Dive Review of Dive Aruba/Boardwalk in
Aruba

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Dive Aruba/Boardwalk, Dec, 2004, by Bob Souza, CA, USA . Report 1543.
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	Went to Aruba to allow my recently certified wife to build up experience prior to hitting some more advanced destinations. Aruba was not my first (or second) choice, but we were using United frequent flier miles and it ended up being the only place to work out. Booked ourselves on-line at the Boardwalk (www.arubaboardwalk.com), a small 12 room resort acroos the street from the beach at the far end of the high rise hotel area, and reserved diving on-line with Clive Paula at Dive Aruba (www.divearuba.com). Both turned out to be excellent choices. The Boardwalk was fantastic, very pleasant and clean. The casitas were large and equipped with full kitchens, utensils, outside decks, bar-b-que, cable tv, vcr/dvd (with free movies at the office!),etc. They have a small pool area that can be used repectably at any hour. The supermarkets in town were well stocked and reasonably priced, and we had the majority of our meals at our place. Would definately stay there again if returning. Dive Aruba is a one man show with Clive doing everything. He promptly picked us up every morning at the resort (without any moaning about ours being the furthest spot from town, even the days we were the only divers). The only hitch in his routine is that our first day diving we went to his house in town to do the waivers and set up weight belts .. and then went their again on the days he had other first day divers. This took a little while, so it seemed slow to get in the water, but after day 1 I just went with the flow. His boat is adequate size for the maximum 7 divers, but could be a little tight if a few camera fanatics were aboard (we never had any). Clive has a regular dive schedule, and had no qualms about motoring out to one of the farthest sites (about 1/2 hour) on one day when I was the only diver. Back roll entry ie easy, and entry is via ladder after removing fins. CLive provided ample assistance with those who needed it. Good dive briefings, and he was able to handle divers with varying skill levels very well. No time limits, most all our dives we went over an hour. Loose group under water, stay with your buddy .. on days I dove alone it was no problem to drop solo down to deeper spots while he guided the others. He always had cold drinks and some fresh fruit onboard. All in all an excellent small group operation. Diving in Aruba was good enough to keep me interested throughout the week. No large fish or pelagics, but plenty to keep you occupied. The wrecks were interesting (the Jane C was a very good dive)and the reefs were generally healthy. Plenty of Caribbean tropicals, octupus, shrimp and many eels (green, chain and golden). Did a great night dive on an airplane wreck highlighted by catching an octupus feasting on an eel. All in all Aruba pleasantly exceeded my expectations. Well developed island with great beaches, friendly people, good food and decent diving.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Bonaire, Dominca, Bay Islands, Cozumel, Costa Rica, Fiji, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Greneda, St. Vincent, Los Cabos ....
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas
Water Temp	76-77°F / 24-25°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Clive at Dive Aruba did a wonderful job of accessing divers skill levels and providing each the guidance or freedom they needed. No time limit enforced, on the contrary maximum time/enjoyment was encouraged. Almost all dives were over 60 minutes.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	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	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Dive Aruba/Boardwalk in Aruba

Dive Aruba/Boardwalk, Dec, 2004,

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 Dive Aruba/Boardwalk in
Aruba