Diving places recommendation

Hi folks,

I continue exploring Caribbeans diving places. So far I did Caymans, Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen, Aruba, Dominican Republic. Love Caymans and Cozumel most of all. Is there anything else you would recommend that comparable to Caymans/Cozumel in terms of beauty? Wall diving places would be great.

Thank you!

Turks & Caicos.

That ^ would be my suggestion also - having dove both I think it's slightly better than Grand Cayman - equally as pricey though...lol.
Beautiful by Nature - Turks and Caicos Islands - Turks and Caicos Tourist Board

Very much appreciate your inputs. Since you guys are so generous, I am going to use that to full extend and ask another question. What about Belize as an alternative? Or some other Central America destinations? Thank you.

The diving in Utila is excellent, especially paired with the excellent chance to see whale sharks - I loved it. Great boat diving, great shore diving, and gin clear water. I haven't been to Roatan, but some friends have given the diving there mixed reviews compared to Utila. I only have experience in Belize staying at Turneffe Island resort, which was also great. Many think the best diving in Belize is at the atolls, and staying out there was great. Lots of great sites very close by. They do the obligatory Blue Hole trip, but at least you start closer, get there before the day boats, and they have a well organized and safety conscious set up.

Roatan is nice and has some good dive packages. The best diving left in the Caribbean is Jardines de la Reina. There is a documentary on it through a link on my website. Amazing.

Bryan
SCUBA DESTINATION DEALS - HOME

If you would like to try something very different, take a look at Bonaire. Not "wall diving" (although there is a site Small Wall, but plenty of sloping drop-offs, some fairly steep. What is uniquely different is the total diving freedom you can enjoy with a truck and all the tanks you want. Most dives are fairly easy. Some entry/exits can be a bit of a challenge but not that difficult, even for an old fart. The best part is you are your Dive Master. Go where you want, when you want, as long as you want and as often as you want. And then give yourself a nice tip.

Plus one for Bonaire. Also Roatan. Not a fan of Belize.
DivemasterDennis

I think Utila diving is slightly better than Roatan. There is some verticalness at sites on the north side, it does drop deep there farther offshore. Optimal whale shark time is in the spring. We also saw more big stuff off Utila than Roatan - including a few sharks (not counting the six Whale sharks we snorkeled with - diving w/them is not allowed). The only sharks you're likely to see off Roatan are at the shark dive. I prefer diving with bigger stuff, if you want macro, Roatan's south side is a better option. Or Bonaire.

IMO Turks/Caicos was better than either of them - the sheer diversity there on most of our dives was better. At French Cay (45mins. by dayboat from Provo) we saw reef sharks, cuda, turtles, stingrays, lionfish and lots of smaller stuff on every dive. Most of the dives we did off Utila tended to be either mostly big stuff or mostly macro. Some of our dives on Roatan's north side even the DM's commented on how lifeless they were. But then a couple days later nearby sites were full of life.

Probably the best way to dive T/C is via liveaboard. You get a lot more dives at the better sites in West Caicos and French Cay vs. the dayboat schedules since it's a 45min. ride for them. Diving nearby off Provo isn't as good. With thanks to Mike Southard, this is what you can expect on Explorer, Aggressor does the same route - we often saw them moored at the next site over: Saudio's Trip Reports

tobago for drift, some walls, some "rocks" and then there's the great coral reefs... also some opportunities to dive with pelagics.. when they decide to show