| What about bad weather? |
A meteorologist in the Virgin Islands has a fairly easy job throughout most the year. It will be in the 80’s with a chance of rain. If it does rain, it is often quick and then the sun is back out, again. With a power boat it is easy to weigh the anchor and move on to another place if need be. Therefore, it is improbable the captain will cancel due to the weather. If the forecast calls for rain, consider packing a light jacket.
If you choose to cancel, you will be subject to our cancellation policy.
In the case of an extreme storm (i.e. unseasonably high wind/swell, hurricanes/tropical storms) the captain will cancel and will not charge for the day.
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| What is the cancellation policy? |
A ha! You are a clever one!
When you book the trip via phone or email we will take a credit card number to hold the space. Nothing will be charged at that time. If you cancel less than 48 hours before the trip, you will be charged 50% of the quoted rate. Cancellations on the morning of the trip or “no show” will incur the full quoted cost of the trip.
When you book a trip through the website (2-tank dives) your credit card will be charged at the time of booking. If you cancel more than 48 hours out you will be given a full refund. Less than 48 hours out you will receive a 50% refund. No shows the day of the trip will not receive a refund.
Trips are determined as no-shows 15 minutes after your scheduled departure time. If you are on a private trip and are going to be late please call or text the shop to let us know and our staff will wait for your arrival.
The cancellation policy is for everyone’s protection. We work seven days a week on St John. Having a last minute cancellation or a no-show can be a devastating loss. We do everything in our power to keep our rates as low as we can while still providing a top notch service.
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| What about seasickness? |
If you are prone to the mal de mer, take medication prior to coming on the boat. Most medication will not work after you get sea sick and often require an hour to become effective. Many people have claimed good results from Sea Bands style pressure cuffs.
Sea sickness is exasperated by dehydration, hunger and sleepiness - make sure you are drinking water throughout the day and be sure to pack some sun protection.
Please, let the captain know if you aren’t feeling well… we will find a place to hide out for a while if we need to.
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| How many people can come along? |
Our 28' Privateer dive boat Ellen can now take up to 10 people (rate increase for groups over 6). We limit two tank divers to 6, but can have 4 more snorkelers on board.
Our 26' World Cat Busy Bee can take up to 6 people. We limit two tank divers on the Busy Bee to four, but can have two more snorkelers on board.
When run in tandem the two boats can take a total of 16 passengers.
We have many friends in the industry - ok, we have some friends in the industry... ok, we have people that are willing to work with us. We can put together other boats to accommodate more people if need be.
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| Will there be booze? |
On board, the cooler will have Coke, Diet Coke, Ginger Ale, water and ice. If you want to bring your own drinks/beer, feel free to do so. Please, DO NOT bring anything in glass bottles.
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| Do I need to know how to swim? |
If you want to get in water more than waist deep – yes!
We have aids to floatation on board like lifejackets and noodles. If you have never snorkeled before or are apprehensive about it, let the captain know. We will take good care of you with floatation aids, instructions and supervision. The plan is a day of fun and adventure!
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| How far above sea level are we? |
Depends on which boat we are on but a foot… give or take.
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| Is there a bathroom aboard? |
In sailor speak, we call it a head… but, no, we don’t have one on either of our powerboats.
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| We have a small child, can they come along? |
Sure. But full disclosure: that is the ocean out there. It can get bumpy from time to time… and it is our understanding, if the kid ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. I’m sure we can find a lot of fun for the whole family. Yes, even infants are considered passengers by the Coast Guard. This means a child does count as one of the maximum six passengers.
Our son lives on a boat and we find he gets antsy after a few hours, so consider a half day excursion with the little ones. Also, be sure to pack plenty of sunscreen, sunshirts and hats for the little ones (and the not so little ones). The sun gets to people a lot quicker here than most are used to.
Children will need to wear a lifejacket on board. We have some vest style jackets for this purpose.
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| What should we bring? |
• Cash/Credit Cards
• Swim suit/Rash Guards
• Cover ups
• Hats
• Sunglasses
• (Non-aerosol) Sunscreen
• Snorkel Gear (included in your trip, or rent for the week)
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| Where can we rent snorkel gear? |
Right here at the Busy Bee Watersports: Dive and Snorkel Center!
We have high quality Scubapro gear for diving and snorkeling available by the day or week.
All gear is included in your charter price.
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| Should we bring our own dive/snorkel gear? |
Quite frankly - that is up to you...
As experienced dive instructors, we will tell you that having your own gear can be a wonderful investment. Being familiar with your own gear makes the entire process easier and more comfortable. But we have plenty of high quality gear available for you to use as well.
We have a variety of rental masks have silicone skirts and our fins are made from monoprene meaning they are more comfortable, fit better and will last longer than the typical rubber rental gear you find on most cattlemarans. We have nice jacket style Scubapro BCs with integrated weight pockets. We carry 2.5mm shorty wetsuits from Scubapro and have some women's 2.5mm long arm, short leg style wetsuits from Henderson. Our regulator sets are from Scubapro with Mk2 first stages, R195/R095 second stages/octos, spg and Aladin One Computers.
Most important, we reguarly service our gear and carry spares on the boats - so if you happen to find a chewed mouthpiece, a cracking hose, or a dead computer battery, we can replace those quickly on board.
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| Where do we meet? |
Right here at the Busy Bee Watersports: Dive and Snorkel Center!
Across the street from Skinny Leg's and the Coral Bay Firehouse is Lime Lofts, a green building. We are the only shop on the lowest level.
You can park in front of any of the "Tenant Parking" spots in our lot. If you're on a morning shared trip, or planning on visiting Skinny Legs after your trip, consider parking in the public parking spots right across the street from our shop.
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| Can we start later and end later if we keep it a 4 hour trip? |
Short Answer: No.
Long Answer: We schedule half day trips 8:30-12:30 or 1-5. There's a lot that goes on before, between, and after our scheduled trips. Including, but not limited to, hauling tanks and gear to/from the dock, gearing up guests, rinsing gear, replenishing ice/soda/water, eating lunch, cleaning the boat, etc... Often times trips are back to back which means the captain/crew start at about 7:45AM and end around 5:45. Standard hours allow our staff to plan a life outside of their job.
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| What are these roads like in the winter? |
Rough.
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