Dive Review of Peace Dive Boat in
The Continental USA/Southern California

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Peace Dive Boat: "Great Summers End", Sep, 2016, by Michael E Bovard, OR, US ( 2 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 9193 has 2 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	[None]This was my first trip on the Peace departing out of Ventura and heading to Santa Cruz and Gull Island. I knew no one on the trip but found nearly all the divers were from California with the exception of a small group of 4 from New Zealand. Didn't really matter though since the boat crew and the divers we all helpful and friendly. The itinerary for the trip was a 3:00am departure heading out to Gull Island, dive all day Friday, Friday night dive, dive all day Saturday with an evening return to Ventura. I'm pretty sure we departed on time although I was down in my very comfy bunk at that time. Sleeping quarters are not luxurious but were quite adequate with a full size mattress, a small light, a place to put some clothes towel, and toiletries, and a pillow and blanket were provided. I brought sheets and a pillow case which made things nice and homey. Some info about the boat and crew. We had two dozen divers and 5, maybe 6 crew aboard and the boat seemed roomy with these numbers. There was plenty of space for all the gear and gear set up and although there was not a designated camera table all the photographers seemed to manage rather well with outside space combined with a recharge area in the cabin. The Peace has plenty of space with areas on the bow as well as a small upper deck where you can stretch out and relax away from the bustle of dive prep. The back deck is where it all happens with plenty of space for all on this trip including tech divers, and photographers with all their gear as well. Also on the back deck were a hot tub as well as a fresh water heated shower. The main cabin had 3 tables, the galley, two heads, a charging area for batteries and cameras as well as a small information area. Down below were the bunk areas with an assortment of accomodations. The bunk area was a designated "dry area" with no wet suits or wet gear allowed. So...a bit about the operation and crew of the Peace...three words sum it up, professional, safe, and friendly. You can hardly ask for more. We had predive briefings at each site including recommended dive plans and options, at the conclusion of each dive we had role call which they took very seriously, the crew was helpful with dive prep and water entry every time and verified exactly who went in the water and when and were very subtle about checking to make sure everyone entered the water with their air on (yeah..I saw you guys checking the valves as we jumped in). Tank fills were done as soon as all divers were back on board and I had lots of air all weekend. As for the food...this was not the place to go if you were hoping to loose weight. Early breakfast was ready by 6:00am with oatmeal, cereal, fruit, rolls, toast, and pastries. Then there was "second" breakfast, I felt like a Hobbit. Now we had eggs, bacon, sausage, well...all the good stuff we didn't have earlier although that was still available too. I kind of lost track with lunch and snacks cause I was kinda busy diving but I recall soup, sandwiches, I remember pulled pork...yum, and always fruit...ah...there was a great cheese tray with crackers, just too much to remember. Dinner, however, was memorable. The skipper and crew "served" us BBQ'd tri tip, corn on the cob, and mashed potatoes (oh...we started with salad) We all sat in the cabin and were served by the crew, restaurant style and it was AWESOME. So much food...so little time...:) Second best meal I had all summer (first was Chris Ruths) I don't want to leave out the fresh baked cookies, brownies, and sundaes we had on the trip ... no shortage of goodies on this good ship. So...diving was excellent. Good vis, temperate waters, not much current and just a bit of surge on most of the dives but we got to play with sea lions, saw giant black sea bass, beautiful kelp forests, and plenty of critters. This was a perfect trip if you like to dive. We did 5 dives a day and a night dive to boot. The Peace skipper made a real effort to put us at sites during favorable currents and locales with plenty to see. Being a NW diver I'm used to cold water diving and do all my home diving dry. Heading to Southern Cal I decided to dive layered wet with a 3mm core under a 3mm full. This decision actually cost me a dive as following my fourth dive on the first day I sat one out to recover for the night dive and although I enjoyed the night dive I did get cold. In the future I will bring my drysuit. I just hate losing dives for any reason...so...note to self. If you want to do 6 dives in a day go with a 7mm or a drysuit.
Websites	Peace Dive Boat
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	[Unspecified]Hawaii to Cozumel to British Columbia I dive warm, temperate, and cold...it's all good.
Closest Airport	LAX	Getting There	a million flights in and out
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, surge
Water Temp	65-70°F / 18-21°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]there were no stated restrictions on any of the dives...simply required surface times before they would open up the pool
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish	N/A
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	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]although I rated this trip for photography my caveat is that I am NOT an experienced photographer even though I did bring my meager set up and shoot vids/pics. My ratings reflect the lack of a designated photo table/location but the serious photographers on this trip seemed to manage very effectively with what was provided for them. The crew was very helpful with all the camera gear and set up areas both out on the deck and in the cabin for camera work.

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Peace Dive Boat in The Continental USA/Southern California

Peace Dive Boat: "Great Summers End", Sep, 2016,

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 Peace Dive Boat in
The Continental USA/Southern California