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Dive Review of Coral Island Charters in
The Continental USA/Palm Beach

Coral Island Charters, Jul, 2004,

by Steven Kovacs, FL, U.S.A. . Report 1369.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 3 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 3 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 1 stars
Comments A couple of us decided to try Coral Island Charters in Palm Beach after phoning them and asking them we could dive a specific dive site. Over the course of a week they assured us several times that because we were the first to sign up for that particular day we could choose any site from the list of sites on their web site and that's where they would take us.

This was the ONLY reason we decided to give this operation a go.

Once we got underway we asked the boat captain if he was taking us to the site we wanted to go to. We were informed that he nor any of the dive masters on board had ever heard of that site and had no idea where it was. After informing the Captain that it was listed on their web site he stated he didn’t even know Coral Island Charters had a web site even though he had been with them for almost 2 years.

Considering this was the reason for the dive it was irritating to say the least. Any dive is better than no dive so we decided to make the best of it.

Unfortunately this is a typical cattle boat where they pack around 30 divers on board and then instruct everyone that they want them to follow the dive master like a big cooperative herd.

The diving was good typical Palm Beach diving with decent viz and decent coral and tropical fish life. The viz was also a good 70 to 80 feet.

Unfortunately some of the dive masters need to go back to school for a basic understanding of dive protocols.

At the end of the first dive my buddy and I surfaced within view of the dive boat, which immediately saw us and began to head over to us to pick us up. No wait time, no problems. I've been through this hundreds of times, nothing new. However when we climbed up the ladder the dive master had the audacity to start yelling at us that the safety sausages should have been inflated, that's what they're for. Huh? Did I miss something? A little too much nitrogen on the brain maybe?

Needless to say I wouldn't recommend this unprofessional dive operation unless you're into a big cattle boats where everyone is treated like a beginner.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Throughout Florida, Solomon Islands, Galapagos, Belize, Bahamas, Indonesia, British Columbia
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather windy, dry Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 60-70 Ft/ 18-21 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions Safety sausage mandatory
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

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

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

Subject Matter 2 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 2 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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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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