Tobago Dive Experience - Speyside

[Alice Mutasa]

I have just come back from a week diving with Tobago Dive Experience in Speyside, and I was surprised to read the bad review you have for them on this site. I found them to be highly professional; friendly and safety conscious. There were usually 2 divemasters / guides on each dive, both carrying delayed SMBs, and the dive guides were definitely all certified, as I saw their cards when they signed my log book! I was staying in Charlotteville, & they were the only dive centre that would collect and take me back every day at no extra charge (the other operators in Speyside refused to do pick-ups). Altogether an excellent diving experience!

[D Vaughn]

i think you must have been lucky or just caught them on one of their better days. i lived in trinidad now for eight months and been over to dive in tobago three times already. first time i dived i went several months back i dived with EXTRA DIVERS because i read good things on this site and heard good things from some dive buddies of mine. they were fine, no complaints the diving was very good. then my second trip extra divers were kinda busy so i checked out TOBAGO EXPERIENCE and was not impressed, just before the holidays when over there for my third visit but didnt get to dive because of a heavy flu! i heard divers at Tobago dive experience complaining about all kinds of things. im not saying what exactly because it didnt happen to me first hand but it put me off ever using them again. i know the AQUAMARINE BLUEWATERS dive shop wont pick you up, you really need to be staying in their hotel to dive with them but i know extra divers will collect you for free. i dived with REDMAN my third time. it was ok, he's a funny guy and he'll come get you if you ask, but the diving was not so special. and he's a kinda small time outfit, there was somethings that concerned me though. there's also a guy CARIBSTU who'll pick up but he was all booked out so didnt get to try him as yet. next trip i want to dive down crown point as i heard theres good diving that side so might try extra divers or R&C does anyone know if either of these guys are good. i read some good stuff about RC on this website and my dive buddies tell me extra divers is good, which is the better of the two.

[Alice Mutasa]

....So, as far as I can make out, you just 'heard' some stuff about Tobago Dive Experience? & you also don't say how long ago this was. This doesn't seem like much evidence to form an opinion on (I did actually dive with them; & only 3 weeks ago!). If 'Extra Divers' are so good they need to get themselves onto some websites, or set up their own, because I never saw a mention of them when I was searching the internet for dive centres in Speyside; they are not listed on any of the sites that claim to list all the dive centres in Tobago. I never even saw any sign of them either when I spoke to people there, or when driving around Speyside. They clearly keep themselves a well-kept secret!

[MarkB]

Hi Alice

Thanks for your great comments, I'm glad you had a great time, as the photos you sent me show! For the last year the dive centre has been run by my father who is an experienced dive shop owner from England. The comments we have been getting, and the support have been excellent, and we are doing our best to make sure everyone has a great time diving with us.

I have been with TDE for the last three years, and unfortunately dont know Mr Vaughn, and I agree that his comments seem to be hearsay. If he has some specific items to discuss then let me know, I will surely pass them on to John, to make sure we do a better job in future.

So thanks again Alice, it was a pleasure to dive with you.

[Ray Vanner]

Alice

I do agree with you so much. We stayed at Manta Lodge for two weeks and had nothing but good diving with TDE. And to prove a point we (7 of us) are going back in 1 week for another 2 weeks. The dive guides were professional, the boat handlers knew their job and the shop staff were slick and helpful. And no, I'm not on the payroll!

Ray

[Joe E Brannan]

Don't even want to get into who's good and who's not a good operator. I just wanted to respond to the post above about Extradivers not having a website.......it's

http://www.dive-adventure.de/

I dove with them last fall (mostly out of Crowne Point but did a couple of days at Speyside) and they offered good service overall.

[R Shah]

Dived with TDE in both Arnos Vale and Speyside in mid March.

All in all the diving and service was fine. Not the best, but not the worst. The dive masters I went out with were fine. They were not too obtrosive in checking BCD's etc, however with my level of experience this was fine. I'm normally a competent diver so I was fine doing my diving, sticking close to the dive master etc.

However the dive masters were not really keen on the post diving stuff, like discussing what was seen, etc (which I like and often get with many of the dive shops I go with).

I would give them 3 out of 5.

[Michele Newman]

Took the whole family diving with TDE last year, and I have to say, we couldn't have had a more positive experience. We found each and every member of staff to be professional, friendly, supportive and encouraging. We were really looked after for the whole two weeks. John and Paula were absolutely great, available to us 24 hours a day with help and advice. And we always managed to spend an hour or two discussing what we'd seen that day, we felt no pressure and were certainly never rushed. And to top it all off, they're still available to us any time we need them with advice on dive centres and sites all over the world. We found some real friends with Tobago Dive Experience, and I'd gladly recommend them to anyone, diver or non-diver. Keep it up TDE, we love you just the way you are!!

[Brian Taylor]

just had some guests diving with them because they also pick up on the beach in castara (great when you don't have a rental car).
one of the guests was well experienced (a travel agent, did dive all over the world already) said they have great equipment and he felt sfae on the dive. the other one was a single woman and she enjoyed her dive too, said that especially when you dive without your partner you must be able to trust the guides and she did.... also hearsay, since we are not divers, but we got it first hand three weeks ago...
heard great things about caribstu, too. he costs a bit more but the guests said it is worth it. small groups, exellent care of his and your equipment. he's especially good for experienced divers who don't want to do the easy dives over and over again whenever a newbie joins the group.
have a safe dive...

[S Sheridan]

I would like to add to the above comments. I was very impressed by the services of the Borrett family, 4 of whom work at and manage TDE. I was a very nervous diver and must have been a huge challenge - not to mention a bit of a fusspot. John and Mark were fantastic instructors, have impeccable qualifications and loads of patience and professionalism. Paula and Lisa, at the shops and sites also helped put my mind at rest and answered endless questions. I came away having had a huge adventure and the best diving experience I could wish for. I always felt safe and would definitely go back for more - so thanks to all concerned. I had not read any adverse comments about any diving centres in Tobago - and would be very surprised to hear any regarding this excellent team who have been keeping people like me grinning for at least two years on the island. Thank you all - I know I was hard work but by the time i left you were all very special to me! I hope your ratings on this super site go from strength to strength.

[Beth B]

Does anyone have more recent experience diving with TDE in Speyside? I gather from reading this site that they are under new management, but I don't know how recently that new management is, so I don't know if any of these comments from 2006 even apply any longer. Steve, maybe you could help me with that one? I mean the timeline, and if there are good recent reports that I have not found in my amateur searches of this forum. (I am not too web savvy.) Thanks!!

[Lisa Keith]

Hiya Beth,

TDE is now run by different people. The people referred to above (John and Paula being my in-laws and Mark being my husband!) aren't anything to do with TDE now. We were bought out just over a year ago and took over World of Watersports at the other end of the island. There's no animosity, it was purely a business decision.

In all honesty, I've not heard any recent reports one way or another! Perhaps another forum member can give you their experiences. I just wanted to answer the 'management' aspect of your question!

Lisa.

[Beth B]

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for the info! I thought I read a review somewhere that said that WOW and TDE were owned by the same people as recently as December 2007. Is that right? Was that your family?

Thanks again! Anyone with a recent review, please do post.

[Lisa Keith]

Hiya!

Yes, for a while, the two were the same company with the same directors, but it was hard work and instead of trying to focus on two centres, it became a more logical choice to focus solely on the one local to us. Sean Robinson is still with Tobago Dive and has another partner now (the guy who bought us out!), and John, my father in law, took over the day to day running of WoW.

Lisa.