How To Find The Best Scuba ChartersWhether it’s a private boat or a cattle boat, every diver is going to need to find a good scuba charter at one time or another. How do you find the best scuba charter?There are lots of ways to find a good scuba charter, but few are better than your local dive store owner.Many dive store owners have been in the dive industry for decades and they know a lot of people. In addition, shop owners are often offered “Fam trips” to familiarize (hence “fam”) themselves with new boat operators and resorts. There’s a good chance that your local dive shop owner has first-hand knowledge of some of the boats operating in the area you’re considering diving. Even if they don’t, they probably know someone who does. Of course, there is a chance that your local dive shop owner doesn’t know anything about the area you’re going to dive. In that case you’ll have to do a little legwork. Here’s what you do: First, do a quick internet search for dive charters in the area and write down the name and number of the charter. You can poke around the site if you want, but most of them will be quick-and-dirty pages put up by someone with very little experience in web design. You might also want to search dive shops in the area and ask them if they have any recommendations. That way you can include charters without a web presence in your search. Once you have a list of boats to call, get on the phone and start asking questions. Here are a few things to ask: Do they do night dives, day dives, wreck, deep, or all of the above? If you’re looking to do a wreck dive, you don’t want to be on a boat that specializes in drift dives. Make sure that the scuba charter will be going out on the day you want to dive. You’ll also want to make sure that the dive charter’s schedule works well with yours. Some boats offer complimentary fruit, drink and candy on their boats; others charge a fee for their edibles. I’d steer clear of any boat that doesn’t offer anything. It might not seem like a big deal to you now, but after your first dive when you have the taste of seawater in your mouth, you’ll wish you went with the boat that has treats. Don’t limit yourself to those three questions. Decide what’s important to you and ask if it’s something the boat offers. The important thing is to choose a boat that does the diving you want, has the amenities you want and charges a reasonable price. Scuba charters aren’t hard to find, but with a little work, you’ll be able to hunt down the best one in any area. Return to Underwater Diving Equipment Home Page.
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