Ideas for good diving location in the company of a non diver

[WizardTrips]

I am a travel agent who started my company abt a year ago. One of my biggest focuses is diving. I have suppliers and know tons as I am in love with diving but again new. I do have resources to help people have organized wonderful vacations and I gain more knowledge all the time. However there are so many experts here that there is no way I can compete with the vast knowledge base on this board regardless of my love of the sport. Good thing I love this forum and am not afraid to ask questions!

I am interested in locations more than resorts. World is actually the limit. 2 divers along with a non diver who wants to have things to do also. I probably would not suggest some place like Bonaire.

So I am looking for ideas on locations. Just spout them off and I will research. Great diving. Other activities. Off the top of my head I think Costa Rica but am not sure if the better diving is near the ecological activities people enjoy in Costa Rica.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[diverjen]

It really depends on what the non diver wants to do. If active or into ruins, I suggest Belize/Guatemala combo, if they want nice beaches/shopping/cuisine I suggest Curaçao.

 

[drrich2]

The Sept. 2011 Undercurrent has an article on Hightide Watersports and Gibbs Bay Inn in Barbados, a location pitched as the sort of thing you're after.

For a family trip with non-divers & an infant, where access to U.S. healthcare was a plus, I hit Key Largo, Florida. My trip report - stay at Courtyard Marriott & dive with Rainbow Reef Dive Center at the end of the parking lot while the rest of the family takes the rental SUV & heads out to mainland attractions. I can join them in the evening or on an off-day. A lot of people like diving out of West Palm Beach; I've not done that yet.

St. Thomas is a popular vacation spot with diving. I like Admiralty Dive Center; Red Hook is also spoken well of.

If someone wants to lounge around a resort, maybe Cozumel?

People speak well of Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan, which I notice offers non-diving excursions. I don't know how non-divers like spending a week there.

A big question is what non-diving activities are desired. Some possibilities, based on where you are in life & what you're after:

1.) Non-diving spouse - a wife who wants to shop, a husband who wants to deep sea fish.

2.) 'Family Fun' - zip lining, touring rainforest & seeing/climbing atop Mayan ruins, visiting a zoo, horse back riding.

3.) The Bar Scene - drinking at a resort or with locals.

4.) Looking for Love in All The Wrong Places - young adults looking for a booty call sort of thing, I guess.

5.) History/Culture Buffs - either detailed history, or just 'quaint, old feeling' settings.

6.) Sports - like the windsurfing & kite boarding off Bonaire. Or jet skiing. Surfing.

7.) White sandy beaches, like Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.

8.) Baby Sitting/Kids Club.

So, what activities do these people needs?

Richard.

 

[WizardTrips]

Thanks guys! The fact is I am not 100% sure. I know I am getting called and I want to be able to rattle off ideas from the top of my head and my notes! These suggestions are wonderful. It is also great info for future reference!

i do not think these guys have limits. What abt Asia and the South Pacific? That would be good to know also.

Fact is my company is small and still has room to grow but I want to keep it in modest proportions because I prefer to give more attention without spreading myself too thin .

Thank you guys so much for the reading material!

BTW Richard, I will be in Key Largo at the end of Dec. I'm staying at Atlantlic Bay Resort and am doing my Advanced Training with Conch Republic. It will be my first time in the Keys!

---------- Post added November 14th, 2014 at 11:05 PM ----------

I agree Curaçao is wonderful! Belize is on my list as is Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan!

 

[lamarpaulski]

Bali...lots to see and do topside. Hawaii too.

 

[Kharon]

Leave the non-diver at home and go to Bonaire. LOL

 

[drrich2]

i do not think these guys have limits. What abt Asia and the South Pacific? That would be good to know also.

Everybody has limits. I'm assuming these people are based out of the U.S. or Canada. Which coast they live near & their regional hub airport might impact the practicality of a given destination. Let's take a look at likely limits:

1.) Money - if you ain't got a bunch, you're probably not going to Wakatobi.

2.) Time - if you're leaving from the U.S., and you've heard great things about the Philippines, but you can only take a week off at a time, how to do feel about 2 day travel time there & the same back?

3.) Patience - how many continuous hours can you stand to have your butt planted in a plane seat? Will that be 1st class or coach?

4.) Quality vs. Quantity - if you could choose between a few very good trips to Cozumel staying at Hotel Cozumel & diving with Living Underwater with big 120 cf tanks, for example, or one trip to the Philippines, what would you pick?

5.) Complexity - if you &/or they are fairly early in your dive careers, I'd suggest 'cutting your teeth' at mainstream destinations where the dive workflow is thoroughly laid out (10's of thousands have blazed the trail for you), flights & fairly fast & cheap, everybody (nearly) speaks English, the U.S. dollar & credit cards are no problem, and the place names are easy to remember. Here's what I'm talking about...

I'd like to dive the Philippines someday. Hear great things about it. But it's hard to take over a week off, with some family who wouldn't be coming & my job back home. Lot of plane time for me, couple days travel time each way. I'd need to make it a 2 week trip. Someone wrote that the Philippines is so huge it's like going to the Caribbean; you've got to research a number of destinations there to make the best choice. The names for islands, boats & such are strange/foreign to me; I read reviews with weird 'how-do-you-pronounce-that' name after name, I loose my train of thought.

I'm not saying don't do the Philippines. But if you guys are fairly new, why not Cozumel or other Caribbean locations 1st?

Per a buddy of mine who shore dove in Hawaii, and what I read about it, the water there's a bit chillier than much of the Caribbean.

One place I read more about on the forum over time, with a rep. for very good diving, lush landscape topside, some complexity getting to & from but Caribbean, is Dominica. If you're wanting something outside the mainstream (e.g.: Cozumel, Bonaire, Roatan, Florida Keys, maybe Grand Cayman).

Richard.

 

[WizardTrips]

Kharon - I am very excited abt my first trip to Bonaire in March. Just DREAMING abt it.

drrich - You are right. Thank you. I think #1 is not an issue but #2 probably is fairly significant. Which lends itself to questions abt #3 & #4. I know the Mrs superficially but have yet to meet the Mr. The divers are the Mr and the young miss in the family which brings us to #5. So I guess I was primarily talking abt #1 but the other considerations are valid. I have read list after list of the best places to dive in the world then I look up the suppliers and pretend to make a trip to see how much it costs and the hours involved. Ugh. It's a silly game I do but I have been doing this as a form of entertainment since August. Then I look at their facilities, TripAdvisor reviews and what they say abt the diving. Yet I have not been focusing on non resort non diving activities in my little game/research. I guess I fell in love with diving to spend evenings watching tv and reading abt different world spots!

I do not know the young miss in their family and her certification. Yesterday I called a dive company in Key Large and tried to registered for a 5 dive package but the problem was some of their dives scheduled for the days I will be in Key Largo are advanced. In the end it just seemed more cost effective and prudent to use some of those dives to get my Advanced. There is always a possibility their young miss is just open water certified.

Thank you guys again for your suggestions input and enlightenment on things to consider and RESEARCH. Love that so much!

 

[diversteve]

I don't know if we're not asking the right questions but I'm still unclear as to what you want. I've almost posted options several times in this thread but each time you post it seems to change the parameters. Richard mentioned a lot of these same issues but even after your response, I'm still not clear.

So let's try to pin it down a little...

Is this a $5,00 trip or a $25,000 trip. In terms of everything that makes a difference. I can suggest dive options where $25K won't be enough either. I can't think of much outside the U.S. - except Cozumel where $5000 gets 3 people a week of diving especially including flights.

When are they planning to go? Suggesting the Caribbean during Hurricane Season might not be the best plan either. How long? A week? 10 days? more? How much of that do they want to eat up in travel time. Some people like to get to their resort destination the same day - those people go to the Caribbean or Mexico. Or Hawaii from this side of the country. (I'm in Phoenix)

Define these people a little more. Are they private villa with a housekeeper in the BVI's people? Or $100/nt is too much for a room people. Apparently it's the latter but I'm still pretty clueless about how much so. How old are they? Is young miss 15 or 25 and looking for bars to get away from the folks.

Or are we talking about a nice $10K vacation somewhere in the Caribbean in an above average resort. Not Ritz-Carlton but pretty nice. Which btw, Anthony's Key really isn't. It's 1.5 stars on a 1 star island. Google Xbalanque to see the difference. How are they on bugs because there's a lot of them on Roatan.

Equally important is what else do they want to do? Especially the mom. Is she a go to the spa while they go diving person? Followed by a trip to the local Gucci shop. Or a sit on the beach and watch them dive person. Both are doable at some of the better dive locations - others not so much.

And what about diving, do they shore dive? Carry tanks? Or expect valet diving where it's all done for them - including cleaning and storage. I know options at all levels for that on some islands. Shore diving is a different set of islands also. Some are both like Grand Cayman. It's excellent wall diving and easy novice shore diving on the same island. And a more upscale and expensive place for everything - including dive prices.

If these are upscale people, they could do worse than Turks/Caicos. It's good deep wall diving but there's also a shallower component at many sites. Grace Bay beach is one of the finest in the world. There's a good selection of generally more upscale accommodations all along Grace Bay on Provo - Providenciales. The airport code is PLS. If money is not an issue at all, there's Amanyara but it seems like more of a couples place. They have their own private dive operator also - it's a little remote and on the west end also - not Grace Bay Beach. In fact in that area there may not be a beach.

The dive operators pick up along Grace Bay and shuttle you to their boats nearby. Good diving is 5mins. off the coast. Great diving is 45mins away but the logistics of that won't get the divers back before 2-2:30 in the afternoon - 4:30 if they do 3 tanks. It's also all boat diving there.

There's all the usual tourist things for Mom to do including one mall where the Gucci shop is next to the Rolex store or other less affluent shopping options. Obviously the beach is superb, water's warm all year and that beautiful blue/green color. Kind of a lower pace there but there's a little nightlife - one casino, a few clubs etc. Some really good food options also. It's a lot like a better Grand Cayman - minus the cruise ships as they dock on Grand Turk.

It's possible to get there by 1PM thru Charlotte on AA but they'll have to get up pretty early...

Beautiful by Nature - Turks and Caicos Islands - Turks and Caicos Tourist Board

 

[Justin Beevor]

I'm a diver with a non-diving wife who loves the beach, and face this issue every holiday. What we aim for is diving loctions with great beaches, or beach locations with great diving. First recommendation is the Yucatan Coast of Mexico, which is actually where I first learned to dive, as I needed something to keep me occupied while she sun-worshipped. Given the direction of this thread so far, I don't imagine that Mexico needs further explanation.

We also went to the Philippines earlier this year, which was fabulous. We spent two weeks in Palawan, at Club Paradise on Dimakya Island to the north of Busuanga. Travelling out there was indeed a stretch, with an overnight in Manila, and we also suffered from the 10kg weight limit on internal flights. Nevertheless, well worth the effort and cost. Take a look at my TripAdvisor review: Much more than just a dive resort - Review of Club Paradise Palawan, Coron - TripAdvisor

I can also highly recommend that you look at Africa. We have been on holiday to Zanzibar (our honeymoon) and to South Africa. Mozambique is on the list for future trips. What makes it special is the ability to combine beach, diving and safari. For instance, in South Africa, we went to Umkomaas/Aliwal Shoal and Rocktail Beach Lodge for the diving, took a 4-day safari at Phinda Reserve, and then went down to the Cape to explore the winelands and see the Great Whites. Pricey, but amazing. And Africa has the added benefit of using the metric system, driving on the left and being only a couple of hours' time difference from the Greenwich Mean.

Hope that helps.