Caribbean Confusion

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rebharrop

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Hello all,

I hope you can help. I am looking for a two-week holiday in August somewhere in/near the US that is a 'special' place to dive, but also provides a "nice" holiday (for non divers).

I have been reading through these forums with interest and I am pleased that I've found such a good source of advice. However, it seems that the more I read of previous threads, the more bewildered with information I am becoming and I would LOVE it if you all could offer some specific advice.

Here's the low down: there are six people (3 couples) to please on this holiday - four are divers (who got their advanced certificates in Keywest last year but haven't yet logged many dives i.e. less than 20 and have no equipment) and two of the ladies, don't dive but snorkel (and would like a nearby/immediate beach and pleasent h/motel with pool etc.). We are a range of ages between 21-50 and some are travelling from the UK (so I don't know if some places cost less to fly to). Without including diving and air costs we have about a $500-$700 accomodation budget per person; but probably can't afford to spend too far over $1000 each for the accomodation plus diving.

One of the divers wants to do lots of courses and dives, the rest of us are happy just diving wherever there are fish, but we did have an excellent time doing our advanced last year with the superb instructors at Southpoint Divers and so we all would be interested in specialities as long as the instructors came highly recommended.

So, the divers want to dive somewhere special and the others want a "nice holiday" - where could you recommend, and if possible a specific resort and/or dive centre?

So far, I've not even managed to select a location, let alone a resort and I'm getting bewildered by it all!:confused:

Quick summary of what I think I've found the most likely options from the forum:

Cozumel - ace diving, inc. drifts and cave; relatively cheap and cheerful but some serious concerns about the drift diving currents being difficult and too many tourists, bad DM's and crap resorts - would need a recommended nice place to be.

Bonaire - everyone seems to LOVE diving at bonaire and there is plenty of shore diving available so the eager diver would be happy. But will it provide enough entertainment for those who are not divers and it is too expensive for our budget - will the diver who wants variety/speciality dives be content??

Caymans - lots of varied and interesting diving but a little beyond our budget??

Belize - Biggest barrier reef in US, same reef system as coz (?) but without the current and tourist issues. CAN YOU SHORE DIVE HERE? Atolls supposed to be amongst best diving in the world and Ambergris Cave recommended for access to town/mayan ruins/mainland etc.

Because of the different people's situations etc. I am also confused as to whether I should be looking at inclusive dive packages or not. I guess that if there is 'unlimited shore diving' available then its probably a good idea.

Any help would be much, much appreciated. I appreciate that people can only offer an opinion, but if you can make a recommendation or even just help to steer me on my course, I would greatly, greatly appreciate the help!

:)

So many thanks in advance to those who reply,
Kindest regards and happy diving
Becky
=-)
 
Hello all,

I hope you can help. I am looking for a two-week holiday in August somewhere in/near the US that is a 'special' place to dive, but also provides a "nice" holiday (for non divers).

I have been reading through these forums with interest and I am pleased that I've found such a good source of advice. However, it seems that the more I read of previous threads, the more bewildered with information I am becoming and I would LOVE it if you all could offer some specific advice.

Here's the low down: there are six people (3 couples) to please on this holiday - four are divers (who got their advanced certificates in Keywest last year but haven't yet logged many dives i.e. less than 20 and have no equipment) and two of the ladies, don't dive but snorkel (and would like a nearby/immediate beach and pleasent h/motel with pool etc.). We are a range of ages between 21-50 and some are travelling from the UK (so I don't know if some places cost less to fly to). Without including diving and air costs we have about a $500-$700 accomodation budget per person; but probably can't afford to spend too far over $1000 each for the accomodation plus diving.

One of the divers wants to do lots of courses and dives, the rest of us are happy just diving wherever there are fish, but we did have an excellent time doing our advanced last year with the superb instructors at Southpoint Divers and so we all would be interested in specialities as long as the instructors came highly recommended.

So, the divers want to dive somewhere special and the others want a "nice holiday" - where could you recommend, and if possible a specific resort and/or dive centre?

So far, I've not even managed to select a location, let alone a resort and I'm getting bewildered by it all!:confused:

Quick summary of what I think I've found the most likely options from the forum:

Cozumel - ace diving, inc. drifts and cave; relatively cheap and cheerful but some serious concerns about the drift diving currents being difficult and too many tourists, bad DM's and crap resorts - would need a recommended nice place to be.

Bonaire - everyone seems to LOVE diving at bonaire and there is plenty of shore diving available so the eager diver would be happy. But will it provide enough entertainment for those who are not divers and it is too expensive for our budget - will the diver who wants variety/speciality dives be content??

Caymans - lots of varied and interesting diving but a little beyond our budget??

Belize - Biggest barrier reef in US, same reef system as coz (?) but without the current and tourist issues. CAN YOU SHORE DIVE HERE? Atolls supposed to be amongst best diving in the world and Ambergris Cave recommended for access to town/mayan ruins/mainland etc.

Because of the different people's situations etc. I am also confused as to whether I should be looking at inclusive dive packages or not. I guess that if there is 'unlimited shore diving' available then its probably a good idea.

Any help would be much, much appreciated. I appreciate that people can only offer an opinion, but if you can make a recommendation or even just help to steer me on my course, I would greatly, greatly appreciate the help!

:)

So many thanks in advance to those who reply,
Kindest regards and happy diving
Becky
=-)
 
You might be able to get by in MEX. Besides Cozumel, you could also look at Cancun & the Mayan coast on south. But DMs and diving, especially shore dives & snorkling, will not be as good. Drift diving is really quite easy. I'm afraid your budget will not allow the better resorts, even in MEX. Although there are some villas available in Cozumel that might accomodate your needs & budget. Try this site for starters:

http://www.cozumel-villas.com/

Good Luck
 
Becky, there is no way you are going to be able to please EVERYONE 100%. If the diving is good, then chances are there are not a lot of topside activities. But what exactly is it that the topside people want? Shopping, casinos, party life? If you want that, then you ARE going to wind up in a very "touristy" area. Unless you go to a fancy all-inclusive place, which is more expensive than anything in your budget.

To be honest, Bonaire is not as expensive as you may think. It gives you great value for your dollar.

This was our third time to Buddy's. They have very reasonable dive/drive packages. And when you start adding people, their prices go down. For example, the last couple of times there have been 4 of us. Next year we are planning on there being 6.

At Buddy's in addition to the diving & car, we get a large buffet breakfast. The main units come with a full kitchen. This time instead of eating out all the time or buying a lot of local food, we brough our own (frozen) meat & luncheon meats, and it saved us a bundle!

We bought enough beef, chicken, sausages, etc. at our local supermarket for a week's worth of meals. Froze the stuff. Took it to place that does dry ice. They packed it in a styrofoam cooler with about 5 pounds dry ice, taped it up. Then put that in a plain brown box marked "perishable" & taped that up. The packing cost us all of $11.50!

The next day at check in Air Jamaica opened the box to see the amount of dry ice in the chest. Apparently there is some sort of limit on how much dry ice they allow for transport. However, since some of it had already dissipated, it seemed to be well below their limit. (But still more than enough to keep the still rock-hard-frozen food frozen for at least another 24 hours.) They re-taped the box & off we went. Everything reached Bonaire intact and unharmed.

In addition to the activities that many of the resorts plan themselves, there are several places on the island where you do things other than dive: a wonderful nature preserve, cycling (mtn or road), relaxing by the pool or in the sand, snorkelling...a small shopping area...There are also local festivals/activities at certain times of the year. Oh yeah...there's a casino too if you're really desperate. Windsurfing, sea kayaking, sailing....do some touring: see the flamingos, the salt flats, slave huts...

All in all it's a friendly, relaxing place to have a holiday.

Here's a link to their official website:
http://www.infobonaire.com/

We use Kim at Caradonna tours to book our vacations on Bonaire. They have been great! You can reach them at: http://www.caradonna.com/caradonna

How's that for specific advice? :)

Bon chance,

~SubMariner~
 
Hello Becky and welcome to the board.

I will have to echo SM's comments on Bonaire and Buddy Dive www.buddydive.com . We have been there 2 years in a row and will the there TOMORROW!! Check out the "Dive and Drive" package. The pictures on the web site are a good rep of what the resort looks like. It has a pool and is on the ocean with great snorkling on site. My wife and 2 friends did their advanced there last year and really enjoyed their instructor. Whether or not you can keep the non divers happy really depends on what "topside" attractions the other members of your party want. Not too many casinos and nightclubs on Bonaire but there is great snorkling (from shore)and some shopping. There is also wind surfing which the non divers may enjoy. I don't find the food very much more that in my home town, about the same as in the Keys to give you a reference. If you look around Bonaire, you can find meals in all ranges, from fairly low cost to expensive.

As for the diver who wants to gets some certs, there is a good dive shop on site (PADI) and several very close by. There is also a shop on the island that handles some Tech type diving, deep and rebreathers.

Getting there from the UK should not be to bad as KLM flies there fairly often.
 
Bay Adventures, Inc.
US / Canada toll-free 1-888-599-DIVE (3483)
10800 Biscayne Blvd. #420, Miami, FL 33161 USA
Tel 305-981-0050 Fax 305-981-2135
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Eastern
Email: info@bayadventures.com

http://www.bayadventures.com/
 
Originally posted by rebharrop
Hello all,

I hope you can help. I am looking for a two-week holiday in August somewhere in/near the US that is a 'special' place to dive, but also provides a "nice" holiday (for non divers).

...

Without including diving and air costs we have about a $500-$700 accomodation budget per person; but probably can't afford to spend too far over $1000 each for the accomodation plus diving.

...

Becky
=-)

Two weeks of accomodations and diving for $1000?
That's about $75 per day. I can't imagine where in the Caribbean you'd find prices that low. A month after 911, I was delighted to find a deal for $1000 for a week (accommodations, meals and diving) on Little Cayman.

The inexpensive places in the Caribbean where I've been diving are Cozumel, Roatan, Grenada, and Dominica. Cozumel has stuff for the non-divers, Roatan has little or nothing outside of what the resort may offer, and Grenada and Dominica offer fine hiking and some touristy stuff. You might try searching on-line for all-inclusive packages at those four islands; there's usually an accompanying package for non-divers at a lower price. Alternatively, try the airlines for air/land packages and make your own dining and diving arrangements.

Good luck, but I don't think $500 per week per person will be doable. Let me know!

Don
 
Don't count out Hawaii. There's plenty of things to do. You don't have to worry about the water and food being safe to eat and drink. The diving is good. Sightseeing is good. It's not too expensive, either. I saw an ad in my Sunday paper last week that was for 7 days in Hawaii and 2 in Las Vegas, air and hotel for about $600 per person. That's pretty good, I think. There are several islands in Hawaii to stay at. Oahu is very touristy, the others are more quiet. There's a lot to see and do.
-Amber
 
Sorry to contradict you, but not only does the diving suck, but HI is expensive: diving, accommodations, food, you name it.

Even though they are part of the US, they are not excluded from having to import EVERYTHING to their Islands, like many other vacation destinations. Add to it the fact that even US goods must travel a greater distance to get there, and you can see an even higher pricing effect.

Case in point: a drive through McDonald's window in Maui. We ask for an extra tea bag in our large hot tea. Do they make hot tea? Yes. But they want to charge EXTRA for additional tea bag, despite the fact that in ANY State, one of their tea bags will not be enough for a large cup of water. We have never been charged before. But their reasoning is: "because this is Hawai'i not the Mainland".

BTW, even at McDonald's you don't get the same pricing on the same items as you do "on the Mainland", either.

Don't get me wrong. It's a beautiful place. But you can spend less time travelling and spend less right in the backyard of the Continental US.

~SubMariner~
 
Many thanks SubM. for the excellent agency that you recommended - they do have some good deals and you're right - further investigation seems to indicate that we could afford Bonaire - although maybe not (unfortunately at Buddy Dive).

I'm still looking - fingers crossed for Bonaire! :tree: :thumb:

If we did find cheap and cheerful accomodation somewhere in Bonaire and then got Dives seperately is there any particular Dive Co. anyone would recommend (or warn against) (i.e. Buddy's, Lions, WannaDive, Toucan's?). Remember we need to rent gear too.

Also, although I'm more than a little excited by the prospect of Unlimited dives I worry that (since I've never shore dived before) I'm gonna make a pigs ear of the first few and would prefer a 'safety net'. Can you use Buddy's reef (or somewhere similar) even if you're not staying there and go into shore dive with others more experienced? I might prefer this for the first few.

I get the general impression that at Bonaire you go off in the :auto: with a dive map of the island and just wade out happily into the sea (!) - which sounds ACE but I suspect I'll be a bit nervous of this for the first couple of dives.

How easy is shore diving???

Thanks for all the help so far - it's greatly appreciated!

Becky
 
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