Most beautiful dive site : difficulty ratio

[scubadada]

Hi @ls1dreams

You didn't say if you are traveling alone or with a buddy. It may be harder to take advantage of shore diving on Bonaire or Curacao if you are alone, of course, both also have boat dives. Sounds like you may not be fully independent yet, keep in mind that not all boats will have a guide in the water and you may not have control/choice of your buddy. Drift diving in current is not necessarily difficult, but it can be somewhat intimidating to someone with little experience.

So....what are the most beautiful sites with easy diving for you? I don't have a lot to add to previous comments but would recommend the Caymans (I have been to Grand Cayman and Little Cayman, have heard good things about Cayman Brac also). Cozumel would be excellent as long as you are OK with the current and drift diving. Turks & Caicos is very good but walls start deeper and best sites are a long way, limiting the number of dives from a land-based operation. The upper Keys are very good, perhaps not in the same class as the Caribbean. You may enjoy the Spiegel Grove and the Duane, they are likely within your training and experience and some Keys operators have a guide in the water.

Best of luck and good diving,

Craig

 

[BDSC]

Leaning towards Cozumel and Roatan for my next trip I think.

When we go to Cozumel we stay at Blue Angel. They have a loyal following and for good reason. Great operation and very reasonable in price. I have been numerous times and stayed at several places but now Blue Angel is the only place I go.

If you decide on Roatan check out Anthony's Key. For this year and all of next year they have a 2-1 special going. One pays and one goes for free. We took a group of 16 and we had a great time. Good food and dive operation. Wouldn't hesitate to go back.

 

[wildbill9]

Little Cayman, much better than roatan and actually imho better than the great barrier reef. Yes I have been to both and all over the Caribbean. For a new diver little cayman get my vote. Bonaire, no diver master and if an emergency happens can u handle it? Cozumel is drift diving and has it's unique challenges. Florida keys, quality of the diving. Roatan, same as Florida. Jmho, best idea just dive, dive and then dive some more! Bill

 

[pepperbelly]

Don't worry about the difficulties of a Cozumel drift dive.
I spent years diving local lakes. Last year was my first ocean dive- a drift dive in Cozumel. It was also my first boat dive other than a small boat on a lake.
It was no big deal. You drop as a group and just drift along. At the end the DM pops an SMB and you do your safety stop under it. When you surface the boat is there and you climb on.
If an old fart like me can do it you can.
Drift dives are very relaxing- the current does the work.
I dove Cozumel again this past February and saw Eagle Rays, Barracudas, a ton of fish and good coral reefs.
My dives were just cruise excursions, and staying on the island and diving would be even better. I keep hearing that Cozumel is the best value both for the hotels and the diving. I look forward to flying down and staying for a week diving.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Don't worry about the difficulties of a Cozumel drift dive.
I spent years diving local lakes. Last year was my first ocean dive- a drift dive in Cozumel. It was also my first boat dive other than a small boat on a lake.
It was no big deal. You drop as a group and just drift along. At the end the DM pops an SMB and you do your safety stop under it. When you surface the boat is there and you climb on.
If an old fart like me can do it you can.
Drift dives are very relaxing- the current does the work.
I dove Cozumel again this past February and saw Eagle Rays, Barracudas, a ton of fish and good coral reefs.
My dives were just cruise excursions, and staying on the island and diving would be even better. I keep hearing that Cozumel is the best value both for the hotels and the diving. I look forward to flying down and staying for a week diving.

Sounds like you were fortunate to have mild currents. My first visit to Coz the currents were ripping, I was a relatively new diver, and I was flying along at times, fairly out of control, trying to kick with all my strength to avoid losing the group. Depending on the strength of the current and where the DM wants the group to go, at times you may have to kick against the current, or at least at an angle to it. I'm not a frequent Coz visitor, but from what I have read on SB it seems currents that strong are rare. Still, it should be kept in mind that currents are usually but not always cooperative, and that's why some people like to caution beginners about Coz. I survived my first visit, in fact enjoyed it immensely, and I think Coz is fine for beginners if they are not put off by the possibility of having to fight the occasional strong current.

 

[AdivingBel]

I certainly think "new/new to Coz" folks can dive safely there. It helps if you can float along calmly and that you don't have to kick to hold your trim. If you're always having to kick to hold your position, you're either going to float faster than the DM/more experienced divers or you'll have to turn around and kick back into the current to maintain your position. You'll end up doing a bit of that anyway, but the more you have to do it the less optimal your drift diving technique. It's also helpful to have you buoyancy in check so you can duck behind coral heads to get out of the current while waiting for others (so you don't wear yourself out kicking) without damaging the reef. There is definitely a knack to Coz drifting, but it's nothing you can't pickup. I've seen plenty of newish Coz drifters cartwheeling along the reef until they figure it out. All IMHO, YMMV.

To the original post: I'm in the Little Cayman camp myself. Bloody Bay Marine Park is special and the valet dive op I've used (Reef Divers) is excellent. The diving doesn't get any easier or much better in the Caribbean.

 

[pepperbelly]

You will want good fins in Coz too. I use Jets and have no trouble swimming into the current. Divers using split fins have trouble.

 

[Streydog]

I will be in Cozumel in a week and will continue to go back since it is so easy to get to at a reasonable price. But I was really impressed with the diving in Roatan. The shop I used does 3 regular dives a day at 9, 11:30 and 2. Most of the sites are fairly shallow, out of 19 dives I think two were over 75'. No current, even what they called drift dives had hardly any current. Surface interval at the dock. Walk a block and eat an ice cream cone from a porch swing overlooking Half Moon Bay. Only gear you had to touch was your wetsuit but they had a rinse tank on the dock and places to hang them. Plus they have a webcam from their shop showing their dock, search West End Divers webcam, you can watch them load and unload everyday.

 

[Jason]

I will be in Cozumel in a week and will continue to go back since it is so easy to get to at a reasonable price. But I was really impressed with the diving in Roatan. The shop I used does 3 regular dives a day at 9, 11:30 and 2. Most of the sites are fairly shallow, out of 19 dives I think two were over 75'. No current, even what they called drift dives had hardly any current. Surface interval at the dock. Walk a block and eat an ice cream cone from a porch swing overlooking Half Moon Bay. Only gear you had to touch was your wetsuit but they had a rinse tank on the dock and places to hang them. Plus they have a webcam from their shop showing their dock, search West End Divers webcam, you can watch them load and unload everyday.

Where did you stay while you were there?

 

[tattooedjeeper]

Sounds like you were fortunate to have mild currents. My first visit to Coz the currents were ripping, I was a relatively new diver, and I was flying along at times, fairly out of control, trying to kick with all my strength to avoid losing the group. Depending on the strength of the current and where the DM wants the group to go, at times you may have to kick against the current, or at least at an angle to it. I'm not a frequent Coz visitor, but from what I have read on SB it seems currents that strong are rare. Still, it should be kept in mind that currents are usually but not always cooperative, and that's why some people like to caution beginners about Coz. I survived my first visit, in fact enjoyed it immensely, and I think Coz is fine for beginners if they are not put off by the possibility of having to fight the occasional strong current.

My first Coz trip was quite similar, I didn't enjoy it at all for the fist few days. Luckily, toward the end of the week the currents settled down and it was more pleasant.