Don Foster's offers good option in Grand Cayman
Written: Oct 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice boats, helpful crew and instructors, fun cheap shore diving, runs Stingray City trips
Cons: No nitrox, free hotel shuttle only covers limited area, no small boats
The Bottom Line: Don Foster's runs a highly professional dive operation and offers fun and safe trips for divers of all levels
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| blawler1's Full Review: Don Foster's |
Introduction
I decided to dive with Don Foster's on a recent trip to Grand Cayman. As they offered a 15% discount through the condo where we stayed as well as multiple dive packages (including t-shirt) they were very reasonable compared to other operations. Also, they offered "a la carte" certification dives, which saved us money as my girlfriend was able to complete her final two certification dives without completing a full referral. They also offered free hotel shuttle service for properties located close to town.
The Boats
Don Foster's has a mix of boats ranging from about 12 diver to large party boats for trips to Stingray City and sandbar. These are all appear modern, well equipped and apparently well maintained. If you like to dive on smaller boats (six packs) then you may not be totally satisfied. The west wall dive boats leave from Don Foster's shop dock in down town and the Stingray City boats leave from a shared dock at the Hyatt marina on the other side of the island.
The Diving
Don Foster's offers both two tank and one tank reef and wall dives daily leaving from their dive shop in downtown George Town. The crew work to accommodate a mix of new and experienced divers. The morning two tank dives are generally wall dives a few hundred yards off Seven Mile beach and start with 80 to 100 ft range wall dives that include some swim throughs along with a second reef dive in the 40 to 50 ft range. These are all guided dives with the divemaster offering variable profiles for divers to select with plenty to see guaranteed for all. All of the boat dives I went on were very enjoyable and conducted in a professional manner . A safety measure that I liked was that the boats provided a drop tank and hang lines on the deep dives.
The Stingray City dives start over at the Hyatt docks and are combination snorkel/diving boats which are much larger than the other dive boats. Needless to say this trip is a blast not matter how many people are on board, as there is a surplus of stingrays ready to greet you.
In addition, the area in front of the dive shop is a fun shore dive. The wreck of the Cali lies only a short swim out as well plentiful coral heads. This is a real nice swallow dive (max 25ft) that you can do for cheap. Don Foster's will rent you a tank and weights for about $8 a dive or will throw in unlimited free shore dives with a multi-dive package. This is an excellent place to check out your equipment before going out on the deep dives and offers lots to see including many large tarpon which loiter in the area as well as squid, lobsters and various reef fish. It is an outstanding location of instructional diving as well.
Instruction
Don Foster's provides a wide range of instruction for competitive rates compared to other Grand Cayman operators. They were able to accommodate my girlfriend on one day notice to get an instructor to sign off on her final two check out dives and save us the cost of during an entirely new referral. The only instruction you won't get is nitrox certification. Don Foster's doesn't handle nitrox and therefore doesn't offer this training.
Other Services and Observations
As noted earlier, Don Foster's does not offer nitrox on its dives. This is a disappointment (and the difference between four stars and five stars) because many of the boat dives are perfectly suited for nitrox (40 to 100 ft); however, liability concerns have so far prevented this. While they offer free hotel pick up, it is limited to the properties closer to downtown. They also make videos of many of the dives including the Stingray City trips and will compile all dives on one tape for a nominal fee.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
blawler1
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Location: Lago Vista Tx, USA
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 2 members
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