Dive Review of So. Florida Diving Headquarters/Sands Marina Hotel in
The Continental USA/Pampano Beach, FL

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So. Florida Diving Headquarters/Sands Marina Hotel, Mar, 2008, by Marjorie Griffing, GA, USA ( Reviewer 6 reports). Report 3966.
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	We booked a boat that could hold no more than 12 divers and was to go to a wreck to 60 feet and then to a 30-40 ft drift dive. We showed up at their offices at the Sands Marina and were asked if we planned do dive. When we said yes, we were told the afternoon boats left from another location. No one told us this when we booked. When we arrived at the other location, they told us there were not enough divers to run the trip we had booked. Instead, we were assigned to a boat holding about 40 people, 30 of whom were snorkelers. There was no attempt to contact us before hand (we have VOIP - there is no record of a call.) The divers were assigned to spots in the back in the corners where it was impossible to set up gear and get geared up. The first dive was to 35 feet. We came up with 1800 PSI after 45 minutes - the max time limit. The second dive averaged about 11 feet. We had 2000 PSI left. Had we known this was the profile, we would have only needed one tank each, not the two we paid for. They charged for weights. The crew was no help. They rushed us off the boat, rushed us to switch over our tanks between dives because we "only have 5 minutes." Dive briefings were of no use - no description of the topography or suggestions of where to look for things or how to navigate the site. The only reason to book with this outfit is that they are the only outfit going out on a Friday afternoon. The bait and switch tactic was not appreciated. If you book with them, be aware that you likely will not get what is advertised. We've confirmed with others that this is a common practice of this operation. We did see two nurse sharks and a large eel, but that didn't make up for the lack of consideration for the divers.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Minnesota, Wisconsin, Great Lakes, Bermuda, Cozumel, Bonaire, Florida Keys, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather		Seas	choppy, surge
Water Temp	75-75°F / 24-24°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	25-35 Ft/ 8-11 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	45 minutes max, depths to 35 feet
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of So. Florida Diving Headquarters/Sands Marina Hotel in The Continental USA/Pampano Beach, FL

So. Florida Diving Headquarters/Sands Marina Hotel, Mar, 2008,

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 So. Florida Diving Headquarters/Sands Marina Hotel in
The Continental USA/Pampano Beach, FL