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

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Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House, Feb, 2010, by Lynn M. Thorne, NC, US ( Contributor 15 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 5404.
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	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I cannot say enough positive things about St Eustatius or Statia Island; however, I will give it a try: The Island: Think of what you want on a dive vacation and Statia has a piece of all of it. This island is not used to tourists with virtually no commercialism or gimmicky trappings of so many vacation destinations. The Statian people are friendly and courteous but not artificially so. No one is coming up to you to sell something, but they will give directions or advice if asked. The island is also almost completely crime free, so exploring anywhere feels safe. The temperature is a very comfortable 82 degrees with a perfect gentle breeze keeping things just right to be outside. The small village located about 150 vertical feet above our hotel and dive operation has an endless amount of beautiful tropical vistas looking down on a blue Caribbean Sea. Hint: Visit the numerous mom & pop bakeries…Yumm. The Accommodations: Our group of 14 Gypsy Divers from Raleigh, NC stayed at The Old Gin House Hotel/Restaurant/Bar. A pleasant young couple who run the place, (we called them “Walt” and “Dominique”), work very hard and make every effort to keep everyone happy. The rooms were clean, roomy, with large showers and enough hot water to meet our needs. The grounds are tropical with an old world charm. Breakfast served to order was consistently enjoyable. The Diving: Most of our group including myself has been to many dive operations from all over the Caribbean and we all felt the dive operation called Golden Rock Dive Center ranks very high with their attention to customer service, safety, flexibility, and professionalism. The owners Glen and Michelle could not have been more attentive to our group. The experienced divemasters Matt and Stephen both exhibit the perfect balance of pointing out interesting items underwater without being overbearing. A new staff member Browny always greeted us with a smile and a helping hand. They have two boats, we used their large pontoon boat called EZ Goin which was an apt name. This boat had about 6 exits for a easy giant stride into the calm blue waters. I was very impressed of how well the divemaster handled our large group. We were split into 2 groups and staggered our entry by 5 minutes. This way if felt we were only diving with 6 or 7 other divers. Their other boat is a more traditional dive boat which looks to be about 30 feet long. The underwater dive sites varied with many cool wrecks to beautiful coral encrusted old lava formations. The diving is relaxing with an easy slow pace. Underwater life is abundant with all the usual Caribbean beauties including curious turtles, rays, and huge aggressive lobsters everywhere. During our visit, the underwater visibility topped 80 feet all week and is often even better. Summary: Statia is a dive destination worth visiting. I am definitely planning a return trip. To see my vacation video of Statia go to the following URLs: Part 1 www.vimeo.com/10167831 Part 2 www.vimeo.com/10161258
Websites	Golden Rock Dive Center
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	All over the Caribbean
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	79-80°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	80-100 Ft/ 24-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Keep within sight of divemaster
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
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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

Golden Rock Dive Center/Old Gin House, Feb, 2010,

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