I stumped Shoreside Concierge – Stuart Cove SCUBA

[RebelHawk]

I'm looking for additional details regarding the Stuart Cove Nassau SCUBA dive Port Adventure. My wife and I recently completed our SDI Open Water SCUBA certification which clears us to dive up to depths of 60 feet. On the DCL website listing the Stuart Cove dive requires an internationally recognized dive certification but doesn’t go into details on this point. Their website goes on to discuss the dive and states that it descends to sites at a depth of 80 feet. I looked up Stuart Cove’s website as well and they list dive depths for the two site dive. The first dive is up to 80 feet and the second is up to 50 feet.


The first dive would exceed our rated 60 foot certification. Is the bottom flat and the majority of activity down at 80 feet or is it a sloped reef area that can be enjoyed at the 60 foot mark?


While we just have our Open Water certification we are looking to get our Nitrox certification so we can stay under for longer durations. I see that Stuart Cove’s website offers Nitrox tanks for an additional fee but would we need to book that before we arrive? I do not see anything listed on DCL’s site regarding this.


When I reached out to Shoreside Concierge they stated that they did not know the answers but were reaching out to the Port Suppliers for answers. Searching through past posts on this forum it seems like there generally hasn’t been a lot of discussions regarding this specific Port Adventure recently. I thought I would follow up this inquiry with the DIS Boards as it typically seems someone has answers to questions here. Whatever answers I receive to my questions from the Shoreside team I’ll be sure to post here for everyone.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I'm looking for additional details regarding the Stuart Cove Nassau SCUBA dive Port Adventure. My wife and I recently completed our SDI Open Water SCUBA certification which clears us to dive up to depths of 60 feet. On the DCL website listing the Stuart Cove dive requires an internationally recognized dive certification but doesn’t go into details on this point. Their website goes on to discuss the dive and states that it descends to sites at a depth of 80 feet. I looked up Stuart Cove’s website as well and they list dive depths for the two site dive. The first dive is up to 80 feet and the second is up to 50 feet.


The first dive would exceed our rated 60 foot certification. Is the bottom flat and the majority of activity down at 80 feet or is it a sloped reef area that can be enjoyed at the 60 foot mark?


While we just have our Open Water certification we are looking to get our Nitrox certification so we can stay under for longer durations. I see that Stuart Cove’s website offers Nitrox tanks for an additional fee but would we need to book that before we arrive? I do not see anything listed on DCL’s site regarding this.


When I reached out to Shoreside Concierge they stated that they did not know the answers but were reaching out to the Port Suppliers for answers. Searching through past posts on this forum it seems like there generally hasn’t been a lot of discussions regarding this specific Port Adventure recently. I thought I would follow up this inquiry with the DIS Boards as it typically seems someone has answers to questions here. Whatever answers I receive to my questions from the Shoreside team I’ll be sure to post here for everyone.

Thanks,

Tom

Shoreside have answered me like this before them found out then responded to me.

 

[matthew517]

Shoreside have answered me like this before them found out then responded to me.

First off congradulations on joining the underwater club. Stuarts cove is great. Make sure to do it through DCL. Last time I did we were 30 minutes late to get back to ship. If we werent on a DCL excursion we would have had to make our own way to castaway cay. My son got his padi and had a limit of 60'. We still dove the wall and got to almost 100'. The second dive was a shallow dive. The wall dive is 68 to floor then slopes to the wall then drops thousands of feet. Real easy dive. Most dive shops do not enforce the 60' restriction. Padi does it to make more money.

 

[Capt_BJ]

when one achieves "open water" certification, the 60 foot limit is a RECOMMENDATION for new divers. The depth limit is actually the sport diver limit (on air) of 130 feet. from FAQ at PADI.COM concerning "where can I dive":

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres/60 feet.

"Open Water" certification makes you what is sometimes called a "ubiquitous diver" meaning you could go to a shop, rent or fill a tank and do ANYTHING .... you are self regulating. Dive trip providers make certain experiences available to the "qualified" diver ... judging your qualification is a personal responsibility. A diver with open water certification & 200 dives in the last 2 years is probably a heck of a lot more qualified that a person holding 'advanced' certification who has not been in the water for 2 years and having only made the minimum number of dives to achieve the certification .. the card alone means only a minimum training level has been achieved (and logs are easily faked). "beginning" is an undefined term . . .

here's how Sunset House on Grand Cayman discusses this, with the additional rules observed in the Caymans:

Sunset House and Sunset Divers are members of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association. The CITA Watersports members subscribe to and comply with safety rules and regulations designed to keep the diving safe and to protect marine environment. ... CITA members comply with a recommended 100 feet (30 meters) for recreational scuba customers. The required maximum depth with recreational scuba customers is 130feet/39meters and 100feet/30 meters for repetitive dives the same day. Since our days start with a two tank dive, Sunset Divers sets a safe 100′ safety limit ....

 

[truck1]

I'm looking for additional details regarding the Stuart Cove Nassau SCUBA dive Port Adventure. My wife and I recently completed our SDI Open Water SCUBA certification which clears us to dive up to depths of 60 feet. On the DCL website listing the Stuart Cove dive requires an internationally recognized dive certification but doesn’t go into details on this point. Their website goes on to discuss the dive and states that it descends to sites at a depth of 80 feet. I looked up Stuart Cove’s website as well and they list dive depths for the two site dive. The first dive is up to 80 feet and the second is up to 50 feet.


The first dive would exceed our rated 60 foot certification. Is the bottom flat and the majority of activity down at 80 feet or is it a sloped reef area that can be enjoyed at the 60 foot mark?


While we just have our Open Water certification we are looking to get our Nitrox certification so we can stay under for longer durations. I see that Stuart Cove’s website offers Nitrox tanks for an additional fee but would we need to book that before we arrive? I do not see anything listed on DCL’s site regarding this.


When I reached out to Shoreside Concierge they stated that they did not know the answers but were reaching out to the Port Suppliers for answers. Searching through past posts on this forum it seems like there generally hasn’t been a lot of discussions regarding this specific Port Adventure recently. I thought I would follow up this inquiry with the DIS Boards as it typically seems someone has answers to questions here. Whatever answers I receive to my questions from the Shoreside team I’ll be sure to post here for everyone.

Thanks,

Tom

SDI, SSI, PADI, NAUI, TDI are all among the internationally recognized category. You wont have any issue on that end.

Its not hard to stump either concierge or the shore excursion desk. Typically none of them are divers or have ever been on most of the excursions that are offered.

 

[RebelHawk]

when one achieves "open water" certification, the 60 foot limit is a RECOMMENDATION for new divers. The depth limit is actually the sport diver limit (on air) of 130 feet. from FAQ at PADI.COM concerning "where can I dive":

With the necessary training and experience, the limit for recreational scuba diving is 40 metres/130 feet. Beginning scuba divers stay shallower than about 18 metres/60 feet.

"Open Water" certification makes you what is sometimes called a "ubiquitous diver" meaning you could go to a shop, rent or fill a tank and do ANYTHING .... you are self regulating. Dive trip providers make certain experiences available to the "qualified" diver ... judging your qualification is a personal responsibility. A diver with open water certification & 200 dives in the last 2 years is probably a heck of a lot more qualified that a person holding 'advanced' certification who has not been in the water for 2 years and having only made the minimum number of dives to achieve the certification .. the card alone means only a minimum training level has been achieved (and logs are easily faked). "beginning" is an undefined term . . .

here's how Sunset House on Grand Cayman discusses this, with the additional rules observed in the Caymans:

Sunset House and Sunset Divers are members of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association. The CITA Watersports members subscribe to and comply with safety rules and regulations designed to keep the diving safe and to protect marine environment. ... CITA members comply with a recommended 100 feet (30 meters) for recreational scuba customers. The required maximum depth with recreational scuba customers is 130feet/39meters and 100feet/30 meters for repetitive dives the same day. Since our days start with a two tank dive, Sunset Divers sets a safe 100′ safety limit ....

Capt_BJ, thank you for the guidance on depths. As we are new to this sport we are planning on taking things slow and this is exactly the type of feedback we are looking for. We have a few planned dives with our local dive group so we'll have multiple dives under our belts between now and our Oct cruise. I expect that will help alleviate some of our apprehension on depths.

 

[Capt_BJ]

dd got certified (PADI) a couple of years ago and her 1st open water dive after the class was to 100 feet. CLOSELY supervised by me (certified in 1973 and now with a BUNCH of dives) and after doing a buoyancy check dive on our arrival in Cayman the day before AND after discussing with the DM that we'd be going slow and if there were issues we'd stay above 60 . . . . she completed the dive just fine and by 6 months later had nearly 100 dives experience! I AM NOT recommending you go to 100 .... but under close supervision of an experienced diver it can be done and you are not "breaking the rules."

Most dive operations will tell you the profile they plan ..... if this exceeds your comfort level SPEAK UP. As I mentioned I took dd to Cayman shortly after she completed class and was CONFIDENT that taking her on the boat the first morning was OK. I just mentioned to the DM that we MIGHT not want to go a deep as the rest of the group, so if he saw us hanging back not to be concerned. In my experience this has ALWAYS been OK; the secret is to discuss your wants with the DM. Sometimes this prompts them to ask "how many would like to stay shallower?" and it is not uncommon to find several hands go up and they then split the group to shallow and deep. Bottom line: SPEAK UP.

Lastly, in my several experiences diving from Stuarts in Nassau you'd have to dig a BIG hole in the bottom to get deeper than 50 feet. They usually take cruise folks to 'James Bond Reef' which is a collection of junk left on the bottom from movie making . . . .

I hope you enjoy your dive and cruise.

 

[MarleneP]

My DH and DS (13) just received their Padi cert before our cruise April 2014) and had a lot of questions about this dive excursion as well. My DH called Stuarts Cove directly. They answered all of his questions and then some. My DS got sick and couldn't do the dive my my DH did and had a fantastic time.

 

[truck1]

I'm looking for additional details regarding the Stuart Cove Nassau SCUBA dive Port Adventure. My wife and I recently completed our SDI Open Water SCUBA certification which clears us to dive up to depths of 60 feet. On the DCL website listing the Stuart Cove dive requires an internationally recognized dive certification but doesn’t go into details on this point. Their website goes on to discuss the dive and states that it descends to sites at a depth of 80 feet. I looked up Stuart Cove’s website as well and they list dive depths for the two site dive. The first dive is up to 80 feet and the second is up to 50 feet.


The first dive would exceed our rated 60 foot certification. Is the bottom flat and the majority of activity down at 80 feet or is it a sloped reef area that can be enjoyed at the 60 foot mark?


While we just have our Open Water certification we are looking to get our Nitrox certification so we can stay under for longer durations. I see that Stuart Cove’s website offers Nitrox tanks for an additional fee but would we need to book that before we arrive? I do not see anything listed on DCL’s site regarding this.


When I reached out to Shoreside Concierge they stated that they did not know the answers but were reaching out to the Port Suppliers for answers. Searching through past posts on this forum it seems like there generally hasn’t been a lot of discussions regarding this specific Port Adventure recently. I thought I would follow up this inquiry with the DIS Boards as it typically seems someone has answers to questions here. Whatever answers I receive to my questions from the Shoreside team I’ll be sure to post here for everyone.

Thanks,

Tom

By they way, I cant speak for SC but typically dive ops will not take you past your cert level. Contact them directly and ask about the profiles that they would use for the ships. It would probably differ from whats advertised.

http://www.stuartcove.com/contactus.aspx

 

[RebelHawk]

I just heard back from Shore Side Concierge regarding my inquiry.

"The open water certification is the minimum needed to be able to dive without the guidance of a Padi professional. We do offer nitrox mixes in 32% and 36%. They are $16.13 per tank. Proof of certification will have to be presented at the time of check in. At this time of year a wet suit is not needed for the dives. From now until the end of August water temperature is usually around 86 degrees. There are no restrictions on bringing your own equipment however, we do offer rental packages at $51.60 per pack to avoid the hassle of traveling with them."