The Jam Cruise Forum

JamCruise virgin here!! The Mrs and I are so excited to hop aboard this January. We've started diving certification classes...something we've always wanted to do since our first trip to the Caribbean. Planning to do a couple dives while we are docked in Turks & Caicos. Anyone have tips/advice on how to go about making sure it all goes well? My understanding is that its something we would have to book separately..which is fine. Just thought there might be divers out there with inside info or advice. Thanks!

Welcome aboard! There was a thread about this a couple of months back here:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14389&hilit=diving

_________________
http://jamlive.org/

Just don't miss getting back on the ship. =) Enjoy the dive!

_________________
"We're totally going to be the most obnoxious bunch of not-drunk motherfuckers ever."
"a perfect blend of functional and dysfunctional rolled into one smiling package of joy"
"What happened, you ran out of fabric?"

Check the Cruise Critic board for Turks and Caicos. There is a lot of good info there on booking independent things and the people they recommend are used to dealing with cruise people and getting them back to the boat on time.

Linda

Thanks y'all! Much appreciated!

Welcome!

_________________
JC 6,7,8,9 and 11 in 2013...funk me silly!

Just want to caution you a bit, especially since this seems like it will be your first JamCruise and your first open water dive. I would personally caution putting both of those firsts together like that!

I don't know your commitment level, but scuba diving has some inherent risks, even for advanced divers, and thus needs a serious commitment. And our ability to deal with 'problems' diminishes greatly with lack of sleep and copious amounts of alcohol.

I dive pretty much every year on JamCruise. But that means that I have to stop drinking at a reasonable hour the night before, actually get some sleep, get up ridiculously early, find and meet up with the other divers, deal with trying to get off the ship if it's a tender situation (which is a clusterfuck to say the least), get fitted for rental equipment and spend enough time with it to feel comfortable with it, hope the weather cooperates, and then that is all for just two dives if I'm lucky. I do it because I love to scuba dive and I like to try to keep my certification current, and lately it's about the only opportunity I have. And every year I still have thoughts on skipping the dive, and just having fun on the cruise.

My suggestion would be to pursue your scuba certification and schedule a week vacation of nothing but scuba diving. Go somewhere like Belize or Mexico on the cheap and have fun just diving. And schedule a night dive or two as well.

And for your first JamCruise, just plan on having as much fun as humanly possible, then use the ports to catch up on some sleep before getting off to check things out.

You can also think of it in a financial aspect. You are paying a couple thousand for this JamCruise experience for two people, flights, hotels, etc. Imagine if one of you had an issue on the dive that required medical attention. You would likely miss getting back on the boat, and your entire trip would be shot over a $150 dive.

Now if it something you feel you have to do, then by all means do it. But make sure you make that commitment to it!

If you have any other questions, just PM me.

- Skate -

^^^ That's some good advice there, I have yet to make a dive from Jam Cruise, and I LOVE diving. Have fun whatever you decide!

_________________
"We're totally going to be the most obnoxious bunch of not-drunk motherfuckers ever."
"a perfect blend of functional and dysfunctional rolled into one smiling package of joy"
"What happened, you ran out of fabric?"

great advice from Skate.

I've been diving for 20 years and used to do it professionally but since I moved to the NE I only get to do it once a year or so. If you are going to be fully certified and have the ability to do some other open water dives before jamcruise then I would say go ahead and do it on the cruise during the port stop.

But, if these are going to be your first dives after certification, as much as I love diving in the T&C, I would advise perhaps skipping it on this trip. Skate nailed it when he (or she) listed all of those things you're going to have to do to ensure a safe and enjoyable dive. I went on both moe. cruises and scheduled 2 dive trips on both...on the 2nd cruise I came down with a nasty cold the night before the 2nd dive and was unable to equalize, so I paid to sit on the boat while everyone else dove, when I could have been on the beach or elsewhere. And then I got the norovirus later in the day and missed that night's show and was physically miserable for the next 2 days.

So, just a few things to think about...I was planning on signing up for the dive trip but I'm going to skip it this time around since it's our first JC and just have fun.

_________________
"To you who are alive, what are the things that are truly important? And while you are still alive, what are you doing about them?"--Patrick LeBlanc
Time is a song just waiting for a singer, song is a fire that burns in the night--moe.

I have to also agree with skate. Having gone diving three times on Jamcruise, you do have to be responsible as a diver. So many things can affect your dive experience. Tyring to get to sleep at a reasonable time and not over indulging the night before you dive is a committment. We also played the boat tender game in the morning just trying to get off in time. Having said that, diving is a wonderful sport. I don't know if you can pull it off, but Ft. Lauderdale and the West Palm Beach area have wonderful reefs, wrecks and marine life. Over the years, I have seen more interesting things there than just about anyplace. It may add a day or two to your vacation, but may be well worth it. You're already in Florida! As a side note, most of the dives are drift dives there, but the gulf stream is only a very short distance off the shore. It's the closest the gulf stream gets to the coast in the US. Once you get your buoyancy down, it's just like flying in the water! See you on the ship!
Bruce

_________________
No matter where you go, there you are.
JC 3, 4, 5 & 11!

I have to agree with Bruce and Skate here - drift diving off Ft Lauderdale is a better choice. I have organized dive trips on 3 jamcruises and have over 25 years as a dive master with over 600 dives. The last time we were at the Grand Turks I organized a dive excursion and then the schedule came out and one of the bands I really go to see had a 2 am to 4 am time slot so I ended up leaving the ship at 7:30 with no sleep. I dove and encountered some thermals that pretty much sucked the energy out of me and when I got back to the ship I was so exhausted that I slept for about 12 hours and missed an entire night of jamcruise (1/5th of the cruise). And that is the last time I dove on JamCruise!

btw - both Skate and Bruce were both on multiple JC dive trips I organized (lol)

_________________
the HAT is back!!!! if you are looking for me check out the FRONT ROW!!!

Bill,
Great to hear from you. Did you get your room yet for this year? I am in with Leo (from Stuart) and a couple others. Can't wait to see you again. I didn't even consider how tired diving can make you. That's another great point to consider. See you in a few months hopefully!
Bruce

_________________
No matter where you go, there you are.
JC 3, 4, 5 & 11!