Best vacation spot with a non-diving spouse??

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

My wife took OW classes with me, but was never able to get certified because of recurring ear issues; thus dashing my hopes for easy vacation planning… :depressed:

So, what are your recommendations for vacations that provide an opportunity for daily diving for me, as well as plenty of other activities to occupy my non-diving spouse while I am off loading up on nitrogen??

[RoatanMan]

The more topside activities that you have available, the quality of diving decreases.

Cayman for up-scale spa treatment + shopping & Golf; Nassau/Freeport slightly downscale same stuff; Cozumel if she likes to drink after spa treatments; The Antilles: Martinique, St Lucia, St. Martin, St. Kitts, Montserrat and St. Vincent for upscale pampering and dining.

If she's happy with looking at birds? Tobago (But the diving gets better!)

Exactly what kind of activities grab her attention?

[Teamcasa]

Nothing beats Hawaii for the best of both worlds.

[ptyx]

Bonaire: you either end up with a diving spouse or no spouse at all :D

(On a more serious note: about ears (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/290660-physically-unable-equalize.html)...)

[diverdiane]

Maui is great for both diving and topside activities. Aruba would be another good choice.

[ppo2_diver]

Aruba was great for my non-diving wife. She had fun at the beach while I went diving. Mexico was also good.

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

The more topside activities that you have available, the quality of diving decreases. .... Exactly what kind of activities grab her attention?

Thanks Doc...

Unfortunately, she works at a Salon / Spa, so that has little appeal for her (the reality is she has rarely found one on vacation where she was happy with the service)…

She’s happy to spend a couple of hours just reading on the beach / by the pool while on vacation, but not every day… There’s not really any one thing she likes to do while on vacation…

[sibermike7]

Maybe what we need is a "non-diving" spouse forum that way those with non-diving spouse could plan vacations together and the non-divers would have other non-divers to share the time.

Catalina Island, CA has a lot of folks that come there that are non-divers. I think you would exhaust you options in 2 days though it isn't a big island!

[SouthSideScubaSteve]

Bonaire: you either end up with a diving spouse or no spouse at all :D

(On a more serious note: about ears (http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/diving-medicine/290660-physically-unable-equalize.html)...)

Thanks for the suggestion, i guess ... ;)

As for her "ear issues", it's not a problem clearing. When she dives (or flys in an unpressurized aircraft) fluids get displaced interally, typically creating swelling behind her ear (it appears 6-12 hours post dive). The swelling in turn causes pain and discomfort which typically takes days/weeks to completely go away.... Our Dr (who dives) and 2 ENT's are out of ideas / treatments to prevent it :depressed:

[ptyx]

Hawaii/Kona might be a good candidate as well - I'm not sure how the diving is compared to Maui but there are tons of stuff to visit/hike/do above water.

[robint]

Thanks Doc...

Unfortunately, she works at a Salon / Spa, so that has little appeal for her (the reality is she has rarely found one on vacation where she was happy with the service)…

She’s happy to spend a couple of hours just reading on the beach / by the pool while on vacation, but not every day… There’s not really any one thing she likes to do while on vacation…

Wow, that's rough.... does she like to snorkel at all? Or can she not get in the water at all?:depressed:
Most places, as RoatanMan said, either have great topside or great diving, you rarely find both at the same location.
Ambergris Caye in Belize has lots of topside activities, but they are primarily all-day things, like jungle cruises, mayan ruins, zipline tours, cave tours, cave tubing, etc. You might could give her a full day on the beach while you dive, then the following day both of you go on an excursion...maybe? Belize Vacations, Tours, Resorts, News, Hotels, Travels, Flights, Weather, Maps, Real Estate (http://ambergriscaye.com/)

another place, Anthony's Key on Roatan... Roatan Diving, Roatan Resort - Anthony's Key Resort Honduras | Anthony's Key Resort (http://www.anthonyskey.com/en/index.html)
lots of topside things that might interest her.

or as others have mentioned, Grand Cayman and Hawaii.

robin:D

[tlvittitow]

We live on the east coast I dive and my wife goes to the spa. Hawaii is definetly beautiful, but the flight and the time change kills you. If you can take a month for vacation then go to Hawaii. If not Cozumel is my favorite we go 3 times a year. Stay at cozumel palace, and dive with Sandollar sports which is offsite but well worth it. Dive boats leave at 8 and you will be back by noon to have lunch with your wife. Its a beautiful thing when she sleeps til 10 and gets a massage and I show up after some of the best diving in the world to a happy and relaxed wife. enjoy

[RJP]

My non-diving spouse and non-diving kids like Curacao. In fact we're going back for our second trip in a few weeks. Diving similar to Bonaire, but the beaches actually have sand!

And because it's mostly shore diving you're only gone for the time you're under water. We stay at the Marriott, where I can get up from my lounge chair, announce to Mrs RJP "I'm going for a quick dive, you want me to grab you a Pina Colada on my way back?"

:D

Any place where you'd do boat diving - Mexico, Kona, Caymans, etc - you'd be looking at leaving before breakfast and not getting back until after lunch or so for a two tank dive. When we go to places like that I'm "allowed" maybe one or two days of diving. In Curacao, each day we go to some or other different lovely beach where we spend the morning playing with the kids in the water and baby-powder white sand, and I get a dive or two in during our time there.

Night dives at the Marriott are great: my wife and kids sit at the bar at the "Board Room" beach bar and have drinks and appetizers while playing "spot-daddy's-dive-light" and when I surface we toss my gear in my dive locker and we walk over to Hook's Hut for dinner.

No where near the 30 dives I get in during a week on Bonaire with my dive buddy, but on Curacao I can easily get in two dives a day without the wife feeling like she and the kids were dragged along on a dive trip.

Curacao tourism board is offering some pretty good incentives right now, including $200 per per-person airfare rebate. Check out Curacao NOW | Great Deals for your trip to the Caribbean Island of Curacao (http://www.curacao.com/now/)

[Teamcasa]

Take her to Kauai.
Great diving and a terrific beach! My family just loved this place.
Brennecke's Beach on Kauai's South Shore (http://www.kauaidiscovery.com/virtual_kauai_tour/poipu+koloa+kalaheo/Brenneckes_Beach/)

http://www.kauaidiscovery.com/assets/images/database/721x381/brenneckes_5.jpg

[RJP]

My family just loved this place.
Brennecke's Beach on Kauai's South Shore (http://www.kauaidiscovery.com/virtual_kauai_tour/poipu+koloa+kalaheo/Brenneckes_Beach/)



Brenneckes Beach Broiler is one of our favorite Kauai restaurants! Too bad I wasn't a diver last time I was on Kauai!

[mermaidline]

Tropical place which she can relax watching the sun go by beside the beach! Nature bro! Come to sabang beach puerto galera,Philippines..good diving and lot of things to do for your spouse.

[vladimir]

Bali; shopping, surfing, sightseeing, and local culture topside and a great variety of diving, from muck diving up north in Tulamben or Menjangan to high current drift diving off Nusa Penida. Probably the best place to see Mola-mola.

[sinduda]

Galapagos...land-based island hopping Dive and Adventure Programs...
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/trips-local-marketplace-south-america/291804-galapagos-land-based-island-hopping-avails-sept-2-7-oct-30-nov-6-a.html

You can dive while she does land visits or relaxes.

[octopuppy]

So she can snorkel at least at the surface? Fiji's great for both. For Caribbean consider, try running this Vacation Selector system (uses our software) to find the best fit for you both.
Exsys / Flash Island Selector (http://www.exsyssoftware.com/FlashDemos/Caribbean/IslandSelector.html)