Reefers & Wreckers

In Depth

Reefers & Wreckers is a Barbados dive operator set up by Michael Mahy and his father Dr George Mahy CBE in 1994. Michael was twenty four at the time but already had over ten years watersports experience under his belt. Reefers & Wreckers is very much a family business with Michael's brother, Phillip giving up his seafood business to join him in 1999 and together the brothers make a strong team. Both are PADI Open Water Dive Instructors with specialties in deep, night and wreck diving. They currently employ three PADI Dive Masters.

Reefers & Wreckers believe that all divers should receive an individual, professional and personalised service. And the key to success in that is the correct assessment of their level of expertise. So before setting off Reefers & Wreckers help divers to understand the skills required and ensure that they feel entirely comfortable about entering the water. Michael's personable approach and keenness to ensure that his divers have a good time has even gone as far as a promise to build mechanical turtles if necessary. Luckily for him, turtles are plentiful in Barbados! Detailed knowledge of the local dive sites also ensures that divers get the best of Barbados's good variety of aquatic life, reefs and wrecks. This knowledge and dedication to service has led to a high level of repeat business, with individuals and families coming back year after year.

Michael feels that the diving in Barbados is largely unexplored and still relatively unknown, and he is keen to see the island promoted more as a dive destination and better information going out about Barbados dive sites and facts about scuba diving in Barbados. However, he is also concerned at the same time that a sustainable marine environment is maintained for the enjoyment and benefit of both Barbadians and visitors alike. According to Michael the Barbados Coastal Zone Management Unit, along with the Caribbean Reef Ball project, has been very active in the continued survival of the reefs and aquatic life around the shores of Barbados. The Barbados Marine Trust has concentrated its efforts to educate the nation on how to respect and care for the coastal environment. Reefers & Wreckers are involved in the Annual Underwater Clean-Up in Holetown, Speightstown and Six Mens Bay, the 'Adopt a Beach' community clean-up and they do educational tours for school children. They are members of the Barbados Marine Trust, The PADI Project Aware Group and The Barbados Dive Association.

Reefers & Wreckers currently do their pool demos at Mango Bay in Holetown or Ascot House in Mullins, and take resort divers off the beach either at nearby former Kings Beach Hotel or Almond Beach Village (which is situated just north of their dive shop) where they also do pool lessons. They can also offer to do the PADI Discover Scuba Class at your villa, including the pool work if your villa has a suitable sized swimming pool and if it is allowed. Transportation to and from your hotel or villa is provided and the boats can pick up from various beaches along the West Coast, depending on the dive schedule, or from the jetty in Speightstown. This is close to their base on the esplanade in the town, a delightful two storey, traditional Barbadian building called Timothy House. Built in 1788 and now painted in Barbadian bright yellow and blue, it still retains original jalousie shutters to the upper gallery, which enjoys uninterrupted sea views. Facilities in the new shop include classrooms, his & her washrooms, an outside shower and the possibility of an entertainment area for divers to relax and have lunch.

Michael has spent most of his life in watersports and was fourteen when he first took up scuba diving. Even then his love of the ocean found him either on the water or under it in every spare moment he had. During weekends and school holidays he worked for a couple of West Coast dive shops, where he also started sailing and waterskiing. At eighteen he got his first job working as a water-ski instructor at Kings Beach Hotel. A couple of years later he moved on to Willies Watersports, where he eventually qualified as a dive instructor at twenty two and gained experience in the running of a dive shop. Following a year freelancing as a dive instructor Michael decided to take the plunge and went into business. His father, an eminent Caribbean psychiatrist, does all of the accounting, allowing Michael and his brother to concentrate on the practical side of operating Reefers & Wreckers.

Barbados Scuba Diving

Barbados offers a wide range of diving to suit novice and more experienced divers, and there are currently over 20 dive sites to choose from. The majority of dive sites are strung along the West Coast, with Maycocks Bay and Dottins amongst the most popular, with lots of visual interest. The upper South Coast is better known for its drift diving, being closer to the Atlantic side of the island - the East Coast has very strong currents and diving is therefore limited.

The barrier reefs of Barbados are roughly half a mile to 2 miles from shore and slope up to within 60ft of the surface. Closer to shore, there are fringe and patching reefs that range from 40-60ft in depth and almost run a ring around the island. Visibility is good (70-90ft) pretty much year round and there is an abundance of corals, sponges and sea life - hawksbill turtles, seahorses, frog fish, barracuda among others, though there are few of larger pelagic creatures. There are many wrecks and in Carlisle Bay, which is littered with old anchors and cannons, there are at least 8 wrecks of note, some over 100 years old. Wrecks include the Berwyn sunk 1919, Eilon, C-Trek, Fox and former party boat the Bajan Queen which was sunk in 2002. Just off Needham's Point, the Old Fort drift dive has a reef strewn with antique bottles and cannon balls. Carlisle Bay also has an area called Bottle Ground where 18th & 19th Century bottles are found. Probably one of the most interesting of all dives, though this is for advanced divers only, is the SS Stavronikita, a 365ft Greek freighter which was purposely sunk in 1978 (off Fitts Village), and sits upright at a maximum depth of 130ft.

Dive Courses

Pool demonstrations - Reefers & Wreckers offer pool demonstrations twice weekly at Mango Bay in Holetown (Tuesdays and Fridays) and everybody is welcome: a demonstration will give you a chance to experience using SCUBA equipment in shallow, safe water. (No charge)

Beginners' Resort Course - A one-day course giving you the opportunity to experience the underwater world, under close supervision with our instructors. You begin with a training session in the pool to teach you basic skills and experience SCUBA equipment in shallow water. Then you are taken on a shore dive (5 - 45ft) to experience the world of coral reefs and wrecks just a few hundred yards off a beach. Cost US$90.00

PADI Open Water - Throughout this 3-5 day course, you'll learn the fundamentals of scuba diving, including using dive equipment safely and diving skills such as buoyancy control and mask clearing. You will receive PADI Open Water Diver certification, which allows you to dive up to 18m worldwide. The course entails five pool dives, knowledge development sessions and four open water dives on the beautiful reefs of Barbados. US$450.

PADI Referral Course - This is for divers who have completed their pool and classroom work back home and want to make their certification dives on holiday. Cost US$300.00

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver - This program offers a structured program in which you gain additional experience and skills under the direct guidance of a PADI professional. PADI's Advanced Open Water Diver program has something for everyone. This in-water, performance based program includes a total of five dives from the following list: Boat Diver, Drift Diver, Deep Diver, Multilevel Diver, Night Diver, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Search and Recovery Diver, Underwater Naturalist, Underwater Photographer, Underwater Navigator, AWARE Fish Identification, Wreck Diver. Cost US$350.00

PADI Rescue Diver - The PADI Rescue Diver program develops your knowledge and skills so you can effectively perform diver assists and rescues, manage diving accident situations and render first aid. The program is an important step in expanding your knowledge and experience as a diver. PADI Rescue Diver (or equivalent) certification is also a prerequisite for all PADI leadership programs. Price available on request. Cost US$450.00

PADI Divemaster is also available on request and costs US$600.00

Prices may be subject to change without notice.

Guided Tours

With Gear
Single: US$70
2 Tank Dive: US$125
Night Dive: US$80

Own Gear
Single: US$60
2 Tank Dive: US$100
Night Dive: US$70

There will be a US$5 charge on wetsuits.

A photo/video package is also available to film clients whilst out on a dive. The cost is between US$25 and $50 depending on editing requirements.

Prices may be subject to change without notice.

Package Plans

With Gear
5 Dive Package: US$270.00
10 Dive Package: US$425.00

Own Gear
5 Dive Package: US$230.00
10 Dive Package: US$400.00

Prices may be subject to change without notice

Boats

Reefers and Wreckers have two dive boats which offer comfortable fast access to the dive sites:

Conqueror I: 32ft semi-covered, half-day dive boat (2007 model) with showers, toilet and twin 225 hp engines. The boat will hold up to 20 divers. Non-diving and snorkelling guests are welcome to accompany their diving companions.

Conqueror II: 29ft semi-covered dive boat with twin 85 hp engines that will hold up to 10 divers and is suitable for beginner dives, snorkelling and turtle trips.

Soft drinks and refreshments are available on board for surface intervals, and for non-diving passengers.

Safety & Medical

Reefers and Wreckers' instructors are trained to cope with diving emergencies and there is oxygen, VHF radio, and first aid equipment on board their boats.

A recompression chamber is located at St. Ann's Fort, on the outskirts of Bridgetown, and is maintained by the Barbados Defence Force.

Shop Rentals

A move to larger and more comfortable premises in recent years, means that Reefers & Wreckers now offers divers greatly improved services. These include a dedicated classroom, his & her washrooms, an outside shower, and an upstairs area for divers to relax, where their Scuba Bar with music and entertainment.

The base is a delightful two-storey, traditional Barbadian building called Timothy House, which is typical of many of the 18th Century buildings which are still to be found in atmospheric Speightstown. With a prime location next to the esplanade, which was extended a few years ago with a walkway and now runs along the entire sea front, Reefers & Wreckers can stake claim to being part of the regeneration of Speightstown. Timothy House was built in 1788 and still retains original jalousie shutters to the upper gallery, which enjoys uninterrupted sea views.

The history of Timothy House is not clear but since it is directly on the seafront and is of a reasonable size, it is likely that it was the home of a wealthy merchant who probably traded in sugar, during what would have been a boom time for the area. Today Timothy House has been given a new lease of life, and it's brightly painted in a patriotic yellow and blue exterior, which is hard to miss. A selection of souvenirs, T-shirts, women's tops, and basic snorkel equipment are available for purchase.

Barbados Dive Sites

The location of Reefers and Wreckers Dive Shop offers excellent diving access to the northern reefs of Barbados. Situated near Speightstown, the reefs here are the best in Barbados and have unspoilt corals and abundant fish life. These reefs form part of the offshore barrier reef system running north to south so there is certainly no restriction as to where you will dive. Among the most frequently visited sites are:

Maycocks Reef - an exceptional reef that runs east to west (rather than the usual north to south of the Barrier reef system on the West Coast) separated by corridors of white sand approximately 50-100ft apart. Fish life is outstanding and includes large rays, barracuda, parrotfish, schools of Bermuda chub, creole wrasse and trigger fish, not to mention excellent coral and barrel sponges. Here is where you might see nurse sharks, large adult turtles and seahorses. An absolute favourite for locals and visitors, not to be missed (intermediate - advanced).

Brightledge and Greatledge - the island's widest reefs, frequented by schooling jacks, blue chromis, creole wrasse and French angels which make this an interesting dive. Superb barrel sponge and soft coral formations provide fantastic scenery and a popular habitat for barracudas and the endangered hawksbill turtle. An interesting dive including a very wide variety of corals and sponges (intermediate - advanced).

Tropicana - a fantastic site for multilevel dives. A long reef around 50-100ft wide with ledges along the sides making a habitat for nurse sharks. Good visibility, usually a drift dive with abundant fish life, including gorgeous corals (beginner - advanced).

SS Stavronikita - towards the southern part of the West Coast lies the 'the Stav' as she is affectionately known, definitely a dive not to be missed. She is a Greek freighter that was sunk in 1978, after falling victim to a fire that destroyed her engine room. At 365' long, she sits bolt upright, with her prop in 130' of water and her forward mast just 23' from the surface. She was towed into Barbados and eventually bought by the Barbados government to be sunk and create an artificial reef. The Stav was fully prepared for diving before being sunk and penetration with a guide is still permitted, through the huge corridors, cargo holds and cabins. Although the vast majority of the wreck is still safe and intact, there has been some deterioration to the upper rooms of the super structure and she is slowly breaking up. It is best to swim around her unless you are an experienced diver and are being led by a Divemaster. The Stav has been rated as one of the top ten wreck dives in the world (intermediate - advanced).

The Pamir - is 165 ft long and 60 ft down at her deepest. She is the most northerly wreck on the West Coast and sits upright in a sheltered spot close to shore. Sunk in the early 1980's, this wreck provides fish, fauna, and fun in one experience. A good dive for beginners and a good warm up dive for the Stavronikita (beginner - advanced).

The wrecks of Carlisle Bay - an underwater trail system that visits 5 intact wrecks in 2-20m and plenty more parts of wrecks. Three of the wrecks are penetrable and offer great views of engine rooms, home to schools of glassy sweepers. Abundant fish life and a great site for photographers (snorkel - beginner - advanced)