Dive location that meets these requirements

[scubamickey]

Thanks for the explanation on the "minimal deco." I can see why you are concerned. I've had DMs who didn't like the fact that I like to do my safety stops at 20 ft. and do short deep stops on deep dives if it's not a real multilevel dive.

If you are willing to consider Grand Cayman, look at Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The diving's great and you are not required to dive with a DM. They declare the pool open and off you go. There's a DM available to give tours if anybody wants them. Both operations there I am familiar with (Reef Divers at Little Cayman Beach Resort and Brac Reef Resort, and Dive Tiara at Divi Tiara on Cayman Brac), tend to set up your gear. I always want to set up my own gear, just because it's a good idea and because others have done it wrong when I have let them, so I either just tell them I will do it myself or make sure to check it all myself. The Divi is pretty reasonable. There is a pretty fair number of bigger animals (turtles, groupers of all sorts including goliath groupers, barracuda, tarpon, nurse sharks, not many other sharks), but if you can learn to like the smaller critters, there are lots of them. I can highly recommend LCBR and the Divi.

It's not so much that I don't like the smaller critters, it's just that I usually the one that can't see them . I really like swimming through schools of fish better. I can do without sharks, though.

Thanks for the recs. I will check them out. I had been seriously considering Cocoview in Roatan, but I get the feeling they cater to vacation divers (based on their required check out dive to set your weight).

 

[divingjd]

I haven't been to CoCo View, but I was just researching it for a trip in February. I actually have the impression that they really cater to a pretty hard-core diving audience. Doc Adelman and a number of other people on the board are big fans. I don't think you should rule it out because of the check-out dive. See if you can get Doc Adelman or somebody else to weigh in on it.

You can find big schools of grunts and snappers in the Brac and LC - particularly schoolmaster snappers. There may also be schools of creole wrasse - they are pretty cool. They remind me of flocks of birds.

I know independent diving is nice, but the one thing good DMs can do for you is help you find cool critters and teach you how to find them yourself. When I was in the Brac in February, a DM came over to us (we were not touring with him) and showed us a swimming crinoid, which I had never seen before. It was very cool and I'm glad I got to see it. Maybe you could do a dive or two with a DM just to find critters? Personally, I've been enjoying my diving a lot more since I have learned to find more little critters, because I can usually find something interesting in almost any environment. When I find a patch of sand and coral rubble, I start looking for yellow-headed jawfish, which are very cool, when most people say "Ho-hum, nothing to see here." Anyway, the Sister Islands have plenty of life to keep anybody happy.

 

[donacheson]

Sounds like a trip to Chuuk and Palau.

Ditto that, although south of Cape Hatteras in NC or SC in late summer/early fall might come close, especially if he's willing to risk being blown out on some days.

 

[scubamickey]

Ditto that, although south of Cape Hatteras in NC or SC in late summer/early fall might come close, especially if he's willing to risk being blown out on some days.

She--I'm a she
I need a new screen name <sigh>

North Carolina is on my list of places. Just hoping for warmer water since I freeze to death all year here in Alaska.

 

[Ben_ca]

That said, these are the thing that I want in a location. It must meet all these criteria:

• NO divemaster led requirement on the boat dives or shore dives.
• Warm water (80 degrees or more).
• Decent viz--50 feet or more is great.
• Intermediate and advanced diving.
• At least 60 minutes allowed for each dive location.
• Ability to dive 3 more dives per day.
• Wreck diving available--the more the better.
• No cattle boats packed to the gills--er-utters
• Ability to dive over 50 feet is the norm not the exception.
• I really don't appreciate macro life. I like larget fish and creatures.
• Cheap is preferred, moderate is acceptable. I don't want another expensive dive trip though. As examples: Key Largo was on the high side. Oahu was on the really high side.

I say the Philippines...
DM on dives .... for most site you'll want one just because of some tricky currents... but they're not the "Hold your hand" type of DM's... for the later dives they sill let you shore dive on your own if you want to... after you've shown that you are competant.

No real cattle car boats... look at the pictures on the PPD forum and you'll get a feel for it.
The airfare is going to be expensive (it is half way aroud the world) but everything else will be cheap.

 

[herman]

I suspect Cocoview is not your best bet. It's fairly lazy, hand holding type diving. Everyone falls off the boat at the same time, follow the DM more or less and all surface at the same time. Pretty much follow the leader. The check out dive consisted of going to around 20 ft, dropping to the sand and one at a time flooding/clearing your mask followed by the standard PADI reg removable and recovery drill. I was there last Oct. We had a good time but if you want to do your own thing, it would not be my choice. The diving is similar to Bonaire or Curacao but a lot more controlled. We saw a few turtles but nothing large otherwise.

 

[herman]

She--I'm a she
I need a new screen name <sigh>

North Carolina is on my list of places. Just hoping for warmer water since I freeze to death all year here in Alaska.

How about scubaminnie ?

 

[scubamickey]

I suspect Cocoview is not your best bet. It's fairly lazy, hand holding type diving. Everyone falls off the boat at the same time, follow the DM more or less and all surface at the same time. Pretty much follow the leader. The check out dive consisted of going to around 20 ft, dropping to the sand and one at a time flooding/clearing your mask followed by the standard PADI reg removable and recovery drill. I was there last Oct. We had a good time but if you want to do your own thing, it would not be my choice. The diving is similar to Bonaire or Curacao but a lot more controlled. We saw a few turtles but nothing large otherwise.

So when do I get to check out the DM? How do I make sure he/she is competent and isn't going to get someone killed. Why would you need to kneel on the sand to remove your mask?

Definitely not the place for me. I don't want to hear my hubby making stroke jokes all week. They would probably freak at the site of a BP/W and a long hose anyway.

I'm looking at the Caymans. Any comments there? Maybe another liveaboard.

 

[scubamickey]

How about scubaminnie ?

I always liked Mickey, but Minnie just seemed to prissy to me .

Maybe I should hold a contest and see what other suggestions I get...nevermind, that would be too dangerous with the SB crowd.

 

[caymaniac]

Maybe I should hold a contest and see what other suggestions I get...nevermind, that would be too dangerous with the SB crowd.

I can think of one place not mentioned. The water temp. however does not fit your criteria. There are plenty of wrecks, you can shore dive till your hearts content..even on a few wrecks, you can also choose to boat dive and some of the wrecks are excellent. As far as the temp goes, I have been there when the temp is 60F to sixty feet, thereafter in the 40s. The shore dives are in sixty feet or less.

www.tobermory.org/

I've had some nice shore dives and have dove with G&S watersports as well. There is a nice camping area just outside of town for keeping the cost down.