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Budget is not set in stone - if she had experience, I'd drag her to the Galapagos
I've looked closely at Bonaire, but came to the conclusion that it's too much shore diving and likely wouldn't fit my preferences. I've done a couple of dives at both Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and thought both were pretty average. I would probably visit somewhere new before I went back to either of those.
Bonaire does not have to be all shore dives..You can include as many boat dives as you wish at many of the resorts. As to my post (post 6 here) I signed up 2 more yesterday for April 27th Roatan group out of the LDS I teach out of..So I now have 4 spots left.
Realistically since she can dive anywhere - instead of suggesting trips I'm sellling that don't meet your preferences - I'll suggest where/when to go for your big three.
Diving with Whale Sharks is only done in Belize - it's snorkel only in Honduras and Mexico. Only around the full moon in late spring/early summer when the Cubera Snapper spawn. And only off Gladden Spit in south Belize. Placencia is the closest point, it's a smaller town so not much nightlife, there are some good beaches there and accommodations in all price ranges - you should be able to do it for $1500. There's also some nicer resorts, Hamanasi, Roberts Grove etc. but more of your $$ will go towards that - the advantage is I believe they're AI.
Factor in the r/t local flight costs also unless you buy them included in a package - on one airline that's $380 r/t at times. You don't want to drive from Belize City. My friends dove there last year with Splash Divers and over two days they dove with 6-8 whale sharks at about 80'. Splash lists the dates on their website. She can also snorkel with them above you. Avadon Divers was another option. Both sell package deals afaik with local properties also. All dives are a longer boat ride out since you have to clear the barrier reef. And there's no shore diving.
Tiger Sharks are found in quantities at Tiger Beach in the Bahama Banks - google it for videos. Typically it's a specialized liveaboard trip from SoFl that go there just for it, the Banks are 40' deep and mostly flat and sandy. However Stuart Cove's has a new operation doing day trips several times per week from Grand Bahama. They're at Old Bahama Bay on the far West End - it's really quiet out there so you may want to stay in Freeport/Port Lucaya and drive out - about an hour?? drive. And a several hour boat ride out to the banks from there..
You may be able to find a condo in Port Lucaya on your budget, there's some along the marina that were pretty reasonable. No beach but nice harbor views. Other good diving there is with UNEXSO, both reef shark and dolphin dives also. Ever seen this? Cristina works and it was filmed there. Maybe not the thrill of Tigers/Hammers but if there are any nearby, she may know where.
Bell Channel Inn is a more affordable option, they have their own dive operator onsite. Being the Bahamas, the beaches are beautiful. There's some nightlife and one large casino. One affordable way to get there now is the fast ferry from Ft. Lauderdale - although price that vs. a direct BahamasAir or US carrier flight from MIA - sometimes the flights are almost as cheap.
Diving with Hammerheads is probably more luck than the above. Again it's the Bahamas, probably the Out Islands, possibly Nassau also. Nassau would be good for her, it's mostly shallow boat diving on pretty reefs with lots of fish/reef sharks. Cove's does a feed so they hang around all day at certain sites. It's a 45min. shuttle ride from the hotels in Nassau though. Cove's offers some package deals on their website. Bahama Divers is another option, they're close to Paradise Island.
Paradise Island (think Atlantis mega-resort) and downtown Nassau have all the activities you could want, beaches, nightlife, clubs, sightseeing etc. One affordable option is the Comfort Suites, it's not beachfront but they have use of the Atlantis amenities/beaches. It's also a high tourist area including daily cruise ships.
The other Bahamas islands for HH: Diving with Hammerhead Sharks I don't know how accurate this is or what the rationale was for the listings. Nightlife and other activities might be an issue on some (Andros for one) but all have great beaches. I have heard they see hammers off Bimini but I have no details on when/where. It's otherwise shallow diving so good for her. There's also a lemon shark aggregation there - that's where Anderson Cooper recently dove with them. I'm fairly certain a buddy saw a few HH in the Exumas also but that was a liveaboard.
Diversteve... thank you for that detailed response. I have been looking closely at both Tiger Beach and Unexso thinking a combo of both could work. Unfortunately I have some reservations about Old Bahama Bay and I just do not find much in the ways of reviews from others that have done the trip from OBB. That said, both are on my radar. How would T&C compare? Seems like a good variety of ocean life and easy diving?
Also I didnt realize Belize lets you dive with whale sharks ... good info.
Although the options given have merit, consider Nassau in the Bahamas. There are some really good dive sites that will impress you both on the South Side with Stuart Cove. You have a number of affordable all inclusive s, flights are reasonable and you have a lot more night life and entertainment than many Caribbean destinations.
Email me if you want more details, I worked there as an instructor from 2001-2005.
Cheers
Bryan
Turks has great diving would certainly meet your shark desires. I have yet to have a dive there without sharks. Also turtles, rays, abundant colours. Diving is easy, all wall diving with the reef typically beginning around 30-40 feet and the wall going down deep into the blue. Many great dive operators. Your big problem will be staying on budget. Provo is not cheap with resorts on Grace Bay typically going for $1,000.00 pr week per person or more, can be much more. We usually rent a villa when we go down as it is typically cheaper and we like it more when you go with a few people. The restaurants are also somewhat pricey, similar to Caymans, as everything beyond seafood has to be brought in. IF you want more info let me know as the diving is fantastic. Cheapest we have done a week is around $2,000.00 per person plus dives.
Thanks Pugdiver, that is helpful. Turks is on my short list for the reasons you mention, mainly some of the bigger stuff on the dives combined with the fact that it is relatively easy diving. I'm really not worried about prices there as I have already price-checked some options ... it fits.
I have also looked into a few other possible destinations, I guess more or less geared at whale shark seasons... if anyone has any feedback on the general diving in these destinations (outside of the whale shark dives), that would be helpful. Here they are:
Placencia, Belize - would be end of May to coincide with whale sharks in GLadden Spit
Utila - not sure when the best time of year would be for whale sharks, but open to discussion
La Paz - again, whale shark opportunities although I'm having trouble finding clear information on the seasons they come through
These are all in consideration with T&C, Bahamas, etc. Can anyone give me a sense of how the diving in these spots would compare to T&C in terms of bigger stuff, visibility, ease of diving, etc? I realize these are not the Carribean but I feel like these are all 'comparable' options in terms of diving.
Just before Belize. It's my feeling they migrate down the coast from Utila to Belize late spring in time to catch the spawning off Placencia then end up in Holbox/Isla Mujeres. I have an interest in them, I "adopted" one thru the Shark Research Institute and 3 years ago we went to Deep Blue for one of their expert (optimal) whale shark weeks in late March. We also keep in casual touch with a researcher we met there, she does genetics work on whale sharks worldwide.
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