Help me find a place to Dive!

[orenbvip]

Hello,

got some free time that came up, want to make the most of it. Any ideas are greatly appreciated, here is my criteria.

- may 3rd to may 10th so 4 maybe 5 days diving
- need to be able to fly there in one day from Montreal, so no asia/red sea
- Can't do liveaboard as I need daily access to email
- Prefer a unique trip to go photography : recent trips : indo,palau,tiger beach, thailand, phlippines.

Any Ideas?

 

[DiverAmy]

Jupiter/West Palm, Florida? The unique highlights include Goliath Groupers (Jewfish), assorted sharks, tons of loggerhead and other turtles.

 

[orenbvip]

Yeah, my brother lives in Boca so i could do that. I just got back from Tiger Beach 2 weeks ago. How are the shark trips on emerald charters?

 

[diver 85]

Brac or Little Cayman(Beach Resorts)---with Brac getting the nod due to being able to get there in 1 day........lol---maybe??

 

[KathyV]

I was thinking of the Caymans too. The best diving is off Little Cayman but it is probably booked up at this short notice. Brac Reef Beach Resort is an all-inclusive on Cayman Brac with great diving but if you want to stay on Grand Cayman then perhaps someplace like Cobalt Coast.

 

[UserNameBella]

Depending on when you are leaving there are weekly direct flights to Roatan from Montreal. If the direct flight isn't available you can always fly United any day of the week and change planes in Houston.

There is a lot to see/photograph here, including loads of turtles, dolphins, the odd nurse shark some reef sharks as well as all the smaller fish (including some of the cooler ones like burrfish, morays of all types and some huge groupers ) The coral is in great shape and has a lot of swim throughs and caverns which I enjoy photographing because of the interesting topography. You can shore dive here, night dive, boat dive, drift dive, dive with no current and deep dive. There is also a bunch of really cool wrecks at recreational limits. An added bonus is that a lot of the fish seem to recognize the divers as a non threat, which helps in getting cool pictures.

The diving here isn't too expensive and a lot of the resorts have dive packages built in. The snorkeling and beaches here are very nice too. The marine park is protected and they seem to take it seriously, which makes it an ideal place to look for some of the more awesome creatures.

Not to mention it seems pretty safe and serene in these parts and if you wanted to do something besides dive there are a lot of good restaurants and bars.

I'd fly here for five days if I wasn't here already.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Personally I'd go south and opt for some warm water diving during your holiday in May. Of course any other time jump a quick flight into Chicago and join us for some wrecks!

 

[orenbvip]

thanks for all the advice!

What about Cabo? I've never dove with sealions, or maybe the Cenotes in playa? or Manatee's in FL?

Also for my UW photography is my primary reason so don't mind somewhere with less overall stuff for some great shots.

here is from 2 weeks ago (ignore my lack of second air source...)

 

[DiverAmy]

Manatees are around in the winter.

 

[diversteve]

Your week is one of the best weeks for Whale Shark diving in Belize - the only place in this hemisphere you can. I don't know if there's still availability this close (dive appt's. are scheduled among the operators) but check with Belize Scuba Diving Packages, Snorkeling & Whale sharks|Splash Dive Center|Placencia Belize Belize Whale Shark Diving if interested. [user]Ralph Capeling[/user] is one of the owners.

March 5th to March 14th
April 4th to April 13th
May 3rd to May 12th
June 2nd to June 11th

The best months for whale shark diving are April and May.

Besides Splash there's Seahorse Dive in Placencia and some of the Hopkins area (Hamanasi?) resorts offer trips down there on demand. They're usually additional charges due to the farther distance to Gladden Spit which is literally the only place the sharks show up. Ask about the Internet access, my friend lives in Dangriga and all his is via cellular repeater. It does seem to work reliably.

There's a couple of AA flights from Montreal 6AM-1250PM with one stop in MIA. Which you'll need since you'll have to fly on to Placencia or Hopkins via a local carrier. (flights are on the hour - either Tropic Air or Mayan Island Air). CA$675. Splash will set that up for you also if you book a pkg. with them. And pick you up at the airport and at your resort for diving - afaik they still offer that service.

Turks/Caicos could be another option also, at certain locations reef sharks are a given, turtles, cuda, lots of macro, occasional dolphins. The best diving from Provo (Providenciales) is the uninhabited French Cay and West Caicos - deep wall diving so it's pretty profuse - but it requires more logistics to get there - longer boat rides followed by shuttles across the island. 3 dives/day is all you can realistically do there. There's also decent diving 5mins. off the north side (too far to swim). Dive Bahamas, in Turks & Caicos Islands, With Caicos Adventures! Dive Bahamas for Incredible Sites & Experiences! is an option.

There's several USAirways flights on the 3rd 730AM-2:30PM. with one stop thru CLT. CA$880. We did a liveaboard there but here are island options: Beautiful by Nature - Turks and Caicos Islands - Turks and Caicos Tourist Board The Comfort Suites is affordable and near a small mall in Grace Bay - most shops/restaurants/nightlife is also. Not the cheapest place - neither is Grand Cayman.