Am I Missing Out?

[undrwtr1]

I just returned from 2 weeks in Bonaire and I’m in the process of planning our next trip. My wife and I discussed CoCo View as well as Little Cayman Beach Resort, but every time we get into the nitty gritty of such a trip, we come up with the following concerns:

1. We work hard and hate getting up early and being on a schedule while on vacation - Bonaire, we get up at 8 and usually are at a site by 10;

2. We love being virtually alone when we dive - no group to follow - no cattle boats - no limits;

3. While we like meeting people, we do not relish being with the same people day in and day out due to fears that there may be some who grate on our nerves somewhat - we consider these trips our own time with no kids and bad company can ruin that;

4. We are not in a hurry to do a million dives - 2-4 per day usually suffices and we do it all at a leisurely pace.

5. Wife has some mild seasickness concerns (hence no live aboard consideration);

We do not have worldwide experience, but we have been to Grand Cayman, USVI, BVI numerous times and done some Florida diving as well. We were dive addicts locally, shore/quarry, until the kids came along and really just got back into things a few years ago after an 8 year hiatus. I recall getting fed up with being scheduled and getting up early to the point that we cancelled a couple of days with Ocean Frontiers just to be able to sleep in and start our day relaxed, not in a hurry - and we were staying at the Castle only 200 yards away!

Are we really missing out by not seeing some of these places? Am I overthinking this? We really just love being in the water and generally dive very slowly, looking for unique critters in 60’ or shallower. I guess I’d just like some input from folks that have been to the other places so I can compare and contrast the reality. I truly have fallen in love with the Bonaire dive style - so much so that I pick apart alternatives.

Any input would be appreciated.

Gerry

 

[Damselfish]

I think you would be missing lots by only diving Bonaire. Personally I got bored with it long ago after a few trips. And theres so many interesting critters other places and other parts of the world. And the topography in Bonaire gets repetitive.

As far as Ocean Frontiers, why not sign up for just the afternoon boats instead? And stay there, even more convenient to be there as opposed to close. Besides sleeping in you may have fewer peeps on the boat in the afternoon. Granted the location does not make further shore diving so convenient.

Cocoview, all the second dives are normally dropoffs near the resort anyway. If you don’t want to get up early, shore dive in the am when you feel like it, and do the afternoon boat, or not. Their boats are large and didn’t ever seem crowded.

Curacao is a good place to mostly shore dive on your own schedule, and catch a few boat dives as the mood strikes.

On Little Cayman, perhaps Pirates point would suit you better than LCBR. They sort of revolve around the meals, doing just 2 long boat dives that start late after a leisurely breakfast.

If your wife is doing dayboats and has just “mild” seasickness concerns, don’t rule out liveaboards just pick the right one. Liveaboards can be more stable than dayboats. Most people can find something that works fir their seasickness. And no one says you have do every dive, plenty of people chill more. Maybe check out the Aquacat for a first LOB. Very stable and tons of space to be by yourself. Lots of people have seasickness issues and do liveaboards - they figure out how to manage it, they often get used to the boat motion in a day, and they consider it worth it. As far as annoying passengers, thats a common concern but in reality pretty rare. And if you come across one, a good story later.

 

[lexvil]

Curacao

 

[DiveTucson]

Why not head to Indonesia. More critters and there are many places that can fit your needs. Private guides, etc.

 

[scubadada]

I'm with @Damselfish

Variety is the spice of diving. Different locations are often quite complimentary in what they have to offer. My wife and I also enjoy Bonaire very much. It is my wife's favorite location, we have been there 7 times since 2004, several times recently.

Just considering the Caribbean, I have really enjoyed my diving at Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Curacao, Roatan, Turks & Caicos and Cozumel. All are dived from land, T&C may be better from liveaboard due to distance to sites. Many operators do not require that you dive with the guide and you are free to dive with your buddy. There is good shore diving in some locations, Curacao, Cayman Brac, and Grand Cayman immediately come to mind.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Very best and good diving to you

 

[GrafCanuck]

Definitely Curacao. South/central west part of the island for crowds with good diving and the north west part for peace and great diving. Also agree that variety is a good thing so get out and explore.

 

[Lorenzoid]

You sound like us. We have tried other places, and we enjoy the variety, but we will keep returning to Bonaire every couple of years because it really does fit the way we most enjoy our dive vacations. Interspersing Bonaire with other places works for us.

 

[CapsFan22]

My wife and I are very similar to you guys. We have no interest in schedules or really diving with others. Happy to be topside with friends, but mostly want to be alone under the water. Bonaire is our happy place. I have had similar questions; are we missing out, but still always schedule our annual dive trip to Bonaire.

We don't have the diving experience that many people on this board do, only ever having been to Hawaii and our local quarry, but I think what matters most above diving is not what you don't see, but if you truly enjoy the trips you take.

I have never once been on Bonaire and wished that I was somewhere else. I have never been on a dive in Bonaire and been disappointed that I wasn't seeing or experiencing other things.

So the answer really is, yes, you are most certainly missing out. There are so many different places to dive, so many different and incredible things to see. I think that is the wrong question though. The question(s) should be do you care and does the diving you do on Bonaire fulfill you and make you happy? That's really all that matters.

 

[agd]

I have been fortunate to have been able to dive in many of the dream dive destinations all over the world. Plus many lesser known, off the radar, but equally spectacular places. Yet I spend as much time in Bonaire as I can.

There is no other place on the planet like it and there never will be. Nowhere else do you have the comparable freedom and ease of diving where, when, how and with who you like for as long as you want, as many times as you want. While it may not be as spectacular as some places, the diving is undeniably very good and the infrequency of spotting things like sharks, rays and such makes it special when you do.

Will I ONLY dive in Bonaire? Not a chance. The diversity and abundance of the Indo-Pacific, the clarity and the currents of Cozumel and the unique charms of many other spots demand a diver’s attention.

So...if you lust for some exciting and spectacular diving, gird yourself for the early wake-ups, hupping to to someone else’s schedule and coping with being aboard.

But if you want an easy vacation with some very good diving on your own terms, you have found it.

Better yet, make time for both!

AGD

 

[Esprise Me]

Disclaimer: I've never been to any of the places you mention, and I've seen very few of the other places you'd go. But I feel pretty confident in saying you're missing out. Not because you keep going to Bonaire, but because everyone is missing out somehow.

It's a big world; few people ever see more than a tiny fraction of it. The more you spread yourself around, the more superficial your knowledge of each place will be. I saw every major city in western Europe on a whirlwind semester abroad in college. It was fun, but it got lonely toward the end, and everything took on a sameness. Every place had a brewery, winery, or distillery where they made the alcoholic beverage they were known for. Every place had some kind of skyscraper or mountain to climb with a magnificent view. Every place had a castle. Every place had museums, and bus and walking tours, and shopping and restaurants and nightlife. Of course, every place surely had unique people, a culture all its own that went deeper than a tour could explain, a past and a hoped-for or feared future that informed the way of life for the people who weren't just passing through. But I didn't stick around long enough to experience any of that.

So, are you bored? Wistful? Curious? Go ahead and try something new. It might scratch your itch and make you appreciate Bonaire even more. Or it might lead to a new favorite place. Or it might make you want to keep exploring. But if you're happy, why not keep doing what works for you? You'll miss out on what the rest of the world has to offer, but the restless travelers chasing the rest of the world will miss out on what you've got, which sounds pretty great to me.