Sunday, November 6, 2016

Diving With Sail Caribbean Divers on Tortola, British Virgin Islands


On November 2, 2016, as a shore excursion from the Norwegian cruise ship "Escape" we dove with Sail Caribbean Divers in Road Town, on the island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands.  Diving with this company was, without doubt, one of the finest of my novice-level diving experience.  My partner Cathy Hayslett, who has been on more than 150 dives on three continents, was also massively impressed with the quality of the dive and more importantly the quality of the customer service provided by Sail Caribbean Divers.  

On our return from the cruise I wrote a review of the company and posted it on Trip Advisor.  I'm re-posting that same information here and hope that if you are a diver, and plan to travel to the British Virgin Islands, you look no farther than Sail Caribbean Divers for your trips.  You will not be disappointed.



“If There Is A Grade Higher Than A++ This Company Deserves It!”
My partner Cathy Hayslett and I participated in a two-tank dive with Sail Caribbean Divers on November 2, 2016. This was done as a shore excursion from the Norwegian Escape. From the moment we boarded the dive boat, the six of us on this trip knew we were in the hands of professionals. Our objective for the day was to dive the Wreck of the Royal Mail Steamer Rhone in up to 85 feet of water. Before each dive we were given extensive background information on where we were diving, what to hopefully see, and all of the standard safety precautions. We had four dive masters for the six of us which is totally unheard of with most dive operators. There was simply no way any of us could have encountered any sort of problem without one of their highly professional dive masters being right there to help us. 
Brian and Matt are two of the superb staff who will ensure you have a safe and highly satisfactory experience when you dive with Sail Caribbean Divers

Because I am a relatively novice diver (14 logged dives) I informed Brian, one of the dive masters, and he went out of his way to make sure I was safe and that I experienced the most possible from the dive experience. The other dive masters, Adam, Matt and Marcus were equally as helpful and readily available.

The dives were incredible with visibility of at least 60 feet. Marine life was super abundant which, for a retired wildlife biologist, was an added treat. All in all from the beginning of the trip until our reluctant return to the ship we were well cared for (the pound cake during our surface interval was so tasty I had two pieces).

The only snag in the experience was before departure when the British Virgin Islands Customs Department decided that jerking around the dive operators over some ridiculous paperwork held up our departure for an hour. This was totally NOT the fault of Sail Caribbean Divers - it was Caribbean politics at its finest. Because of our late departure (which, again, was not the fault of Sail Caribbean Divers) each dive participant was given a free t-shirt as a token of the company's concern for the tardiness of the departure. They certainly were under no obligation to do so but felt it was necessary to keep their clients happy. Not many dive operators would have gone that extra mile.

As we departed the dive boat at the conclusion of our trip, I shook Brian's hand and told him "I would come back and dive with you any day." And I meant it.

Its obvious from this review that both Cathy and I absolutely loved our dives and loved this dive company. We cannot recommend them highly enough and are certain that if you choose to dive with Sail Caribbean Divers you will return from the experience with the same effervescence that we possess. I guarantee it.

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