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Dive Review of Searuba Fly n Dive/Cruise in
Aruba

 
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Searuba Fly n Dive/Cruise, May, 2008,

by Bob R., Texas, USA . Report 4137.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 1 stars Food 1 stars
Service and Attitude 1 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 1 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 1 stars
Comments We dove in Aruba with Searuba Fly n Dive. It will be the last time.

Several factors figure into this decision, and they are both service and safety related. I am a certified rescue diver. This was the first time that I left my own BCD at home and used "rental gear". We had our own fins, masks, and regs. We used the BCD's of the dive shop. Bad mistake. The BCD's were not kept up very well. They were very old looking and looked like they had seen a lot of use. The BCD was ill-fitting (I was told they had XXL's, but they only had three XL's). The first BCD they gave me did not have its low back deflator "cord" on the BCD at all. The upper deflator was also found to be not functioning either. The only one that "worked as designed" was the low pressure inflator. I partially inflated the BCD to insure that it worked before stepping into the water. However, after attempting to operate the BCD on entry into the water it was totally unsatisfactory. I decided that "survival" far outweighed a "sport dive". I returned to the boat and got out. The boat's captain told me that it would be ok to use.... No, it wasn't.

They had an instructor that was to lead the dive group. However, he brought two students to finish their open water dives for certification, so he told the other divers to follow another "employee" around under the boat until he finished the skills tests with his two students. One got sick and had to be hauled out. She stayed sick. The other divers were "led" not to the reef, but towards the beach in 3-4 foot swells. They came up and swam back to the boat. The instructor finished his one student and then they all submerged again and headed off towards a wrecked plane.

This was the same plane we dove on in 2005 and asked not to dive again. We were assured we would not dive it. Wrong again.

After taking the ill diver back to the shop so she could disembark, I swapped BCD's. It was the same make and model. It had all of its parts. I rigged it up and stepped off of the boat and put it in 6 feet of water and made sure that it somewhat fit, was properly weighted, and that it worked. I got in one dive while my son made two. No offer of reimbursement for the defective BCD.

Scratch them out of your Chap Book.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Aruba, Bermuda, Grand Caymans, Cozumel, Roatan, Greneda, USVI, St. Maarten, Florida Keys, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, Channel Islands, Puerto Vallarta, et. al.
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-80°F / 27-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 0
Water Visibility 40-50 Ft/ 12-15 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions 45 minute dive time.
Stay with the Divemaster.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles None Whales None
Corals 2 stars Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 1 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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
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Subscriber's Comments

By Ms Lynda Durfee in VA, US at Sep 23, 2021 20:02 EST  
New owners since 2013. See my report from July 2021 and previous ones.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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