Patagon Dive Center
Patagon Dive Center
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About
Fun and Safe Diving. To assure a superior experience, we cater to very small groups of: - SCUBA First Timers - Certified Divers looking for their "comfort zone" - Advanced Divers looking for a new challenge. We have Patagon Dive Center dive shops in two locations;In St Thomas, at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St John, at Caneel Bay Resort.
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
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Patagon Dive Center
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
249 reviews
Excellent
236
Very good
5
Average
3
Poor
3
Terrible
2
PatO722
Washington DC, DC3 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
We absolutely loved our time with Patagon. Arnaldo was a fantastic captain and diving leader. He and his mate were super friendly. They took us all over, had great snacks and drinks and were flexible as we kept changing our plans. Half our group did snorkeling and half went diving. Arnaldo found spots that would be great for both. He was really patient and helpful with me as I needed a refresher on diving. He showed us a ton of cool stuff on our dive that I would have otherwise missed. We had a blast and our time on the boat was the highlight of our trip to Saint Thomas.
Written March 1, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WLHoyt
Hopkinton, NH1 contribution
May 2016 • Family
A week ago at Caneel Bay, three of us--my wife, ten-year-old daughter, and myself--completed the closed- and open-water training portion of the PADI Open Water Diver Course with the newest member of the Patagon staff, Corey Akers. That there is a more conscientious, knowledgeable, patient, deliberate, and altogether pleasant diving instructor out there beggars belief.
It seems to me that one of the chief ends of diving instruction is to enable the student to deal effectively with an uncomfortable, if not frightening, situation should one arise. Sensibly, this instruction, therefore, aims in part to induce discomfort in a controlled manner. Corey coaching our daughter through increasingly demanding tests without having her newfound diffidence even once spill over into panic ought to be sufficient testimony to his ability to create and maintain an optimal learning environment.
Really, his was just a masterful effort. We cannot recommend him more strongly.
Ultimately, we went out a couple of times for several boat dives. Luke, the boat captain, and Gregg, our divemaster, were both excellent. Luke maintained complete control with all things above the water, as did Gregg with all things under it. They worked hard and it showed. Being on and in the water with them was a fun and wonderful experience we look forward to repeating soon.
Again, great guys, all of them.
It seems to me that one of the chief ends of diving instruction is to enable the student to deal effectively with an uncomfortable, if not frightening, situation should one arise. Sensibly, this instruction, therefore, aims in part to induce discomfort in a controlled manner. Corey coaching our daughter through increasingly demanding tests without having her newfound diffidence even once spill over into panic ought to be sufficient testimony to his ability to create and maintain an optimal learning environment.
Really, his was just a masterful effort. We cannot recommend him more strongly.
Ultimately, we went out a couple of times for several boat dives. Luke, the boat captain, and Gregg, our divemaster, were both excellent. Luke maintained complete control with all things above the water, as did Gregg with all things under it. They worked hard and it showed. Being on and in the water with them was a fun and wonderful experience we look forward to repeating soon.
Again, great guys, all of them.
Written May 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eyetravel2020
Seattle, WA18 contributions
Apr 2016 • Couples
We arranged a referral to Patagon to complete our open water dive certification. It was very easy to schedule in advance through email and a phone call. Dave was our instructor over the four dives split between two days. The first two dives were off the beach and the final two off a small boat. The dive locations had lots of sea life to view. I highly recommend this place for both instruction and dive trips.
Written April 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jean q
Salt Lake City, UT1 contribution
Nov 2012 • Couples
My husband and I have been traveling the world and diving for years. This was hands down the worst experience we have ever had. We were put on a 6 PAC boat with well over 6 customers. My husband rented a BC where the inflator continued to get stuck causing him an unsafe dive. When we asked for a different BC after the first dive, they said they didn't carry any spares onboard!! The owner guided our dives and we could not believe his antics underwater. He was a complete circus act!!! He would take off his gear randomly and swim around, bolt to the surface and refused to do safety stops. After all of this, we just wanted to get back to shore as we felt very unsafe throughout our entire experience with Patagon. I would not recommend them to my worst enemy. They should be shut down and are no where close to Ritz Carlton worthy.
Written February 26, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J G
Champaign, IL21 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
Caneel Bay is a swanky resort and by all outward appearances is top notch.
The Patagon Dive Shop is about as sketchy an operation as I've seen - very little in the way of equipment and very little service. The dive operation seems like an afterthought in the context of Caneel Bay resort.
The boat we used was nothing like what's shown on the website. It was a narrow vessel with two outboards. The boat reeked of gasoline. The sun cover was barely staying put as at least one of the supports was rusted in two. The captain, Arnoldo, carried two jugs of oil aboard and left them unsecured. The he carried a jug of gasoline aboard and left that unsecured as well.
There weren't enough tank supports for the modest quantity of scuba tanks so about half of them were left on the floor of the boat unsecured. We motored to our first dive and proceeded to try and gear up. Note there was no boat familiarization and no safety briefing. I never did see a life preserver on that boat.
Right about then is when we realized the tanks were different sizes. They had 72's and 80's which meant the BC's needed to be adjusted in the most haphazard manner possible. This situation got worse as we realized some of the tanks had 3,000 psi, some had 2,700 and one of them had 2,000 psi.
There was no pre-dive briefing as the chaotic process of back rolling water entry proceeded. After confusion as to our gathering point we finally got together with the group, led by Arnoldo who messed around with the rays and generally did the stuff you're not supposed to do.
We surfaced and went to the next site. That's when the crew realized there weren't enough full tanks on board. So Arnoldo's colleague dives in and swims to a neighboring dive boat (apparently another Patagon boat) and comes back with two tanks.
More chaos as we gear up for the second dive. Gearing up and back rolling is one at a time. My wife goes in first and I follow a couple minutes later. We descend and check air - she has 500 psi! (I have 3000). This is first and foremost the responsibility of the diver and the diver's buddy (we have 250 plus dives). The chaos and confusion on this boat coupled with the lackadasical organization of the tanks created a situation ripe for trouble.
So we surfaced after a three minute safety stop and swam 250 yards back to the boat. On the way back to Caneel I investigated the now overwhelming smell of raw gasoline - it was leaking out the top of one of the saddlebag fuel tanks and slopping across the deck, under our gear bag. When I showed Arnoldo the leak he had his colleague wrap it with a towel without taking the time to see what was causing the leak.
As we got back to Caneel both Arnoldo and his colleague started pitching for tips. We paid our $270 and bid farewell to Patagon forever. Life is too short to risk it with this bunch. For what it's worth, the reality of this experience was NOTHING like the Patagon web site.
The Patagon Dive Shop is about as sketchy an operation as I've seen - very little in the way of equipment and very little service. The dive operation seems like an afterthought in the context of Caneel Bay resort.
The boat we used was nothing like what's shown on the website. It was a narrow vessel with two outboards. The boat reeked of gasoline. The sun cover was barely staying put as at least one of the supports was rusted in two. The captain, Arnoldo, carried two jugs of oil aboard and left them unsecured. The he carried a jug of gasoline aboard and left that unsecured as well.
There weren't enough tank supports for the modest quantity of scuba tanks so about half of them were left on the floor of the boat unsecured. We motored to our first dive and proceeded to try and gear up. Note there was no boat familiarization and no safety briefing. I never did see a life preserver on that boat.
Right about then is when we realized the tanks were different sizes. They had 72's and 80's which meant the BC's needed to be adjusted in the most haphazard manner possible. This situation got worse as we realized some of the tanks had 3,000 psi, some had 2,700 and one of them had 2,000 psi.
There was no pre-dive briefing as the chaotic process of back rolling water entry proceeded. After confusion as to our gathering point we finally got together with the group, led by Arnoldo who messed around with the rays and generally did the stuff you're not supposed to do.
We surfaced and went to the next site. That's when the crew realized there weren't enough full tanks on board. So Arnoldo's colleague dives in and swims to a neighboring dive boat (apparently another Patagon boat) and comes back with two tanks.
More chaos as we gear up for the second dive. Gearing up and back rolling is one at a time. My wife goes in first and I follow a couple minutes later. We descend and check air - she has 500 psi! (I have 3000). This is first and foremost the responsibility of the diver and the diver's buddy (we have 250 plus dives). The chaos and confusion on this boat coupled with the lackadasical organization of the tanks created a situation ripe for trouble.
So we surfaced after a three minute safety stop and swam 250 yards back to the boat. On the way back to Caneel I investigated the now overwhelming smell of raw gasoline - it was leaking out the top of one of the saddlebag fuel tanks and slopping across the deck, under our gear bag. When I showed Arnoldo the leak he had his colleague wrap it with a towel without taking the time to see what was causing the leak.
As we got back to Caneel both Arnoldo and his colleague started pitching for tips. We paid our $270 and bid farewell to Patagon forever. Life is too short to risk it with this bunch. For what it's worth, the reality of this experience was NOTHING like the Patagon web site.
Written April 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heatherred
New York5 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
So I never have used the hotel dive place and I won't again. This was setup for people new to diving or taking a class with them. In addition, they told me what I was going to be diving a 2 tank dive about 45-50 feet and that the other divers with me were certified. When I showed up for the dive it was maybe a 20 foot dive and the other divers were two children that had only dove one other time. Then they told me if I still went (it was no my last chance to dive but could have arranged a dive with someone else if I had known) they would reduce the price. I went because I wanted to just at least do one dive..and the dive master was awesome (Sawyer) and did his best to let me at least enjoy my dive which was really a glorified snorkel. However, the equipment they rented to me was faulty and when I got in the water the BVD was leaking air and would not stay inflated and I had to get out and switch out equipment..which does not make you feel so great prior to a dive. Then when I got back they charged me full price and I had to tell them I was not paying that amount and in the end still ended up paying $20 more then originally told. I would have just not given tip then but the boat driver and dive master would have been the only ones hurt and were the only ones that were good for the trip.
Horrible management and horrible owners.
Horrible management and horrible owners.
Written September 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I regret very much the bad experience you had at Patagon. We apologize for the confusion. Our clerk did not followed instructions as she was told.
A few weeks ago we refunded your credit card for the full amount of $100. Our policy is not to collect for services if our customers are dissatisfied.
To the many questions you had before booking, we clearly explained the type of dive we could offer on that trip. You also accepted a price discount.
Our impression, though, was that you indeed enjoyed the dive as you mentioned afterwards to both, the instructor, and myself.
Still, I hope that this full refund will mitigate part of the caused frustration.
Respectfully,
The Owner
Written September 28, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Keith E
Harker Heights, TX37 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
Although the staff was friendly, their facilities and boat were less than suitable. We were driven by inflatable which had to filled up regularly to the boat and then our gear was basically laid down on the floor. The staff was good an only dealing with the tools at hand and overall the dives were good.
Written July 5, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olivercooper5
Chattanooga, TN101 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
We booked diving with them for the week at the Ritz and found they bumped us for a last minute charter group. We ended up going to Red Hook Dive Center and have a great experience! They were really outstanding with their service and the dive adventure.
Written October 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
scsketcher
Richmond, TX35 contributions
Oct 2012 • Family
We went on a dive in October and it was just average. Nothing real special to remember. We almost felt as if Arnoldo was in a bad mood that day which made the dive trip a little stiffer. Although he tried to accommodate the group it was as if he did not want to be there. Oh well, maybe I will try the Red Hook Dive Center next time.
Written November 2, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DCLars
Iowa City, IA4 contributions
Although I only have a handful of dives to compare to, this was the least memorable. My other dives in the VI have been with Chris Sawyer (now Redhook Dive) and were outstanding. Patagon seemed impersonal and had a mushy warm apple for us after our dive. I guess I've probably been spoiled with the fresh fruit assortment, cold bottle of water, and refreshing beer waiting for me after our other dives. We didn't see anything big, unusual, or exciting. I know that's not entirely the fault of the dive team as the weather was a bit rough this week and our options may have been restricted. Next time I'll make the trip to St. Thomas and go with Red Hook.
Written November 25, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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