Great diving in the Carribean?

[WS007]

I am looking for a great diving destination in the Carribean for March - May 2024...

We are mostly interested in diving and UW wildlife. This is the only and most important criterion...
Ideal would be apartments just next to the diving base, as we are UW-photographers who assemble the (heavy) rigs in the apartment and then carry them to the diving base...
Moderate pricing is also aprechiated...

Thankful for tips...

Wolfgang

 

[tkaelin]

Coconut bay condos GC. Private access to hepps mini wall and wall. Stingray water sports supplies tanks and rental gear on site.

Allwest apts Curacao. Playa piscado house reef and playa kalki and Gowest diving 5 min away. Gowest supplies tanks on-site at allwest.

 

[drrich2]

@WS007 Given your location, is this a long distance travel, once-in-a-lifetime or 'bucket list' trip? Over the years reading various reviews, and having done some diving in the region, when I hear 'best Caribbean diving' or similar, I associate that with Little Cayman (with Cayman Brac close, reputedly averaging a bit deeper) and (via liveaboard) the outer atolls out of Belize.

If I were coming to the Caribbean once, and wanted to experience what might be the best, that's where I'd be looking.

Is a liveaboard an option for you, or are you committed to land-based resort diving?

P.S.: Your name and location ring a bell. This is a big long shot, but by any chance did you happen to do a Belize liveaboard in May 2015?

 

[WS007]

@WS007 Given your location, is this a long distance travel, once-in-a-lifetime or 'bucket list' trip? Over the years reading various reviews, and having done some diving in the region, when I hear 'best Caribbean diving' or similar, I associate that with Little Cayman (with Cayman Brac close, reputedly averaging a bit deeper) and (via liveaboard) the outer atolls out of Belize.

If I were coming to the Caribbean once, and wanted to experience what might be the best, that's where I'd be looking.

Is a liveaboard an option for you, or are you committed to land-based resort diving?

P.S.: Your name and location ring a bell. This is a big long shot, but by any chance did you happen to do a Belize liveaboard in May 2015?

Hi drrich2,

No, I have not been on a Belize liveaboard in 2015. My Carribean experience so far is that I have been once to Great Cayman Eastend (including dives at stingray city on Little Cayman) and two times in Florida (Florida Keys, Ford Lauderdale Gulf stream and some sweetwater springs). All this was in the 90ies...

I (and my wife and some other divers) do not plan a "once in a lifetime" trip. Just a "normal" diving holiday, with only little sightseeing, but 2-3 dives every day with our UW-cameras. We look for rich UW life, intact reefs and, maybe, a location that is not flooded with diving tourists and is also not overly expensive...

I know that the Carribean is not as rich in species as the Red Sea (4h flight for us) or even Indonesia (really long distance; it took us 48h to travel from Vienna to Raja Ampat). For us it is "intermediate distance" (it takes 8h of flight from Paris to Guadeloupe). Also, some of us have never been there. This is also a reason why we want to go to the Caribbean this time. Liveaboard is not planned as one diver has just passed OWD (the others are rather experienced)...

So far I was thinking about Bonaire (I guess there are a lot of diving tourists there?) and Guadeloupe (easy to reach for us and very good evaluations by other divers on german internet sites). A friend also suggested Grenada, but I see treads here in Scubaboard that the diving is not really good there...

Wolfgang

 

[chillyinCanada]

Hi drrich2,

No, I have not been on a Belize liveaboard in 2015. My Carribean experience so far is that I have been once to Great Cayman Eastend (including dives at stingray city on Little Cayman) and two times in Florida (Florida Keys, Ford Lauderdale Gulf stream and some sweetwater springs). All this was in the 90ies...

I (and my wife and some other divers) do not plan a "once in a lifetime" trip. Just a "normal" diving holiday, with only little sightseeing, but 2-3 dives every day with our UW-cameras. We look for rich UW life, intact reefs and, maybe, a location that is not flooded with diving tourists and is also not overly expensive...

I know that the Carribean is not as rich in species as the Red Sea (4h flight for us) or even Indonesia (really long distance; it took us 48h to travel from Vienna to Raja Ampat). For us it is "intermediate distance" (it takes 8h of flight from Paris to Guadeloupe). Also, some of us have never been there. This is also a reason why we want to go to the Caribbean this time. Liveaboard is not planned as one diver has just passed OWD (the others are rather experienced)...

So far I was thinking about Bonaire (I guess there are a lot of diving tourists there?) and Guadeloupe (easy to reach for us and very good evaluations by other divers on german internet sites). A friend also suggested Grenada, but I see treads here in Scubaboard that the diving is not really good there...

Wolfgang

I quite enjoy the diving in Grenada. It may be that you would prefer the diving in Carriacou though.

While Bonaire diving is probably more exceptional or at least was, there's problems with the coral disease and so quite a bit of washing and disinfecting of gear is required, so I've read.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I also really enjoyed the diving in Bequia but it was a pita to get to. Might be worth it for you though if you are going for a length of time.

 

[drrich2]

Bonaire is loved for shore diving, but aside from house reefs by resorts (with ladder entry) or a few easier entry shore sites, you'd be carrying your camera rigs in where there's potential to stumble and fall. People do it, but be aware. Bonaire is currently struggling with a SCTLD situation, so you may want to read up on that if you plan to go. Some of my old Bonaire threads:

My Research Notes for Bonaire - My Research Note For Bonaire

8 Day Trip Report: Sand Dollar, Dive Friends

2022 Trip Report Bonaire Trip Report - V.I.P. Divers/Aqua Viva Suites

If you don't plan to do 4+ dives/day and topside diversions are desirable (note: Bonaire has some, especially for a 1st time visit), give some consideration to Curacao.

Curacao Trip Research Notes

Curacao Trip Report with SB Surge Jan. 2019

With Curacao where you stay has a bigger impact, and there've been a number of trip reports since I was there by other people.

 

[Jafo19D]

Hi drrich2,

No, I have not been on a Belize liveaboard in 2015. My Carribean experience so far is that I have been once to Great Cayman Eastend (including dives at stingray city on Little Cayman) and two times in Florida (Florida Keys, Ford Lauderdale Gulf stream and some sweetwater springs). All this was in the 90ies...

I (and my wife and some other divers) do not plan a "once in a lifetime" trip. Just a "normal" diving holiday, with only little sightseeing, but 2-3 dives every day with our UW-cameras. We look for rich UW life, intact reefs and, maybe, a location that is not flooded with diving tourists and is also not overly expensive...

I know that the Carribean is not as rich in species as the Red Sea (4h flight for us) or even Indonesia (really long distance; it took us 48h to travel from Vienna to Raja Ampat). For us it is "intermediate distance" (it takes 8h of flight from Paris to Guadeloupe). Also, some of us have never been there. This is also a reason why we want to go to the Caribbean this time. Liveaboard is not planned as one diver has just passed OWD (the others are rather experienced)...

So far I was thinking about Bonaire (I guess there are a lot of diving tourists there?) and Guadeloupe (easy to reach for us and very good evaluations by other divers on german internet sites). A friend also suggested Grenada, but I see treads here in Scubaboard that the diving is not really good there...

Wolfgang

Check out Providencia, a Colombian island off of the Nicaraguan coast.