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Diving and Sailing Charters
Many people ask us if diving is possible during their sailing vacation, and the answer is always yes. There are several excellent dive operators in the islands that can rendezvous with your charteryacht, pick you up, take you diving and bring you back. The Virgin Islands are the best dive destination for private yachts because you don't have to travel very far to get from one place to the next, allowing time for diving and sailing.
If you would like to do more than one or two dives you many wish to choose a yacht that can offer you diving right off the yacht. Yachts that offer diving usually have either a certified Diving Instructor or a Dive Master as a crewmember. We don't recommend you dive from crewed yachts that don't have one or the other, as few can obtain diving liability insurance. Some yachts include diving in their charter rate, but the majority of them charge extra for this sport or levy a fee for dive equipment rental.
A Diving Instructor can provide a two-hour scuba familiarization course, then take beginners on shallow-water dives throughout the charter. A Dive Master cannot instruct you but is highly qualified to lead dives for those who are already fully certified.
If you wish to become a certified diver, certification courses can be conducted during your charter we don't usually recommend this, as it involves a lot of bookwork. It's better to get your studying and written tests out of the way before you begin your trip, though you can perform the actual qualification dives after arrival.
You can use our search engine to obtain a list of yachts that offer diving, either in alphabetical order or in price-ascending order. You'll note that our listings indicate the number of dives that each yacht is prepared to provide during the course of one week. Most yachts limit diving to 5 or 6 per week, feeling that more than this takes away from the overall charter experience. However some yachts will do up to three dives a day should that be your preference.
One yacht that is both affordable and provides more up to 10 dives weekly is Opus. Both crewmembers are diving instructors and familiar with all the best dive sites in the Virgin Islands. Southern Comfort and Irie are two larger yachts that are very popular dive choices. You'll find many more excellent dive yachts listed in our search engine. For more specific dive information about the various yachts, please send us an or phone us toll-free at 1-888-226-3211. (Outside the continental USA: 970-871-1848.)  |
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