best diving in the Caribbean

[beyond_gravity]

I am in a group of Ventures that is planning a trip to the Caribbean for the summer of 2004.

I'm wondering what everyone thinks the best destination is.

We were thinking about Belize and Cuba.


also: has anyone had any experience with DaSilva scuba from Calgary?

[caymaniac]

Bonaire is the best shore dive spot, Coz might have the best viz, T & C might have the most pelagics, Tabago might have some of the stongest currents. What do you consider that the best would include, Cayman has some of the best wall diving with perhaps some of the least current. Cozumel has some terrific current dives, and I hear Cancun has some great current as well. Did you want rainforest, how about Dominica? Maybe just shark diving would be your forte, then try the Bahamas. If you like small, then Bonaire would be at the top of your list, if you like sponges Cayman would be a better choice. I guess there really is "a better" or "best place" but what do you want to see while you are diving would help you make a decision on where you would want to dive.

Have you considered a liveaboard?

Dive Safe,
Caymaniac:boom:

[Tim Ingersoll]

caymaniac once bubbled...
Bonaire is the best shore dive spot, Coz might have the best viz, T & C might have the most pelagics, Tabago might have some of the stongest currents. What do you consider that the best would include, Cayman has some of the best wall diving with perhaps some of the least current. Cozumel has some terrific current dives, and I hear Cancun has some great current as well. Did you want rainforest, how about Dominica? Maybe just shark diving would be your forte, then try the Bahamas. If you like small, then Bonaire would be at the top of your list, if you like sponges Cayman would be a better choice. I guess there really is "a better" or "best place" but what do you want to see while you are diving would help you make a decision on where you would want to dive.

Have you considered a liveaboard?

Dive Safe,
Caymaniac:boom:

Well said sir.

[DandyDon]

Last I heard, US citizens can get heavily fined for going to Cuba. Some will go to Cancun, then to Cuba, but they get caught on return.

I ran an entire Scuba Board Search on "DaSilva," and no ones has seemed to say anything about them before? Not a good sign.

You might run seperate searches on all the places previously mentioned, plus Roatan - maybe limiting searches to the last year of posts, and see what's been said about whom and where :huh: then narrow your question down a bit.

Welcome to the party line. It'd help if you'd fill in some blanks on your profile...

Don

[Bassie]

Hi beyond_gravity

I Really think that one of the best destinations in the Carribbean is SABA.

One of the dutch antilles on a 10 minute flight from St Maarten.

Visibility is great, pinnacle dives and more shallow stuff and a couple of great dive shops. Saw my first spotted eagle ray there!!

I recommend one hotel overthere which is
Queens Gardens Resort, www.queensaba.com

For groups they always have very good specials as well as great dive packages with the dive shops (expect US$ 190-200 per night BUT THEN YOU HAVE IT ALL, GREAT ROMANTIC spot, jacuzzi's and a great chef, and because of the elevation is it not so hot!!)

Good luck in choosing your destinations

[detroit diver]

I haven't been to a lot of the places mentioned, but I was in Saba.

Awesome. Incredible. Unbelievable. Amazing.

If that's not enough, the island is really interesting to tour and the people are just wonderful there.

[erichK]

[QUOTE=beyond_gravity]I am in a group of Ventures that is planning a trip to the Caribbean for the summer of 2004.

I'm wondering what everyone thinks the best destination is.

We were thinking about Belize and Cuba.

We went to Cuba for two week last Christmas/New Year's and found the diving to be excellent, and that part of the trip to be very reasonably priced. Car rentals were another story. Although we were perfectly free to drive wherever we wanted, this proved a very expensive and rather strenuous way to travel. And beware of the big hotel chains, their mass tourism, and endless nickel and diming.

The diving near Varradero was okay, bu nothing special, with a competent operation boating us out to a couple of small wrecks with moderate growth and some coral on a mostly sand bottom and one too tame nine foot Morray (approached every diver for handouts!), under a fairly choppy sea.

Isla de la Juventud, where I dove with my wife and daughter for four days at--or rather from-- the Colony Hotel was fantastic, with acres of unspoiled, vibrantly alive coral, good fast 42 foot, twin diesel dive boats, excellent divemasters, and very reasonably priced dives. We saw a Whale shark on our very first dive and turtles, sting rays and plenty of small to medium sized fish on other dives.

The Colony, a goverment-run hotel is the only place to stay, but we were pleasantly surprised to find the Cuban staff there very caring and helpful, in pleasant contrast to the slick commercialism we'd endured earlier in Varradero's tourist barrack. It is beautifully situated, with spectacular sunsets over a palm tree dotted beach and a Mojita bar at the end of a long wlakway. Unfortunately, this shoreline stays shallow and is dotted with sea urchins, so swimming must be done with care...but then this is a place that people come--froma all over the world!--to dive, and to relax.

The food at the one restaurant is typical Cuban food, rather bland, but always plentiful, with lots of fresh food, though there are occasional pleasant surprises. The accommodation recently improved with the addition of about a dozen very comfortable and clean new beach bungalows to the rather shabby main block.

An apparently very similar, but much busier operation also exists at Maria La Gorda, where you would be spared the 45 minute boat ride out to the dive sites, and also the cheap but somewhat disconcerting flight from Havana to the Island in one of Cuba's rather ancient short-haul planes.

We also did one dive shore dive at Playa Giron, where very good wall is but a 100 to 150 metres out from shore.

There are other good dive sites along especially the south shore of Cuba. It's definitely a dive destination worth considering, because the reefs seem to have been much better protected than those in much of the Caribbean. Castro was, after all, an enthusiatic diver for many years, and protecting them is one thing that he seems to have done right.

The trick is to avoid the tourist mills and get to the dive spots.

[Pez de Diablo]

I am in a group of Ventures that is planning a trip to the Caribbean for the summer of 2004.

I'm wondering what everyone thinks the best destination is.

We were thinking about Belize and Cuba.


also: has anyone had any experience with DaSilva scuba from Calgary?

Well to start, Da Silva is a very reputable company to deal with. Most likely the number one dive travel agent in Calgary.

Since you are a bunch of ventures, I would have to assume that you are on a budget since you are most likely under 18. But maybe I am wrong, maybe you have rich parents.

Why not head to the west coast? It would be the best bang for your buck and the diving is just as good if not better than a warm water destination - even though I now am living in Mexico and have given up on the cold water.

If you still want to head to warm water, try Mexico. Cozumel and the mainland around Playa del Carmen.

I am in Calgary for the holidays and will be here for another few weeks before heading south again, PM me if you are interested in some low cost ideas for diving in Mexico. Maybe we can get together at Aquasport?

[Axeman]

If you want good diving cheap then Cuba would be a good choice.

Since you are no doubt Canadian you won't have any of the problems that Dandy Don was mentioning. I noticed that you were talking about a company form Calgary.

The diving in Cuba is great, reef, wreck, wall, just about anything. The dive sites are generally not crowded and you can get some great deals on all inclusive. The dive fees are also very reasonable.

hope this helps and you have a great trip.

[michaelkuznet]

Since you are no doubt Canadian you won't have any of the problems that Dandy Don was mentioning.

Canadian or not, I hear that dropping a fiver in your passport is enough to not get it stamped on the border. Not that a God fearing, patriotic, American like myself would ever even think....
A vote for St. Lucia as having better sponges than the Caymans. Anybody concur?
MK

[Axeman]

actually they do not stamp passports in cuba. they stamp your tourist visa which if you were an american you could eat on the plane on the way back and no one would be the wiser. not hat I recomend that or anything.

but you can save your five bucks. They do this because thousands americans (I have met some) go to cuba each year and they don't want to scare you or your almighty dollar away. :)

[Texas Diver]

I am in a group of Ventures that is planning a trip to the Caribbean for the summer of 2004.

I'm wondering what everyone thinks the best destination is.

We were thinking about Belize and Cuba.


also: has anyone had any experience with DaSilva scuba from Calgary?

Hey Man, be careful about going to Cuba. I don't think the Cubans will stamp your passport, but it may not be as simple as that. Check it out from every angle before you go. If you get caught you will get hit with a hefty fine and with all this terrorist stuff in the air you might also get a real hard going over. Maybe you can get there on a live aboard!

[Cherry]

If you are considering Cuba head straight south for Trinidad. Fantastic untouched diving and absolutely untouched by massive corporate tourisim. BTW be sure to take a gift along of a peice of dive gear for your DM. I took a cheap Akona Shortie and gave it to my DM it bought me a huge return in extra tanks, the best dive sites and wonderful friendship. Dive gear is hard to come by on the salary they make.

[RoatanMan]

[QUOTE=Cherry]If you are considering Cuba head straight south for Trinidad.

I have been through Trinidad many, many times, on my way to Tobago. What would make anyone leave the airport to go on to Trinidad itself, I have yet to discover. Keep going and head for Tobago.

More importantly, look at the search features of this message board and do a little research (in answer to the original post). Define just what you are looking for. I could tell you what my favorite place is (Roatan), but for you it might be a disaster.