DeepBlueDivers:
Hi
What are you looking for what do you expect from your trip, if you tell us maybe we can all help you.
Some more info ...
There will be four of us going ... two couples, all in our 50's. Night life isn't important ... excellent, abundant diving is. On our recent Bonaire trip we were doing 4 to 5 dives a day, and that's what we would like from our next trip.
Easy access to shore diving would be a big plus ... a pre-dawn dive to watch the reef "wake up" was one of the highlights of our last trip, and we'd like to make it one of our next ones as well.
Boat diving is fine, but we don't want to be part of the cattle boat scenario ... smaller boats, and smaller crowds appeal to us.
We're all experienced divers, but we don't need the tech thing. Our typical dive in Bonaire had us max'ing at about 75 fsw, and spending most of our dive above 40 fsw. That seems to be our comfort zone ... not to mention getting in those 70+ minute dives was really nice.
Which brings up another point ... we don't want boat dives where the DM leads us around and calls the dive when the first diver gets low on air. I'd prefer a good dive briefing, then the freedom to choose our own dive profile and bottom time.
Walls would be appealing, but aren't a requirement. Healthy reefs are.
We don't need fancy accommodations, as long as they're clean and the meals are decent. We're there to dive ... and meals are just a way to spend surface intervals.
Price isn't a huge issue ... we're all reasonably well employed ... but we're not rich either, so it will be a factor in the balance of our decision.
The opportunity to see whale sharks is very appealing to three of us ... the fourth isn't so sure she wants to be in the water with something that big (although she said the same thing about six-gill sharks till she actually saw one, now she's as enthusiastic about it as the rest of us).
Having read further, I'm wondering if perhaps Roatan (and CoCoView) might not be worth considering instead ... what do y'all think? The convenient shore access sounds appealing. But so does the remote location (and less chance of crowded conditions) of Utila. Does Utila offer shore diving? So far what I've been reading is about diving from boats, and that rather limits your options.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)