Seems like the best forum to ask this question

[Kharon]

Background: I'm spoiled by Bonaire. Been twice as a single, rented cheap apartment for 2 weeks and shore dived solo. Total freedom - happy, happy, happy.

Need sugestions: Want someplace where I can shore dive solo, rent by the tank or unlimited air package, rent a vehicle, (hopefully) find a cheap apartment to rent (away from water is fine), and doesn't take a huge amount of time/money to get to. Bonaire takes pretty much a full 24 hours and that's about as much as I can deal with. I live in central NY and can fly out of Rochester, Albany, or NYC/Newark/Conneticut. I don't need as many shore diving sites as are on Bonaire (I'll dive a good site multiple times) but it would be nice for something a bit different.

If you know of anyplace I should look into please help. I'm getting old (just reached 67) and I feel time is running out so I want to take a diving trip at least every year. Thanks in advance.

 

[diversteve]

Curacao is similar to Bonaire. Easier beach entries, more dRiving between them. Very similar low-current diving - the reef is maybe 100 yds. out at some. Outside of town is fairly inexpensive - we stayed in Lagun at some 1BR apts. for $65/$85 nt. (mtn./ocean view) This place: http://www.mydreamapartments.com/ - website seems to have crashed recently. Get tanks just down the street at Discover Diving. There's also Relaxed Guided Dives - a rental/fill station on the main road west of town. Playa Lagun is one of the better sites and Playa Jeremi is five mins. the other direction. Plus all the others nearby - there's about 50 shore dive sites on Curacao.

It's pretty quiet out there and you'll want to stop for food in town first. All West Apts. in Westpunt is another option - as is Atlantis Apts. in town. Both have dive operators on-site but Go West Diving at All West has a no solo policy. Both have shore dives also.
Curacao Travel- Caribbean - all things Curacao.


Anout the 3rd or 4th best place to shore dive in the Caribbean is St. Croix. I think it's pricier there but have no idea. Cane Bay wall is shore accessible from the north side and there's the Fredericstad pier. An acquaintance owns a condo on the north shore - he walks out from his property and dives the wall. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: USVI, St. Croix, Caribbean

Other potential options: Be Alive... ShoreDive!

The Roatan listing is misleading as most of those sites are off private resorts. Too bad, Roatan can be really cheap. If you're not set on shore diving, boat dives in the West End are 10/$300. Rooms with kitchens are around $50-60/nt. and you don't need a car. It's more of a party area on weekends though.

There's quite a few shore dives on Cozumel also. My friends stayed at Villablanca Garden Hotel and bundled boat dives for under $1000/wk - I think it was closer to $750 pp including breakfast and 10 boat dives. There's a shallow shore dive right there and 3 dive ops nearby for tanks. i think you'll have to drive to access the others - I really don't know. A lot of divers go there for cheap trips.

 

[tajkd]

second vote for curacao. Great diving - relatively unsupervised.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Are you looking for warm water only?
I wanted to mention, if you don't mind cold water Northern California has some great diving. From Mendocino County all the way down past SF bay to Monterey. Monterey would be the priciest as far as lodgings but still not as bad as some locations across the world.

The northern part of the state has some real hidden treasures. The town of Mendocino and the diving up there is world class. You could get a house right on the scenic coastline of Sea Ranch for a few weeks and explore miles and miles of shoreline.
There are also a number of very nice B&B's up in Mendocino right on the coast, and other standard lodgings as well.
If you wanted to try your hand at abalone diving you could get a one day out of state licence and try it. I don't know if you're a hunter but abalone is a world delicacy. Many times the chefs at a B&B will prepare your ab for you and serve it cooked to perfection with a local world class wine. The rules with abalone are little funny and strict. Abalone can not be used in anyway as currency for barter or trade. But there is no law that states that somebody cannot prepare an ab for you,. just as long as the ab is not used to pay for the service.

The only thing with Northern California is the water is cold. I'm not going to lie, it's about 46 to 50 degrees, but that also makes for some incredible growth and lushness.
There are dive shops that will rent you whatever you may need with suits and cold water gear, and they even have kayaks for rent so you can get out to some of the beautiful kelp beds.

You could fly into SF or Oakland from NY and get a car. From there it's about a 3 hour drive to the North Coast above SF, and about a 2 hour drive south to the Monterey area. Monterey has charter boats, the North Coast does not.
You could get a few of us locals to show you around.

 

[Damselfish]

Curacao could work for you. Plenty of shore diving that's a bit more varied than Bonaire, and the island is easier to get to.

 

[uncfnp]

second vote for curacao. Great diving - relatively unsupervised.

Curacao could work for you. Plenty of shore diving that's a bit more varied than Bonaire, and the island is easier to get to.

I have heard that Curacao is not solo friendly. Might this be an issue for Kharon?

 

[TSandM]

It's a day's travel, but Maui fits all your criteria. There are a lot of sites with excellent shore diving. Inexpensive lodging takes a little detective work, but can be found.

 

[Diver0001]

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[diversteve]

It's a day's travel, but Maui fits all your criteria. There are a lot of sites with excellent shore diving. Inexpensive lodging takes a little detective work, but can be found.

That's a good idea - there's inexpensive older condos in north Kihei. Kihei Bay Vista and Kihei Bay Surf are around $80-100/nt. It's an older area with stores/shops walking distance. There's also "bungalows" in that area - "quaint" (no A/C) guest houses often sharing beachfront property with a larger rental house. Find them on vrbo.com also under North Kihei.

Sometimes you can also get a really good deal at some of the large condo complexes south of there near Kamaole Beach (also a dive site) since there's many vacancies. Maui Banyan or Maui Vista both often go for around $800/wk. or less. They're really large complexes across the street from the beach so know what you're getting.

There's a shuttle that runs around in that area also. Shore diving is south in the Kihei/Wailea area - from #11 down. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Maui, Hawaiian Islands Tanks are available at Maui Dreams Dive Co. or one of the Maui Dive shops. MDS sells a fill card - 10 tanks/$55.

---------- Post added December 2nd, 2013 at 05:03 PM ----------

I have heard that Curacao is not solo friendly. Might this be an issue for Kharon?

Only with the largest operator - and the one at All West. Both have a no solo policy. At others it didn't seem to be even a consideration.

 

[Kharon]

I have heard that Curacao is not solo friendly. Might this be an issue for Kharon?

Definitely a problem - I tried to find air packages on Curacao and found out they were totally anal about forbidding solo. You might be able to get away with it but why bother? It's esentially Bonaire without the half hour puddle jump.

DiverSteve said "If you're not set on shore diving ..."

Thought I indicated in my OP that I was ONLY interested in shore diving. Maybe I didin't make that clear enough.

TSandM said "It's a day's travel, but Maui fits all your criteria ..."

Way too far & way too expensive. Thanks anyway.

Eric Sedletzky said "I wanted to mention, if you don't mind cold water ..."

No offense but I can dive all the cold water I want within an hours drive. I hate neoprene and the additional weight it makes me carry. At 67 I sold my 80 & 72 steel tanks and bought a 27 & 50. Cut my fresh water lead down to 12 pounds by reducing the neoprene too. I can't imagine diving salt in 7mm. Probably need 30 or more pounds - I ain't doin' no shore diving carrying that load. Just too old. On Bonaire I only need 12 pounds of lead. Like I said, Bonaire spoiled me.

On another forum CocoView and Grand Cayman were suggested. Any thoughts on those two posibilities - remember solo shore diving only, able to find an inexpensive place to stay where I can cook (or total bottom line relatively inexpensive - on Bonaire I need to rent a truck - CocoView maybe not), and reasonable flight distance from upstate New York