Poll: your favorite dive sites

[aboalreem]

Bonaire would be my choice for easy and very nice dives...enjoy

 

[BTravlin]

You might also consider the BVI. A little more expensive than the others and no shore diving but great diving for beginning/intermediate divers. Warm water, great viz, good variety of underwater topography, good variety of sealife. There are several good dive ops there and I can recommend Dive Tortola from personal experience. Whatever your choice, I hope your husband learns to love diving and you two have many great trips together.

 

[Barracuda2]

It depends. Grand Cayman if you need other activities for entertainment besides diving; however, the reefs have enormous diver traffic 365 days a year, and the wear and tear really are apparent in comparison to the other Cayman Islands. In fact, there is no comparison in my opinion. Now if you want very easy diving, pristine reefs, spend a week on Little Cayman diving Bloody Bay Wall. I prefer Little Cayman Beach Resort; class operation, great boats, great accommodations, and great food. However, not much else to do. The diving for novices can't be beat; no currents to speak of, great viz, spectacular walls,and lots of sea life. Bloody Bay Wall is world class diving rated in many circles as one of the top 5 places in the world to dive.

 

[H2Andy]

unfortunately, any "easy" diving spot in the world is going to show wear and tear

(easy as in, easy access, easy dives, easy topside support, easy on the wallet, easy to keep non-divers happy)

the harder the diving spot gets (harder to get to, harder on the wallet, harder for the non-divers to stay happy, etc.) the less wear and tear becomes an issue

i have heard that Little Cayman is actually a very nice compromise between cost and pristine diving conditions (it's on my list)

 

[vladimir]

unfortunately, any "easy" diving spot in the world is going to show wear and tear

i have heard that Little Cayman is actually a very nice compromise between cost and pristine diving conditions (it's on my list)

This is a nice encapsulation of the tradeoff. Which is why you should go to Bonaire now--it is getting more and more accessible, and the deterioration is inevitable. It is still, however, in great shape, and is easily the best spot for beginner diving. I agree with this appraisal of Little Cayman-high on my list of Caribbean favorites but/because it is a pain in the neck to get to.

 

[Barracuda2]

unfortunately, any "easy" diving spot in the world is going to show wear and tear

But, Bloody Bay Wall is like miles and miles of barrier reef (don't quote me, but I think like 30 miles) assessable only by boat. There is no way the number of divers covering a small area daily like off of GC. On one trip, I was standing on the upper deck of the Aggressor off of Grand Cayman drinking coffee, and I saw quite a sight. At about 8:30-9:00, boats and pontoons started streaming from shore and around corners racing to be first to get to various mooring lines with their cargo of divers and snorkelers; some had at least 25 on board. Those that didn't get there on time had to search around or go to a different part of the island to find a mooring. It was quite a sight to see all this cargo unloaded into the sea at once. And let's be real, most of those divers are once or twice-a-year divers on vacation that may lack the experience to "stay off" the reefs. All one has to do is look at Devil's Grotto. 30 years ago, this was a spectacular reef supporting tons of life.---surely not today. In my experience, most divers that go to LC or Cayman Brac, tend to be the more experienced year-round divers because that's all there is to do, and getting to LC or CB is no harder than GC; just an additional 40 min. plane ride.

 

[jolo]

I learned to dive Guinjata Bay in Mozambique and many of the people I dived with were very experienced they all agreed that it was the best diving they had ever seen. Better than the Red Sea, better than Australia... the best. The diving possibilities are almost limitless. There are beautiful calm, incredibly bright lagoons. Coral reefs abound within 300 m to 3000+ metres off the shore in all directions. The weather is irrationally gorgeous and visibility was virtually unlimited even at 30 m. Tropical, aquatic life abounds including blue spotted rays, crocodile fish, whales and sharks (even great whites). I saw four 1-4 metre rays in one 24 min. dive. The coral is spectacular and varied with many arches and tunnels and caves for those who like to play. As if that wasn't enough, it is probably some of the cheapest diving in the world. I got 7 dives and NAUI certification for less than a quarter of what it would have cost me in the US
Neal Winn
check it out here Mozambique fishing and diving Resorts Guinjata Bay,Barra Lodge,Flamingo Bay,Promene Lodge,Barra Lodge,Flamingo Bay,Indingo Bay,Matembo Island,Mejumbe Island,Pemba Resort,

 

[H2Andy]

unfortunately, the rebels kidnap you and your guide upon surfacing and the government confiscates your diving gear as a threat to national security on arrival

(juuust kidding )

i'd never heard of that place before, Neal ... i need to look into it seriously

 

[vladimir]

But, Bloody Bay Wall is like miles and miles of barrier reef (don't quote me, but I think like 30 miles) assessable only by boat.

Little Cayman itself is only about 10 miles long. I guess it is conceivable that the wall continues well beyond, but I don't think so.

 

[caymaniac]

The wall isn't more than 10 miles long off Little Cayman, of course the Brac is only 5 miles away so the wall starts again and then continues off the Brac for about 9 miles, there is a deep trench inbetween Little Cayman and the Brac.