Provo Diving with Flamingo Divers
I just got back from a week on Provo diving with Flamingo Divers. What a fantastic vacation. My wife and I and another couple (all nondivers) rented a villa http://www.provo.net/etoiledemer/ on Taylor Bay which was very nice. It was about a 15 minute drive to Flamingo Divers (they will pick up from Grace bay area hotels). Mickey and Jayne at Flamingo Divers were fantastic. They love what they do and it shows. They take a maximum of 8 divers which makes for very nice small group dives. I made reservations in advance and on several days there was only one other diver (it's the off season). I was surprised that they honored my reservation with only one other diver on the boat. With most dive sites being about a 45 minute ride I'm sure they weren't making any money, and were probably losing money those days, but the service was always outstanding. When I showed up the first morning I dropped off my gear bag and went to use the restroom. When I returned 3 minutes later my gear was already on the boat and set up for me.
My first Dive was Gulley off of West Caicos. It was a fantastic wall dive and a great introduction to the Turks and Caicos. We saw gray reef sharks, hawksbill turtles, and the biggest lobster I have ever seen. I made 8 dives during the week (had to spend time with my nondiving wife too). Other dive sites I dove during the week included: Boat Cove, Devil's Horn, Midnight Manta, Pot of Gold, Coney Island, Highway to Heaven and Rock Garden Interlude. I am not vey good at describing the beauty of my dives so I will let the pictures do the talking. http://picasaweb.google.com/mallyandrick/
UnderwaterTurksAndCaicos2007
Mickey and Jayne take turns leading the dives and take pictures and videos with a digital camera in a housing. At the end of the week they made me a picture CD including all of the dives for $25. What a great service. I was able to relax and enjoy the dive while they recorded it all in pictures and video.
I would definitely dive with Mickey and Jayne again, their service was unsurpassed. Here is what I liked: They take a maximum of 8 divers - I hate cattle boats. The dive boat has a very nice setup for diving including emergency O2, a marine head (didn't have to pee in my wetsuit), a platform for giant stride entries, shade, and a hang bar for safety stops. Mickey and Jayne gave good dive briefings, were very safety conscious, and were passionate about diving. Between dive snacks were good. The brownies and cookies were yummy and they also had chips, water, lemonade, and fresh fruit. Towels were provided. I never once felt rushed. I used my own gear but the other divers used rental gear and it appeared to be in very good condition. They rinsed and stored my dive gear each day. It seemed that my every need was anticipated. I got mask out and Mickey was there with a spray bottle of defog. Before I could ask he offered to dip my mask. By the time I got my mask off and my wetsuit unzipped after a dive they had switched tanks and put my fins in my dive bag. The service was first class. I could definitely get spoiled with this kind of diving.
I don't mean for this trip report to sound like an advertisement for Flamingo Divers but I do want to spread the word about my experience with them. I am not associated with them and have not been compensated by them in any way. I know that it is difficult to make a living in the diving industry and I think it is important to recognize the dive shops that do it right.
Thanks Mickey and Jayne!
I just got back from a week on Provo diving with Flamingo Divers. What a fantastic vacation. My wife and I and another couple (all nondivers) rented a villa http://www.provo.net/etoiledemer/ on Taylor Bay which was very nice. It was about a 15 minute drive to Flamingo Divers (they will pick up from Grace bay area hotels). Mickey and Jayne at Flamingo Divers were fantastic. They love what they do and it shows. They take a maximum of 8 divers which makes for very nice small group dives. I made reservations in advance and on several days there was only one other diver (it's the off season). I was surprised that they honored my reservation with only one other diver on the boat. With most dive sites being about a 45 minute ride I'm sure they weren't making any money, and were probably losing money those days, but the service was always outstanding. When I showed up the first morning I dropped off my gear bag and went to use the restroom. When I returned 3 minutes later my gear was already on the boat and set up for me.
My first Dive was Gulley off of West Caicos. It was a fantastic wall dive and a great introduction to the Turks and Caicos. We saw gray reef sharks, hawksbill turtles, and the biggest lobster I have ever seen. I made 8 dives during the week (had to spend time with my nondiving wife too). Other dive sites I dove during the week included: Boat Cove, Devil's Horn, Midnight Manta, Pot of Gold, Coney Island, Highway to Heaven and Rock Garden Interlude. I am not vey good at describing the beauty of my dives so I will let the pictures do the talking. http://picasaweb.google.com/mallyandrick/
UnderwaterTurksAndCaicos2007
Mickey and Jayne take turns leading the dives and take pictures and videos with a digital camera in a housing. At the end of the week they made me a picture CD including all of the dives for $25. What a great service. I was able to relax and enjoy the dive while they recorded it all in pictures and video.
I would definitely dive with Mickey and Jayne again, their service was unsurpassed. Here is what I liked: They take a maximum of 8 divers - I hate cattle boats. The dive boat has a very nice setup for diving including emergency O2, a marine head (didn't have to pee in my wetsuit), a platform for giant stride entries, shade, and a hang bar for safety stops. Mickey and Jayne gave good dive briefings, were very safety conscious, and were passionate about diving. Between dive snacks were good. The brownies and cookies were yummy and they also had chips, water, lemonade, and fresh fruit. Towels were provided. I never once felt rushed. I used my own gear but the other divers used rental gear and it appeared to be in very good condition. They rinsed and stored my dive gear each day. It seemed that my every need was anticipated. I got mask out and Mickey was there with a spray bottle of defog. Before I could ask he offered to dip my mask. By the time I got my mask off and my wetsuit unzipped after a dive they had switched tanks and put my fins in my dive bag. The service was first class. I could definitely get spoiled with this kind of diving.
I don't mean for this trip report to sound like an advertisement for Flamingo Divers but I do want to spread the word about my experience with them. I am not associated with them and have not been compensated by them in any way. I know that it is difficult to make a living in the diving industry and I think it is important to recognize the dive shops that do it right.
Thanks Mickey and Jayne!
