Hello,
Just thought I'd nip in to give my thoughts on DiveQuest at Epcot.
First off - I loved it! It genuinely was the most enjoyable dive I've ever done in my life
There were about 13 of us (11 guys and 2 women), and we met at guest relations outside EPCOT before having our t shirt sizes, shoe sizes and Dive certification taken. We were then taken through the cast entrance to the park, into the back of the living seas.
At this point they showed us a video letting us know what we would be doing during the dive, and made us sign a waiver. We then got lead to the changing rooms, where our short sleeved wetsuits, towels and lockers were waiting.
The next bit was where the fun started... Once we got changed, we were told about the Blue Lights that are backstage at DisneyWorld. Behind every door that says "Cast Members Only" or the like, there is a blue light. This is to let employees know when they are about to go "Onstage," i.e. when they are about to go into the public eye.
We all trailed out through an access door (under a blue light) with the instructor through the living seas, whilst getting pointed at by all the people around ("look at the diver people!"), before being taken up to the top of the tanks through an access stairwell at the end of the viewing platform.
When we got to the top, all our kit was sitting there, and we were assigned dive buddies - the fact is though, there's no point in having them for DiveQuest. The tanks have no alternate air source, and you're never more than 25ft from the surface, so your closest source of air will always be up! We all got kitted out, and went under.
First impressions were that it was everything I could have hoped for - We headed straight for the Dive Bell, where we were able to remove our regualtors and masks, because of the compressed air atmorphere inside. Quick wave to the camera, and then back under we went.
I then sprinted off to the viewing windows to see my family, where I did some flips, hovered upside down for a while, and waved to everyone on the other side of the glass. That was probably the best bit of the day - messing with the people on the other side of the acrylic! Scaring diners at the living seas was also a good laugh
The wildlife was spectacular too - the turtles were swooping about, and the fish thought we were feeding them, so they were very curious. One particular variety tried to eat the hair off one of the head of one of the women!
You get 45 minutes in the tank - if you run out of air during that time, you go back up and they'll slap on another tank of air and send you back down. I didn't need a refil, but some of the "bigger lunged" divers I was with were emptying two tanks over the dive.
When we emerged at the end of the dive, we were lobbed a towel, and taken back to get changed (hot individual showers/changing cubicles, shower gel, shampoo and more towels were provided), before going up to watch our video in the briefing room and to get our "DiveQuest" certificates and T Shirts.
You're then offered the chance to buy the video. It comes in two forms: a $35 NTSC format video, or a $70 DVD (that's right, seventy dollars) which has more footage. The video shows about 12 minutes diving, as well as a pre filmed intro, while the DVD adds to this with the briefing video you see before, and more footage of the dive. It gets sent to you after you leave WDW, to your home address. I opted for the video only (as did everyone on my dive) , and the footage was really good.
You get a discount if you have a PADI qualification (and the other equivalent certification, I can't recall the name) of 10% off the price, which you should ask for at the time of booking.
There are two dives a day, one at 4:30, and one at 6:30 (The second time is more of an educated guess - that dive was about to go in the tank as we were going to get changed to leave).
Some facts that aren't always made clear at booking:
You DO NOT need park entry to do DiveQuest
You CAN wear your own mask (whether it's prescription or not)
You CANNOT bring an underwater camera, fins, suit or any other equipment to use in the dive
You are tipped out into EPCOT following the dive, but you are not taken out of the park - This means you have from around 7pm until closing to do some rides, and take in illuminations. Which is nice!
All in all, I can't recommend it enough. I'll be doing it next visit, and if you're a qualified diver and you don't do it - you are missing out: BIG TIME!!!
Hopefully soon, though!
Does anyone know what the cost this year is ? How long is the dive? how long do they take to prep you for the dive?
