What is the best and cheapest place to dive in Caribbean for high school grads?

[canesdiver95]

My friend and I just graduated from high school and we are looking for suggestions on a place to dive this summer! It'll be a week long trip and we'd like to go somewhere in the Caribbean on the less expensive side (we'll be paying most of our own way). We were thinking Grand Cayman because neither of us have been diving there before and we've heard it's beautiful, but we're definitely open to other ideas. We would also prefer a place with some sort of night life, but it doesn't have to be anything crazy. Any suggestions? We're looking both for the best island to visit as well as a good place to stay on the island. Thanks!

Also, we'll both be 18 so hotel reservations and equipment rentals shouldn't be a problem, correct?

 

[ElGaucho]

Utila is probably a good bet. It's inexpensive, it's full of young people, it's cute, it has a very prolific night life, and it's fun. The diving is good, nothing to write home about if you have dived many places in the world, which is not your case apparently, so you will surely enjoy the diving. I had a great time, it's a nice place.

Check out UDC (Utila Dive Center) for the diving, dunno about short term housing in Utila though, but the UDC guys can surely help you out.

Have fun!

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Cancun is a good option, but check the resort. There are plenty (not just in Cancun, either) that require at least one person in your party to be 23.
Cancun has a great night life (check out CocoBongo) and the diving is excellent.

 

[diversteve]

Grand Cayman may actually be the worst place to go on a budget. Everything is ridiculously high there since it's all imported. The CI$ is fixed at .80 to the US$ so you're 20% down before you even arrive. I do a lot of Caribbean diving, it's by far the most expensive place we've ever been. Boat dives are 2/$100. You can save by shore diving but price accommodations also. I'm not sure you'll find much under $150 nt. Certainly nothing under $100/nt. The cheapest places are probably going to be Comfort Suites or Sunshine Suites on Seven Mile Beach. There's decent bus service as cabs are expensive also.

Utila is a good option except flights there tend to cost a little more as there's a final flight to Utila that's about $120 r/t. Good diving off Utila but from town it's all boat dives. aboututila.com lists everything you need to know. We stayed in an AI resort so IDK much about town.

Roatan's West End is an option. There's direct flights from US gateway cities (MIA, IAH etc.) and it's pretty cheap once there. A decent room can be had for $25 a night - a nice place is $50. Food is also cheap and dives are $35 if you buy 10 or more. Flights will be a little higher but you won't/don't want a car. A cab from the airport to the West End is $25. Everything is negotiable once they realize you're not cruise passengers - those rates are fixed.

Everything is in the West End, lodging, shops, a dozen dive operators, boat dives, restaurants, most of the bars/nightlife. We dove with Coconut Tree Divers - they have 1 BR cabins for $45/nt - some with kitchens. Georphi's down the street rents decent rooms for $25/nt. And there's many others. Posada Arco Iris is one. CTD's food store is one of two nearby, the other is a block away. CTD has a good Roatan info section on their website, lists lodging in all price ranges, diving, food, and general West End/Roatan info. Scuba Diving | Roatan, Bay Islands There's also two hostels in the West End, Chillies is one. Native Sons is their dive operator.

You can do a week on Cozumel fairly affordably also. My friends stayed at Hotel Villablanca for about $700/wk. Might've even included a few dives. There's 3 dive operators nearby and a so-so shore dive off their property. Boat dive prices are average for a resort destination. They list some pretty good package deals on their website but it's a walk to town from there. There's also inexpensive hotels in town. To save more money, in the Cozumel forum there's a thread on the bag drag from the Cancun airport - sometimes you save several hundred on flights by taking the bus/ferry to Coz and back.

I never thought about it but what Dirty Dog says is true. You may not find anyone willing to rent to 2 18yr. olds anywhere. My guess would be that it's possible on Utila/Roatan since both see a lot of students/backpackers but IDK.

You do have passports right? Otherwise look at the USVI's - either St. Thomas's East End or St. Croix. Both are a little more expensive but have shore dive possibilities. IDK anything about St. Croix but I'd probably want a car on St. Thomas - if they'll rent you one. I think most car companies are 21 and up.

 

[Damselfish]

I've never heard the diving in Cancun called excellent before?

Grand Cayman and "less expensive" are rarely used in the same sentence. I would be thinking Utila, Roatan, maybe Cozumel.

What do you have in mind for a budget? And where are you traveling from? Would help people make more specific suggestions.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

I've never heard the diving in Cancun called excellent before?

Apparently you've never talked to anybody who has done much diving there, then.

The reefs are healthy, shallow, and with little or no current to worry about. The sea life is abundant and varied. I've seen Turtles, Eagle Rays, Sting Rays, Nurse Sharks, Bull Sharks, Gray/Black Tip/White Tip reef sharks, schools of 20+ Barracuda, Eels, Lobster, Crabs...

Cancun diving is the same as Cozumel diving, but without the walls or current.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love Cozumel. I enjoy the deeper, more extravagant reef structure. But the OP also wants the sort of night life that appeals to a couple of 18 year olds. That's more Cancun than Cozumel.

 

[drrich2]

Roughly where are you flying out of? I take it you're still a minor and I'm not asking for an address, but if we at least know what state you're in (if you're in the U.S.), it might impact airfare and options to drive to U.S. destinations. Even what coast you fly out of affects price.

Going down to West Palm Beach or the Florida Keys are options you might price against a trip to Cozumel, for example.

We really need to know your total trip budget. Airfare, resort, diving, etc...

If budget is not tight but you're determined to wring maximum value out of it, see, that's another issue. Some Bonaire trips yield a good '$/dive ratio,' if you rack up 18+ dives on the trip. For a Bonaire trip, I tend to budget around $2,500/person for airfare, resort, truck rental, food, etc... But maximum dive trips (e.g.: Bonaire, Cocoview in Roatan, Live-aboard trips) don't tend to be big on night life.

Ignoring night life, for a somewhat budget trip with a lot of dive time, you might start by pricing some packages, with round trip airfare for you, at:

1.) In Cozumel, Aldora is a reputable dive op. that's got some sort of budget accommodations if memory serves.

2.) In Roatan, Reef House Resort - seems to be well-regarded and cheaper than CocoView from what I've read.

3.) In Bonaire, Dive Hut (not ocean front).

or with nightlife in mind,

4.) Jupiter Dive Center - reputable op. in West Palm Beach. A plus is you might see goliath grouper & some sharks, from what I've read. Big stuff. You'd probably dive 3 days or so, and spend the rest of the trip checking out other things to do.

Richard.

 

[capper]

I went to Cancun/Playa Del Carmen/Cozumel last year in August and had a serious difficulty finding any significant gathering of any english speaking tourists any where there and only found a very small number of americans in my resort with literally hundreds of people in it . Not at the dive shops either. It seems that July and August is the time for Italian tourists and Argentinians/brazilians to flood the area. Just know that if you go there. You may end up with a dive group where you're the only ones speaking english beside the instructor.

 

[Lopez116]

In GCM, Treasure Island resort is your cheapest bet at about $105/nt. Each room has 2 queen beds, stove, microwave, fridge, and coffee maker. Note: they're starting a big remodel soon, so they aren't taking reservations in August.

Shore dive and save a bunch of money.

Food is pricey. You can save some money by making some of your own meals, but if you want to eat out, "cheap eats" are limited.

 

[boulderjohn]

I never thought about it but what Dirty Dog says is true. You may not find anyone willing to rent to 2 18yr. olds anywhere. My guess would be that it's possible on Utila/Roatan since both see a lot of students/backpackers but IDK.

About 16 years ago my son and some friends stayed in a hotel in the city on Cozumel as a high school graduation trip. It could be done there, at least back then. When you compare a place like Cozumel to a place like Grand Cayman, the hidden cost factor you might fail to consider is food. Cozumel is very inexpensive when compared to Grand Cayman. That alone can make the deciding factor in planning a trip.