Author Topic: Re: Dive report from Dominican - Aqua Center (Read 5325 times)

JohnnyCastaway · « **on:** August 27, 2005, 03:35:00 PM »

I've posted a report on diving from Casa Marina Beach, it's a bit long winded, but I tend to ramble a bit when it comes to diving. :D

Casa Marina Beach Dive Report

Gambitt · « **Reply #1 on:** August 27, 2005, 04:39:00 PM »

Hi John...

Just ready your dive report, and I only have 1 question.... When Do We Leave???

Sounds like you had an amazing experience. Now that you're an Advanced diver too, maybe I can get you to try a bit of Ontario diving.

Glad you had a great time!

Gambitt

JohnnyCastaway · « **Reply #2 on:** August 27, 2005, 04:42:00 PM »

Hi Gambitt!

My gear is cleaned up and packed away ready for the next trip, so just let me know when to be at the airport! :D

I want to start the Rescue course soon, and i've still got the specialties to do for the master, but it's hard to think of cold ontario water when I just finished diving in the DR. :eek:

JohnnyCastaway · « **Reply #3 on:** August 27, 2005, 04:46:00 PM »

BTW, I do have about 10 dives logged in Ontario, so I do know what it's like.

My open water was in tobermoray, middle of July, and the water was 57f. :eek:

debmich · « **Reply #4 on:** August 29, 2005, 12:22:00 AM »

Nice review!
Henry and I did our first dive at the CMB a couple of years ago, unfortunately for me it was my last dive and for HEnry it was the first of many! He loves it, I may love it later in the future when Jaxon gets old enough!

Debbie

JohnnyCastaway · « **Reply #5 on:** August 29, 2005, 07:22:00 PM »

Thanx Debmich,

Actually, my introduction to diving was in the Dominican as well, in Boca Chica. Did two dives there, came home, signed up for the open water course and haven't looked back. :D

« **Reply #6 on:** August 30, 2005, 11:22:00 AM »

Great review, the diving sounds nice and varied, certainly food for thought for a location next Spring.

dfromyyc · « **Reply #7 on:** October 15, 2005, 08:14:00 PM »

johnnycastaway

just read your report,the dw and i are looking at the casa marina reef and want to dive there.thinking of doing the advanced as well.
did you do classroom work there/ before you went.
how was the waves for shore entry?
did you just do the one boat dive?
i see that they are offering one free dive if you register before oct 31 and am thinking of replying by e-mail.got to book first. flopnfly said that there were bugs in the room, any ideal what the reef was like compared to the beach.

david

JohnnyCastaway · « **Reply #8 on:** October 15, 2005, 08:59:00 PM »

Hi Dave,
I bought the book before we went down there, for the most part there is no classroom work. Read the appropriate chapters (the dives that you're going to do, check with the dive shop as to which ones they can do), then answer the review questions at the end of each section (they'll collect those pages from you at the end). Each dive has 3 parts, a "pre-dive" briefing, where you go over the objectives of the dive, then the actual dive, and then a post dive briefing to discuss the dive, and make sure that all of the concepts are clear. Other than that, the only class work is to read the chapters. Shore entry wasn't too bad, we were in the water before the big waves really started up, and once you're about 10' out it doesn't really bother you . current can be a bit of a brute when you're doing a surface swim to the dive sites.

I got two boat dives in, the wreck dive, and the deep dive, the rest were shore entry. Nice thing about diving there is that most of the dive sites are shore entry.

Not really sure how the beach compares to the reef, but yes, there were bugs in our room at the reef.

dfromyyc · « **Reply #9 on:** October 15, 2005, 11:09:00 PM »

thanks johnnycastaway

we have been thinking of doing our advanced for some time, it may be hard to convince the dear wife yet but if we go there, i may look at it. our last two vacations we dove cuba and were doing 30 meter dives some of the time [most at what is now the blau were 30m]. how is the cold water diving? we have drysuits! what a difference.

david

JohnnyCastaway · « **Reply #10 on:** October 15, 2005, 11:14:00 PM »

all of my dives lately have been in the caribbean, so it's been tropical shorty, but eventually I'll be diving with Gambitt here in Ontario, so back to my 7mm full wetsuit. I much prefer the warm water diving, being the warm water wussie that I am... ;)

JohnnyCastaway · « **Reply #11 on:** October 15, 2005, 11:18:00 PM »

There was a good article posted by Wossa about deep diving on vacation,

http://www.7daysinparadise.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000019

it seems the insurance companies are getting sticky about divers cert's.