Resort Courses in GC
Oct 16th, 2001, 05:30 AM
#2
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While doing my research for a friend who did the resort course I found 2 types of resort course, for 2 types of people. <BR>We used Bob Soto's just because they where the oldest on the island. It was cheaper then the bigger outfits but if you care about a luxurious boat then you may want to try Red Sail Sports out of the Hyatt. But they are much more expensive. I dont think the actual instruction could be any different. <BR> <BR>We snorkeled with Bob Soto's and thought they where so great and knowledgable. The boat was not the big new catamaran's but I dont really need that. Plus then you are on a boat with alot more people so the instruction is divided between many more people. <BR> <BR>So if you dont mind spending more money, want a nicer boat go with Red Sail. If you are trying to be thrify, dont mind the boat (it isnt a wreck just not a yacht)I can suggest Bob Soto's. <BR> <BR>In my experience, our friend did the resort scuba course and my other friend and I did a 3 stop snorkel trip. I loved the snorkel trip because we saw so many really cool things and it was from 9-1:00. We had a great afternoon and still had the rest of the day to enjoy on the beach. Our friend who did the resort scuba trip spent the day learning to scuba and then went out on the boat to dive and didnt get back until 5:00. She didnt see nearly as many things as we did snorkeling, so I would take that into consideration. Another option might be to get certified before your trip. <BR>I just now she was disappointed when we told her about our trip. We saw so many fish, an eel, a nurse shark, and stingray's. We went from the coral gardens, to the barrier reef, to Sting Ray city which is a must. <BR> <BR>Either way I would recommend doing a snorkel trip as well as the resort course so you dont miss out. Its only $30 and worth spending a 1/2 day doing. <BR> <BR>If you have any more questions e-mail me without the xx's <BR> <BR>JK <BR> <BR>
Oct 16th, 2001, 10:12 AM
#4
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I was going to suggest buying your own snorkel gear and driving around the island to snorkel. There are a few books out there about diving in Cayman and they list all of the great sites to do it. <BR>I just think you get more from snorkeling unless your an experienced diver. <BR>You may try scuba and love it and decide to get certified once you get home. So in that respect it might be good. Just make time for both. <BR>I dated an instructor and even with him teaching me I never felt safe breathing into a tube but I loved snorkeling. I was too chicken to try again and after all the things we got to see snorkeling I think that is enough for me right now. <BR>You will have a great time. The snorkel trips only run on I thik Tues, Fri and Sun. so you might want to call ahead they have an 800 number on their web site. <BR> <BR>If you have any other questions about the island please ask. Its a great place you will love it
Oct 17th, 2001, 10:55 AM
#6
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Paul, GC is a really great island. We snorkeled there (unfortunately, my then-boyfriend, now husband, had an accident on our first day there and split his leg open and couldn't go in the water....I digress) and it was fabulous (except that leg splitting thing..). That being said, since then, we have gotten certified for diving and absolutely love it - we're going to go back to GC to dive because the diving is supposed to be FABULOUS. Let me give you some advice that an experienced diver gave me - if you take a resort course, don't let them take you either too deep or somewhere you don't feel comfortable. It sounds like the previous posters gave you some ideas for companies that sounded good. We were planning on doing a resort course in Curacao - but based on talking to my friends, we did the first "pool" part of the real certification at home, then got our final certification in Curacao. The dive shop we used in Curacao would not be one I would recommend and we felt they were not very focused on safety and had no problem telling them when we had an issue with something they were doing. One suggestion I have since you're going next week - call a local dive shop near you, tell them you think you're interested in getting into scuba diving and would like to do a resort course before you take the full lessons (which of course you will want to do with the local shop...) and could they recommend a good operator in GC. I called my dive operator - he highly recommended Divetech. He said they are very safety conscious, very nice - and they'll pick you up at your hotel. He said you could go to their website and arrange it all online. He thinks they would take you to the Cobalt Coast (not sure if I spelled that right) resort for the pool work - but, anyway, he highly recommends them. As for restaurants - there are lots of them that are good for different reasons. I used the Fodor's guide when we went and they were pretty accurate. Hope this helps.
