Top 10 Things to do Adventurous in Bermuda, Bermuda

Reviewed By boonegis

I came to Bermuda in early November 2020 to enjoy a five week mini-sabbatical while continuing to work (remotely) as an equities trader. One of the things I was most anxious to experience was the great diving opportunities on the island. I was a newly certified diver (as was my son Michael and my friend Charlie, both of whom spent time with me on the island) with only 8 dives under my belt and had never dove in salt water before arriving in Bermuda. During my stay on the island, I completed roughly twenty dives with Blue Water Divers (BWD). The diving itself surpassed my already high expectations. We dove many of the wrecks which are ubiquitous in the waters around Bermuda and explored many of the popular reefs. As somebody who earned his dive certification in a dark and cold Illinois quarry, the upgraded dive experience in the warm clear ocean waters around Bermuda more than made up for the Covid-related hassles involved in getting into and staying on the island. But it was really the people of BWD who made scuba diving such a memorable experience for me, Charlie and my son. I urge anyone traveling to Bermuda who is even remotely interested in trying scuba diving to dive with BWD. Moreover, I would encourage any diver, regardless of experience level, to dive with BWD in Bermuda. Chris, a native Bermudian owns the business and is one of two captains of the BWD dive boat. Chris’ two majordomos are Ina, a native of Norway/Germany, and Chiara, an Italian native who is the second BWD boat captain. Both women are extremely competent and experienced Dive Masters and/ or scuba Instructors. Both Ina and Chiara are no-nonsense when it comes to safety—both in explaining BWD’s anti-Covid procedures and in ensuring that every diver, regardless of experience, knows what to do and how to do it. Chiara was particularly helpful in my pre-trip preparations—we exchanged a dozen or so emails prior to my arrival in Bermuda—and I found her to be particularly warm and friendly. We typically went out on the boat with 10-18 clients and 5-7 BWD staff (including Ina and Chiara). All of the BWD Dive Masters/Instructors are very experienced divers and I found all of them to be very friendly and knowledgeable. They all went went out of their way to ease the awkwardness and anxiety of the less-experienced divers and worked hard to make sure that everyone on the boat had a positive and fun experience. At the same time, they were very conscientious and professional in checking and double checking that everyone was geared up appropriately and that everyone knew what they would be doing both on and off the boat. The on-board staff made sure that everyone’s equipment was put on correctly, e.g., that the appropriate weight was given to each diver, that tanks were turned on, BCDs inflated and BCD straps were tightened, masks defogged, etc. Each diver was assigned a dive buddy and DiveMaster/Instructor to dive with and was given a safety briefing as well as the protocols for entering and exiting the water. In addition, everyone was given a brief description of the dive site and estimated dive times and max depths. As a beginning diver it was nice to know that you were diving with a crew who knew what they were doing and who made sure that every diver knew what to do, or what to expect, from the time they stood up on the boat to enter the water until they sat down after the completion of the dive. Big shoutouts go to Martin, Nico, Justin, Dwayne of BWD. Martin is a very nice guy who I had the pleasure to dive with and who was kind enough to take and send me photos of one of our dives—Marty got a great picture of a green eel that we freed from a lobster trap. Although I never dove with Nico, he was constantly in motion; helping divers on the boat or taking care of equipment. He was also very generous with his time in fielding my questions about dive equipment. I dove with Dwayne several times. He is another very nice guy and he went out of his way to make sure that I had a good dive and to answer my many questions. He also generously shared the underwater photos and videos that he took of Charlie and me. I also dove with Justin several times. Justin is, like me, a Chicago native, and is a former Chicago EMT. He was great to dive with and was particularly gracious in easing my son’s nervousness before and during our dives together. A few final observations. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A CERTIFIED DIVER TO SCUBA DIVE WITH BWD. They have a “Try Dive” program, which is unique to Bermuda and which allows confident swimmers, under the guidance of a one of BWD’s instructors, to have a go at scuba diving in a safe and fun environment. I think a lot of people are afraid or at least nervous at the prospect of trying scuba diving. I know that I was. This program is a great way to experience this great sport in a safe and supportive environment. And for those people who may dread the thought of feeling embarrassed or awkward, don’t worry. From my experience, there are generally always beginners on the boat and more importantly, the BWD staff is very friendly and encouraging and will almost certainly put you at ease. BWD IS THE ONLY BERMUDIAN DIVE SHOP WHICH IS OPEN NOW. BWD has remained open during most of the pandemic and has not “closed for the season” or closed for Covid as have all the other Bermudian dive shops. One can go diving all year in Bermuda. In fact, diving in Bermuda can be even better during the winter as underwater visibility tends to be much better during the winter months than during the summer. YES, SCUBA DIVING WITH BWD IN BERMUDA IS EXPENSIVE. ITS EXPENSIVE, HOWEVER, BECAUSE SCUBA DIVING IS EXPENSIVE AND BERMUDA IS EXPENSIVE. Anybody who has gone to Bermuda knows how hideously expensive the island is for tourists. Count on, for example, the cost of groceries being at least double those in the US. Gasoline is currently $8.50/gallon in Bermuda which is roughly three times what I pay for gas in my suburban Chicago community. Virtually everything coming into the island is subject to a 25% duty. So, if you are running a dive operation in Bermuda, fuel costs for your boat will be higher, costs for new wetsuits and gear for customer rentals will be higher (the total cost to purchase a decent set of complete scuba gear, including tank, for a beginning diver will run around $1,500 or more), insurance costs will be higher and you also have to pay 5-7 skilled DiveMasters/Instructors to accompany every set of 10-18 paying clients on each boat dive. In addition, you have to pay well enough to retain your current employees and well enough to attract new employees, when necessary, who are both experienced divers with the requisite certifications and who are also good with customers. Moreover, the business is hostage to the weather in that dive boat does not go out if it is too windy and the seas become too rough to dive safely. Conclusion: nobody is getting rich at BWD. They do it because they love it. If you are planning to come to Bermuda and have ever thought about trying scuba diving, call or email BWD and they will give you any and all the information you need before you take, ahem, the plunge.