List of dive destinations to not go to...

[doctormike]

Actually, I don't think that it's trolling at all... he is right, every time you decide to go somewhere, you decide not to go somewhere else, and that is almost always based on no personal experience.

Maybe the question is misphrased - I don't mean to put words in anyone's mouth, but maybe this isn't a statement that you should never go to the Caribbean, but rather as a group we could throw out some of the negative aspects of popular dive locations. This is actually pretty useful, IMHO, since dive travel industry material tends to say that every place is spectacular, and lots of online user reviews by newer divers will just gush about how great a place is for diving because it's warm, clear water with pretty fish, and that it's terrific..!

For example - North Carolina has some of the best diving that I have done. Spectacular and reliable encounters with big sand tigers in warm water that's in driving distance to a lot of the northeast. However, someone might want to know that the runs to the wrecks can be more than two hours, and that blowout days are very common so maybe not a great place for a short trip.

 

[pocky21]

If you receive any flak from the commercial guys, ask them if they would dive in the water treatment plant for fun (i.e. no pay)

Funny enough, there are a few places I dove for fun back in AZ that would rival a treatment facility. The Salt River was one (ASU's outdoor party spot) - the other was essentially a science project gone wrong with a very interesting biological culture. I had heard of at least two people picking up a flesh eating bacteria while diving there, and I got a pretty good infection myself whilst doing volunteer work.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

None of those places are, by themselves, places I would not go. Your comparative reasoning paints a pretty dismal picture of some otherwise wonderful spots.

Not at all mate. These are all wonderful places like I myself mentioned above but are they the best value for money diving wise? A liveaboard in Australia is 3500 plus airfare to Cairns is 2200. If you were to spend nearly 6000 then would you go to Australia?

 

[phoenix31tt]

Generalizing the Caribbean with a broad brush is however very unfair...

i'm pretty sure you haven't dove all the Caribbean islands... list the Caribbean places that you've been to /researched (not all are created equally, or are ridiculously expensive)

 

[ScubaMarc]

There are many places i have been where dive mags and some people said would not great diving but after visiting these place I would have to disagree.

 

[Lorenzoid]

So to play along it's fair game to name a region and then exclude what many people consider to be the best the region has to offer? You say "the Caribbean" isn't worth it, but then exclude Bonaire and Cozumel/cenotes. This is just a plain weird game with squirrely rules. I'm all for participating in fun "lists," but I am at a loss of how to play along with this one.

 

[nimoh]

When and how were they moved

oops, sorry about that

The trip was a few years ago, and we were supposed to dive out of Fort Meyers, but I forgot that we had bad weather in the Gulf and drove down to the keys instead

 

[dlofting]

Actually, I don't think that it's trolling at all... he is right, every time you decide to go somewhere, you decide not to go somewhere else, and that is almost always based on no personal experience.

Maybe the question is misphrased - I don't mean to put words in anyone's mouth, but maybe this isn't a statement that you should never go to the Caribbean, but rather as a group we could throw out some of the negative aspects of popular dive locations. This is actually pretty useful, IMHO, since dive travel industry material tends to say that every place is spectacular, and lots of online user reviews by newer divers will just gush about how great a place is for diving because it's warm, clear water with pretty fish, and that it's terrific..!

For example - North Carolina has some of the best diving that I have done. Spectacular and reliable encounters with big sand tigers in warm water that's in driving distance to a lot of the northeast. However, someone might want to know that the runs to the wrecks can be more than two hours, and that blowout days are very common so maybe not a great place for a short trip.

Generally agree, but I want to read about the experiences of people who have actually visited the locations and dived the sites. I'm also looking for reasons why people liked or didn't like a specific location or site. Often what is important to another person isn't important to me and vice versa.

As an aside, I generally read the most negative reports about a location/site first to see if there is anything specific that would really bother me/put a damper on the trip if I decided to visit.

 

[theod]

Florida - Gulf coast has the Spiegel Grove and the Duane, both were very cool dives, and Molasses Reef was a lot of fun too.

Yeah I dove those locations when the wrecks and reefs were off of Key Largo. It would be cool to dive them again since they moved to the gulf coast. I wonder how much the marine life has changed?

 

[mikeycanuk]

Love to go to Micronesia and the like but is it really worth 10k in airfare, 24hr flight? Maybe because we are new divers? To each their own but a cenote is the last place I'd want to dive with a warm blue ocean with a reef and fish so near. Personally love diving the Caribbean, fly out of Toronto by 8am and be in a villa by 4pm on which ever island we happen to feel like going to.

Interested about the Galapagos but its a few years away until junior is 15 but will check the other places out.

More specific do not dive would be Barbados. Got certified there and love the island but they fished their ocean clean of all but the smallest fish.


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