If Cozumel is #1... where is #2?

[Stoo]

Any specific feedback for Anthony's? Price is tempting.

Been there twice and it's a great operation. Great dive op, food and accommodation (now renovated I think) were nice, food was ok.

 

[Stoo]

"I reject you reality and substitute my own". -Mythbusters

I gotta say this too... I think Coz is #1 because it's cheap and decent diving. I haven't been there for years and I can't imagine it's improved in the past 15 years, but I found that the reefs showed stress from the shear volume of divers. No reef can stand up to boat load after boat load of divers being dumped on it... especially when many of them are newer divers. I was there pretty regularly with groups... probably 10 trips in all over 6 or 7 years. I don't think I have ever been anywhere where I saw so many so-called "divers" bashing along the reefs, over-weighted and kicking the crap out of stuff.

At best, I would put Coz about #4, following the outer cayes of Belize, Little Cayman and Bonaire, especially when you include the "wild side" of Bonaire.

 

[ronscuba]

I've been to all the Caribbean places mentioned in this thread except Tobago and Utila. I just got back from the Cayman Aggressor.

Everyone has their preferences.

My Caribbean top 2 are Belize Liveaboard and Cozumel. If you cannot do Belize liveaboard, check Turneffe and Lighthouse Atolls. Not sure if they still have resorts out there.

All that being said, I find Caribbean diving pales in comparison to Pacific, Indian Ocean, Indo-Pacific.

 

[mcohen1021]

Hard to beat Ambergris Caye. Not bashing Ramon’s, it is nice but it is definitely pricey. Check out Reefadventures.com. Ched Cebral and Captain Ron run a class act operation and I would not hesitate to use them again. I rented a condo through them @ The TradeWinds and it was perfect. It is walking distance to the grocery stores (Richies and Caye Mart), so you can buy groceries and eat on the cheap. Lots of great restaurants and bars on the island for dinners – Elvi’s (has live music too), Fido’s, Ramon’s, Blue Water Grilll, Wild Mangos. Do not miss the The Palapa Bar and Grill, which recently relocated to the Reef Adventures pier, and definitely catch the Chicken Drop @ Wahoo’s – Thursday nights @ 7 PM. Diving is Ambergris provides A LOT of creatures, reefs are spur and groove, pretty cool. Amigos del mar is the operator for blue hole – $250/pp, I talked the price down to $180 pp, booked via Reef Adventures. Same thing with the cave tubing – there is a combo trip for zipline and cave tubing. Water is chilly. Ziplines were cool. Water taxi was 90 min one way and a beat down, but you’ll survive – I talked the trip down from 180 to 130 pp I think. The puddle jumper from BZW to Ambergris on Maya Air was $145 RT pp in 2012.

All that said – If you’re flying on miles, check out Anthony’s Key Resort on Roatan. AA goes direct from many cities and AKR had a BOGO as late as last year when I went – EXCELLENT place.