Dive-in Theater with Acadia National Park Ranger

What an enjoyable time! Great concept- an informative tour of the surrounding area and a scuba divers view of the ocean below. The kids were glued to the screen when Diver Ed was diving and then they got to hold everything he found! To top it off- his 2 newfs kept everyone company on board...We would definitely recommend this trip! (I rarely write reviews when asked, however, I feel this trip is a must for those in the area!)

My son and I were really looking forward to this expedition. While the boat ride was nice, and the tv was nice, the focus was on objects we could have picked up while wading at high tide. One of the attendants (low vision/blind) was painfully unable to speak professionally. Ed was amusing, but overall the tour was certainly NOT worth the money. Had you never seen anything from the sea, it might interest you. Otherwise, wade in the ocean. Disappointed.

Our Girl Scout troop of 15-18 year olds attended this program and loved it! The staff are all enthusiastic and are really interested in sharing their love and knowledge of the under water world. The program is delivered with a fair amount of humor, mostly at the expense of Diver Ed's dive partner Mini-Ed (a Play Mobile dive figure). On this trip we also saw a number of seals and many bald eagles. I highly recommend for groups or families.

My family (4 adults and 1 child) had a blast on this trip. My 6 y.o. was mesmerized by the live video of Diver Ed and kept saying, "I can't believe there's all this commotion under the boat!" The experience opened her imagination up to what is in the ocean (as opposed to what children often think--mermaids, monsters, etc.). Diver Ed was wonderfully entertaining and his wife (I think she was his wife) was a great tour guide of the sea life we saw. The park ranger knew the area very well and taught us a lot about the birds and geography and geology of the bay. We loved seeing the bald eagle feeding a juvenile. A great trip. Well worth the cost. I'd recommend it to anyone, adults and children.

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.

The Dive-In Theater Cruise was one of the best parts of our vacation. The whole family was able to enjoy and participate in the cruise. Diver Ed brings the ocean floor to you for you to see. We were able to see and touch lobsters, several types of crabs, sea urchins, several varieties of sea stars, sand dollars, and a sea cucumber. We also saw seals and bald eagles on the way to the dive site. The crew even took the time to pick out a piece of plastic from the water so no harm would come to any sea creature. They truly have a love for the ocean and all animal life.

This cruise was informative and very enjoyable. We had a small group (four couples plus the park ranger, boat operator and his crew of two). There was plenty of opportunity to ask questions. The dive was great - we saw Diver Ed get into his gear and had two-way communication with him during the entire dive. The park ranger was personable and knowledgeable about the area and its features. After the diver came up with his "haul," we were able to touch and examine the various critters he brought up. Would recommend this cruise without reservation.

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.

Congratulations to Diver Ed, Captain (hope you will advise Ed's wife's name so that we can write thank you letter), Mini-Ed, Ranger Eleanor who led the program (Thursday, 9 August. ) Your enthusiasm, knowledge, sharing, manner in which program conducted, complimented by Ranger Eleanor, was absolutely outstanding! Thank You! Mary & Forrest Heaton (with two grandkids ages 11 and 9.)

Very educational and interesting for all. Comfortable and easy to see all,