best value in the Caribbean?

[emmagee]

Even though it's in Mexico, Cozumel is the first place that comes to mind when I think of great diving at a very reasonable price, but am I missing anything? Is there anything else in the Caribbean that offer diving comparable to Cozumel at a similar price?

We're in Dallas, so nothing is *too* far. Trying to find a nice place other than Cozumel where my wife and I can take a long weekend....4-5 day....dive trip and not spend a small fortune.

Thanks in advance for any assistance or advice!

[Tim Ingersoll]

emmagee once bubbled...
Is there anything else in the Caribbean that offer diving comparable to Cozumel at a similar price?

In a word. . .no. I haven't found it or heard about it if its out there. There are places just as cheap but the diving is not as good. There are places where the diving is just as good (if not better) but the prices are higher.

[Steve Schulz]

I recommend Utila. Outside of the plane fare, I found it to be quite inexpensive. We did not do a package. The room was $12 a night and the diving was $35 for a two tank dive (I think) and the food was down-right cheap. I found the diving to be quite good, but I have not been to Cozumal, so I can't compare.

Steve

[RICHinNC]

NOt having dived cozumel...i cant compare...but...I can say that a good place to go for all round things to do is Barbados. It is acutally in the West Indies but they have been hit hard since 9/11 tourist wise and are offering a lot of good deals if you just look for them.

the island is large....easy to drive around on....lots of beaches...lots to see and do...the people are great... the diving is good....a decent all round place to go.

good luck...let us know what you decided on and how it turned out.

[RoatanMan]

I agree with the Steve's Utila suggestion, but encourage you to look at Roatan as well. IMHO the diving is much better than Coz, but there is precious little else to do.

[dedhed]

I agree that Utila is the best overall bargin in the Caribbean. The diving (Alton's Dive Shop), is $15 a tank and has eveything that any other place in the Caribbean has, 50-125 foot vis, sea mounts, pristine reefs, fish glore, endless walls, swim throughs, plus Whale Sharks! The accomodations run from all inclusives to $3 per/night rooms and everything in between. I stayed for $15 (Hotel Rose) and was quite comfy. Not much night life (things may have changed, 24 hour power just arrived on the island), but a huge grilled fish dinner at the most expensive restaurants runs about $6 and local lunches, balledas or pastillitos, are as cheap as 30 cents. Get there before it turns into Roatan!

Peace,
Dedhed

[ckerl]

My spouse and I returned yesterday from a week diving in Dominica. Diving was outstanding, easy and reasonably priced. We dove with Nature Island Dive located south of the capital Roseau. Including airfare from San Juan for two, we spent less than $3,000 for a week's diving, cottage, meals, and jeep rental.

Nature Island Dive's web address is www.natureislanddive.com

We rented a cottage on the water from them. The cottage was fabulous. A home away from home. Very nice space with a deck on the water. This is a volcanic island and Dominica has a rocky, but picuresque shoreline. The pictures on the website are very accurate. This is not a location for you, if you prefer a gated, guarded hotel.

There are at least 20 dive sites that are not more than a 5 minute boat ride from Nature Island's dock in the town of Soufriere. The dive area is called Scotts Head, it is a volcanic caldera. The reef is exceptionally healthy. Great colors. There are lots of small reef fish. Larger fish were absent; our guess is due to fishing. There were plenty of turtles, but no sharks during our week. We had great bottom time on the dives - all dives were at least an hour. Nature Island's routine is two daily dives.

Karen at the dive shop arranged a rental car. We bought groceries and cooked all our own breakfasts and lunches and went out for dinner 1/2 the time. The people at the dive shop are very competent and very accomodating.

Downside is that the island infrastructure is minimal. The closest good restaurant is back in Roseau which is a 30 minute white knuckle drive from Soufriere. The roads are in poor condition, narrow, fallen rocks, and, by the way, drive on the left.

The island is very beautiful. It is a tropical rain forest. We were unable to see very much of the island because we didn't finish diving until 1:30 PM, our location in the far south of the island and the narrow, mountinous roads.

This is a destination for divers willing to put up with a third world environment, prepare some of their own meals, and go with the flow. It is a pretty good trade-off. Try to avoid traveling through San Juan on a Sunday because of cruise boat travelers flying in and out of San Juan.

[Tim Ingersoll]

Welcome to Scubaboard! Pretty house. What drew you to Dominica? What does the diving compare to? Anything that is peculiar to the area?

[chrpai]

I live in Houston and have been considering a trip down there... but I have done BlackBeard Cruises.

Airfare to MIA from DFW ($265 right now)
5 day 4 night cruise ( 3 dive days ) $539
Port Tax $55
Crew Tip $50
Ground Transport To From MIA to docks $20
Port Night Fun $20
Parking at DFW Airport $20

$969 per person.


I'd love to hear what a similiar itinery in Coz would cost me.

[ggunn]

chrpai once bubbled...
I live in Houston and have been considering a trip down there... but I have done BlackBeard Cruises.

Airfare to MIA from DFW ($265 right now)
5 day 4 night cruise ( 3 dive days ) $539
Port Tax $55
Crew Tip $50
Ground Transport To From MIA to docks $20
Port Night Fun $20
Parking at DFW Airport $20

$969 per person.


I'd love to hear what a similiar itinery in Coz would cost me.

Airfare and taxes - check Adventure Tours (http://www.atusa.com) for deals.
No cruises; all the dive sites are ~100 yards offshore. Boat dives can be had for $50-$60 per 2 tanker, $35-$40 for a 1 tank night dive. Shore dive tanks & weights are usually $6, but you won't see the big stuff.
Meals are comparable in price to most US cities. Beer is cheaper.
Hotel - lots of variability, from $30/night up.

[ckerl]

Tim Ingersoll once bubbled...
Welcome to Scubaboard! Pretty house. What drew you to Dominica? What does the diving compare to? Anything that is peculiar to the area?

We were drawn to Dominica because of the mix of SCUBA and above water activities - i.e. rainforest hikes to steam vents, sulfer springs, and water falls.

Some aspects of diving were similar to Bonaire - coral gardens, easy diving, close dive sites, lack of current, small fish. Not shore diving. There were walls to dive, but not as dramatic as Bloody Bay or Coz. There were swim throughs like a lot of places.

Bear in mind, the most unique aspect is diving on a dormant volcanic caldera. The coral is growing on a granite surface that is visible. This, in itself, is pretty dramatic. I have dived on the Big Island, which is a volcanic hot spot, and Hawaii has no coral to compare to Dominica. Frankly, I think Dominica is a must dive location. The local color and lack of infrastructure can be viewed either as the Caribbean, the way it used to be, or squalor.

[Tim Ingersoll]

ckerl once bubbled...
The local color and lack of infrastructure can be viewed either as the Caribbean, the way it used to be, or squalor.

Interesting way to put it.