scattered clouds the entire time but that kept you from getting too hot on the beach. Temps were in the mid 80's, water temp was 82 and the only rain we had was a 2 minute shower during dinner one evening, and then about an hour of rain as we were waiting for the transportation back to the airport on Monday. The dive operation was great! I'll let Perry tell you more, but he dove every day. He hooked up with a gal from California on the first day and they were dive buddies for the week. She was an experienced diver and doing a lot of underwater photgraphy. She and Perry got along very well - she kept telling me what a good diver he was. She was particularly grateful for his navigations skills - not one of her strong points. The divemasters were great - a lot of fun. They let me go out on the boat three days when it wasn't full. So that was a real treat for me - something I had never done. I got to see more of the island than I normally would have. We found 2 good places to eat within walking distance of the hotel. Right next door is the Seaside Cafe (basically a trailer with outdoor tables). Definitely nothing fancy but good seafood and very reasonable prices. About a 10 minurte walk away was the Fishermans Wharf - very nice with both indoor and outdoor seating. A fanicer place with entrees starting about $16 - excellent food and service! The hotel breakfast that was included in the package was also very good. Well, I know this is kind of long but I thought you might like some feedback that you could pass on to anyone else thinking about going there. We had a great time and the only bad part was having to come home to temps in the teens and 6 inches of snow yesterday. Thanks again for all of your help - if you come across any deals that include quiet beaches & good diving, let us know. The first few days down there it was very quiet with few people on the beach (my preference), but they were starting to get a lot busier about half way through the week. Deb & Perry

DOMINICA

We got back at 3am on Easter and had a blast in Dominica! We were completely amazed to arrive at the tiny Melville Hall airport and see exactly how lush the island was... we never saw so much green before. There were mountains everywhere and the tiny winding road made for quite the first experience. The trip to Castle Comfort was approximately 1.5 hrs and all I can say is WOW what a ride! The views were awesome and it felt like a roller coaster. I'd recommend Dramamine to those without an iron stomach! The rainforest was huge and the waterfalls were amazing. One the first day, we hiked to the 300' tall Middleham Falls and crossed many streams along the path. The trees were huge and we were completely surrounded by green! We brought our masks and snorkels and got to see 100's of funny freshwater gobies hopping around as we swam in the cool water. After swimming in it for an hour, we walked to Stinking Hole and it ended up being exactly what it said... just a small smelly hole (sulphur and bats). Ha! We dove 16 dives over the next 5 days and loved all of them, especially out near Scott's Head close to the Atlantic side. The diving at this end was much prettier and had a lot of corals and orange colors to see. All of the boat rides were about 20-30 minutes away from the dock. The highlights of what we saw were: a Seahorse, 4 Octopus, hundreds of cute Balloonfish (most we have ever seen on a trip), Flying Gurnards, Eels and a large Sea Turtle on the last dive of the trip. We also saw 12+ dolphins from the boat on the last ride back... the captain slowed down and they jumped up around the bow of the boat. That same day we were able to relax in a natural "hot tub" in the Soufriere village. They had an area of the ocean blocked with a bunch of stones to trap most of the water in, and sulphur gas bubbled out from the sand. The closer you sat to the shore, the hotter the water was. It was similar to the dive at Champaign! After our last dive, we ate lunch at the resort and then went to Titou Gorge. This was one of the neatest things we have ever done... we couldn't stop laughing the whole time we were there. You have to jump into the cold water and swim through the very narrow lava-formed gorge to reach the waterfall. The current was really strong near it and we had fun trying to swim up to it! Hang on to your shorts (we say this from experience -ha ha-)!! The locals told us that 60% of their power comes from the freshwater lake above the falls and that during the rainy season, you can't even attempt to go in the gorge. We only wish we had had more time in Dominica - I guess we will have to head back there in the near future so we can hike to Boiling Lake and swim in more of the beautiful waterfalls. It was a fantastic trip and we loved the scuba diving, hiking and all of the nice people who worked at Castle Comfort and Dive Dominica! Thanks for setting up such a fun trip - the crazy all day flight there and back was well worth it!! Be sure to watch Pirates of the Caribbean II when it comes out - they just built a bridge way up in the mountains and are filming it this week! The divemasters pointed it out each time we went by it on the boat. Thanks again!!! Traci & Dan Bash Ohio

Our group to Dominica had a wonderful time last week. Dominica is beautiful, the diving is superb, the Fort Young Hotel is great, the food is wonderful, the people are friendly and there was simply not one problem experienced in the group all week! A major plus is the eco-tours that we experienced with great guides and very comfortable transportation. All in all, I am very excited about this as a new destination for us not only in diving but also in the eco-tours areas. Dominica may be harder to market than the better known destinations but I feel that it has tremendous possibilities.

Good trip and all went well. Dominica is the most beautiful island I have ever visited, Very mountainous, and REALLY beautiful scenery and flora. Castle comfort is on the edge of town, not very exotic surroundings, but it is very pleasant and convenient in so far as diving. The staff there are superb. in fact everywhere on the island people are friendly and helpful. The food at Castle Comfort is on the edge of acceptable. The rum punch is delicious. Derek , the proprietor, runs a first class operation. If only the food were better. Diving is really good. Clear water, smooth seas, sites close to base, very attentive and agreeable dive masters, good boats- not overly crowded, lots of exotic stuff to see on every dive. Peter

We had a wonderful time. The first night in PR wasn't great. You didn't set it up but did suggest that Comfort was good and close to the airport. It's not really too close, it's in the range of $15 one way for taxi. There are closer ones but they're all probably more $. Guess it's something to check if we go back the same way. Castle Comfort and the people there are terrific. Good food. This was a better place to sleep than Evergreen which was bigger room but no ceiling fan. Their food was good too. Diving was good. We saw 2 sea horses, 2 frog fish, bat fish, flying gernards, electric rays, a spotted king snake eel. The coral was very colorful, crinoids, bristle worms. The dive staff does great a terrific job. We were the only divers on our night dive. When the big group came, there was a separate boat for the divers not in the big group. The vis was only 35-45' most of the time and I guess that's unusual because everything I'd read said that it was great. It did rain quite a lot so maybe the run off was the cause? The above ground tours were terrific too. We met and used an independent tour guide who was exceptional.. Castle Comfort had a tour agency that they use to book hikes, etc. with and their prices for groups (usually 4 or more) was reasonable but if there were only 2 people, the price for 4 still applied which made it too expensive. Any the independent we used is Mervin also known as Ninja Man. His email address is singingninja@hotmail.com if you want to check him out. It was just Bill and me so all we learned could have been because we got individualized attention but he point out all the fruits, nuts, other plants. Told us about Dominica's history and current culture, made it very interesting. I'd never seen a cashew growing or a cocoa fruit. So if you can't tell, we were very pleased. Only disappoint is that many of my pictures, just got them back last night, did not turn out. I chopped off people's heads...think the camera needs adjusting? Fortunately some are terrific and we got a couple of wonderful shots from a couple we dove with there. Talk with you later, Margie

The trip was excellent, rare combination of good diving and amazing hiking, though Iâm bound to say that the hiking is better. Coral reefs are beautiful, and underwater landscapes are diverse and very impressive, no questions about that, but the marine life is represented mostly by small stuff, no big games, rare 3-5 pounds jacks and occasional barracudas and turtles. Kindergarten, though really colorful. (Sorry, but I am spearfishman with long history, so maybe Iâm just spoiled with what Iâve seen already). Hiking is beyond imagination. I donât want to repeat tour books ö I just confirm that all you can read about Dominicaâs nature is not neither commercial nor exaggeration. It is true and definitely worth to see. Another additional advantage ö you will watch it practically alone, the island is not overcrowded with tourists at all. On the trail to Boiling Lake my wife and me were alone all the way. We spent 2 hours bathing in hot sulphor pools and did not bother to wet our bathing suits. Some practical advises for those who follow: 1. Do not be afraid to do hiking on your own, especially if 5 and 50 bucks make a difference to you. Trails are clearly marked, local buses are cheap and reliable. God created the world without explanation, so you do not need a guide and all his talking. The man who checks the ticket at the trailâs head will give you all the information. Enjoy the nature. 2. All the hiking tours, except Boiling Lake, can be done in half a day, after diving. Boiling Lake is a must, believe me, but it requires the whole day and it should be the last day of your trip (if only you are not profy) ö you will not be able to walk next day, only fly. 3. I can recommend three tours in this sequence: i) Soufriere and Sulphur Springs (do not stop at lower public pool, go uphill and find your own). ii) Middleham waterfall (trail starting from Laudat). iii) Boiling Lake and Valley of Desolation (some say the volcano is a gate to the hell, Iâm not sure - looks more like paradise). 4. I found local beer (Kubuli) worth to pay it very close attention. 5. As for diving ö try to make the dive operator to bring you to the Atlantic side. There is a pinnacle, 1-2 miles south of Scotâs Head (the most south point of the island), which my instinct tells me may be interesting in sense of big game. Larry, thank you very much again. For you personal information ö Dominica is very generous with visas, no visa needed from Russians and from huge list of other countries. This might be an important consideration when you deal with people like me. If anybody is interested in more details, Iâm very available Mikhail V. Kisin Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2350

Just wanted to drop a line and let you know the trip was a huge success! Thanks for everything! We loved everything! The diving was pristine. The reefs were very healthy and busting with life. The only sad note was that the islanders have overfished some of the larger species like the groupers and angelfish and so there's a notable absence of large fish and an insanely high proportion of those creatures that are normally preyed on by the larger fish. Our divemaster Reggie was great. He has a terrific eye and was able to spot alot of cool stuff like a seahorse and a frogfish. The corals were healthy (not alot of gorgonians) and the sponges were enormous. Large populations of schooling fish in aggregates. Enormously huge feather duster worms, crinoids and sea anemones. Eels everywhere! Squid and octupus too! At night right in front of the resort, 2 of our divers saw schools of flying guanards, bat fish, turtles. To not see anything here, you would have to have your eyes closed! We also saw several sperm whales on the whale watch. The hotel staff was polite and friendly. The food was terrific. The dinner menu changed every night and was interesting, expertly prepared and presented. The only difficulty we had was cashing traveler's checks and bills over $10. We may wish to advise traveler's to bring low demonination cash and/or make sure they make time to get to a bank. Also, the hotel staff kept trying to charge us for items that were included - but in all cases these misunderstandings were easily and quickly corrected. We signed up for 2 more land tours because there was so many interesting things to do. The hotel's land guide, Jonathan was very knowledge, friendly and accomodating. Even when he picked us up at the airport he would stop and get out and bring back coffee beans, grapefruit, bay leaf, cinnamon, etc. He knew almost all of the names of the plants and flowers. The tours levels of difficulty may need revising for the average tourist however. The Freshwater Lake, Trafalgar falls, Hot Springs tour was wonderful but taxing. It was rated a "easy tour". It was an hour and a half walk up steep hills to get to the lake and a 30 minute climb over huge sharp boulders to get to the Trafalgar Falls. I'm happy to say the majority of us divers made it to these remote sites but we're totally spent. I come back a much "fitter" person! What an incredibly beautiful island and people! The airport hotel was very convenient - but of course was noisy because of takeoffs and landings. It was old - but clean. The only other difficulty we had was checking bags to depart Dominica. Going there was no problem but leaving they pulled a fast one and insisted only a total of 70 pounds was allowed for checkin (Real difficult to do with dive gear, u/w cameras, lights etc. much less an accumulation of souveniers.)and so had to lug on 2 carryons. Other non-diver travelers experienced this too but the airline changed this rule as traveler's were walking on the tarmac to the plane and allowed them to throw one of their carryons in cargo. Oh well, it worked out but wasn't sure what the rules are if we should go back. This trip was a #10! (both underwater and on land!) Two thumbs up! Teresa Sorensen

Dominica July 2002 by SuzieQ Trip report for Dominica and the Castle Comfort We just returned from Dominica after a week of diving and hiking. It was a great trip. We stayed at the Castle Comfort and used Dive Dominica. For our hiking tours, we used the hotel's tour operator (Khatts, I think). We left Oklahoma City en-route to Dominica and had to overnight at the San Juan airport (yikes!!). When we arrived at the Dominica airport, a driver (Martin) was waiting for us. The drive to the Castle Comfort was about 1 1/2 hours. I had heard that the taxi rides in Dominica could be "life changing" but I found that to be untrue. We did 10 boat dives, 2 night dives, and 4 shore dives. The coral is spectacular! There were so many blues, purples, yellows, oranges, reds, and greens. The fish life was great, however there was an absence of the big stuff. We saw a lot of sea horses, octopi, many varieties of eels, scorpionfish, flying gurnards, dolphins, ect...The shore diving proved to be well worth our time. While the coral was not as beautiful or abundant, the fish and critters liked to hand out there. The night dives were great as well. About the Castle Comfort, it was a nice place to stay. Dive Dominica is right there with a safe place to store our gear. There was a lot of shade and a comfortable hammock to read books in. The air conditioning was so-so. It could have been better. The food was all homemade from fresh ingredients using all local foods; it was very good. We did the whale watch, but since it is July, there were no whales to be found. We saw dolphins on the whale watch, but we also saw them going to a dive site. The hiking was fantastic! We did the Boiling Lake tour, which is VERY cool and VERY strenuous. I would recommend HIKING shoes in lieu of Teva sandals or tennis shoes. You will tromp through a lot of mud. If you are up to an all day hike and are in good physical shape, I would recommend this challenging hike. It is 13 miles round trip andI can say that it was the hardest 13 miles I have ever done. We also did the Emerald Pool and Trafalgar Falls. This is a half day tour but is a lot of fun. Martin (who was our driver from the airport) was our guide for all of our hiking. He is a very nice guy with lots of knowledge about Dominica. With everything said and done, I can honestly say that Dominica is "paradise found"!.

Here's the Rohde's opinion of Dominica! Trip dates May 29-June 5, 1999 Hotel: Anchorage Dive Operation: Dive Dominica We really liked the food: lamb, goat, all kinds of fish and shell fish, chicken, beef and tons of fresh local veggies and fruits.  We ate all but two meals there and didn't get bored with the choices.  Also, one of us is a vegetarian and the the cooks were very accommodating.  It helped that it was off season and we practically had the whole place to ourselves.  One night there was a barbeque with free rum punch and the yummiest buffet.  My favorite dessert was the lemon merange pie (I think I ate a whole one during the week!) The pool was clean and on the ocean, no beach, sailing, windsurfing etc. Ate lunch at the Forest Bistro, an organic restaurant above Souferie, so beautiful and quaint.  The owner built the outdoor restaurant himself, above his house, and his wife cooks the food he grows and the fish he catches.  The view of the bay through the mountains was gorgeous. The boat was broken, so they chartered a nice dive boat from next door. Only we five divers and two or three others per day. Divemasters: Cornelius Morris and Micheal were friendly, knowledgeable and fun.  Corny took us to a local bar for Quiz Night (we didn't win but came close) and was our guide to the Boiling Lake.  He is a body builder and aerobics instructor too, so our hike was aerobic, we made the round trip in five hours instead of six to eight.  A record, we decided! Rental Equipment: Regulators need work.  Nothing failed, but it's old stuff.  BC's were okay.  Corny and Micheal loaded, unloaded and cleaned and stored the gear daily.  We were pampered.  Air Fills, Site selection, Saftety and Dive Briefing were fine. We had the dive sites to ourselves. Dive Sites: Most dives were out to Scott's Head.  One dive had very heavy drift, the rest had little or no current.  Visibility was reduced by plankton bloom, and lots of little jellies were around, stings were like mosquito bites without the welts.  The sponges and corals were very colorful and healthy; the small stuff abundant: sea horses, nudibranchs, tons of bristle worms, coral shrimp, arrow crabs and small schooling fish, several scorpion fish.  One barracuda all week, one huge turtle, no queen angels, a few french and grey, no large fish really.  No green morays but billions of spotted eels and golden eels of all sizes and a couple of sea snakes.  Most dives were sixty feet or less.  The water temp was perfect and Champagne really does have bubbles and hot water vents blasting from holes.  It will burn your hand at 45 feet! Shore diving at night was really awesome.  The first night there were a half dozen scorpion fish resting on the sandy bottom near the hotel. Hermit crabs, free swimming eels, tons of sea urchins, star fish, squid, octopus and found holes spouting very hot water from volcanic action. Saw several rays too and huge stone crabs as well as all sizes spiny lobster. Corny even persuaded my non-diving daughter to do a resort course and now she's hooked and will get certified.  He took her on six dives and she feels like a pro.   We all are ready to go back. In the afternoons we hiked to several gorgeous waterfalls and swam in the pools.  My sons said these sites were the most beautiful they'd ever seen.  The Valley of Desolation and Boiling Lake are really worth seening, but only for the fit.  The guide books are not exagerrating when they say "strenuous."  We all are into fitness and work out at least one hour a day, and we all were exhausted after the trip.  Even Corny got a sub for his aerobic's class that evening! The drive through the rain forests to the hotel was beautiful. Definitely get a driver as the roads are narrow and the hairpin turns and head-on meetings had our hearts in our mouths, just like a 70 minute roller coaster ride.  The weather was great, only rained on our last day. But we got the reward of a double rainbow.  The only complaint any of us had was the tendency of some of the locals in Roseau to "beg, " and not to take no for an answer when they'd offer to "guide us" somewhere.  But we never felt in danger and nothing was stolen.  Dominca  will be enjoyed by those divers who don't mind trading fancy amenities for a fabulous natural paradise and want to experience beauty above water and below it. The Rohde's

You are just a little bit ahead of me ö I was going to write to you, but had to push around some other stuff, - usual thing after vacation. The trip was excellent, rare combination of good diving and amazing hiking, though Iâm bound to say that the hiking is better. Coral reefs are beautiful, and underwater landscapes are diverse and very impressive, no questions about that, but the marine life is represented mostly by small stuff, no big games, rare 3-5 pounds jacks and occasional barracudas and turtles. Kindergarten, though really colorful. (Sorry, but I am spearfishman with long history, so maybe Iâm just spoiled with what Iâve seen already). Hiking is beyond imagination. I donât want to repeat tour books ö I just confirm that all you can read about Dominicaâs nature is not neither commercial nor exaggeration. It is true and definitely worth to see. Another additional advantage ö you will watch it practically alone, the island is not overcrowded with tourists at all. On the trail to Boiling Lake my wife and me were alone all the way. We spent 2 hours bathing in hot sulphor pools and did not bother to wet our bathing suits. Some practical advises for those who follow: 1. Do not be afraid to do hiking on your own, especially if 5 and 50 bucks make a difference to you. Trails are clearly marked, local buses are cheap and reliable. God created the world without explanation, so you do not need a guide and all his talking. The man who checks the ticket at the trailâs head will give you all the information. Enjoy the nature. 2. All the hiking tours, except Boiling Lake, can be done in half a day, after diving. Boiling Lake is a must, believe me, but it requires the whole day and it should be the last day of your trip (if only you are not profy) ö you will not be able to walk next day, only fly. 3. I can recommend three tours in this sequence: i) Soufriere and Sulphur Springs (do not stop at lower public pool, go uphill and find your own). ii) Middleham waterfall (trail starting from Laudat). iii) Boiling Lake and Valley of Desolation (some say the volcano is a gate to the hell, Iâm not sure - looks more like paradise). 4. I found local beer (Kubuli) worth to pay it very close attention. 5. As for diving ö try to make the dive operator to bring you to the Atlantic side. There is a pinnacle, 1-2 miles south of Scotâs Head (the most south point of the island), which my instinct tells me may be interesting in sense of big game. Larry, thank you very much again. For you personal information ö Dominica is very generous with visas, no visa needed from Russians and from huge list of other countries. This might be an important consideration when you deal with people like me. If anybody is interested in more details, Iâm very available Mikhail V. Kisin

FIJI

Well we are home now from a fantastic vacation! Everything went off without a hitch. Every plane was on time, all the hotels were expecting us, even the airport transfers were waiting for us, which, as you know, is a small miracle! We can not tell you how happy we are with you and World Dive Adventures. I must have given your name and email address out to 10 people. Most of your recommendations were perfect. The Garden Island Resort was beautiful and the food was fantastic. We should have taken the meal plan because it was the best place in town to eat. Unfortunately, we were not too happy with AquaTrek. The diving was good but the whole operation from the equipment, to the organization, to the dive masters we felt was poor. I really can't understand how they won all of the awards that they did. Maybe Larry just spoiled us with Bonaire and Cozumel! Tonga was wonderful. I highly recommend a visit if you have never been. The visibility was 80'+ every day, much better than Fiji. We dove with Beluga Diving and they have a great operation. There was so much to see I don't know where to begin. There are multiple underwater caves, some full of reef sharks. The hard coral is good even after they took a direct hit from a huge hurricane last year. The little town of Neafiu was fun with lots of bars and restaurants. They also have migrating humpback whales that they let us swim with. I was within 6' of a 40 ton mother and her newborn calf. What an experience!!! We would have to give the whole trip an overall A! How was your trip? Was it business or pleasure? We were not even close to meeting you in LA. International check in is a mess these days with all of there fancy xray machines. We would have loved to see you. If you could give me your mailing address I would like to send you something. Also , if I could get your supervisor's email, I would like to let him know how happy we are with you and World Dive! Thanks again for everything! Clark and Bonnie.

KIDS SEA CAMP

Thank you so much for organizing and overseeing such a wonderful week at Sea Camp 2002! That was a great re-cap of the week and I enjoyed reading it as it took me back to the week as if I were there again. (OOOH to be back there again!) I agree that the events and schedule went of without a hitch, but that the relationships built in that one week were awesome!!! Absolutely amazing that everyone got along so well. On a personal note: I can think of two words that describe you: Professional and Personable...both of which I know helped to make the week a great success. We are checking our schedules and if everything goes well we will be back next year. Thanks for the e-mail list, and we look forward to getting the pictures and t-shirts. Let's keep in touch. Remember, Yo and I promised to come down there and let you show us around :). Until Then Take Care, Robin

WOW!!!! What a great recap of our week in Curacao!!! You did a great job putting this whole trip together!!! We've traveled to many places, definitely not around the world, but my boys tell EVERYONE, Curacao was by far the BEST VACATION and KIDS CAMP they have ever been to!!! You, Randee and Ray made our vacation much more fun and exciting!! We thank you for that!!! The boys always ask about your kids and say they wished we lived closer to you guys! I do too!!! We would have so much fun hanging out!! We will be in Curacao 2003!!! Yoburstein

PALAU

Just wanted to let you know what a wonderful trip we had to Yap and Palau .. Our first stop was Yap ,we stayed at pathways hotel. The hotel was very nice and everybody that works there went out of there way to make sure we were happy and taken care of. The diving in Yap was great . The first dive everyday was manta ray channel ,we saw huge rays every morning . We all agreed this met one of our lifetime diving goals .(we are still looking for a whale shark) The dive staff at yap divers were very proffesional and also made the diving a lot of fun. Our next stop was Palau we stayed a Carolines resort . I can not say enough about the charm and view of this place . If you go to Palau it is the only place to stay. The diving in Palau is second to none,large palegics everywhere sharks on every dive. We also went diving at pelilou island which was probably the best overall dive I have ever done. The land tour is also a must . Tangi the tour guide does a great job . he probably enjoys his job more than anybody I have ever met. I would reccomend this trip to anyone I can not wait to go back. It is well worth the long plane ride . Thank you for all the work that you and Tanya did for us I know my friends and I can be a pain with changes and all .As always world dive adventures did a great job and I look forward to working with you in the future. take Care Geoff Comstock Dallas TX

PUERTO ADVENTURAS

We had a super time in Mexico. The hotel was very nice and the staff was really friendly. The Puerto Aventuras area itself is a bit artificial -- the whole town is basically a gated community -- but it was perfect for us this time. The hassle quotient was really low and the convenience factor very high. Karen and Mike (dive shop owners) were really terrific. They took excellent care of us and run a really nice operation. Their dive masters are all very experienced and professional. Safety was always paramount, as well as their clients' enjoyment. The diving itself was okay, given the fact that Jeff and I are totally spoiled. The dive sites themselves are very pretty as well as pretty easy. There is not a lot of current or surge and visibility seemed pretty good consistently. We saw some turtles, a ray, a nurse shark, several good size morays, etc. The high point for us was when we spotted a 4 inch long yellow seahorse -- it was a thrill! I honestly can't say enough good things about the dive operator though. Everyone on staff was very helpful, the boat captains and crew took good care of us too. Swire

SABA

The Gate House reopens under new ownership Saba's 'boutique-hotel' was closed for the 2000 season due to a family health concern but has just been bought. The new owners of the Gate House are Michel and Lillian Jobs who sold their Boston-based wine store to make the Caribbean their new home. Originally from France, the Jobs bring a hotel background and French flair with promises to expand not only the wine list, but also the room capacity while the artwork and ambiance Jim and Manuella created remain. AND, they will also have a villa on the property to accommodate 6-10 persons at a great price. Not just a new place to stay on Saba....but a new approach to experiencing Saba. Ecolodge Rendez-vous is scheduled to open in February 2002. Located on the Crispeen Trail and not accessible by road, you can be one with nature--not camping! but an environmentally correct hotel complete with a restaurant. This nature lodge is the family project of environmentalist, marine park designer Tom van t'hof and artist Heleen Cornet. Heleen's is Saba's most prolific artist and Tom van t'Hof is synonymous with marine park design. Tom has designed parks in the Caribbean from Saba to Bonaire and Curacao and is now busy with projects in Mozambique and Indonesia. On a health kick or need inspiration to get on one? Diving and hiking are great forms of exercise and mind expansion but now Saba offers more. Charlotte, known to Sea Saba clients as the Queen of Pain for her therapeutic deep muscle massage practices (and they work!) will be back on Saba for a limited time only---October through Christmas. But not to worry, the Saba Day Spa is open in Windwardside. Make an appointment with Sally Lynn for a day of relaxation and beautifying or a quick manicure, pedicure, facial or assortment of massages---for men and ladies! Learn to self-heal the source of your tension with Suzanne--yoga classes on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Want a workout but don't want to tackle the hills of Saba? Flex Fitness now offers tourists a great rate of only $5/day or $20/week. You may be surprised that this small island has a facility with Universal equipment, a Smith machine, plenty of free weights and cardio workouts. Talk to Tricia at the Brigadoon or commit to a workout by pre-booking with Sea Saba! All restaurants offer vegetarian menus, talk to us at Sea Saba for recommendations or to make a reservation. Saba restaurants just keep getting better. Our new clients remark on the good value and great variety of restaurants Saba offers. Our return clients are pleased to return to their 'old haunts' but with even more menu choices. You don't have to be on a diet to enjoy healthy food! Ginger/Mango marinated tofu or baked aubergine--Caroline of Tropics Cafe serves Asian and Mediterranean-style fabulous vegetarian specials in addition to her nightly menu. YIIK has a new chef just for lunch specials from Surinamese stewed chicken to Indonesian spiced egg dishes, and of course, those famous burgers. Brigadoon now offers Saturday night sushi--doesn't get any fresher than from the Saba Banks. Thursday night is Prime Rib queen and king size, cooked to perfection---reservations by 10 a.m., please. Mango Royale at Queen's Gardens Resort welcomes their new chef, Martin Lauren. Most recently from the French side of St. Martin but trained in Guadaloupe, Martin Lauren specializes in Creole and Caribbean dishes. On a budget? Theme nights make dining out on Saba very affordable...here are a few examples--ALL AT ONLY $10-$12 Mexican Mondays @ The Brigadoon West Indian Authentic Barbeque @ Swinging Doors (Tuesdays and Fridays) Indonesian Night @ YIIK on Wednesdays Spit-Roasted Chicken @ Scout's Place (Tuesdays and Fridays) British-Style Fish Fry like it used to be @ Tropics (Fridays, of course!) German Night @ Scout's Place on Thursdays As always, Sea Saba's office will help you with dinner reservations or transport. Need more reasons to come to Saba? $49/week (net) unlimited nitrox usage.......

"Juliana's & Sea Saba Everyone on the island of Saba was incredibly friendly. We were especially impressed by the knowledgeable dive staff at Sea Saba. Cissy, Paul and Steve were great dive masters and made everyone on the boat feel comfortable about the advanced diving conditions. We heard nothing but positive comments from the rest of the divers on the boat. Juliana and Franklin (at the hotel) made you feel like you were staying in their own home! We would not hesitate to go back! Thanks Vicki Leonard and Kevin Mudd"

Saba was absolutely fabulous, wonderful, awesome, and every other adjective that one can imagine. On a scale of 1 - 10 it was an 11! We all four just fell in love with it. No poverty, no crime. No locks on the doors. Everything was safe. The people were wonderful. The food was awesome. Every night they had a "special" at a different eating establishment. Monday night was Mexican night at Brigadoon, Tuesday night was B-B-Q at Swinging Door, one night was pizza night at Y2K, etc. The hiking, scenery, wildlife, vegetation were all outstanding. So far, this is the best island we have visited. The diving was mostly deep (which we knew) and a couple of days we had current. We did manage to see everything and more that we had planned on. From snails to sea horses to sharks and lots of turtles both on the surface and below! We did a night dive on Friday, the13th (full moon) so the current was a little wild on that one. The dive crew, and Matt in particular, were very good and took a lot of time with us. The boats were not overcrowded and individual attention was afforded to everyone. I hope this answers all your questions (and more) and apologize for not responding sooner, but as you can relate things are always hectic after returning from vacation. On another note, I would also like to add that I have never received such service as you have provided me not only prior, but during and after the sale. I really appreciate all your help and support and look forward to booking our next vacation. Janet Zolman

STATIA

Old Gin House/Golden Rock Divers We just returned from our week on Statia.  We had a great time.  All of our flights worked well.  It is much nicer flying through Charlotte instead of Miami.  The hotel was great.  We had nice rooms and all of the systems worked.  Wonderful to have hot water, AC, and all of the amenities.  The food at the hotel was very good and we ate there several nights.  There were also some other good restaurants on the island which we enjoyed.  A little variety is nice.  Diving was good Caribbean diving and we saw something neat on every dive.  No heart stopping dives, but good solid dives every time.  Lisa and Mike, the dive guides, worked very hard to help us find the good stuff on every dive.  We've been diving for several years, but only get to dive one week a year so we really are sort of novice divers.  The diving profiles were conservative which is better for an older diver like me and I felt safe and well taken care of in the water.  Glenn and Michele run a first class operation at the dive center and hotel.  The rooms were clean and service was good.  Plus they are nice folks.  They always had time to chat and Glenn shared some of his underwater pictures which was fun for me as I try to take pictures too.  Even Duncan the dog was into customer relations.  We spent our last day hiking up to the Quill, the more intact volcano on the island, and exploring the town.  That was fun and the scenery is great. Thanks for suggesting this trip.  It was very good and I think you could recommend it to any of your clients.  Talk to you about next year nearer to our dive vacation. Jim, Karen and Emily Ralston

TURKS & CAICOS

The trip went well. Everything from the airline seats to accommodations and reservations. We had a wonderful time at the Sands--what a great facility. We were immensely pleased. The complex was the perfect size, not too big, not too small. The rooms were well appointed and comfortable and the staff bent over backwards to accommodate our requests. We had a suite with both bedrooms with King size beds so we could accommodate two couples and it worked like a charm. It was a short walk to the Salt mills "shopping center," where we wandered several times that week. Our only hope is that they put a grocery story within walking distance for those of us without transportation. However, we would highly recommend the Sands, and would definitely choose that location if we ever decide to return to Provo. Dive Provo was a great outfit to dive with. All the staff was friendly and knowledgeable and the boats were big and comfortable. All the locals kept apologizing for the weather, however, which was very out of the ordinary, I guess: extremely windy with chillier than normal ocean temps (75 degrees). All the dive masters were donning two wetsuits and still shivering! Because of the wind we had to haul out to French Cay each day, but that's apparently where the best diving is anyway! Wonderful corals, which reminded me of the Bahamas, which makes sense since they share the same archipelago (sp?). We didn't get to spend much time on the beach because of the cool wind, but the sand was the softest I've ever encountered. And it was a gorgeous white. Even all the shells were white, that cracked me up. We were disappointed in Hemingways for food quality/price, but loved the Sibonne Bay Bistro just a short stroll away. To be honest, we took a big grocery story run by taxi to the IGA then ate mostly in the condo and really enjoyed it. I promise to get my pics uploaded in a MUCH timelier fashion than our last trip! Expect them this weekend. Thanks again for everything, Linda

The trip was fabulous! What a gem Grand Turk is. I can't believe there isn't more development along that west coast. It looked like there may have been more hotels in other locations on the island that couldn't make it after 9/11? We loved the Osprey Beach Hotel--what a perfect location. We asked about snorkeling at the dive shop the first day--and walked up to the Pillary Fri. AM--did find a reef there, but that afternoon found the reef right outside our door was every bit as good although a little more of a swim (no big deal in a calm sea). They took good care of us on a dive on Sat. We were the only ones on the 9AM tank--Smitty (apparently willingly, but we gave him a good tip!) gave up his day off to take us. Then some locals joined us at 11:30. Nice to be able to have our top time back at our own room (with our own bathroom) and on the beach. We walked down to what we thought might be the old Arawat Inn on Sun AM and snorkeled there--but ran into some jelly fish we weren't sure about so abandoned that plan. We may not have had the right place--perhaps just an abandoned house (before the place where they are dredging for the cruise ship?) Anyway--went back and swam off our shore again--and loved it. The fish are great, even saw a small sea turtle. The beach was perfect for lying in the sun and reading. We enjoyed our breakfasts at the Courtyard Cafe and all dinners--at our place, and a couple of others just up the beach. Only challenge was the cow and rooster across the street that don't seem to sleep at night. But we found out if we left the air conditioner fan on at night, the sound downed out the barnyard chatter! Thanks for your help in making it a perfect little get away. I really appreciate your being able to change the reservations to accommodate our schedule. All went well. Peter is off to Salt Lake City for depositions this morning, and I am back to the world of reading papers for the course I teach as the washing machine sloshes away! Thanks again! Claire

I was just fixin' to write and let you know how our trip went. It was pretty awesome. The Sands is fabulous. Everything was all new and shiny. The room was beautiful, spacious and nicely decorated. The service was great. We did run into a little tiny problem when we tried to check in. They had the name as Karen James not Karen and James Ralston (ha ha, we laughed when we figured out what had happened). We rarely used the kitchen but appreciated the logic of a shuttle service to the supermarket. The resort also offered a shuttle that ran to the restaurants both in Grace Bay and Turtle Cove. These were for pay services but the rates were reasonable. The one restaurant that wasn't covered by this that we were told to check out, offered their own free shuttle to and from (Hole in the Wall, great place for island foods like jerk chicken). Hemingways (the restaurant at the Sands) was good although sometimes the service was a bit slow. We did not spend much time at the resort bu! t what we saw of it we liked very much. In fact, in the 12 or so years we have been diving the Caribbean, this was possibly the nicest resort we've ever stayed in. Dive Provo was also nice. The diving wasn't as great as we had hoped. The coral was a bit lacking, possibly due to storm damage or something. West Caicos was definitely our favorite place to dive despite the longer boat ride. Luckily, Dive Provo did their best to make that boat ride pleasant. Also, since we were getting back at 3 or 4 and missing lunch, they would pack heavier snacks on the days we had the longer boat trips (filled croissants). While we were there some weather blew up in terms of a cold front, it chopped up the water and made some sites inaccesible. Dive Provo did all they could to keep people in the water safely and enjoyably. The staff were knowledgible and friendly. In summary, I would highly recommend both the Sands and Dive Provo for anyone wishing to visit Provo. I couldn't really say much about the island itself as we really didn't see much but the diving. However, people on the dive boats with us who were only diving every other day said the sailing was great as was the fishing. Thanks, Emily

Our trip to Grand Turk was as usual, wonderful. Smitty and Cecil look great, and it was so good to see them both. The island got a lot of wind from Frances, but only lost a few roofs, then they got flooded by Jeanne. By the time we got there, everything was back to normal. The reefs made it through fine, only a few broken sponges and coral. I don't think most divers would even notice. Even the vis was good. It was very interesting though, the entire beach in front of the Osprey was taken away by Frances, they said it was down to rocks, then it was returned by Jeanne. The locals said it was very scary, but no loss of life or major damage. When the wind hit 60 miles an hour, the utilities shut all the power off so no one would get electrocuted. It was amazing to me, that in a place where EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING moves in slow motion, that things were as good as they were already. They even had the cable TV back up and running! We really enjoyed the Pillory Beach resort. Over the years I've always wanted to stay there, but it has usually been closed. We were the only guests there except for the cable repairmen from Provo. Hopefully they will get more bookings soon. The staff was excellent, they took very good care of us. The rooms have been completely refurbished with new tile floors and new bathrooms. Everything was so clean and bright. We ended up staying in one of the suites because they had a fridge and coffee maker, plus it was on the end of the building, and I liked all the windows. But we did look at the regular rooms too, and they would have been fine. If you, as an agency have any pull, I would let the new owners know, that they should add small dorm refrigerators and coffee machines to all the rooms, as it would be a big improvement at minimal cost. The restaurant is excellent, which is evidenced by all the local traffic for lunch and dinner. They only thing we didn't like about the Pillory, is that it is far from town, so one gets a little stir crazy for a change of restaurants and scenery. Finally on the last day, someone informed us they had brand new bikes, so that was great! We thought about getting a car or scooter, but we dove so much we never got around to it. The swimming pool isn't running, but we don't care about that. The beach out front is great for swimming. Over the 6 days we did 19 dives, the majority just with Smitty. We spent over 19 hours under water. He definitely lived up to his name "duke of diving", and his reputation as the man of maximum bottom time is true. It was great having him all to our selves because Chuck and I love very long dives. He was great about coming down to the hotel and getting us for diving-- it was just a hassle being stuck there for dinner every night. As far as the rest of island goes, things are changing. I couldn't believe all the building in just the last year. It was our first time in the new airport. We flew in a 20 seat prop jet, a far cry from the good old days, of small planes held together by duct tape. (And I'm not kidding!) I miss those days already! I have a bad feeling that if they are successful in getting the cruise ship dock built, it will turn into another Provo or Cozumel. The thought is a real bummer. :-( On a brighter note....they are doing a lot of work on the Salt Raker, newly decorated rooms, with the floors all redone, and lots of paint. They are in the process of removing all the screened-in porches in the "garden rooms" and making them bigger. The restaurant is still closed at this time. The Osprey is expanding to add more rooms across the street, so I guess they must be doing great too. I'm sorry though, I still think their rooms on the bottom level are like caves. I wouldn't ever want to stay there in case I got stuck in one of them. In fact, we talked to some women from California who had just arrived, and they had insisted on moving upstairs. They were even prepared to lose their money, they were so unhappy. The rooms upstairs are fine though, and the 4 on the end of the hotel (# 20-24 I think) are nice too. Well that's all I know for now. It was a pleasure booking our trip though you, thanks for the great service. Karen

Settling in to the Michigan cold already and I thought I would give you the load down on the trip. As I was going through my mail I see that you sent a survey sheet to me and I will fill it out and get it back to you. There will be some things that I won't know where to put them on the sheet so here is the scoop. Once we got on the island it was great. As I said once we got there, first we had a delay leaving Chicago of 45 minutes. Once in the air we had a medical emergency and had to land in Atlanta, that was an hour more. Then we were in Miami, which we missed your connection to Provo. American Airlines was able to schedule us on the next flight out at 4:00 but then the thunderstorms started. We didn't leave Miami until 7:30 which then we in Provo about 9-ish and no where else to go. Before we could leave the airport to find a place to stay we had to fill out a baggage's claim report- none of our dive gear made it to Provo with us. We were able to walk to a local motel- 4 American tourist walking the streets of Provo with carry-on luggage, what a sight it was. Before leaving Miami I called SkyKing and Sea Eye Diving and told them of the delay. We were able to get on the morning flight to Grand Turk but with no dive gear it wasn't looking good. Now on the island- Arawak Inn was very nice, too nice for divers. We had the resort/inn almost to ourselves, just 2 other couples there. You were right about the best beach on the island. The owner, Lee was great in help us with the luggage (which didn't arrive until Sunday afternoon) and taking us to town when we need to go. At night we would just give us the key to his van so we could go to dinner. We were all glad that we stayed there, in town you didn't have to much space for yourself to "get away" from people. An underline note that we picked up from Lee, we could tell that he wanted to sell the place. He did mention it but once he was done renovating it seemed that he just stop working on it. It was to bad about the restaurant- it would have been a perfect place for the week. Lee took us to the store early in the week so we had breakfast and some thing for lunch at the Arawak. The bar opened up on Thursday and was starting to get hopping by the time we left. The diving was "okay" for the week. The vis was down to less then 60 ft but we seen a lot. Coming from Michigan we are happy to have visibility better then 20ft. Smitty from Sea Eye Diving said the water was "cold," the temperature was 83* so I don't know what it should have been. We seen a lot of sea life on most of the dives, the coral was good at all sites. We seen turtles, dolphins on some of the dives and some mean current on one. It sounded like that we were there on a "bad" week compared to other times. Now the trip home. Everything was going great then Chicago was a problem again. They got fogged in on Saturday and backed everything- and everyone else up. That was enough to make us late getting home, we didn't get back in town until 11:30. This was only an hour later then schedule but it made the day longer then we wanted it to be. In all of this once we got on the island we had a great time- thanks again for getting it all set for us. I would go back again but later in the cold season- that would be winter for me. Hope to see you in Chicago until then hope all is well with you- take care. Ray Plath

If we could have ordered perfection, we couldn't have had it better. It was one of the best vacations Jojo or I had ever had. We wanted to thank you so much for making all the arrangements and suggestions. SeaEyeDiving and their dive masters were wonderful. Smitty, Mackie and Grumps were most of the guys we hung with, but Smitty was our dive master....we thought he was the best! All the guys were great! The diving was awesome...best wall diving I've done yet. Smitty took us to his own private site and for me it was the best dive. We did plenty of shore diving. We saw a green moray eel on our night dive that was about 6-7 inches wide, probably 5 ft or more in length...scary sucker. I had 6 ft. (apprx) nurse shark swim about 2 feet beneath me....We loved it all!!! The Arawak was absolutely perfect. It was remote and away from downtown (what there was of it anyways...). Lee, the owner was great, as well as the staff. We loved it there. The other 3-4 folks staying there (there was hardly anyone) were wonderful people...we all got to be pretty chummy. Provo was exactly what we needed after so much diving. We relaxed and chilled like real pros. We went diving for conch one day and the guys prepared us a conch salad with the animal we got. Had a great time at The Sands....again, it was a great choice. Hemingway's had the best food....we eat very well there. The beaches ARE probably the best in the world....they were breathtakingly beautiful. Suffice to say.....it was perfect and we are sending many thank you(s) your way as well as plenty of referrals. I will be calling you soon to schedule my next trip...probably Tahiti or Cozumel. Best, Annie

Where do I begin ??? I guess the appropriate beginning would be ........ THANK YOU ...... THANK YOU ....... THANK YOU !!! The trip was absolutely wonderful .......... The condo at The Sands was fabulous (we had Unit 3210 close to pool / Hemingway's) and the people were very, very friendly and helpful. The grounds are absolutely beautiful; the tiki huts on the white sand beach overlooking the turquoise blue water were very nice; the unit itself was very comfortable - 4 sets of sliding glass doors out to the wrap-around deck !! We took advantage of the bicycles (into Ports 'O Call) and the Hobie cats - great fun. We took an afternoon / sunset sailboat cruise - went to the Iguana Sanctuary and snorkeling at Little Water Cay (I think that was the name of it), then the sunset ...... met lots of people - many from the Midwest ..... and enjoyed lots of rum punch, too !! We also walked down to Coral Gardens and snorkeled their protected reef - very pretty - saw an eel, a turtle, and beautiful angelfish, triggerfish, parrotfish, and many others. We ate at some wonderful restaurants - Hemingway's was the best food and the best price; Bay Bistro; Smokey's on the Beach; the Tiki Hut; Cuba Bella; and our "last supper" at Magnolia's which was pretty pricey, but a wonderful view, very nice service, and great food !! Dive Provo was outstanding - can't say enough good about them - so very friendly, took care of our dive gear wonderfully ........ ask them about The Pink Ladies !! On our very first dive, the 5 of us were getting geared up when Chris said "Oh, my God, it's the Pink Ladies!" We have pink masks, pink snorkels, pink/black diveskins, pink fins (some of us), pink on our BCs, pink tank bangers ......... we didn't even know that we all had pink/black dive gear !!! So, when we went to dinner, we would see someone we dove with or some of the dive crew, and they would all wave and say "Hi" to the Pink Ladies. We thought it was interesting that out of 6 divemasters, 5 were women - and out of 16 divers, about 12 were women !! Frank did a video on the 2nd day and it was the best - shark, two eels (one came right up to the camera and opened its mouth wide), beautiful fish, and of course a shot of the Pink Ladies. Our day trip to Grand Turk was ....... Well, we all felt it was a "been there, done that" kind of day !! Glad that we experienced it, though. Instead of leaving at the scheduled time of 10:45 AM, the plane didn't leave until 11:30, so our trip was shortened already by nearly an hour. The tour was interesting - went north to the lighthouse, then all the way south to the Arawak Inn. The T&C Museum was very informative and educational and lunch at Turks Head Inn was fabulous. However, I thought there would be shopping along Queen Street, but not much there ....... Our tour guide (Kathy of Jack & Kathy Taxis) was scheduled to pick us up at the Water's Edge at 4:30, so I ran down to Sea Eye Diving at 4:15 to tell the guys "Hi" from you, but it was closed !!! Where do you stay when you go to Grand Turk ... the Osprey Hotel ?? Pix ........... (I have 150 digital and 54 on disposable cameras - will get those developed today) So, I will be recommending The Sands and Dive Provo to anyone and everyone that I talk to ........ already have people that are going to check it out !!! Thanks again ....... All 6 of us had a great time (course, we also enabled each other to buy jewelry, too) and everyone got along just wonderfully !! They all kept complimenting me on the wonderful resort, diving, etc. - so thank you again !! Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation

We for sure will keep you in mind, Larry, because while we normally arrange things on our own, you were a very easy person to deal with and especially good at answering our questions and we certainly seemed to have a lot. I really appreciated your telling us to book our own plane fares to Provo because your price was higher than we could get on our own. Honesty is a rare attribute but very much appreciated. After you told us that I trusted without hesitation every other bit of advice you gave us and none of it was bogus. I'm glad you share others insights with future guests because I think getting a realistic picture of what to expect means you'll have a much better vacation. Weather, of course, is totally unpredictable. Forgot to tell you that because we missed the day of diving and didn't seem to be able to make up the 2 dives we got a trip to Gibbs Cay which was a lot of fun. The sting rays are fun to pet and the island has a lot of sea glass on it and there is a wonderful osprey nest that you can walk pretty close to. Mackie cooked us lunch which was very good. I got a good lesson about the biting capacity of a cowfish. My finger looked very appetizing to it and I now have a very large gouge which will probably take a while to heal. The moral of course is don't poke your fingers at fish which are used to being fed. And, I'm not even blonde!! Hope to talk to you soon. Liz

We had a good trip. The first day was warm & calm, but then a front came thru and we missed a day of diving since it was too rough. Cooled down too. Finally warmed up on the last couple of days. But you can't control the weather. Arawak Inn was a great facility and the food was very good. We ate there most of the time since it also was the most reasonable. We walked to town a couple of times. The dive master on our boat was good-he was very slow in the water which is our style of diving. They gave us the snorkel trip to Gibbs Cay to offset the lost day of diving, since we didn't want three dives a day since it was so cool. Diving was so-so the first couple of days since they kept close.due to the weather, but the last three days were great since they could go farther. Saw five dolphins on one day. So I would go there again. Jane

The trip was great. I thought that the Turks Head Inn was charming, and the people there were very friendly. The diving was great, and the guys with Sea Eye were very helpful. We turned in our afternoon dive, and paid a little extra for a night dive which was well worth it. I would definitely go back again. We met a neat couple from Michigan that we talked about going diving with. They want to go to Dominica, so I will send them your web site to check it out. Thanks again for all of your help. Karen Fedder

Pass me a huge piece of humble pie.........Dive Provo were brilliant - I've now learnt to trust people I know and have worked with rather than believing every comment on the web-boards. I'm sorry for doubting you...please please please accept my apologies. The accommodation was lovely - just perfect. We had a suite overlooking the beach of Grace Bay - it was extremely comfortable and squeaky clean. The maid service was great - she even washed the dishes in the kitchenette. The resort was great - a lovely lush pool and lovely gardens. The resort restaurant 'Hemmingway's' was very good and they will reserve a table under the stars on the boardwalk to the beach - and less than a 25min walk down the beach in either directions were lots of other places to choose from. I would highly recommend the Bay Bistro at the Sibonne Hotel (right next door) their food was outstanding and not too expensive (in relation to T&C prices). We did 9 dives with Dive Provo - we added a night dive on. Excellent dive crew - mostly British (so we felt at home!) They collected us and our gear on the first day and we never saw our gear again until it was time to leave! Now I have to admit to being a little apprehensive about this but it was wonderful. They geared up for us for both dives...it was sooo difficult to resist the urge to change tanks myself. And at the end of the dives they washed the gear and stored it for the next dive. We were always put on the end of the bench - closest to the water! The dive boats were clean, safe and fun to be on. Hot showers on all but the the last dive boat. Drinks and nibbles were provided, camera table and tanks on all boats. There were very few photographers on board so we usually had the tanks and tables to ourselves! We didn't dive with the leader so I can't comment on their led dives - and I was very surprised to see that Gavin and I were the only people who dived without the leader. Dive times were limited to 45/50mins - no big deal when you're diving with my air sucking husband! :-) Dive sites visited - Day 1 - Northwest Point & Grace Bay - lovely sites!! Night Dive - Grace Bay I think I saw a Lemon Shark! Day 2 - Pine Cay - lovely sites!! Day 3 - West Caicos - amazing sites sharks, eagle rays, turtles....what more could you want on Christmas Day!! Day 4 - Grace Bay - more shark and a very up close and personal turtle experience and JoJo!!! Vis ~50-75ft A perfect honeymoon!! thanks sooooooo much..... J.

We had a wonderful time. Grand Turk, although very sleepy, is a wonderful place to dive. The walls are magnificent and the marine life abundant. We swam with 5 dolphins on one dive, saw one small (6 ft) manta ray, and lots of turtles. Sea Eye Diving is a great operation, very professional. We did our diving with Smitty, and he really knows the area well. The bioluminescence on the night dives was phenomenal. With all the lights off, it felt like we were swimming through a galaxy. the only drawback is that the island has a high bug factor. Lots of mosquitos, no-see-ums, and cockroaches. It could be that they had just had 10 days of rain that contributed to this, but it was slightly annoying. Turks Head Hotel was very nice. We were in room #3, which was just renovated and was in great shape. The balcony was great for hanging out our wetsuits every night, but it would have been nice to have a view of the ocean. We met some people that had us up to their place at the Island House for a barbecue. If we go back, we would probably stay there for the superior view and the kitchen. However, we have no complaints about the Turks Head. There staff was very friendly and everything was fine. All in all, a great trip. It is quite depressing to be back at work, but I'm probably going to start planning my next trip (Thailand?) soon. Thank you for all your help setting this up. Your welcome about ferrying the tickets to Connie. My pleasure. Happy Diving, Jarod

What a great trip! Everybody had a great time on Grand Turk. I just got back to work today. I had a 1.5 hour commute to work! Anyway, I was really impressed with everything. You were absolutely right about the Sea Eye Diving staff, they are incredibly accommodating and very friendly. The staff set up our tanks, brought our snorkel gear to the boat, hung our wetsuits out to dry and rinsed our gear at the end and had it all dried and ready to pack. We did most of our dives with Cecil. He was 'spectacular' if I can use the word he used to describe all the reefs. Talking about the reefs... the coral is in excellent condition. We did not see a lot of big stuff, but saw plenty of turtles, octopus, flying gurnards.... the list goes on. The Sea Eye Diving staff really made a great impression on me, when the group decided to do a late afternoon pier dive, followed by a night dive, with pizza, beer and bonfire on the beach... they organized it all! the pizzas were delivered, the cooler filled with ice and drinks, all our gear with two tanks each was brought to the pier. They gave us a ride there and a ride back and we even had some of them join us on the dive. Amazing service. The Gibbs Caye trip was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it to everyone traveling to the island. It was the perfect end to our trip even though the occasional downpour came down on the Friday. The Turks Head Inn was just as good. The rooms were very nice, the air conditioning welcomed and the food was excellent. The only complaints were; the high cost of food on the island in general and the initial difficulty we had in getting water to drink. The divers did not want to buy individual bottles of water for dinner but rather wanted a pitcher of water for the whole table. This request was often frowned upon. Anyway I have to get back to the piles of paperwork left for me on my desk. Thanks for help organizing the best group trip I have ever had! I'll keep in touch. Genevieve

We loved Grand Turk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Turks Head inn was wonderful. The diving was great and so was Sea Eye Diving. The only problem we had was with American Airlines and our luggage was lost for a couple of days but, we dove anyway. So, next time you get a good deal on Grand Turk let us know. We would go back in a second. Do you know anything about Island house there? Also we would like to go to Bonaire next trip maybe in the winter time. Thanks again and let us know when you get special packages. Our schedules are somewhat flexible all the time. Jennifer

Grand Turk was great. I dove with Karen and Tony, who I guess you also set up to go. really nice folks. Mackey and Smitty took good care of me! It was the best reef/wall diving I've done. I feel certain I'll go back someday. The only thing that would prevent me form going back soon is that there are so many other places to explore before I settle on a list of favorites! I didn't read as many books as I anticipated, but only because I was also adopted by a group from Colorado and Nebraska! Oh well, worse things can happen. And Jenny was a sweetheart. I went to Turks head the first night, and you are right, it's great. But then I ended up at the Salt Raker the rest of the time. Everyone was terrific. Thanks again and I will definitely keep you in mind for my next trip. If you have any ideas let me know! There are 3 of us. Thanks again and keep in touch! Liz

Raeann said you called, I just wanted to say thanks for all the work you did for us while we were stranded in Miami.  We all appreciated it very much.  Turk was pretty cool everybody had a great time after it was all said and done.  We really only lost 2 dives so it really wasnt a big deal.  Please tell Mark thanks as well, he really went above and beyond the call of duty, just as you did. Thanks again, talk to ya soon.

SOCORRO ISLANDS

The SOLMAR V just completed the first cruise of the 2002 "Socorro Season" and, as always, the guests were greeted frequently by the Giant Mantas which call these islands home.. From October thru May, the SOLMAR V cruises the Revillagigedos Islands (Ray-vee-ah-hee-HAY-dose) approximately 250 miles from Cabo San Lucas. The largest island in the group of four is called "Socorro". Since this is much easier to pronounce than Revillagigedos, divers usually refer to the entire area as the "Socorro Islands". We are frequently asked "what should I do" when these 20 foot Giant Mantas appear right in front of you! How do you approach them, and should you swim directly at them in order to get pictures? How do the mantas feel about their involvement with divers? Good questions, all. And most experienced manta divers will be happy to argue some of the finer points! In general, your behavior as a diver depends a lot on what the manta is doing. It is, after all, always the mantas' choice when and how any interaction will take place. Here are the most common scenarios: A. A SWIM-BY: A single manta (or 2-3) will pass overhead, or swim by very close. If they are overhead, there's a good chance you can approach them, since they seem to like the feel of air bubbles on their bellies! From the side, and particularly from the rear, however, it's just not productive to swim real fast directly AT the mantas. You never win the race, and the mantas just speed up, or change direction. Swimming parallel to the manta and gradually moving closer is a far better tact for getting close to the mantas on a swim-by. You'll know you're doing it right when the mantas don't even bother to change direction! B. CLEANING: Certain dive sites at Socorro have regular cleaning stations, and the mantas visit these frequently. These are the absolute best places to interact with mantas. Unique to Socorro, the mantas have come to view the divers as much bigger versions of the cleaner fish, and do not modify their behavior at all! They "hover" there, being cleaned, and are easy to approach, photograph, and observe. The cleaning stations are probably the most popular dives we do in Socorro because of the number and size of the mantas, and we do them frequently so everyone gets their share of manta interaction. C. TOUCHING: The mantas do seem to enjoy gentle scratching on their undersides. It's best to follow the advice of our well trained crew for how/when to touch the mantas. The dive staff know many of the mantas by name and by popular location. The markings on the mantas bellies form individual patterns which are easily recognized. D. THE MANTAS: The giant mantas do exhibit a fair amount of curiosity regarding divers at both the cleaning stations AND in open water encounters. About the only thing the mantas don't like is divers lunging toward them or making quick movements close to them. So remember, even though your heart might be pounding, slow, careful movement around the mantas is always rewarded by long, graceful encounters enjoyed by both divers AND mantas. The ultimate form of patience is to be confident enough at the cleaning station to simply remain there when the mantas depart. The mantas will come and go at the station, and most divers have a tendency to swim after them, but years of experience have taught us to simply stay at the cleaning station! The same mantas will return, or different ones. But we also think it's a pretty tough challenge NOT to swim after them. So come on out to Socorro this season, and we'll be happy to lead you to the mantas. As to the patience, it's up to you!

Main Menu