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Dive Review of Ocean Explorers/Divi Little Bay in
St. Maarten

Ocean Explorers/Divi Little Bay, Nov, 2010,

by Thomas Wiles, ME, US (Reviewer Reviewer 3 reports). Report 5771.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations N/A Food N/A
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 3 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments The following list of things may bother many people and that's why I've included them. Let it be known, it didn't bother me in the least. I'm not a whining diva, who complains about every little thing, but I know that many people would want to know the following:

There was no camera table or fresh water for cameras, while on the boat. There was no dock, so we had to wade to the boat, a few feet. This may deter some, but didn't bother me a bit. No towels on boat. Had bottles of water for us, but no snacks. Boats were small, carrying only about 5-6 divers.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Bonaire, Aruba, Cozumel, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, Grand Cayman, St Croix, Bahamas, Dominica, Roatan, Utila, Marathon Key, USA
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather rainy, cloudy Seas choppy
Water Temp 79-82°F / 26-28°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No more than 110 feet down,
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 2 stars
Small Critters 2 stars Large Fish 2 stars
Large Pelagics 5 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 1 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 5 stars
UW Photo Comments Just got back from St. Maarten. Stayed at Divi Little Bay, which was wonderful and dove with Ocean Explorers. Lu and Jef, co-owners are terrific people. Jef is the most learned DM I've ever dove with. Tomas was passing by at quite a distance, so vis was not as good as usual. I had always heard diving in St Maarten was not good. Well, while they done have great big schools of fish, they do have the things I wants to see. We saw turtles, eagle rays, sting rays lots of spotted eels, a nurse shark, crabs, lobsters, scrawled filefish, morays and lots of wrecks. No doubt about it, we will go back and definitely dive Ocean Explorers. Note one thing...although they took our BC/tank to the boat and back, we did have to wade a bit through the water with our fins and mask, to get on the boat. There was no dock, but that didn't bother us a bit, as they were very helpful getting us to the boat and helping us up the ladder, and again, at the end of the dive, there was always someone to help us wade from the boat to the shore. I never did think to ask if they had a dock, before Hurricane Earl made a mess of their place. I guess the wading , a bit to the boat, didn't faze me, and I'm 59 years old. They have a drying shed, so you can leave all your stuff there until the next day. They are not open Sunday, which really surprised me. However, the good WAY out weighed the tiny inconvenience of wading and not being able to dive on Sunday. These people are kind, helpful, smart, accommodating and just comfortable to be around. I give them highest marks and can't wait to go back!
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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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