Dive Review of MV Ocean Explorer/Sands Harbor Marina in
The Continental USA/Pompano Beach Florida

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MV Ocean Explorer/Sands Harbor Marina, Feb, 2005, by al, ny, usa ( Reviewer 5 reports). Report 1606.
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	This is the second time i have dove with this operator. the goal of this trip was to dive deeper extended range wrecks in the Pompano beach/Ft Lauderdale area. The boat offers both liveaboard and dayboat trips. these would be daytrips with sleeping onshore at the hotel associated with the marina. The boat is a 55ft fiberglass boat that is fairly seaworthy and in general a good platform for diving. it has two ladders, including a t bar ladder preferred when climbing with stages. They have an onboard compressor which came in handy on days when we did two dives. All diving gases were provided as a package by the operator which made it easier to dayboat. we didnt need to move gear on and off each day. Trimix and deco gas fills were done accurately by the boat staff. Unfortunately the boat was short staffed during our stay. each day the first team was asked to set the hook by the boat as they only had one mate. This also meant that each team had to help the others in and out. At this level each should be able to do this, but those expecting premium service might be dissappointed. Such is techdiving. The captain was experienced at finding the wrecks and at overseeing drifting deco dives, which are required by the gulfstream currents in this part of offshore florida. We dove the Hydro Atlantic,Lowrance,RBJ,and Skycliffe during the week. Each is a spectacular dive, with good vis and light current. I attempted some uw photography inside these wreks, i need to learn to deal with floating particulate rust and backscatter, otherwise the diving was fun. The hotel was another matter.During the high season they are apparently overbooked and consider divers to be offseason trade. They told me i would have my room moved on the first night, because they had my room booked to another party. Every other day i was summoned to the front desk to be informed of the status of my room. The method used was to shut off my electronic room key, denying my access to my room. During the week i was never moved. The other members of my party were not so lucky. They returned after the third day to find that the staff had moved their possessions without informing them. Their stuff was placed into garbage bags and moved during the day. Except for the roughly four grand that my friend had in the in-room safe. A room that was then given to another couple. My friend had to wait until the others returned to the hotel and discovered their key was turned off to get his money out of the safe. The manager refused to provide any accomodation for this treatment, remarking that we should be happy to get a good rate <$90 us per day)and stop complaining and giving new jersey a bad name. The rooms were somewhat rundown and smelled of mold. The maids were seen only on the last day, apparently they only deal with rooms after you leave. All in all we will return to florida and probably dive with this boat, but not stay at the same hotel.After several years of being an undercurrent member this is my first report. I am used to seeing apparently angry members seek revenge by posting about their misadventures, and while i have been amused by them in the past,i will be reconsidering them after this experience. Happy diving to you!
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	East Coast USA, Costa Rica, Roatan Honduras
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	70-72°F / 21-22°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	60-80 Ft/ 18-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	generally accepted technical diving community standards
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 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	I am a beginning UW photographer and this was a deep technical trip. However the operation would be accomodating to any level of photograper.

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Dive Review of MV Ocean Explorer/Sands Harbor Marina in The Continental USA/Pompano Beach Florida

MV Ocean Explorer/Sands Harbor Marina, Feb, 2005,

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 MV Ocean Explorer/Sands Harbor Marina in
The Continental USA/Pompano Beach Florida