What was your favourite trip? But more importantly: Where else have you been?

[robint]

I guess my expectations were unrealistic, I was always under the impression diving in the Caribbean was world class, if I return though at least my expectations will be in check. Saving up for Indonesia or Palau I guess

It totally depends what YOU are looking for and what you like to do.

Unlike MIKE, I think the best dives are where I can interact with fish, watch them do their thing, totally alone just me and the fish. I would rather hover in front of a tiny coral head and watch an octopus hunt for food, or an eel, or a blenny, etc. I can do it for an hour and never get bored. Other people think they must have giant fish of all sorts swim by them. I can do what I LIKE more easily in most Caribbean destinations as I can shore dive solo or with just a buddy, and have little effort so more joy.

As you can read in my other post.... some of my favorite dives have bad vis, but great fishlife interaction.
Some of my favorites were adrenaline rush dives, some were not. I know in Palau some of the divers went on and on about the shark dives where we were hooked into the reef and just watched sharks swim by for an hour.... after the second or third like that I got bored and watched the little fish right below me. Different strokes.... But my favorite dive in Palau was German Channel (did it twice) when we had mantas swooping by above us, sharks sleeping below us, and a massive school of thousands of fish on one side and plankton making the water 30' vis at best. Seriously, so much to look at your head was on a swivel and sensory overload.
Another one of my favorite moments was when the group went deep to see sharks in a cave... did that already, no biggie to me. I asked if I could just stay outside cave and look at reef, they let one of the DMs go with me and we found a cleaning station. I spent most of the dive watching and shooting video of various fish getting cleaned. Loved it, made my dive. Much better in my opinion than going down to 120' for 10 minutes to look into a blue hole cave for sharks (we saw sharks on every dive but 1 that week).

Another one of my favorite dives was in Cozumel on a shore dive at SCC... just hanging with all the fish for 90 minutes. They got so used to me they were coming up to me, right to my mask and camera. Pure joy for me.

Another thing.... in Caribbean you can do some amazing Night dives. Nothing is cooler than night dive seeing dozens of octopus and eels hunting, lobsters out walking around, even a shark or two hunting. In Bonaire you have the tarpon who join you on night dives to hunt by your dive light which is freaking scary and fun. I love NIGHT DIVES.

Seriously.... It all depends what YOU want and what YOU want to see or do.

 

[qwimjim]

It totally depends what YOU are looking for and what you like to do.

Unlike MIKE, I think the best dives are where I can interact with fish, watch them do their thing, totally alone just me and the fish. I would rather hover in front of a tiny coral head and watch an octopus hunt for food, or an eel, or a blenny, etc. I can do it for an hour and never get bored. Other people think they must have giant fish of all sorts swim by them. I can do what I LIKE more easily in most Caribbean destinations as I can shore dive solo or with just a buddy, and have little effort so more joy.

As you can read in my other post.... some of my favorite dives have bad vis, but great fishlife interaction.
Some of my favorites were adrenaline rush dives, some were not. I know in Palau some of the divers went on and on about the shark dives where we were hooked into the reef and just watched sharks swim by for an hour.... after the second or third like that I got bored and watched the little fish right below me. Different strokes.... But my favorite dive in Palau was German Channel (did it twice) when we had mantas swooping by above us, sharks sleeping below us, and a massive school of thousands of fish on one side and plankton making the water 30' vis at best. Seriously, so much to look at your head was on a swivel and sensory overload.
Another one of my favorite moments was when the group went deep to see sharks in a cave... did that already, no biggie to me. I asked if I could just stay outside cave and look at reef, they let one of the DMs go with me and we found a cleaning station. I spent most of the dive watching and shooting video of various fish getting cleaned. Loved it, made my dive. Much better in my opinion than going down to 120' for 10 minutes to look into a blue hole cave for sharks (we saw sharks on every dive but 1 that week).

Another one of my favorite dives was in Cozumel on a shore dive at SCC... just hanging with all the fish for 90 minutes. They got so used to me they were coming up to me, right to my mask and camera. Pure joy for me.

Another thing.... in Caribbean you can do some amazing Night dives. Nothing is cooler than night dive seeing dozens of octopus and eels hunting, lobsters out walking around, even a shark or two hunting. In Bonaire you have the tarpon who join you on night dives to hunt by your dive light which is freaking scary and fun. I love NIGHT DIVES.

Seriously.... It all depends what YOU want and what YOU want to see or do.

i like the sound of your sensory overload palau dive

 

[ronscuba]

If you want sensory overload go to Galapagos.

There is a link to my Galapagos video in my signature.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I guess my expectations were unrealistic, I was always under the impression diving in the Caribbean was world class, if I return though at least my expectations will be in check. Saving up for Indonesia or Palau I guess

It's possible the Caribbean WAS "world class" diving--as in nearly comparable to the Indo-Pacific--maybe as recently as a few decades ago. But the world is changing. I just see so much dead coral in the Caribbean compared with the Indo-Pacific, I have to believe the people who say the Caribbean was much healthier decades ago. I wonder what it looked like when the first Europeans arrived in the 15th century? I realize the so-called Coral Triangle is the most bio-diverse region on the planet because of its unique position in the currents between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, but I wonder, if scuba diving had existed in the 15 century would the Caribbean have ranked right up there?

Oh, the Caribbean probably is still "world class" if you define the term "world class" as something like "the top 10 regions in the world for diving" and define "region" pretty broadly--I mean, "the Caribbean" is a big region. I'd say it's up there with the Red Sea, etc. But it is by no means the best diving in the world today.

 

[Mike]

I guess my expectations were unrealistic, I was always under the impression diving in the Caribbean was world class, if I return though at least my expectations will be in check. Saving up for Indonesia or Palau I guess

If biodiversity is what determines world class diving meaning "fish & coral", there is absolutely no way to quantify the Caribbean as "world class" using that measuring stick. The caribbean is a stagnant rock quarry in regard to biodiversity compared to the indo-pacific.

One tiny example - the entire caribbean (1 million square miles) contains less than 100 species of soft coral, in an area less than 1% the size of the entire caribbean for instance just around the tiny islands of Fiji the number hits 300.

 

[drbill]

Favorite trip was after I got fired (for political reasons) from my "dream" job (turned nightmare). That winter (2001) I planned a three month backpacking dive trip that took me from LA to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Tahiti and back home. I dove in many places and had a ball doing it. The best thing was that the TOTAL cost including all airfare, other travel, accommodations, food, diving, gifts, etc. was under $4,500. Wish I could do another one like that today but airfare has gone up substantially.

 

[gekodivebali]

Raja Ampat liveaboard. Was lucky with great visibility in February. Amazing times when you put your camera down cuz there are just too many fishes...

 

[drrich2]

In addition to where you've been, and how much diving you did there, who you are and your preferences and goals for your destination are important.

Let's see, my diving has been local quarry (several; maybe 15?), Bonaire (over 100 dives, spread over 7 1-week trips), eastern Puerto Rico (2 dives), St. Thomas (4 dives), St. Croix (2 dives), St. Lucia (2 dives), Grand Cayman (2 dives), Costa Maya (2 dives), Cozumel (2 dives), Key Largo (20 dives).

For boat diving, it's hard to beat the shallow reefs (but also deep wrecks with Goliath grouper), cheap diving ($600 + tax & tips, 10 trip package of 20 dives, Rainbow Reef Dive Center), warm water & calm seas at a good time of year, good viz. (maybe to 50 feet?), guided diving, ready access to the U.S. mainland (when traveling with a baby and wanted good medical care close at hand) with southern Florida attractions like Miami not far away...of Key Largo. Was also about my cheapest 1 week dive trip, with 20 boat dives done. Some Key Largo reef dives were very fishy. Saw a few sharks, and some big sting rays.

For shore diving, it's hard to beat the warm, calm seas pretty much all year, high viz., low current, reasonably good coral & gorgonian covered sloping 'hills' with pretty good fish presence, and 24/7 dive-it-yourself on your own schedule shore diving and dive sites strung close together with a coastal road running right up & down them...well, the west coast of Bonaire is my destination.

For drift diving, warm water, high-viz., some larger stuff (saw a big eagle ray & large black grouper up close at the Santa Rosa site), and the option for a pretty budget overall trip cost and from what I'm told considerable dive site variety, Cozumel rocks.

I have enjoyed every dive destination I mentioned. Some I haven't dove extensively enough for a lot of first hand knowledge, though people on this forum have provided a lot of info. to round out my understanding, albeit 2'nd hand. Some thoughts on the other destinations:

1.) The Florida Keys offers such good boat reef diving and fine conditions, I would need a pretty good reason to head to St. Thomas or some of the other destinations for a dedicated dive trip. But if on a cruise stopping a day at any one of them, I'd happily dive it. Though in Puerto Rico I might try a trip to the big rain forest instead, if I just had one day. Haven't been to the rain forest yet.

2.) No destination has really disappointed me overall, except my first Bonaire trip I only got 10 dives; wife and main dive buddy both prone to sea sickness, new, was still a newbie, at first didn't know to put fins on AFTER wading out to waist deep water, and can be slow to catch on to new motor skills & environments. Since them, have ranged from 16 to 22 dives per trip there. Even the 1'rst Bonaire trip was fun, and a learning experience.

For the type of diving I prefer (tropical, high viz. & on a budget, with no single plane ride over 4 hours and no overnight flights, heading out of Nashville, TN airport, 1 week trip, most everybody speaks English), I'm having a tough time thinking past Bonaire, Cozumel and Key Largo. If I were fabulously wealthy with loads of free time, I'd want to hit New Guinea, see the great whites of Guadalupe, dive with Humbolt squid, etc..., but that's not so practical right now. If I were the above and a more advanced diver, a Galapagos live-aboard might be in order.

I am tempted by the lure of sand tiger shark diving on the wrecks off North Carolina; boat trips (? long?) on the Atlantic, high depth (say 120 feet, can't stay down long), sometimes rough weather & chillier water than I prefer are concerns. Plus, my main dive buddy would be pushing it due to motion sickness susceptibility, though he could try scopolamine to deal with it. He's busy with medical school, though.

I hear good things about Jupiter & West Palm Beach, Florida. Have struggled with whether I'd want to spend a week at one of them. I keep thinking about Curacao, but I basically want to eat, sleep and dive, and thread after thread, I get the sense Bonaire is probably easier. And I love easy. Would like to try the AquaCat, but buddy ain't gonna commit to a week on a boat (sea sickness risk), and I'm a 'comfort zone' kinda guy; committing to an alien (to me) little world with a group of strangers alone with no ready way out for a whole week...tough one. Overall trip cost would be modest, even with airfare. I'm conservative, tend to dislike surprises, and not big on novelty seeking. CocoView or Reef House Resort in Roatan would probably agree with me.

I suspect if I ever get around to the AquaCat in the Bahamas and have a good experience, I might consider other live-aboards like Belize and Turks & Caicos. But wife & dive buddy ain't doing a boat for a week, and I'm not exactly a people person (oddball, only child, introvert), and I've got a wife and baby daughter to think about.

To me when planning a dive trip, the question isn't just can I afford it, would it be fun and is the travel hassle tolerable. It's also would the overall value equal Bonaire, Cozumel or the Florida Keys? If not, paying more for less just to 'try something different' is a bitter pill for me to swallow. On a cruise, though, I'm happy diving here & yon.

Richard.

 

[markmud]

Hello OP,

I agree with Robint's theme from his post.

My wife and I have had great diving in the Caribbean. We had to work at it though. We've had great dives on the West Coast of Da Big Island, Hawaii. Puako and Captain Cook (two step) are excellent.

We have seen some beautiful geology, sea life, and corals on the north side of St. Croix. We had to negotiate and politely pester the dive operators to take us to some awesome spots, but they did.

While we were on Moorea, we could not get the dive operators to explore the beautiful reef that surrounds that island. We had calm conditions, good vis, and no currents, to speak of, but they would not leave their favorite four spots. Most people visit different islands in French Polynesia in one dive trip--they stay in one spot for a day or two and then move on. We stayed on Moorea for a whole week so we could do some more extensive u/w exploring. Our strategy did not work. We visited the same sites day in and day out. We still had a fun trip. We made the best of it even though our strategy for diving was not fulfilled.

The eastern pacific has some incredible places to dive. Manzanillo has some good dive sites if you can get a reliable dive operator to take you to them. We had very little luck even though we tried very hard. Roca Elephante, Pena Blanca, and Corizales have some interesting things to see.

The Channel Islands are cool.

The Oriskany is a must dive and so are the springs/caverns in Florida. The Duane, Bib, Grove, and Vandeburg are great attractions. Drift diving the Palm Beaches is fun.

Roatan and Utilla can be a worthwhile trip if you book with a good operator. We loved our trip to Laguna Beach Resort. They took us to every good spot on the island and we circumnavigated the island twice diving rarely visited spots.

The walls of Lake Tahoe are fun if you like geology (Rubicon Wall, Dollar Point Wall, and Stateline Wall). Not much in the way of fish life unless you look.

Lately, my wife and I have been dive travelling by ourselves. No group trips lately. We like group trips with advanced rec divers so we can avoid the beat-up OW sites.

It is difficult finding operators who will take you to cool spots when they have OW newbies onboard. I am not knocking newbies, as I enjoyed the time that DMs spent with me on OW sites while I was a newbie. They taught me lots.

What can I say, I am an explorer. As Robint eluded to, it is sometimes better to stay within 100' of the boat in 50 fsw by yourself, exploring every nook and cranny, while everybody else does a transoceanic great circle route voyage (absurdity can be used to prove absurdity!). He is correct, fish have become accustomed to me and have ventured right into my face mask and would not leave me alone. I don't know what they were looking at. Sheepshead and sea lions have befriended me and stayed within a foot or two of my head (Channel Islands). Even a beat-up reef has cool stuff if you take the time to look.

markm

 

[TSandM]

Me: I like critters and color and structure. I'm not really big on wrecks. I don't mind cold water and low viz.

Best trip ever: 10 days on the MV Tala in the Red Sea. Reasons why: Great boat, very comfortable, and I love liveaboards. Outrageous dive buddies. Warm water and great viz. Spectacular structure and the best corals I've seen anywhere. Great mix of wrecks and reefs, and enough variety of marine life to keep me interested. Dolphins at several sites. What it was missing: Big schools of fish, and large pelagic marine animals. (We did two trips, and saw almost no sharks, no mantas, no large predatory fish.)

Where else I've been:

1. Indonesia, Tasik Ria (Bunaken) and Lembeh. Fantastic diving in Lembeh with tons of BIZARRE critters. Great color and structure in Bunaken, although my favorite part of every dive was the top 15 feet or so.

2. Australia - Byron Bay. Fantastic biodiversity and good structure, great dive op, super little town to stay and eat in. I wouldn't like the 45 minute dive limits nowadays, though.

3. Cozumel - Best viz I've seen anywhere. Good structure. Swimming in and out of the big reefs was fun. Night dives were AWESOME. Current not so much . . . great place to stay, great options for food. We enjoyed it. Wouldn't likely go back because right across the strait are the CAVEZZZZ!

4. Hawaii. Hard corals. Moderate number and variety of reef fish. GREAT opportunities to see turtles and reef sharks. Boat dives are expensive. Maui shore diving is good if the swell is mild.

5. South Pacific. To sum it up: Rangiroa. Everything else was rather anticlimactic.

6. Channel Islands, California: Some fantastic diving there. Viz is variable. Water is relatively cold. Biodiversity is amazing and the kelp forests are spectacular. We go back again and again.

7. Monterey, CA: Dramatic structure with granite pinnacles covered in hydrocoral and corynactis anemones. Great biodiversity and nudibranchs. Can have incredible viz. One of my favorite places to dive.

8. Vancouver Island, BC: Again, dramatic structure, insane color, life run riot. God's Pocket resort is amazingly comfortable and welcoming and has very good food. And the boat has an ELEVATOR -- need I say more?

9. And home base is Puget Sound, which has incredible density of marine life and biodiversity. Water is cold and viz is typically low, but it's worth it.