Dive Review of Paradise Charters, Easy Goin' in
Bahamas

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Paradise Charters, Easy Goin', May, 2004, by Robyn Churchill, FO, USA . Report 508.
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	First-rate dive operation all the way---A+++!!! The 3-member crew of the Easy Goin' is beyond wonderful. Captain Chuck is a very friendly person with a great sense of humor. He's extrememly safety-conscious, and his boat is very well maintained. He conducts a thorough safety briefing before departing from the marina, and points out the location of all the safety equipment. He welcomes you to hang out in the pilot house with him whenever you'd like, just to shoot the breeze. His personality is so likeable, that you'll feel compelled to laugh at all his corny jokes! First mate Peg is a one-woman wonder. Peg is a very caring person who goes out of her way to make sure her guests are having a good time. I could write a whole report just about the meals she serves up, but there's more about that further on in this report. The divemaster/instructor JB has a charm all his own. He's a wealth of knowledge about the marinelife and dive sites in the area. He's always more than willing lend assistance when asked, and he gives thorough briefings before each dive. He guides most of the dives, and always points out really cool things to look at. He's very safety-minded, but you never feel "smothered" by needless rules and restrictions on your diving. The 62-ft vessel, Easy Goin' is spotlessly clean and comfortable. The boat leaves out of the Bahia Mar marina in Ft. Lauderdale. Trips are limited to 6 - 7 guests with personalized attention for each guest. Besides spectacular diving, there are other activities such as fishing, snorkeling and kayaking with their on-board ocean kayak. They do weekend trips to Bimini and week-long trips to the west end, Grand Bahamas. There are upper and lower berths in each cabin with storage room at the end of each berth and under the lower berth. Two of the three guest cabins have full-size lower berths for couples. In addition to the guest head, there's a warm-water shower on the dive platform. The boat has an entertainment salon with satelite TV/VCR, stereo and reading materials. There's also a sun deck with chairs and lounge chairs for relaxation in between dives. First mate Peg serves up 3 wonderfully delicious meals each day, with great appetizers before dinner and snacks in between each dive. She cooks enough for a small army, and tries to accomodate individual tastes and any dietary restrictions her guests might have. On past trips we've been treated to delicacies such as grilled steak, lobster, swordfish, shrimp creole, homemade conch fritters, and fresh-baked breads and desserts. Some of the best recipes I have in my recipe file came from Peg's galley, and we keep on telling her that an "Easy Goin' Cookbook" would be hard to keep in stock in the ship's store! There's also complimentary beer, wine and Captain's rum punch for after the last dive of the day. Last but not least, the diving! Just looking out at the sparkling waters of Bimini with its many shades of blue and aqua lets you know you're in heaven! The vis was excellent, 70 - 150 ft., and the water was warm, 82 - 84 degrees in May. The dive sites in Bimini were pristine and teeming with marine life. There's a great abundance of tropicals, and lots of colorful soft corals. Turtles are rays are numerous in Bimini, and on one dive in particular we had encounters with 3-4 nurse sharks, 6 or more caribbean reef sharks, and several large grouper. Wall diving, wreck diving and night diving are all included,,,,the Sapona Wreck is not to be missed! We did a night dive there, and saw several huge lobster, a variety of crabs (both large and small), turtles, rays, and several motionless tropicals which were encased in their nighttime "cocoons". They didn't even realize we were there, and we were able to get very close for photos. We also came across a small school of approachable squid, and their iridescent blue color set against the nighttime blackness of the water was unbelieveable! I've only done their week-end trips to Bimini, but I understand that there are dolpin encounters on their week-long trips to the west end Grand Bahamas. The Easy Goin' is tops on my list, and I will continue to book future dive trips with them. You can visit their website at www.paradisecharters.com.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Yap, Bonaire, Freeport, Florida
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	70-150 Ft/ 21-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Most of the dives were guided by divemaster JB, with ample time allowed for each dive. On the deep wall dives, we were advised not to go below 130 ft.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	fresh water camera-only rinse tank, work/storage shelves and personal "storage box" underneath your tanks

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Dive Review of Paradise Charters, Easy Goin' in Bahamas

Paradise Charters, Easy Goin', May, 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 Paradise Charters, Easy Goin' in
Bahamas