Boaters Go Overboard - scuba diving

Boat/US Magazine, May, 2000 by Becky Squires

The world above the water is reason enough to go boating. Getting away from it all to sheltered coves that no four wheel drive vehicle can ever reach feeling the rhythm of the water dancing against your hull even the adrenaline rush that comes from experiencing a sudden thunders from experiencing a sudden thunderstorm from under a canvas dodger are all unique to the boating life.

But for many boaters this world only skims the surface. Some 55,000 BoatU.S. members are among the 3 million Americans who are certified scuba divers. Once I you get a glimpse of what's down there, they say, your perspective of the "real" world is forever changed.

Scuba diving is at its most fascinating -- not to mention most comfortable -- in warm waters full of coral reefs and marine life, and both the eastern and western Caribbean fill this bill. While there are literally hundreds of land-based resorts from which you can dive -- or learn to dive -- many divers opt to stay on a boat. In the eastern Caribbean, these boats are generally crewed charter boats; in the western Caribbean, they're live-aboard dive vessels.

What's so great about taking a dive vacation on a boat? First, the crews are diving professionals. Many are instructors, so you can get certified if you need to, or get checked out if it's been awhile since you last dived. The charter captains know all the most popular dive spots and have a few not-so-well-known favorites of their own. Second, all of the boats have dive equipment on board and most have compressors to keep the dive tanks full.

In addition, while land-based vacationers may have to travel in a small open boat for an hour or more to get to a dive site, you're already there in a charter or dive boat, and you aren't limited to a certain area. On a crewed charter boat in the eastern Caribbean, you can dive from one island one day and another the next -- all you have to do is head on over. On a live-aboard dive boat in the western Caribbean, you'll travel more than 100 miles over the water during a typical seven-day trip.

Finally, depending on the boat and the number of guests, it's often less expensive to charter -- with food and drinks included -- than to stay in a hotel or resort. The "little" extras that hotels usually tack onto your bill -- like rental fees for snorkel gear, windsurfers, fishing rods and scuba equipment - are almost always included in the charter fee.

The Learning Curve

There are a number of scuba training and certifying groups to teach you the sport -- PADI, NAUI and the YMCA are the largest. Open Water certification, which includes classroom sessions, a pool dive where you learn to use the scuba equipment, and four open-water dives, can be obtained in as little as four or five days, but that's really pushing it.

Instead, consider this increasingly popular certification method: Take the classroom portion and pool instruction at home, and then have your instructor write a letter of referral to a dive instructor in the Caribbean. Doing this, says Marty Rayman, owner and PADI course director of Aquatic Adventures in Alexandria, VA, means you get the best of both worlds.

"You get all the time you need to learn about the science of the sport and to get your questions answered in class, and then practice using the equipment in a pool until you're comfortable," Rayman said. "Once you have that knowledge under your belt, you'll be prepared to do your four open-water certifying dives in tropical waters."

Diving in the Eastern Caribbean

In the eastern Caribbean, especially the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, there are at least 40 yachts available with a certified diving instructor so you can learn right on board, and another 75 or so with a dive-master aboard (divemasters are diving experts but they aren't yet certified to teach).

The kinds of boats available range from 80-foot motor yachts and sprawling catamarans to smaller sailboats that cater to couples. And while each boat and crew is different, they all have one thing in common - they want their clients to have a great time.

Don't worry if everyone in your party isn't prepared to take the scuba plunge, or is just too young (you have to be at least 10 for PADI certification). Snorkeling is a wonderful way to get a window on what's below. In St. John, USVI, there's a terrific marked snorkeling trail in Trunk Bay maintained by the U.S. National Park Service.

In the British Virgin Islands, probably the most popular diving site is the 1867 wreck of the 310-foot mail ship R.M.S. Rhone, which broke in half during a hurricane. Snorkelers can have a grand time floating just 30 feet above the stern, watching the divers below and the thousands of fish that live in the wreck.

One more benefit of crewed charters is the ability to dive after the sun goes down. Since 80% of all marine life emerge only at night, consider a night dive. With underwater flashlights, you'll see colors you'd hardly notice in the daylight shining forth in the dark like neon signs. Coral polyps extend tentacles from their protective cups as they feed on planktons, lobsters scoot across the bottom and gorgeous parrot fish that surrounded you during the day snooze in their mucus cocoons at night. Shy and beautiful moray eels, mostly hidden in coral nooks and crannies in daylight, slither about the reefs in search of a meal.