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Description
Cat Ppalu - our 65-foot catamaran serves as your home base during your dive trip. Its sleek styling and 35-foot beam design allows us to maximize the space in guest cabins while giving you the chance to enjoy the magnificent Bahamian scenery topside.
Our low draft enables us to anchor close to uninhabited islands for further exploring and to enjoy our many water sports like snorkeling and stand up paddle boarding (SUP).
We are able to bring you to a wide variety of experiences. Where else can you take a high-speed drift dive, explore a blue hole, reef, walls and wrecks in one trip? We pack in a total of up to 19 daytime and night dives.
The Exuma Cays are where we drop anchor for our diving adventures. Many of our divers come for the rare chance to swim with the sharks. Still others are fascinated by the coral gardens, delicate fans or interesting colors and shapes of sponges.
Get ready to have up close and personal encounters with fish of all sizes from trevallies to Goliath grouper.
Bring your camera to snap a photo of an eel, a long-legged lobster or bashful crab.
Perfect for small groups, families and friends, the Cat Ppalu was designed to create a space you can all share and still have some privacy.
Sit back and relax. Our captain and crew on onboard to handle the details while you’re on vacation. From meals to dive equipment to eco adventures, you’ll be in capable hands. Their job descriptions include making sure you have fun!
If you’re interested, they’ll be more than happy to show you the ropes from raising the main sail and to explaining how wind power works.
Your trip on Cat Ppalu includes open bar and all beverages, all meals, water sports and diving are included in the price.
Planning family or group vacations where there’s something for everyone can sometimes be challenging. Yes, we are primarily a dive vacation, however, we’ve designed our trips with water based adventure activities, plus shore excursions, too. Do as much or as little as they like. Beyond 19 dives, we’ve got tons of fun planned – both on land and above the waterline:
— Hiking in Exuma Land & Sea Park
— Shelling on uninhabited cays
— Taking guided nature tours
— Discovering native sea and shorebirds, iguanas
— Swimming with pigs
— Hanging out or sunbathing on a secluded beach
— Kayaking amid mangroves and near the shore
— Paddleboarding – What’s SUP
— Fishing for dinner
Ask our staff for assistance if you’re new to any of this recreational or sporting activities, we’ll be happy to introduce you to Water Fun 101.
The Bahamas are a special place. We believe that your group will log this as a trip of a lifetime filled with great memories.
Dive center
The variety of diving available in the Bahamas is amazing!
There are beautiful reefs at all depths, awe-inspiring walls, swift drift dives, night dives, mysterious blue holes and plentiful sharks! While daytime diving in the Bahamas is a popular activity, nighttime dives are extra special. Some marine creations, like octopus, are active and visible only after dark.
The snorkeling on most of the dive sites is excellent too for those that don’t dive but want to view the brightly colored fish and vibrant corals.
Cat Ppalu offers as many as 19 dives per week for those who wish to dive their way thru the Exuma Cays!
Tanks and weights included. Compressor on board. Cat Ppalu’s dive deck is where equipment is stored throughout your trip.
What type of valves are on the tanks? DIN or yoke?
Our tanks are fitted with yoke valves, however if you dive with a DIN regulator, let us know and we can have an adaptor added to your tank.
Can I do open water checkouts?
Yes. You can complete your open water checkout dives with an instructor. Prior arrangements are recommended. The cost is $15.00 per dive with 4 required plus cost of the certification form if not provided. Many guests choose to complete their open water certifications in the crystal clear, warm waters of the Bahamas!
How many dives per day?
3-4 dives per day Sunday through Wednesday with 2 more on Thursday. The 4th dive of the day is a night dive and is offered Sunday-Wednesday.
What size tanks are available on board Cat Ppalu?
We have 63 CF (9L) and 80 CF (12L) tanks for guests to use. We do not have 100 CF (15L) tanks on board as they will not fit in the dive bench.
Can I dive side mount on Cat Ppalu?
Single side mount diving is possible as each guest is assigned a dive position that holds one tank. Be sure to choose an end unit position to better accommodate your gear.
Can I use my rebreather on Cat Ppalu?
We do not have the ability to accommodate rebreathers.
Do I need a wetsuit?
Between fall and spring, a wetsuit is recommended. The chart will give you a general idea of the water temperatures and what weight wetsuit you will need. When deciding what to bring, consider that you will be diving a lot each day and it takes your body a while to warm up after a dive. Air temperature, the wind and whether it is sunny all affect how fast your body warms back up after a dive. What each person needs is an individual choice. Some wear a full suit in the summer and some dive with a shorty in the winter.
Can I snorkel?
Yes, anytime the boat is anchored. You will need to bring mask, fins, and snorkel. Snorkeling is not supervised. Our instructor on board will be happy to instruct you in snorkeling skills.
What is a Discover Scuba Diving course?
For a fee of $125.00, our dive instructor will spend some time at the beach giving you instruction. This will allow you to make 2 dives under their supervision. This resort course does not certify you. The BC and regulator are included in the cost. Additional dives may be arranged with the instructor for a fee. A Medical Form is required.
Can I take an advanced certification or specialty course while on board?
Yes, an instructor is available to teach these courses. Prior arrangements are recommended and a medical form is required for those taking a training course.
Diving Facilities: Camera rinse tanks, 2 ladders.
Number of rooms
- 4 DBL cabins on the lower deck
- 2 TWIN cabins on the lower deck
6 private cabins can accommodate up to 12 guests in four double beds and two twin beds. Cabins #1, 2, 5 and 6 each have a double bed that sleeps 2. Cabins #3 and 4 each have two twin beds. Cabins are fully air-conditioned. A sink and mirror in each cabin. There are 2 shared heads and 2 shared showers.
Yacht services and amenities
Popular with families and small groups, consider the Cat Ppalu your very own floating bed and breakfast with a captain and crew at your service.
- Fully air-conditioned interior with six (6) private cabins
- Two (2) electric heads (toilets) and two (2) freshwater showers for all to share, a sink and mirror in each cabin
- Dining table seating for the entire party perfect for conversations and games
- Dive stations on aft deck for easy entry and exit to the water
- Forward trampoline area great for enjoying the salt breeze and watching the luscious scenery along the way and starlit dance parties
- Cat Ppalu has standard U.S. 110-volt current outlets in each cabin as well as the salon
- We have a DVD player. We also have a stereo system and CD player with iPod docking station
- Our dinghy is for diving safety and transporting guests to and from the islands and cays
Gallery
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