Dive-in Theater with Acadia National Park Ranger

Great cruise, interesting information and lots of fun. Great for all ages. The ranger, diver Ed and his wife (don't remember her name) and the 2 Newfoundland Water Rescue dogs were all wonderful.

We're a group of 12 women hikers. Everyone loved it. This is our 4th trip with Ed and Edna, and they are great. Great hands-on experience, great entertainment, great personalities. We've recommended this trip to everyone.

Dan and Mini Dan did an awesome job of showing us the bottom of the sea, and it was amazing! Dan's explanations of the suit and gear were informative and seeing the sea life before me was wonderful! Captain Evil interpreted and they both used humor and were lighthearted making the afternoon fun. The park ranger gave a lot of information during the trip as well. This trip is worth every penny! Dan the Diver and Captain Evil worked very hard to make sure we learned and had a good time...and clearly they love the work they do! Thanks for a great time! Bernie Smith

I was pleasantly surprised buy this trip. Great information from Diver Ed and the National Park Ranger.

Highly informative and entertaining. Exellent for kids- will definately bring mine if we are ever in the area. Most definately worth the time and money!

Lots of fun--great for people of all ages. Ranger Eleanor was knowledgeable and entertaining.

In Oregon similar tours are done in Newport (Yaquina Bay) and in Coos Bay. Two additional ideas are used,:a tow line collection of phytoplankton which is then placed under microscope and projected on the screen; and a throw a trap over to catch a crab (e.g. a lobster). The Diver Ed sound, collection, video, light, projection on the screen was truly unique and very interesting. the pictures of the sea cucumberes sucking in their fan arms to harvest the phytoplankton I had never seen before. The eagle catching and consuming the duck was totally absorbing and having the extra binoculars available was most helpful. the show and tell with critter handling and the diving buddy were all cute and kid centered and held the little girl's interst, I think. Having a park ranger on board (Elinore)was a very good cooperative effort -- I think we might have had a bit more wetlands-Frenchmans Bay interaction explanation to tie Acadia more closely to what's hapening in the National Park with what's happening in the bay. I would have liked to hear a little more sophistication about why the water is 10 degrees warmer now than in the past at comparable times (climate change? Labraror currents? Iceland melts? how do these things work?) I was also ianterested in why there are so many lobsters -- no cod? fished out Georges Bank? Cod mutatating from 150 lbs apiece to 15 lbs?) I am also very appreciative of the comments received from Aliese Felton, Jill Weber and others about the cood citizenship of Diver Ed and Captain Evil and their contribution to the Desert Island community. Thanks.

While camping at Acadia, we decided to take this excursion based upon the desire to obtain some exposure to the the sea life in the area. The directions to the meeting location were easy and spot on. The Doerr Museum of Natural History in and of itself is very interesting. The museum contains displays of the local wildlife with brief but informative narratives. There is also a "touch pool" where kids can touch starfish, sea urchins and other sea creatures. After being summoned by the Captain of the crew (affectionately named "Captain Evil") we were escorted to the "Starfish Enterprise" where we were greeted by "Diver Ed" and his crew. We were also greeted by Park Ranger Lisa who narrated our voyage (30- 40 minutes) to Diver Ed's dive location. The boat comfortably seated about 45 people. There was a flat screen at the front of the boat which was easily viewable. When we got to the dive site, we were able to see Diver Ed don his dive suit and he explained in detail the purpose of each piece of his dive equipment. He and his crew of about 8 were very entertaining and, at the same time, very informative. Diver Ed and his HD video camera explored the bottom of the Harbor at about 30 feet below sea level, showing the sea life on the flat screen at the front of the boat. Diver Ed narrated his exploration of the bottom (demonstrating that he was extremely knowledgeable of what he was observing) and collected various sea creatures and put them in his "carry bag". After about 30 -45 minutes under the water, Diver Ed surfaced with the sea life that he collected and put them in several tanks that were on the boat. The passengers on the boat, in particular the children, were invited to approach the tanks and, under the supervision of the crew and Park Ranger Lisa, touch the specimens brought from below. The participants were encouraged to ask questions which were answered by Diver Ed, Park Ranger Lisa and the rest of Diver Ed's crew. There were creatures that we observed and interacted with that I didn't even know they existed. This was a great excursion and should not be missed if visitors are looking to learn about the sea life off the shore of Bar Harbor while laughing their heads off. Don't miss this.

Wonderful afternoon. However; getting to and from the boat is difficult if one is elderly or handicapped.. Parking is at a distance from the meeting place and the walk to the boat is long and steep. Some form of transportation such as a golf cart would have been appreciated..

Very enjoyable and educational trip. Well worth the time and money.