Suggestions for shore diving destination

[diversteve]

If there is a tropical destination on the planet with extensive coral reef shore diving and nature activities to occupy one when not diving, I'd love to know as well.

Maui? - maybe Kauai? Depends on your definition of extensive.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Maui? - maybe Kauai? Depends on your definition of extensive.

Sounds plausible--I've never been to Hawaii, but that's how I picture it. Maui might be too tourist-laden for the OP's taste, though. Kauai?

 

[lamarpaulski]

Yucatan has a lot, including Cozumel, Cenotes and fantastic Mayan ruins. I really liked Tulum and Coba. Seemed fairly safe but check the latest. Cozumel was quieter and safer feeling than the mainland. If you rent a car on the mainland (i did) be prepared for some defensive driving and non-Swiss specification roads. You can go from real touristy to pretty wilderness.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Yucatan has shore diving?

 

[diversteve]

Sounds plausible--I've never been to Hawaii, but that's how I picture it. Maui might be too tourist-laden for the OP's taste, though. Kauai?

Actually I was answering your question - not his - since I think Hawaii would be a trek from Switzerland.

All the major islands have good shorediving.

Maui probably the most - a lot concentrated in the South Maui area. A lot of it is shallower - in the 40-60' range. Most are beach entries. 40+ sites puts it in the "most worldwide" range - there's a couple not on the list I linked to below.

Next is Oahu where the sites are pretty spread out all around three sides of the island - none near Honolulu. I've never dove there but have seen a couple sites on the eastern end.

The Big Island is third - sites are spread farther apart along the west coast primarily. Many of the entries are more difficult since the lava extends right to the shoreline in many places. There's also beach entries or docks that can be used for access at some. Lots of driving to get between sites.

Kauai has the least - concentrated in the sheltered south side. Anything north is generally undiveable in winter due to big wave action.

Here's a reference with entry pictures/descriptions: Scuba Shore Diving Region: Hawaiian Islands

 

[Lorenzoid]

Actually I was answering your question - not his - since I think Hawaii would be a trek from Switzerland.

Yeah, I understood that, and I'm curious about good shore diving destinations, too. But the end goal is to help the OP. He didn't seem to be fazed by distance. If he can find a destination that meets his requirements, I'd be interested to know what it is. Every place I've heard of would involve sacrificing some requirement for another; I'm not familiar with any destination that has excellent shore diving as well as excellent nature activities and isn't full of tourists lying on beaches and partying in discos. Sounds like nirvana to me.

 

[diversteve]

isn't full of tourists lying on beaches and partying in discos.

You get some of that in Hawaii also. Mostly Waikiki Beach on Oahu and to a lesser extent Kaanapali Beach on Maui. We stay either north or south of the larger cities so it's less noticeable. Wailea is pretty nice, there's a few large resorts but lots of smaller, private beaches - some with condos behind them. The Kamaole beaches in Kihei can be a little crowded also.

 

[CanadianTravelAgent]

We did a few amazing shore dives off Moorea, FP on our honeymoon....huge schools of eagle rays. However, most of the dives in this region are boat dives.

French Polynesia has a wide array of diving styles. We visited 7 islands over a 1 month period. Very expensive, but worth it! Moorea itself is an amazing island with beautiful mountains and lots of exploring opportunities. We stayed at Les Tipaniers - it's an older hotel and good value....away from the big luxury resorts. We had a kitchen in our unit and prepared some meals to cut down on costs. This is where we did the shore diving. We also rented a vehicle for a few days and explored the island...very beautiful.

You probably wouldn't want to spend 3 weeks there, but maybe 1 on Moorea, 1 on Tahiti and 1 on Bora Bora (if you can afford it) or 1 on Rangiroa or Fakarava for the channel dives (although there's not much else to do on these 2 islands). For some real adventure you could spend one of the weeks up in the Marquesas islands. We went to Nuka Hiva.

 

[Grognard]

My wife and I vacationed for 2 weeks in Curacao last year. We rented a condo thru VRBO that was in Westpunt, right on the ocean. Diving was great! Just put on your gear on your back porch, walk 25 yards to the cliff edge, go down the steps to a platform, and make your entry. There was a ladder there to make an exit. 60' depth was about a 50 yard swim out. Great reefs, good visibility, and lots of marine life. There was another exit spot about 200 yards away, so we could plan our dives many different ways. There were many other great shore diving locations on the leeward side.

When we needed a break from diving, we could go to Willemstad and had a great variety of good restaurants and shopping. If we just wanted to get away from everyone, there were miles of trails at several locations on the windward side of the island. Just be careful of the cactus and thornbushes, they are SHARP.

Two weeks were great, but it would have been nice to stay another week.

 

[Lopez116]

Grognard,

Wife and I are trying to get to Curaçao in late July. What's the name of the condo you stayed at?