Dive Review of Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius/Caribbean

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Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House: "Beautiful Dives on a Quiet Island", Jun, 2022, by Suzi Davidoff, TX, US ( Reviewer 3 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 11986 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
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We had flown through St. Eustatius many times on WinAir after diving in Saba and always thought it would be interesting and fun to visit, and June 2022 seemed like a perfect opportunity. Things were opening back up and we were anxious to dive somewhere new. It was great timing – all Covid restrictions in Statia had been lifted and the US dropped testing requirements right before we left. Only St. Marteen had an EHAS form to complete right before travel through the island. We arranged diving and lodging at the Old Gin House through Golden Rock Dive Center and they were excellent! Ciara met us at the airport, took us to our hotel and took our gear to the shop so we could walk down after breakfast to dive. Breakfast at our hotel overlooking the water with chickens running around and then a short walk to the dive shop became our daily routine. Great 5 days of diving – there were 4 divers from the US, (counting us) and sometimes we were joined by a few local ex-pat divers –- a very relaxed and nice group. The dive shop/dock faces a bay that is a protected marine preserve, as part of the National Park. For a tiny island, there is a big variety of dive sites. Double and Triple Wreck have remains of 17th-18th century shipwrecks, anchors and lots of marine life. These two sites, and many other sites in Statia were fish “nurseries” --- lots of juvenile trunkfish and spotted drums. Hangover and Cliffs had more coral canyons, walls and overhangs with so many huge lobsters that we stopped counting them, large groupers, grey snappers and schools of grunts, squirrel fish and blue tangs. There were rays, turtles, and spotted morays on almost every dive. Most of the dive sites we visited were great for macro – flamingo tongues, lettuce slugs in every color, and at Triple Wreck we found 3 fingerprint cyphomas. The Charles Brown, a 300-foot-long cable-laying ship lies on its side in 100 feet of water. We had no currents and excellent visibility that day and gliding over the ship and between the structures on deck with schools of jacks and a large turtle was wonderful. The staff at Golden Rock was excellent! The shop cater to individuals and small groups, so after a few days it’s like diving with a group of friends. The owners David and Sarah captained the dive boats, and Ciara and Gary, dive instructors from Ireland, were dive guides and took care of the office and Jean, who had just joined the group from France as a dive guide, was also an UW photographer and patient teacher. The Old Gin House Hotel was very nice. It’s a five minute walk down the road (where there are usually more goats and chickens than cars) to the dive shop. Rooms are set either around the pool or on the edge of the water next to the café with lovely balconies. The hotel restaurant serves a hearty breakfast – great for before a dive and dinner most nights. We had excellent grilled snapper there and of course, great drinks on the deck overlooking the harbour. There are 2 other great restaurants nearby – The Boardwalk, by the dive shop and pier and the Barrelhouse, next to the Old Gin House. Some non-diving highlights were a hike up the Quill, Statia’s dormant volcano. From the top you can see into the crater and the rainforest. It was too hot to hike down into the crater the day we hiked – but maybe next time. We also took a great historical island tour with Bobby Birkel, a third generation local (arranged through Golden Rock). The island has a fascinating history both above and below the water. Flights are a bit tricky, as connections from St. Marteen – Statia are limited to Winward Airlines 1 early morning flight and 1 late afternoon flight. For most US areas, an overnight somewhere along the way might be necessary. But, to get to an island that’s off-the-radar with excellent diving, it’s worth it!
Websites	Golden Rock Dive Center
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Saba, Mexico, Indonesia, Honduras, Belize, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Hawaii, Fiji, Cuba
Closest Airport	St. Martin/St. Eustatius	Getting There	Takes a few flights to get there -- but worth it! Many major airlines fly to St. Martin, and Winward Airways flies 2 flights a day (on most days) to Statia.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-°F / 28-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-90 Ft/ 18-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	On most dives, we were free to dive our own profiles, surfacing w/ the line if there were currents and surfacing w/ 500psi, or 750 from deeper dives
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	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	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Boat rides are so short that with 5 minute rides and uncrowded boats there were no problems with camera equipment on the boat. Onshore there was a dedicated rinse tank and space to change lenses, etc.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House in St. Eustatius/Caribbean

Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House: "Beautiful Dives on a Quiet Island", Jun, 2022,

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 Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House in
St. Eustatius/Caribbean