Dive Review of Aquanaut Divers/Blue Waters Hotel in
Antigua

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Aquanaut Divers/Blue Waters Hotel, Feb, 2008, by Eric Frick, IL, U.S.A. ( Top Contributor 30 reports with 24 Helpful votes). Report 3923 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I was thoroughly prepared by Undercurrent to be under-whelmed by the diving off of Antigua so I brought mask, fins, snorkel, a shorty and my regulators but not my whole dive bag full of gear. I contacted John Charlesworth at Aquanaut Dive Center via e-mail and found him to be helpful and responsive as I booked two mornings of 2-tank dives. I arrived at 7:30 Sun. morning to find the "shop" (more like a shack) closed up with a sign that said the next dive trip would be 8:45 a.m. the next day(!). Did I make a mistake not reconfirming? I decided to think about it over a cup of coffee at the yacht harbor. I walked back to the shop 45 min. later & found it open. They were ready for me. John came to Antigua from Scotland in about 1975. This was truly the United Nations of diving. I was the only Yankee present. 4 South Africans who work on the yachts in the harbor were there, as were 2 New Zealanders. The assistant to John was a Swiss. On Mon. I dove with one other American, an English woman & 2 more New Zealanders and our dive leader was a German. We drove 5 min. to another harbor where John kept his boat. The vessel wasn't exactly new but it was serviceable enough. The trip to the divesite was all of 15 min. Increasingly frequent hurricanes and human influences, including overfishing, have taken their toll on Antigua's reefs. Coral is present but not lush. There are plenty of sponges and a decent number and variety of fish but larger fish were absent. One interesting aspect of the diving was that we were able to approach a couple of blowholes from beneath the surface where waves crash ashore and drive water into a crevice, causing it to spout skyward. The action kills or stuns the krill. The dead & stunned krill then drift down in the water column to be eaten by the many fish that gather beneath the blowhole. We elected to say at the Blue Waters Hotel on the north shore of the island. The location made getting to the opposite side of the island to go diving time consuming and expensive. The beach was beautiful and the hotel staff was nice enough but the overall experience did not equal the premium price we paid. Le Bistro was an outstanding restaurant close to the hotel with the Coconut Grove restaurant also being a good selection. Service is Caribbean-slow and resort pricing is in full force and effect.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Other Caribbean, Hawaii, Great Lakes, Florida Keys
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	79-80°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	2
Water Visibility	35-50 Ft/ 11-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	1 hour time limit.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Boat personnel were happy to assist divers with cameras but no special boat or shore facilities for photographers were present.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Aquanaut Divers/Blue Waters Hotel in Antigua

Aquanaut Divers/Blue Waters Hotel, Feb, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Aquanaut Divers/Blue Waters Hotel in
Antigua