Can it be better than Coz?

[stee0217]

My wife got her vacation time for March! We have been looking for a dive destination for a cheap as possible. I'm a grad student so we have a VERY limited income. We have been to Cozumel twice now and love it. I would like to go somewhere else but am not really sure it its worth the extra money. The only places I have found that compare in price are Riveria Maya, Jamaica, and Bahama Nassau. We could care less about luxury, our last vacation didn't even have running water. We like good meals, drinks, and diving on a budget. Can we get anything comparable to Coz for a similar price? We have six days. Thanks.

 

[stee0217]

some more info. . . Flying out of Minnesota, probably Minneapolis or Duluth. for sure can get 6 nights, 3 days diving out of Coz for $2500-2800 in total both of us including flight, hotel, food, drinks and diving. Is there anything else worth looking at that can be comparable in price?

 

[Doc]

The only places I have found that compare in price are Riveria Maya, Jamaica, and Bahama Nassau.

Cozumel for sure beats any of the diving on that list.

It is in no way my Top 5 favored Caribbean basin destinations, but for the dollar value, it's still the best deal going, and it includes passable diving.

 

[robint]

I agree with RoatanMan, Cozumel is by far the best diving from your list and the cheapest.

YOu might be able to do it for the same price at Riviera Maya if you stay at one of the smaller hotels in PDC town, not oceanfront, taking the bus down from Cancun. Most of the dive ops there will pick you up from your hotel each day so you wouldn't need a car all week.

Bonaire has some cheap hotels and unlimited diving, but the price of airfare to get there is your big expense. Check airfare prices. YOu also need a rental truck in Bonaire in order to drive to all the dive sites. Best diving in Caribbean right there from shore! If you can find cheap airfare, the check this website for hotels cheap: Info Bonaire - The Bonaire Information Site - The Most Current and Up-To-Date Information and The Bonaire WebCams - Welcome!

Another option is SE Florida, but March is spring break so prices will be high and everything crowded. I wouldn't go there during that time.

 

[vlkr]

i am a coz regular and go every year. never been to bonaire but have asked people who regularly visit both which is better diving. the answer is an ethusiastic vote for bonaire. i have also noticed that bonaire get best value in scuba diving mag polls.
still going to coz this yr. reasons are that after about 20 visits i have an excellent knowlege of the restaurants where we can eat cheaply and get gr8 meals. airfare and time traveling fr sw fl is easy. also i enjoy the mayan people and culture.

 

[don Francisco]

All things considered Cozumel may be the best diving value. It certainly beats your other options in all the major considerations; airfare, overall cost, quality of diving, after dive options.

Other great values might be had in Bonaire, where the low cost beach diving might offset higher airfare and land costs, or in Honduras which is also low cost, though the airfare is higher.

An indicator of how good a destination is, might be the percentage of repeaters. I'd venture that Bonaire and Cozumel have the highest numbers of divers who return year after year. There must be a reason.

 

[tadeotadeo]

I just booked a coupe for 4 days in San Andres Island and 4 days in Old Providence Island the cost of the trip is $799. They paid $950 for their flight from Iowa to San Andres. And $200 for there flight o Old Providence.
Although I have not been to Cancun I have heard the dive is equivalent or better in San Andres and Old Providence
Ciao
Tad

 

[robint]

All things considered Cozumel may be the best diving value. It certainly beats your other options in all the major considerations; airfare, overall cost, quality of diving, after dive options.

Other great values might be had in Bonaire, where the low cost beach diving might offset higher airfare and land costs, or in Honduras which is also low cost, though the airfare is higher.

An indicator of how good a destination is, might be the percentage of repeaters. I'd venture that Bonaire and Cozumel have the highest numbers of divers who return year after year. There must be a reason.

Cost is the biggest reason people return to Cozumel year after year. It was the reason that we (family of 3) went there exclusively for 4 straight years. With 3 divers, we couldn't afford anyplace else. We finally started branching out, trying other places even though they cost a few $$ more. We went back to Coz once since then and were very dissappointed.... the diving was still good, but the topside touristy/cruiseship orientation of the island now doesn't appeal to us. Coz used to be a little, quiet dive mecca and now it is a cruiseship port with diving. When the cruise ships leave each day many of the shops and restuarants close down! Some don't even open if a cruise ship isn't in port. Also the timeshare hawks are on every corner now, didn't used to be that way. I doubt we will go back to Coz unless we go to ScubaClub and just stay on property most of the time. WE just don't like the Cozumel vibe anymore. Diving is good, but you can get diving just as good at MANY other places in the Caribbean without the issues I described (like Bonaire and Roatan).

Bonaire:
http://www.caradonna.com/Product/WhatsNew/DenLamanCondominiums.aspx
http://www.caradonna.com/Product/WhatsNew/GoldenReefInn.aspx
or
here is another budget place that friends of ours stay at every year: http://www.caribinn.com/

Just my 2 cents.

robin

 

[stee0217]

Thank you for all your replies. I will definately be keeping an eye on the fares to Bonaire and Roatan but they are a little hefty at the moment. Does anyone think that the out islands of the bahamas would be worth diving?

 

[cappyjon431]

The out islands of the Bahamas are fantastic. I spent eight years cruising the Bahamas and I've dived all over the Caribbean and I honestly believe that the out islands are just as good as, if not better than, most areas of the Caribbean (and the Bahamas are NOT in the Caribbean). San Salvador has some awesome dive sites. Long Island has incredibly diverse reefs (and if you can get a day boat over to Conception Island you will dive some of the best diving ANYWHERE). Bimini has some very good sites. I'm a big fan of Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros Island. Avoid Nassau and Freeport (although there is some decent diving off Port Lucaya) and the Bahamas are wonderful.