Good place for both beginners and non-divers?

[drrich2]

Here's a link to my Key Largo Sept. 2013 trip. I'm pretty lousy with subjective impressions of objective things; I'd guess maybe a half hour on the boat heading out, but it could've been 20 minutes or 40. Seas weren't bad. Getting back on board pulling myself along the granny line using a fin to shove moon jelly fish out of my way was interesting, but not particularly hazardous.

I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, and I didn't check into A.I.s. Just got out with family and headed up & down the road looking for interesting looking restaurants.

For me, Key Largo was a place I'd wanted to dive anyway, that let me dive 20 dives in 5 days flat at about the cheapest boat diving rate I've seen, fine diving that stacks up well against the Caribbean dives I've done, with an option for deep diving in the mornings (need AOW) but could choose shallow reefs then, too (separate boat), while providing some non-diver family attractions & close availability of U.S. healthcare since our baby daughter was along. From what I understand, from a scuba standpoint, Key Largo is considered about the best diving of the Keys (or so I've heard from a couple of people). Watch an Islamorada fan pop up to argue about that...

Hawaii, I'm told, tends to be cooler than some Caribbean locations. A friend of mine did some shore diving there.

If I wanted to shore dive Curacao, I'd check into offerings by The Dive Bus, and I notice Bas Harts posts on the forum and does guided dives so I'd see what he offers, too (here's his website).

Richard.

 

[tanyaden]

Great, thanks a lot guys!

Will do a second round of reading about all mentioned places tomorrow.
We're not picky about accommodations and food, some clean room with working AC and shower is good enough. And I really hate shopping (weird woman, I know), so the more remote the place is - the better. Nice long walk on the beach or hiking trail is what I really like on vacation.

Curacao sounds like the good option for our needs, I'll look for it.

Thank you again, you all are extremely helpful!

Tanya

 

[wheresjerry]

Hello.....My wife and I last year went to Puerto Rico, west coast town of Rincon.....not to throw this suggestion into the ring too late, but the diving there wasn't too bad for divers like us with few dives under the belt. The town was nice as a launching pad to visit other areas, and I would certainly go back there again. Taino Divers were awesome. Highly recommend!

 

[lmorin]

I would not rule out Bonaire. Yes, your men-folk may be newbies and feel reluctant to dive the wild side without a guide. That is a justifiable worry. But, there is a quick learning curve. If you stay in an oceanside resort, there is likely to be a decent house reef that can be dived north and south, deep and shallow. Multiple times. Navigation is generally very easy at the house reefs. In addition, the forays to more distant shore dives could start with trips to the house reefs of other resorts. Some of these have outstanding snorkeling. For example, both north and south of the Bonaire Dive and Adventure dock are locations with hundreds to thousands of fish in very shallow water. Many non-divers stay at both Sand Dollar and den Laman specifically because of the high quality snorkeling that is so readily available adjacent to Bari Reef which is right out front and within 50 yds north or south of the BDA dock.

 

[diverjen]

Yes if you want to make your divers happy, there is no sweeter setup than Bonaire. I have personally used BDA twice and Bari Reef is excellent for diving. Unfortunately not AI but I believe Plaza has AI now.

Also very nice snorkeling on Klein Bonaire and in Lac Bay and the mangroves. If you don't require beaches and can stay entertained at the resort or in town while they dive, it's a great choice. Also you could probably go with divers on the boat to Klein and snorkel or pick dive sites for them to shore dive that also have good snorkeling (BSDME book). But I admit I am biased as I love Bonaire.

 

[jbjclj]

Based on your specific requirements, I would suggest Cozumel

Direct reasonable flight from Toronto
Stay at Iberrostar or a southern resort that has an on site dive op. They go out multiple times a day so if your divers only wanted one dive a day they would be accommodated (most other shops always do 2 morning dives) and they schedule shallower dives
Amenities for the non diver, spa, gym, activities
Beach.

THAT BEING SAID.... I don't stay there any more, since I prefer being close to town and I use a small boutique dive op.

 

[jlevine]

It's already been mentioned, but I'll throw in another recommendation for Belize, particularly Ambergris Caye. You will find more info on that location in the Belize subforum under Central America. Shops like Ecologic Divers oifer multiple boat dives per day and return to the shop for surface intervals. The boat ride for most dive sites is 5-10 minutes unless you go to the Hol Chan Reserve (which I would not do if you are averse to currents). So, you could do one morning dive and come back. Central Ambergris Caye does not have great wide beaches but you'll see plenty of people relaxing under trees or by pools. There are also lots of great restaurants. You can go inland for Mayan ruins on your last day.

Curacao has nice beaches and nice diving but most shops do 2-tank boat dives so you would spend an entire morning diving and then return for the afternoon. Curacao has a great topside life, particularly in the Punda/Otrabanda area.

Aruba offers pretty easy diving and great beaches but they are 2-tank boat dives.

If you want a pure shore diving experience, Bonaire is hard to beat.

 

[KeithG]

many of the suggestions so far have been for "top rated" dive destinations. as new divers, these locations WILL spoil you, and leave you disappointed if you later venture outside the "top 5".

as beginners most likely wanting to do 1 guided boat dive per day, you could consider many other caribbean destinations:
- jamaica (lots of ai's, many with onsite dive op)
- st lucia
- bequia (in the st vincents)
- tortolla bvis
- st johns vi
- provo in t&c (but boat ride will be long, likely a 2 tank trip)
- grand turk in t&c
- nassau
- dominica
- st kitts

all of these are kind of like curacao: a vacation destination that offers diving.

 

[Charles2]

My wife and I went to Belize last year and stayed at Hamanasi resort. The Best of Belize Hotels & Belize Resorts | Welcome to Hamanasi! They are all-inclusive, including the diving and the inland adventures. The two-tank dives as well as the snorkel trips begin on the dock at 8:00 AM and return to the resort in time for a late lunch. The dives and the snorkeling are all from boats, but the scenery is great and all your equipment is provided by the resort at a very reasonable rate. They also provide inland tours of Mayan ruins as well as all of the other Belizian attractions. The trip was hard to beat.

 

[They call me Tater]

I'm heading to St. Croix with a non diving wife. Look at the web site for N2the blue. They have a variety of dives and only do small groups. Flights aren't bad and there are other activities. Worth a look for what you describe.