Where to next? Suggestions please.....

[Diver Lori]

I'm looking for suggestions to research for a dive trip this coming summer. Summer 2008 had us in Tahiti, Summer 2010 has us in Chuuk. So we're looking for something closer to home for Summer 2009. We've already been to Costa Rica, Roatan, All 3 Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, PNW, British Columbia, Tobermory, Kona, California and Belize. We also annually travel to Akumal/Riviera Maya/NFlorida for cave diving. Soooo, I'm looking for warm water suggestions from seasoned dive travelers please, also let me know why.

Two more items, my buddy will not consider Bonaire, but otherwise I'm open to suggestions. I personally have seasick issues, so please keep that in mind when you provide suggestions. :loopy:

I really appreciate any help you can provide, thanks!!

Lori

 

[BDSC]

I would highly recommend Dominica. The diving was very good and there is as much to see and explore above the water as below it. Beautiful island with all kinds of waterfalls. When we were there they were building some of the props used for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. We stayed at the Castle Comfort Lodge and they were great. One thing to keep in mind is you may have to overnight in Miami both going and coming because of flight schedules. Of course this may have changed by now.

Diving Dominica with Castle Comfort Dive Lodge & Dive Dominica

BDSC

 

[diversteve]

Is your buddy just specifically against Bonaire or the entire N.A.?

Because Curacao has much the same diving as Bonaire - they're on the same reef. Lots of small stuff, I saw my first seahorses there as well as big eels and a few octopus. The reef is a little more beat-up than Bonaire and maybe overfished somewhat outside of the marine park (conversely we thought the better diving was also) but if you're into macro, it's all good. Really warm, clear water also - I dove all week in a t-shirt. In fifteen dives, only one was a boat dive.

You could easily do a week of shorediving only, there must be about 30-40 sites - most have dive facilities on-site. A couple of the signature dives, Watamula and Mushroom Forest are boat dives only though. There's also a canned dolphin dive that although was as expected, was still a highlight of my trip. They're so fast and powerful it's almost stunning. 3-5min. boat ride out to the divesite. Some shots my buddy took on our trip: Curacao- April 2007

Easy direct flights on AA out of Miami. Good restaurants and a whole range of resorts, two that are particularly nice are the Marriott in Piscadera Bay and the Lodge Kura Hulanda - but it's all the way out on the West End. Good diving but nothing else to do out there. There's a dozen or so casinos and some nightlife in/near town also. We stayed a few days in some very affordable, newer apts. mid-island (right on the water in Lagun) and then a week in a duplex in Piscadera Bay. It was pretty affordable, I don't think our total housing cost for the week exceeded $700. The island itself is going through an economic downturn so crime (theft) is a problem in some areas. Nothing happened to us, but I've read of break-ins. All the resorts have active security and you're told to lock your vehicle when unattended.

We went in April 07' so if you'd like more specifics, send me a PM. I've also written a couple of minor travelogues on Curacao in the ABC forum. My buddy's wife is an instructor/diveguide there so she knows the local spots.

 

[Doc]

my buddy will not consider Bonaire,

Change buddies, you're missing one that's in my Caribbean "Top 3".

How about Tobago? The Speyside area (North) is challenging and spectacular.

 

[robint]

wow, I was going to suggest Bonaire, too! Is your buddy afraid of the shore diving or some other reason? Bonaire is awesome and you would love it considering where you have been. If I could only return to one place in Caribbean, it would be Bonaire. Amazing diving available 24/7, nice little island for divers.

The only other place with great diving that you haven't mentioned in Caribbean is Cozumel. If you like deep dives, swimthroughs, wild current drift diving, lots of fish, go there. We did our first 5 dive trips there, so we obviously really enjoyed it. As far as bang for the buck, it is the least expensive destination in Caribbean. You can find everything from little B&B hotels to big mega resorts, so pick your poison. The only thing I don't like about Coz is that it has gone from a sleepy little divers paradise to a more touristy cruiseship port in many ways (not as bad as Grand Cayman though). But, it still has excellent diving. So if you can avoid downtown during daytime it is okay. My personal preference would be to stay at Cozumel Scuba Diving at Scuba Club Cozumel Dive Resort and Scuba Cozumel Dive Shop so I could avoid that scene altogether and only go downtown to shop for trinkets.

One other choice is La Paz, Mexico. We haven't been there yet but friends have and rave about it. Kinda like all Mexican dive destinations, nothing fancy, but great diving with interesting fishlife, sea lions, mantas, and chance for whale sharks Sep-Oct. They also get hammerheads there. Very inexpensive trip, too. Best time to go, from what we were told, is July-Nov when water is warmest.

robin

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Looking at the lists of places you have been I would suggest that you check out Saba. Really a wonderful vacation experience if you don't mind no beaches. I also second the recommendation for Cozumel.

 

[Teamcasa]

I'd look at Loreto, Baja Mexico. Different, warm not expensive and the diving is terrific.

Dolphin Dive Center - Loreto, Baja California Mexico- Padi Scuba Diving

 

[RJP]

NJ - come dive Wreck Valley with us next summer. Rent a house for a week at the Jersey shore and go wreck diving every day!

 

[Diver Lori]

Wow, got quite a variety of good suggestions to start the research process. Not a bad one in the bunch, including the Jersey shore! (I lived on LI Sound as a child, and also spent 2 years on Cape Cod in the USCG)

I will check out each of the suggestions and present them to dive buddy. He always leaves the researching up to me! Tho, I can't complain too much, he did all the work to plan the Tahiti trip.

Thanks so far, and if there are any more suggestions, please don't hesitate to chime in!

 

[Damselfish]

Bequia is a really interesting little island to visit with some good diving. You can get as good or better diving someplace easier to get to, but I like it because it's just such a neat place. Dives ranged from easy to a washing machine dive near the end of the island. St. Vincent is good for critter diving, but we've had some fairly invigorating boat rides there when the wind picks up. I remember the boat rides on Bequia as being pretty mellow, except maybe when they crossed the passage to dive the next island.

We took the ferry from St Vincent to Bequia, I don't recall how rough it was, but it was a very big ferry. But I think you can fly to Bequia from either St. Vincent or Barbados.


I agree Curacao is well worth checking out, depending on why your buddy doesn't like Bonaire. Perhaps it would get you Bonaire-like diving while not having whatever the Bonaire issue is?