Montserrat's 2nd Annual Dive Festival

June 26th thru July 2nd

Date:

Time:

Event:
Saturday 12:00 - 6:00 Dive Festival Registration
June 26th  
  4:00 - 6:30 Welcome Reception
   
  6:30 - Until Movie Night
   
   
Sunday 9:00 - 1:00 Reef Check Eco Diver training classroom
June 27th   instruction
   
  9:00 - 1:00 Two tank dive ( for those not participating
    in Reef Check)
     
  2:30 - 4:00 Reef Check Eco Diver Underwater training
     
     
Monday 9:00 - 1:00 Reef Check Eco Diver training classroom
June 28th   instruction
   
  9:00 - 1:00 Two tank dive ( for those not participating
    in Reef Check)
     
  2:30 - 4:00 Reef Check Eco Diver Underwater training
     
   
Tuesday 8:00 - 2:00 Reef Check Dives
June 29th  
  9:00 - 1:00 Two tank dive ( for those not participating
    in Reef Check)
   
  3:00 - 4:30 One Tank Dive/Snorkel excursion
     
   
Wednesday 8:00 - 2:00 Reef Check Dives
June 30th  
  9:00 - 1:00 Two tank dive ( for those not participating
    in Reef Check)
   
  3:00 - 4:30 One Tank Dive/Snorkel excursion
     
  2:30 - 5:00 Plymouth / Volcano Boat Tour
   
   
Thursday 9:00 - 1:00 Two - Tank Dive
July 1st    
  9:00 - 1:00 Island Taxi Tour
   
  3:00 - 4:30 One Tank Dive/Snorkel excursion
   
   
Friday 10:00 - 12:30 Dive Redonda two tank dive
July 2nd  
  6:30 - until Closing Party

     

REEF CHECK INFORMATION:

Reef Check is an international program dedicated to the conservation of tropical coral reefs.  The goals are to “educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems and the current crisis affecting marine life, to create a global network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check’s scientific methods who regularly monitor and report on reef health; to facilitate collaboration that produces ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions; and to stimulate local community action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.  Reef checks are held biannually in Montserrat during the months of March and June.  The program is directed by Professor James Hewlett of Finger Lakes Community College in New York with the assistance of student volunteer groups and the Green Monkey Dive Shop.  

The Montserrat Dive Festival will open with the Reef Check survey at two different sites. Participants will take part in a Reef Check program that will combine both classroom and field training prior to the official surveys.  Scuba divers are invited to participate. There is no cost for participating in this program but participants must be registered for the Montserrat Dive Festival. Fuel costs, tank and weight rental will be covered by registration fees.  Tank fills will be paid for through a grant to Finger Lakes Community College from the National Science Foundation.  Scuba Divers who need to rent BCD’s and regulators may do so at the reduced price of $15US. 

For more information on the Reef Check Program, visit their website at www.reefcheck.org.  For an article announcing the Reef Check kickoff to the Montserrat Dive Festival, visit http://www.reefcheck.org/news/news_detail.php?id=469.

 

DIVE FESTIVAL FEES AND RELATED COSTS:
Dive Festival Registration Fee - $40 US.  This includes:

  1. Montserrat 2010 Dive Festival & Reef Check T-shirt
  2. Welcome Cocktail Reception (includes two drink tickets)
  3. Reef Check Classroom Instruction and Reef Check Dives including tanks and weights (BCD and Regulator may be rented at an addition cost of $15US)
  4. Closing Party (includes two drink tickets)
  5. 20-30% Discounts on all dives and Plymouth Boat Tour

Dive Festival Activity Prices (prices apply only to those who have paid the Dive Festival Registration Fee and are per person):
Two–tank boat dives                               $75US (normally $90US)
One-tank boat dives                                $50US (normally $65US)
Dive Redonda (two-tank dive)              $95US (normally $115US)
Plymouth Boat Tour                                $45US (normally $55US)

 

 

TOP-SIDE ACTIVITY INFORMATION:
A variety of activities are available for registrants of the Montserrat Dive Festival.  On Wednesday, June 30 participants may choose to view the Leeward Coast of Montserrat by boat while taking in spectacular views of the Soufriere Hills Volcano and the destruction left behind in the former Capital City of Plymouth.  The cost of this two and one-half hour tour is $45US per person.  This is definitely a “must do” while in Montserrat!

            On Thursday morning, July 1, participants can take a taxi tour of the island and discover why Montserrat is “The Caribbean the way it used to be!”  The tour will include a trip to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) which overlooks the capital city of Plymouth, now buried in ash and volcanic debris; a stop at the beautifully landscaped Runaway Ghaut where legend has it that people drinking the cool spring water will be drawn to return to Montserrat again and again; the viewing facility at Jack Boy Hill, which overlooks what used to be WH Bramble Airport, and a brief tour of the site where the new capital city is under construction.  The cost of this three hour tour is $35 US per person..  If participants are unable to take this trip on Thursday, it can be scheduled another day according to needs.

            Let’s not forget about the parties!  The Montserrat 2010 Dive Festival will begin with a Welcome Happy Hour and Movie Night on Saturday, June 26 from 4pm onward and end with a Closing Party on Friday, July 2.  Both events will take place at the Green Monkey Dive Shop in Little Bay.

           

For participants who have non-diving partners or children, the Green Monkey Dive Shop can organize other “top-side” adventures including nature hikes, snorkeling trips, bird watching, bicycle rentals or deep sea fishing excursions.  Contact us at info@divemontserrat.com for additional information.