Recommended C American dives based upon these requirements

[maize2112]

My wife and I have loved diving in Cozumel but are looking for someplace new for our Feb trip. Here are our requirements...

1. Great diving: my wife is more conservative so warm water, colorful, not crazy currents and lots of wildlife.
2. Convenient to get to location and get to dive sites: We have 5 days total for vacation so we can't spend a 1.5 days coming and going each plus a 2 hour boat ride for every dive. We loved the convenience of Cozumel which allowed for maximum diving as well as time for exploration topside.
3. Spanish speaking/great indigenous culture: I speak Spanish and we love connecting with the locals and getting away from resorts/touristas.
4. Reasonable budget: Unfortunately, staying on a boat or exotic trips are out of our price range.

We can't seem to find a place that meets these four. Here's my impressions of various places - can you correct or advise based upon your experience?

• Costa Rica: sounds great - but sounds like a hassle to get to a location with diving (a couple flights and long drives)... and then need to take a boat for a couple hours to get to dive site. Argh.
• Bay Islands: No need to speak Spanish and has lost most of it's Honduras culture. Tho this may be our best bet.
• Nicaragura Corn Islands: Extra time/cost to get out to the islands. Again - wondering if the culture on the islands are completely tourista/dive culture.
• Belize: Not Spanish speaking. Somewhat expensive.
• Columbia: the best diving is on islands off Columbia and don't speak Spanish, don't have Columbian culture and require additional flights or lengthy boat trips to get to.
• Los Roques Venezuela: tough to get to and long boat rides to dive sites.
• Tulum/Playa del Carmen: Other than the cenotes (which my wife isn't interested in), I'd expect the diving to be identical to Cozumel - same types of reefs, fish, etc. Looking for someplace new.

Any thoughts or insights are appreciated!

 

[koozemani]

Although the official language in Belize is English, Kriol and Spanish is also spoken.

 

[tracydr]

I dove right off shore in Costa Rica a few times while on a vacation with my brother. He didn't want to do much diving so I only did a few dives with a Divemaster.
Considering I wasn't at ideal locations and just did dives close to shore ( one would have easily been a shore dive but they didn't tell us they were taking us 25 yards off the sandy beach) I saw a ton of cool stuff.
Mobula rays ( like smallish Mantas), reef sharks and turtles were fairly common. I could see CR diving could be very good, even without taking 2 hour boat rides and long driving trips. I dove off the east coast, which also has some of the nicest beaches, inexpensive hotels and very nice tourist attractions like volcanoes and zip-lines.
I'd highly recommend a rental car as there is so much to see in CR but its spread over a fairly large area.

 

[DeputyDan]

You don't say where you point of origin is - so it's sort of hard to relate.
If you are in Hong Kong it will take a while to get to Costa Rica. My example is sort of extreme but makes the point.

Based on budget - you should probable look at somewhere on the west end of Roatan.

 

[ferociousfish]

I've been to all of the places on your list except for los Roques. None of them will match your criteria perfectly but if I was to recommend one it would be Little Corn. It does take a flight from Managua to Big Corn, then a short boat ride to Little Corn but once you're there all the dive sites are very close. The only dive site that is further away is Blowing Rock, great dive though. It takes about 45 min to get to. All the other dives take a few minutes to get to and are quite shallow and relaxed diving. The island is amazing, and generally pretty cheap. There is still local culture on little corn, more so than the Bay Islands. One thing to keep in mind is that it is a tiny island, so besides diving, snorkelling, walking around, or lying on a hammock, there isn't much else to do.

That's just my opinion, if you want any info on the other locations let me know.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Many many Spanish speakers in Belize. Also on Roatan. One might not notice it so much at the dive shops with a high expat staffing presence but very easy to find. All the staff at the hotels I stay in both Belize and Roatan are all Spanish speakers. My chosen dive shop on Ambergris Caye are also Spanish and will speak with you in that language if you so chose. Many many times in both locations I have wished myself fluent. Especially on Roatan! ! While Spanish may not be required there, it would serve only to enrich the experience. There are many isladers that do not speak English at all.

I can help direct you with regard to decreasing your overall cost for non-diving portion of your trip. It neednt be expensive at all. Believe you will be surprised.

More importantly, where are you coming from? 5 days? Do you mean like an extra long weekend all in or 5 days at your chosen destination with travel days on either end? If you only have 5 days all told, Bay Islands are probably out due to flight schedules, whereas Belize has a number of daily flights in and out.

 

[fisheater]

Costa Rica, at Ocotal or Playa de Coco, should meet your criteria.

The water is warm, full of life, generally mellow. It just doesn't have Caribbean clarity. Diving is usually within a few minutes by boat.

The culture is great and the people are unbelievably friendly (& Spanish-speaking).

A 39-40 minute drive from the Liberia airport (flights from Houston) and you're there.


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[CaboJim]

Been to the Ocotal in Costa Rica.. Depends on when you're going. Do not go during the rainy season. the vis will suck.
Been to Little Corn Island. Hard to get to. & again do not go from October to January... The Vis sucks...
Been to Roatan in August.. The best!! Can't beat the reefs & the vis is 100+
Playa Del Carmen.. diving is alot better in Cozumel. The vis is not nearly as good. They will try to tell that the animals are bigger, because the currents run toward Playa from Cozumel...not true...

 

[diving4ever]

• Bay Islands: No need to speak Spanish and has lost most of it's Honduras culture. Tho this may be our best bet.
• Belize: Not Spanish speaking. Somewhat expensive.

Any thoughts or insights are appreciated!

Your instincts about the Bay Islands are probably right. For great easy diving in warm water (at a very fair price) Roatan is hard to beat.
Bananrama is pretty affordable on the West although CocoLobo for accomodations and Coconut Tree or West End Divers for diving might be a better value.
I adore Cocoview and think its worth the upcharge (which is still WAY less than a liveaboard vacation...with just as much diving).

Belize can be pricier but I did see a really good deal on Groupon for Ambergis Dive Resort this morning. I think that may be the Sundiver Resort under new management. Not sure.

Have a wonderful trip!

-Melissa

 

[tracydr]

Costa Rica, at Ocotal or Playa de Coco, should meet your criteria.

The water is warm, full of life, generally mellow. It's just doesn't have Caribbean clarity. Diving is usually within a few minutes by boat.

The culture is great and the people are unbelievably friendly (& Spanish-speaking).

A 39-40 minute drive from the Liberia airport (flights from Houston) and you're there.


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That's where I dove while I was there.