Where to go in the Caribbean in September?

[double-bingo]

We're trying to pick a place for our next dive trip, first week of September. We've done Bonaire twice and loved it, and have been to Belize, where we liked the dives on the Blue Hole trip but weren't impressed with the local Ambergris Caye diving. We'd like to try something new, but stay in the Caribbean for budget/time reasons. We like the independence of shore diving, and handling our own gear. Don't need a ton of nightlife, and like to cook and have an ocean view. What are some good locations where we can try something new?

Cozumel or a liveaboard in Turks & Caicos or the Bahamas seem like the best options. Any recommendations or opinions between those? Anything else we should consider?

 

[victorzamora]

You should add Roatan to your list of places to look at. There's no shore diving (well, not really)...but dive operators go out 3 times a day and you can hop on any of the boats you'd like. You can handle your own gear or get them to set it up for you, depending on the place. West End is more basic, cheaper, and the food is cheaper. For a nicer place with some shore diving, CocoView is a must-check as is Anthony's Key Resort. AKR is doing a 2-for-1 deal right now. Both are all-inclusives but neither are the massive mega-resorts you think of when someone says "AI." Splash Inn is centrally located in West End and surrounded by very cheap eats. Accomodations seem a little rustic, but it's right on the water. Nicer place is Luna Beach Resort. You rent bungalows with kitchens, etc. I think as long as you stay at CocoView, AKR, or in West End there's no need for a car rental...so that's a lot less hassle. Roatan diving is typically the same: 5min boat ride, fall into the water, follow a guide around for 60min and then surface. You spend a lot of time shallow right at the end of the dive, but you spend it right in the middle of reef and fish...so it's great. Best safety stops I've ever had!

 

[diver 85]

My very 1st thought was.:

Wherever there's no TSs or hurricanes-----as you can see, that's a hard one to call, right now, or even in July or August.......

 

[drrich2]

If you love shore diving & already did Bonaire, the obvious options in the region are Curacao, St. Croix, and some shore diving in the Caymans (e.g.: Grand Cayman). Do a search on St. Croix & read some of the recent threads; you might find it appeals to you.

From what I'm told, Turks & Caicos is quite nice on a live-aboard, either the Explorer or the Aggressor, and that topic is explored in this thread on picking a Caribbean live-aboard. Bahamas are also discussed in that thread.

Richard.

---------- Post added May 29th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ----------

Since Roatan got mentioned, there is some shore diving if you stay at the right place. CocoView. Also notice Reef House Resort and Fantasy Island Resort, if memory serves. Fantasy Island has gotten enough mixed reviews over time, I'd research well before going. CocoView seems to be the one to beat, judging from other threads.

Richard.

 

[ColoDale]

Cozumel has shore diving but mostly it's boat diving. We almost always boat dive everywhere. We used to go to Cozumel in September all the time but that trip has moved later in the year for some reason. Cozumel is definitely budget friendly in general. Boat trips will generally be short (excluding large slow boats).
We been to the Bahamas (New Providence and Exuma). I am not a huge fan of Bahamas diving but that is a personal preference nor am I much of a fan of Nassau. Exuma was good topside, has great beaches and fewer people. Maybe an out island in the Bahamas would be good for you.
I would say Curacao but you have already been to Bonaire so maybe too similar.
You could think about Grand Cayman for shore diving. We, again, did all boat dives.
St. Lucia did not seem to have much shore diving but I know it's done around Anse Chastanet at least. Good topside views especially aroung the Pitons.
We toyed around with going to Grenada. Seems to be alot of wrecks including a cruise ship. Seems to have shore diving but not known for it.

 

[drrich2]

IIRC, in Cozumel, there is some shore diving if you stay at Hotel Cozumel or Scuba Club Cozumel, for example, though it's more of a side-light to the main event, boat diving. In a thread on the Scuba Board invasion of Cozumel I believe there's discussion of this, including video footage of that dive. People staying at Hotel Cozumel can use off-site dive op.s, I believe.

Richard.

 

[victorzamora]

I've done one dive in Coz, in 2001 at age 11 before I got certified....and it was a shore dive. My understanding, however, is that Coz and Cancun are both heavily drift-dive-dependent and that's just what you do. My honeymoon to Playa del Carmen was certainly spent drift diving (or in a cenote ).

 

[tursiops]

Sept in the central, eastern or northern Caribbean is risky due to tropical storms. If you go, buy trip insurance; at least that will cover some losses if the storms are named.

Southern, western Caribbean is less risky. One reason people go to Bonaire at that time of year! Costa Rica?

 

[ronscuba]

I vote the September Special on Explorer Ventures or Aggressor/Dancer. Explorer Ventures offering free nitrox and $300 discount off their normal price. Aggressor offering 50% off for 2nd passenger.

 

[jlevine]

Even though you've been to Bonaire, I would still consider Curacao. I stayed on the eastern side of the island which is near Punda/Otrabanda, the main commerce area. It's a great base for diving. In addition to sites in that area, you can also take a boat to Klein Curacao which is a small island off the coast for a long day of diving and barbecuing (your dive shop can help you with that). There's great boat diving as well as shore diving from some of the beaches. The east end has lots of restaurants and some great historic sites if you're into that thing. The west end is more rustic with fewer resorts. You can stay on one end and drive to the other or you can split your time between the two. Of the A-B-C islands, I would say that Curacao has the best balance of quality diving and coupled with non-diving activities.