Silver Prince Dive Charters

Not a good experience. It was complicated to book the trip and a bit confusing. Raj the proprietor apparently does not believe in having verbal contact with customers and works through emails and then rarely responds-​very sketchy. Not how I would run a business.

Regret signing up with this company; will not return. Signed up for a 3-​dive trip around Carmel and watched conditions closely. All Monterey official surveys indicated 10+ ft swells. Management of this boat ignored emails and phone calls when we tried to inquire about conditions and why the boat isn’t being cancelled due to unsafe conditions. When we finally heard back we were told the swells are low and that the dive is still on. There was no more information on «low» swells, all official sites continued to indicate 10+ swells. Another local boat charter cancelled their boat due to dangerous conditions. I chose to cancel the dive due to reported high swell and personal safety, asking for a refund or credit toward a future trip. No refund of credit was provided.
Overall unresponsive management resulting in poor customer service, ignorance toward official swell reports resulting in subjecting customers to dangerous dive conditions, not enough information provided to justify continuing with the dive, not willing to accommodate even a credit toward a future dive resulting in overall poor business practice.

Not happy with experience. Service was terrible!
Our group was planning to go on a 3-​dive trip. The dives happened to be scheduled at the end of a stormy week. We’ve been continuously checking weather to make sure that the trip is safe to go. All our sources of info showed 10−15ft sweels which definitely made us worry a lot! We did communicate our concerns to the organizers, but our calls were never returned and emails answered only sparadically. We ended up cancelling the trip and receiving zero refund at the end.
I totally understand that captains of the boat have more knowledge and information on current dive conditions, but it has to be communicated onto divers in a timely manner, especially during the record high storm. We were never advised on a reliable source of swell info and never really had an opportunity to talk to adminitsration.
I can’t say anything about the actual boat and the team, pretty sure they are great, but my experience with management was trully terrible.

Very disappointing experience — I will not use them again.
I was with a group of four scheduled for a dive after a storm. The NOAA forecast for our dive was 12−14ft swells. My call to them to inquire about the status of the dive went unanswered for over a day. An e-​mail I sent in the morning before the dive did not get a response until 5:30PM. The dive was confirmed, but no source cited for their more optimistic forecast. Because of the potential risks going out in 12−14ft swells I cancelled my trip last minute. Raj was not willing to provide any refund or credit.
The customer service, timeliness of communication, and handling of safety concerns are not what I expect from a dive charter!

This is an older boat and it was a bit of a squeeze with a nearly full load and each of us doing three tanks.
We were supposed to do three dives in Carmel bay but one dive ended up being in Monterey bay due to the crew’s desire to get back to the dock before dark (and I suspect before the dive store closes from which the rented tanks came from).
Even though the seas were rough the preceding days, visibility in Carmel was OFF THE HOOK 80+ feet! Seas were calm in the afternoon and the sun was shining all day! How many dive boats can pull that off?! :)
Our trip was organized by Scuba Fusion: $ 150 included three tanks of air. We had a great day, but be sure to take your Bonine!
Negatives: not enough hot water for making soup. By afternoon, the water wasn’t hot at all. Usually dive boats drown you with fluids for hydration. I expected to see cases of bottled water — not on this boat. They offer hot food, but by the time I was ready for it, the other divers consumed it all. I left the boat dehydrated (not good as this increases the risk of DCS), and hungry. Next time I will bring my own drinks.
A great crew with a good pre-​departure and pre-​dive briefings.
Be sure to get a «dive card» from the captain. 9 dives on this boat gets you the 10^th free.
We plan on doing another dive on this boat soon. If it continues to work out we expect to be regulars on this boat.

My partner and I had a terrific three-​tank dive trip this weekend in Monterey and Carmel. While visibility was bad (only 5′ at our first dive site) and I got really sea sick (if you are going to Carmel, — make sure to take your sea sick meds!), it turned into a really great trip. The crew worked hard to find the best possible spots — from the water clarity, marine life and underwater attractions perspective (the last dive sport was simply spectacular). But what really made the day — we returned to the dock very late and missed our gear shop closing, so Michael, one of the two dive leaders, offered to drop off our empty tanks and gear in the morning — well above and beyond his call of duty. Definitely tip your crew well and ask for Michael as your trip leader! P. S. An added bonus, we saw a pair of humpback whales jumping in a very short distance.

Great dive charter. The crew was awesome and very helpful. They had my reserved gear ready to go as promised. My weight belt buckle broke, so they let me borrow theirs. We left on time and got back exactly on time. Punctuality is important to me. The ride to Carmel can get rough, so be prepared.
The only negative thing I have to say is I could really smell the diesel exhaust on the back of the boat, so I moved to the front, no big deal. No one else complained, so maybe it was just me.

I live near Monterey and I been on the Silver Prince six times in the past 14 months. The crew is great (especially Captain Mike), extremely familiar with dive sites. They are focused on safety and help with entry and exit from ship with each dive. Very relaxing trips, never in a big hurry. Usually fresh water and fresh pineapple for snacks between dives.
The crew welcomes all levels, but I recommend that your experience level includes cold water diving.

As others have said, great dive charter. Chill crew, fun loving, but attentive. Also, repsonsible — conditions were rough at the first site we went to, and they made the correct choice to go to a more sheltered but possibly less optimal site. 60′ viz at 100′ is not too bad, tho. The only ding is I found food a little lacking compared to other boats I’ve been on in Monterey.
One important note: If you are going to Carmel, take Bonine as they advise. When diving in Monterey Bay, I almost never take anything as I find I have pretty good sea legs. Cruising over to Carmel is another thing. You’re in the open ocean, and it can get rough.

Great dive boat! Crew was very safe, knowledgeable, and attentive to the divers’ concerns, requests, and various needs. A very relaxed and intimate experience. Would definitely go again. Every 10^th charter is free as well. They plan to get warm water showers this year too.

This is a great dive charter. Now that the Cypress Sea is no more, I think I might make this my number 1 choice when hopping on a Monterey dive boat. The boat is comfortable and roomy — sure it can get crowded when there’s a full charter, but that’s just dive boats. The crew is very attentive and helpful — you’ll recognise a lot of them from the Cypress Sea. One highlight is, that the aft deck is open, there’s not motor-​housing or such in the middle, so moving around when suited up is easier.
They are accommodating with regards to non-​diving passengers if there’s room. They pick good spots as far as weather permits and the level of divers aboart, and they’ll of course let you pick spots as well if there’s specific places you want to go. This of course goes for all boats in Monterey.
In between dives there’s assorted snacks, mostly homemade, and a crock-​pot surprise too keep you going.
I feel I haven’t gone on this boat enough, should be booking a spot now instead of sitting here writing this.

We dove with the Silver Prince in Sept 2010. We had the complication of having an almost-​one-​year-​old son. The boat crew was super friendly about this. We brought three divers on a three tank dive, so one adult stayed with the baby while the other two adults dove. It worked really well. We were thrilled to find a boat that would be accommodating to our special need, given that we were being safe and not getting in the way of the other divers, unlike some who just have blanket liability policies against children. It’s nice to see operators who go by common sense.

Signed up for a scheduled charter on this boat. Got an email saying that the diving wasn’t going to be great, but that the trip wasn’t cancelled. A handful of us showed up for the charter, and the boat never showed. No communication. The weather was fine, a couple other dive charters left on time an hour before ours was supposed to leave.
At least the Silver Prince sent me an email afterwards thanking me for going on the nonexistent dive, with a feedback form to vent and a handy link to Unilocal.
Afterwards, the boat sent me a code for a free dive, and I went on that, but the boat was quite over crowded. Crew was friendly and very attentive, my complaints pertain to the boat’s owners/​administrators.
Not my favorite Monterey dive boat.

Love these guys! Really fun diving charter boat. The Cypress Sea used to be my favorite but when they stopped doing diving charters The Silver Prince took up right where Phil and crew left off. Even Capt Mike is now on the Silver Prince!

I have to agree 100% with the last post. I have now been out on three trips with the Silver Prince in Monterey and had an amazing time each time. I don’t want to repeat everything the last post included but I have to emphasize how on-​top of it the crew is. Switching out your tanks between dives, grabbing your fins and helping you back on the boat are of course a plus. What I appreciate the most is the friendly attitude of Todd, Mike, Dave and everyone I’ve met so far (I apologize if I missed anybody). As a relatively new diver, I’ve had, let’s say unwelcoming experiences. But aboard the Silver Prince I felt welcomed and appreciated. They were happy to answer all questions and were enthusiastic about it.
They really know the area and give great over-​views of what to expect on the dive sites they take you to.
oh, and the food is always very good and there is plenty of it. aside from a yummy pasta (or something else from the slow-​cooker) there is always Coffee, hot chocolate, soup and brownies that hit the spot every time.
Thanks again and looking forward to my next trip with the Silver Prince.

I wish I could give more stars. I have dove off of lots of charter boats for my SCUBA diving experiences and there is NO other charter boat in Monterey, CA that I will go with. The owner of the boat is one of the chillest and down to Earth people you will ever know. The crew is amazing. Energetic, knowledgeable, beyond helpful and they make sure your experience is one of a kind. These guys do everything from getting your tanks set up, changing them after every dive, getting your fins on and off, getting your gear on and off. They make sure that all you need to do is just jump off the boat, dive and come back happy, and they have hit this 100% of the time.
All the time that you are on the boat, they have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soup, things to keep you warm. once you are done with your first dive, it is lunch time. The provide you with a hot hearty meal to keep you going for your other two dives.
But, it isn’t the food that makes me say, «I will never dive with any other charter boat than the Silver Prince». It is the crew. They really are the best that is out there.
Silver Prince, see you next time.

Five stars all the way. We had a great time on the Silver Prince on our last day of our PADI open water certification. There were three of us completing the class with instructor Raj from Aquatic Discovery Scuba Center in Santa Clara. We were accompanied by six other recreational divers that had signed up for the charter. It was a good experience for us students to be able to watch the «pros» in action. Raj owns the Silver Prince and his crew of two is amazing: helpful, kind, and well-​prepared. Todd is great about keeping the snacks and hot beverages coming in the enclosed cabin. I was really nervous about the cold waters, but the hot drinks (cocoa, tea, coffee, soup, etc) worked like a charm. We stopped at two great dive sites near Carmel: Pinnacles and Fire Rock. Both were full of underwater action. On the ride back, we were greeted by a pod of humpbacks. Skipper Mike stopped the boat and the whales surrounded us, blowing their holes and eyeing us curiously for ~20 minutes. A sea lion joined in the fun trying to out-​show the whales. It was a spectacular and memorable moment. All around, the Silver Prince experience was superb and we would sign up again in a heart beat.

Am I really the first to post a review for the Silver Prince? I recommend these guys all the way. I’ve been diving out on the Bay (and Carmel) a few times with them. The crew knows the ocean, knows the dive sites and has a sense of humor.
They are a fun bunch and if you become a regular customer — they show their appreciation in many different ways (dive with them 9 times and get the 10^th trip free for example). Just be careful — your name may start coming up a lot in dive briefings and you may inadvertently become their mascot :)
There is one small downside — the boat doesn’t have a compressor, so you have to bring a tank for each dive you plan to do. Otherwise, the boat is comfortable, has some indoor space if you want to get out of the wind. And best of all, the owners wife sends a batch of home made brownies for the divers to enjoy in between dives.