Great Diving - No Biting Insects?!

[CanadianTravelAgent]

Hi everyone!

I love diving, but everywhere we've been I get eaten alive by mosquitos and/or sandflies/no see ums. I seem to get a worse reaction than most. Makes me almost miserable when I'm not in the water. So far the only place that hasn't really bothered me is Provo (and liveaboards). Does anyone know of anywhere in the Caribbean where the insects aren't as bad? We mostly travel in the summer and in Jan or Feb.

Thanks!
CTA

[Marek K]

We were on Grand Cayman for a week at the very end of July. We don't remember many mosquitoes, if any at all. If at all, then only a very few in the evening. My wife is a mosquito magnet (great to be around her!), and she doesn't remember a problem.

We were at Sunset House, so no sand -- so no sand flies! :D

[DeputyDan]

Have you tried a liveaboard?

Bugs are much less of an issue on one of them!

[ronbeau]

Hi everyone!

I love diving, but everywhere we've been I get eaten alive by mosquito's and/or sandflies/no see ums. I seem to get a worse reaction than most. Makes me almost miserable when I'm not in the water. So far the only place that hasn't really bothered me is Provo (and liveaboards). Does anyone know of anywhere in the Caribbean where the insects aren't as bad? We mostly travel in the summer and in Jan or Feb.

Thanks!
CTA

I have been to Curacao twice and have never been bitten by anything.

It should be noted that I don't have any built-in bug deterrent. Where I live in New England they love to chomp on me after dusk.

[TSandM]

We did Cozumel in March, and I don't remember any mosquitoes. When we went to the mainland, there were a few, but not like in summer.

[robint]

TSANDM - we were just in Cozumel in April and there were lots of mosquitos. The resort (Scuba Club) had a guy misting in the evening every couple of days, which seemed to help.

ronbeau - we were in Bonaire in June a few years ago, and I saw more mosquitos than I have any other destination. Every night, we killed a good dozen INSIDE our room. Several people in our group forgot to use DEET the first night, and got huge bites on their legs. One girl looked like she had a dozen on each leg!

to the OP - if you are going anywhere in Caribbean, you are probably going to see bugs. Tropical climates, humidity, rain... they all breed bugs. Some oceanfront resorts have less because of ocean breeze, but that doesn't always mean there will be less bugs. Hurricane season is worst, due to rain showers almost every day.

Liveaboards are really the only place where you are not going to have issues with bugs in summer months.

robin:D

[deeper thoughts]

This year in my back yard there have been no bugs(Islamorada). That being said, I attended an outdoor memorial service in Key largo and withing minutes people had 15-20 skeeters on them.

We went to Bonaire years ago and I was shocked how skeeter free it was

[jlbdiver]

I've been to Saba several times and don't recall bugs. I'll be there again next month, as well as Statia, so I'll have to let you know.

[victor]

Bonaire in January, no Mozzies.
Howeevr I do follow a routine
If in doubt spray the room on arrival, especially bathroom, behind the curtins, in the wardrobe, etc.
Don't ever have windows open and lights on.
Turn on Aircon before dusk and switch off when I go to sleep.
Always close the door before I switch on the lights.
Never eat outside at dusk, in general get inside and eat at that time.

With care you can avoid problems.

[Damselfish]

You'll notice some people say no problem Bonaire and Curacao (or whereever) and some say terrible - it really depends on the time of year, and to a certain extent where you are staying. Dry season should be best anywhere. Liveaboard is a good way to avoid the bugs anytime, at least as long as you're on the boat! Being outside at dusk is good to avoid. Someplace with breezes is helpful. Eating outdoors in the evening is good to avoid most places. (While Grand Cayman usually seems ok to me, at least the west end, eating outside can still be a problem.)

[NetDoc]

I react violently to No-see-ums (sand flees)... You can find them in Key Largo but they are mostly on the Bay Side. I haven't experienced them much in the rest of the Caribe, inculding Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Statia, Saba, St Kitts, St Martin, Grand Bahamas as well as others. My worst experience was in SC on the coast (Daufuskie Island).

[CanadianTravelAgent]

Thanks everyone! I was pretty sure that everywhere would be about the same...more pesty insects during rainy season. But, I thought if anyone would know of a hidden gem of a low-bug zone, it would be here! When we travel, I tend to do all of the suggestions above...it's those times when you're out later than you thought you'd be...you get nailed! I guess I'll just have to remember to always carry the DEET with me! My husband always comments of my lovely DEET "perfume" when we go out for dinner. It certainly won't stop me from travelling and diving!
And yes, liveaboards rule for many reasons, including being at sea away from them!
My last trip to Provo was February a couple of years ago and I was surprised that I didn't get bothered at all by mosquitos or sand flies. A few years before that we were there on a liveaboard during the summer and spent a few days on Provo first - followed by a week in Grand Turk after. Don't recall any then either...but then again....we were lucky with the weather and no rain!

[RoatanMan]

Mosquitos like different environments than Sand Flies/No-see-ums

It's no surprise that Ronbeau and Victor (above) found no mosquitos on the ABC islands. They are "desert islands" by almost any definition. In Bonaire it is even more apparent, I liken it to a convection oven. Mosquitoes are unlikely, Scorpions? Maybe.

Mosquitos need still, fresh water (ponds, or even old tires) to breed. They do not like even light breezes. They need fresh water moisture and still air.

The best No-See-Ums anywhere in the Caribbean can be found on the Bay Islands. I suggest you steer clear, but truth be known, they are all over the Caribbean basin. They thrive near any wet decaying vegetable matter, loving inter-tidal wash zones (look out beach combers!), moist shaded gear locker rooms... even wolmanized pressure-treated wood (Sun deck loungers beware!). They attack predictably at dawn and then again in the late afternoon, say 4-6 pm or so.

Certain islands where you find heavy populations of one critter or the other, sometimes have "free zones" where nature's elements conspire against them. As bad as the Bay Islands are for sand flies, the South side is comparatively devoid of the critters, and rarely a mosquito. (Understand that "comparative" is a comparative word)

Argue as you will about the best goo to slather on your flesh to repel either pest, but I prefer (along with the US Military and recognized science) a liberal use of DEET. Contrary to urban myth, DEET has never been found to have a deleterious affect upon Corals, but why not shower it off before your dive, anyway?

Percentage of DEET concentrations available to the consumer vary greatly. The point? It all has to do with how much stays on your flesh while you sweat and go through a normal day. If you want to apply it less often, use the high percentage. If you are in and out of the water a lot, might as well go the cheap route and get the lower percentage version. There is really nothing more to it than that. Yes- most spray DEET formulas will melt plastic, so keep it away from your watch crystals and lens dome ports on u/w cameras. Yes, I have witnessed this disaster.

Once you are bitten, there are also another 1,278 remedies for the insane itching. What actually works is a q-tip daub of NASONEX (or the active ingredient mometasone furoate monohydrate in a suspension form, ask your physician for a scrip). It is a very powerful steroid and will make the itching go away instantly and stop for a very long time.

NASONEX (absolutely, no doubt) works instantly on no-see-um bites.

[jlbdiver]

I don't know when the last time Ronbeau and Victor were on Bonaire but I was there last Oct. and the place was mosquito city. Sat at one outside restaurant and if it wasn't for the DEET we would have looked like pin cushions. Really depends on the amount of rain the island has recently gotten. Good tip on the Nasonex but what would you expect from RoatanMan. I taught a Rescue class on Roatan a few years ago and man the No-see-ums were bad.

[conradb212]

Mosquitos, no-see-ums and other pests can really foul up a vacation, to the extent I often swear I'll keep close track of when and where I encounter the pests so that I won't repeat the same mistakes.

By and large, if you want a bug-free dive vacation, liveaboards are the way to go. On a liveaboard, mosquitos, flies, etc., are simply not an issue, and it is sooo nice to be able to lay on a lounging chair at night, gazing at the stars, without being eaten alive.

On land, we encountered no-see-ums on Roatan during trips in July, August and December. And tons of nasty big, black mosquitos in Cozumel on trips in November and January.

On Saba and St. Kitts, we encountered virtually no biting insects in September.

[gailieb]

Just returned from Curacao (Oct 3-17) - during rainy season and didn't have an issue. Took OFF with us and sprayed in the evenings, there were a few mosquitos but I don't think I have any more than 4 bites and I am very susceptible to mosquitos and no-seeums !

[octopuppy]

Just back from Bonaire and skeeters galore. Some of the outdoor restaurants placed candles on the floor by the tables. Nuthing like Citronella up your skirts :blinking: but did seem to help. Also had a great squadron of dragonflies at dawn & dusk crusing our balcony - no bugs when they're on Tinkerbell patrol.

[jlbdiver]

Just got back from a week on Saba and a week on Statia. Nothing biting on Saba unless a tree frog attacks. Statia had a no see ums. A little OFF available at the hotel bar was enough to keep them away. No skeeters.

[Qnape]

We had no bug problem at all on Cozumel, but we stay close to town. Lttle Cayman in August was not bad; some mosquitos in the evening when the breeze died and what they called "coconut bugs" but no sand flies.

Utila in the Bay islands - the thickest clouds of no-see ums we've seen anywhere. Mosquitos formed attack squadrons 15 - 20 strong circling over each of our heads as we waited for the jumper flight at the airstrip! The beach at Utopia Dive Village was raked daily, but the surrounding area made it futile. The sand flies were murderous.

Here's a destination (or type of destination) to consider: Turneffe Island Resort - Belize It's a very small island; and is waay off the coast so it gets great sea breezes. We were there in August 2009 and did not see a single mosquito or sand fly / no-see-um. They raked all beach areas daily to make sure. My wife is a non-diver and spent a lot of time lounging at the beach and pool - no bites. Maybe we were lucky, but a small island far offshore seems likely to be the least buggy, especially if it has no fresh-water / brackish swampy areas. :D

[Rhone Man]

Red Sea.

[CanadianTravelAgent]

thanks for all the updates! We're still thinking about our next vacation - probably in February. We have to take the kids with us this time, so it's kind of changed the dynamics of our trip!

[diversteve]

Grand Cayman in early July was bug-free IIRC. We were there a few days after a big storm and there was standing water in some of the low-lying areas. The kids might like Boatswains Beach.

[LarryHinDC]

Saba is biting-bug free year round, plus some of the best diving in the Caribbean! We've been several times and highly recommend it. And we've had great experiences with Sea Saba as our dive op.