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Dive Review of Blue Island Divers/Marriott Frenchmen's Reef in
Virgin Islands/St. Thomas

Blue Island Divers/Marriott Frenchmen's Reef, Nov, 2004,

by DAVID ELLIS, TX, Usa . Report 1460.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 3 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We did a Sunday morning lobster dive. The ride out and back was a bit bumpy. The first site was a terrific dive site just off an island west of St. Thomas. The terrain was a hump or piles of rocks just out from Savanna Island. It was a beautiful dive site. I would love to dive it again just for the dive. Depth was 75' and less. Vis was 80 or more. There was a slight current. The dive master knew just where the lobsters would be. Lucky I was with him. They provided what we needed to lasso the bugs from behind. The DM's experience helped us cull and release the female and bag the keepers. It wasn't easy! The DM, myself, and another diver brought back 6 from the 1st dive. Saw a shark, turtle, and a large variety of carribean fish, large and small, while looking for lobsters. We surfaced, did our surface interval and moved to another location on the other side of the island. Vis was half the 1st dive and not nearly as interesting but we did get another large lobster. Long bumpy ride back to Frenchmen's Reef dock where we stayed. They gave me a container to carry my lobsters back to the room where we iced them down in the bathtub until dinner. The chef at the Blue Havanna (there at the Marriott Morningstar Resort) had agreed to prepare them if we brought some back. The newly opened restaurant had never done that before and the waitstaff was buzzing about it. The chef seemed truly excited when we told him to "do his own thing" with the lobsters. Our 25th anniversary dinner couldn't have been more excellent or memorable. I highly recommend Blue Island and the Marriott Resort. We plan to return and do more diving there. David Ellis, davidel57@juno.com

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 26-50 dives
Where else diving Grand Cayman, Aruba, Bahamas
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions No restrictions on the dive. All except one diver were advanced and he was with his instructor. Most were locals and everyone was allowed to do their own dive.
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 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Didn't take my camera but there were a pair of very experienced photographers aboard. The did provide a rinse tank for her camera and she seemed pleased with the dive locations and opportunities for photos.
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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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