February 2015 Dive Trip

[cmyc99]

I'm looking for dive resort recommendations similar to Captain Don's Habitat Bonaire or Coco View resort Roatan that offers 2 tank dives a day, unlimited nitrox, and shore diving from the resort. I would prefer to stay in the Caribbean but will consider other sites. Any ideas?

 

[t4e]

pretty much anyone offers at least 2 dives a day in the Caribbean, if its shore diving only then Curacao is nice

 

[diversteve]

There's the 3 AI's on Utila - Deep Blue, Laguna Beach, Utopia Village. All offer (I believe) 3 boat dives/day and each has a shore dive off their property. LB sort of has two. We liked Deep Blue but it's a smaller, quieter resort. All three are also only accessed via boat - 5-10 mins. from town or so -but they all have options to go there just about any time.

Sunset House or Cobalt Coast on Grand Cayman offer both. Pricier there though for everything. If you're solo, SH has singles pricing.
You can walk to Georgetown from Sunset House, Cobalt Coast is in the NW Point area so you'd need a car for anything not there.

Scuba Club Cozumel is an option from what I've read. IDK much about it.

Curacao as mentioned has options. Lions Dive is the semi-AI dive resort there (you can buy a meal plan) with Ocean Encounters 50 yds. away for boat diving. I don't think their shore dive is so great though there is one. A little closer to town the Sunscape AI is similar - OE shop on-site and avg. beach dive. Sunscape is more a family resort (ex-Breezes) than dive resort. Typical of what you find on Curacao. But within a few minutes drive either way there's some better shore dive sites. The Dive Bus also picks up in that area for escorted shore diving.

There's also Atlantis Apts/Diving or Scuba Lodge downtown. No idea what they offer as boat dives. Farther north/west in Willemstad the Marriott in Piscadera Bay has an avg. dive off their property. And Caribbean Sea Sports on-site for boat dives/tank rentals.

45mins. west of there in Westpunt there's both All West Apts. and Lodge Kura Hulanda. Both have Go West Diving facilities on-site, are on one of the best shore dives on Curacao - Playa Kalki/Alice in Wonderland and Go West does as many as 4 boat dives/day. It's really quiet out in Westpunt though and food options are limited. You'd really want a car for that area.

 

[robint]

CCV resort .... most people do 4-6 dives per DAY there.
Diving is easy, very little current and you can walk right out from your room to a huge wreck in 60' deep water, or a 100' wall.

see my videos:

[vimeo]69660393[/vimeo]


[vimeo]70004682[/vimeo]


Is the diving at Roatan the best in the Caribbean? NO. YOu aren't going to see huge schools of big fish (like Cozumel) or tons of turtles or sharks (like Cozumel). But you will see lots of eels, Seahorses, and squid, and every small critter in the Caribbean, as well as a couple of nice wrecks. The coral formations and reef structure is amazing, massive sponges and seafans, and such. Really really beautiful reefs.


If you want to DIVE DIVE DIVE.... CCV Roatan is the place to go. EAsy diving 24/7, grab your tank and go.

My trip report from my last time there: http://www.rnrscuba.net/2013_Roatan/2013CoCoView_TripReport.html


robin

 

[diversteve]

I think the OP is looking for somewhere else...

CoCo View Resort without question!! Great viz, beautiful coral, plenty of underwater wildlife, and great night diving. The staff is the best I've encountered.
Roatan Resort & Diving | CoCo View Resort

 

[drrich2]

Vincent54 has a thread called Brac Trip Report, I think, from May, where he spoke well of the shore diving. Grand Cayman has some shore diving. I don't recall about Little Cayman either way on shore diving. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix has some shore diving - Cane Bay Dive Resort has some shore diving (I've read the swim outs can be substantial if memory serves), and there are a few threads about St. Croix on the forum. I don't know what your odds of landing nitrox are with any of those, but thought I'd mention them.

As another poster bought up, Curacao may be your best bet, but the others may deserve a look, too. I'm on my iPad, so looking up stuff and hyperlinking isn't all that practical right now. I figure if you know what to Search for, it'll be easier to find...

In another thread, someone posted about good shore diving in Broward Co., Fl, though I don't know much about that (I posted back asking about it). Sometimes a good tropical vacation doesn't require leaving the U.S.

Richard.

 

[DeputyDan]

Scuba Club Cozumel meets your criteria but the shore dive is mostly rubble.
Did find two sea horses there... but I digress.

The price is good.