Last min dive trip recommendation?

[Cutter1470]

I unexpectedly have a week off, Jan 10-17, (use it or lose it policy). I'm looking for ideas for a last minute and relatively inexpensive solo dive trip. I'm AOW with 100 or so dives and based near Detroit Mi.
Thanks in advance!


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[Andy Lazar]

Base out of Singer Island and hit west palm, Jupiter and the Bridge.

 

[DeputyDan]

Scuba Club Cozumel

 

[Kevrumbo]

Cozumel --Blue Xt Sea Dive-Operation and Hotel Barracuda.

Blue Xt Sea Diving | Cozumel's # 1 Source for All Your Scuba Diving!

 

[drrich2]

This time of year Bonaire & Curacao should have warm water, as they are less seasonally impacted than the northern Caribbean. If you wear a wet suit regardless, this may matter less to you. In Bonaire the west coast conditions where people dive the most are pretty stable through the year, too, so it's not a concern that you're likely to see rough seas & have to call dive days.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

Define relatively inexpensive. Also keep in mind that many of the resorts in the Caribbean price at double occupancy with a single supplement. Also you're going in the peak of high season (obviously you have no choice) so that will cost you some also.

fwiw next month Bonaire is going to an all day flight and about $950 R/T from Detroit. Once there you could stay somewhere reasonable in town off the water. The dive resorts mostly have a single supplement also. Almost everywhere you can stay on Bonaire has a dive pkg. deal - most bundle room/truck/diving - some add breakfast. Some of the resorts also include morning boat dives.

Curacao will be around $700 R/T, Cozumel around $650. You can also do a lot of shorediving on Curacao to save money - escorted on or not. That's all the Dive Bus does. We didn't do a lot of boat diving but I don't remember it being particularly expensive either.
There's some reasonable places in town or farther out of town but it gets really quiet out there so you find yourself driving back to town for most things. Out west there isn't even a food store nearby. IMO the better dives are all out there though. I don't dive in Cozumel so ask for suggestions in our Cozumel forum if interested.

Another option could be Roatan. A full AI resort like Cocoview has a reasonable $200 single supplement. One price covers it all including airport pickup - I think that should be under $1500 even next month. They may however be all booked - it's popular.

The flights will be just over $825 r/t, 8 hrs. with a connection thru Houston. You can be on Roatan at 1:15 in the afternoon Sat.
Reef House Resort or Fantasy Island Beach Resort should be cheaper than CCV. Both have a shore dive off their property - FIBR shares the two off CCV.

Another option is to stay in the West End. My friends rented studio cabins there for $45/nt - Posada Arco Iris has 1BR apts for around $60/nt. + $10 for A/C which you may not need in Jan. There's even two hostels in town. It's all boat dives in that area - they run 10/$300-350. Most shops do 3 - some do 4 dives/day. And a couple night dives a week at $40.

Food is pretty inexpensive also - a good steak dinner runs $20 - lunch is 1/2 that or less - Noodles Factory sets you back all of $6. 4 of us were stuffed at Rotisserie Chicken for $22. There's also street vendors and a couple small markets in the area.

An advantage there is that it's all within a 1 mile strip, you don't need (or really want due to liability) a car, cabs are cheap and stationed in the West End. The most expensive ride would be the fixed cost from the Airport of $25 - most rides we took were $6-15 - even across the island - the big grocery stores are in French Harbor on the south side.

The real deal though as mentioned above is SoFl - Spirit Airlines to FLL - Direct 3 hr. flight - is $197 - West Palm is under $100 more. You can pay for a lot of diving with the extra $5-700. Besides Blue Heron Bridge there's at least a dozen other nearby shore dives also.

 

[drrich2]

Diver Steve:

Any thoughts on what the conditions are like (surface wave roughness/seas, water temp.s) out of Key Largo this time of year? Odds of getting 'blown out' by bad weather on a given day?

I'm chunky & tend to pick destinations aiming for water 76 degrees+ so I don't need a wet suit, but most people wear wetsuits even when I don't, & for them settling for 2 or 3 degrees less may not matter. I wonder what Key Largo tends to be like in January.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

No idea...I do know several people who beach dove off Ft. Lauderdale as recently as last week though.

I'm sure the same weather that affects other parts of the Caribbean has some effect in the Keys as well.

 

[KathyV]

I unexpectedly have a week off, Jan 10-17, (use it or lose it policy). I'm looking for ideas for a last minute and relatively inexpensive solo dive trip. I'm AOW with 100 or so dives and based near Detroit Mi.

When I was at the Brac Reef Beach Resort on Cayman Brac at the end of October, I heard some of the divemasters talking and they said that "it looked like they were going to have a slow January because they were very few bookings" which surprised me because that is usually the peak season in the Caribbean.

I recently received the email below about a January special at BRBR; the price includes all food, diving, accommodations, transfers, taxes and service charges. The resort is very nice, the food is great and the diving is fantastic - but the water will be colder at this time of year - around 78 F I think.

It says that the special expires Dec 19 but if they still have vacancies at this short notice they may be willing to extend it - it doesn't hurt to ask. They originally sent out this flyer in early November but they sent it again in December so they may still have openings. You can add on an afternoon dive for an extra fee. They may charge more for a single traveler.

Reef Fantaseas handles their reservations and they can quote some airfare options for you too. Good luck!

JANUARY SPECIAL
Valid for travel January 1 - 31, 2015

PACKAGE INCLUDES: 7 Nights Accommodations Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 12 Boat Dives with Reef Divers Welcome Rum Punch Airport Ground Transfers Hotel Taxes & Service Fees Rates are per person and based on double occupancy. Capacity controlled. Expires 12/19/14.

$1295 Beach View Room

RESERVATIONS & INFORMATION ​ (800) 594-0843 WWW.BRACREEF.COM

 

[drrich2]

If Key Largo were an option, it could be a good one. When I dove with Rainbow Reef Dive Center, while staying at the Courtyard Marriott, I was able to go on both morning and afternoon boat trips, for a total of 4 dives per day, 20 dives in 5 days & by purchasing a 10 trip package enjoyed the cheapest boat diving I've ever known, and guided diving at that. And I, at least, found diving out of Key Largo as fishy or more so than Caribbean sites I've hit. Plus option for deep wreck diving like the Spiegel Gove and Duane. I flew to Ft. Lauderdale and rented a vehicle to head down to Key Largo.

Richard.