Carribean Vacation in January

[avengedkevinfold]

Looking to go on a scuba trip in Jan for 9 days with my girl. Looking for an all inclusive resort that will make things easy. Here are some of the places that I'm looking at.

-Bonaire
-Grand Cayman (the reef resort)
-Turks and Caicos (club med resort)
-Cozumel
-Belize
-Roatan

Out of these which has the best vis and LARGE colorful LIFE/fish. I'm not really into coral that much. I would even consider hawaii if it has sites that can give me this.

Thanks

 

[Doc]

Club Med sounds perfect.

 

[robint]

Looking to go on a scuba trip in Jan for 9 days with my girl. Looking for an all inclusive resort that will make things easy. Here are some of the places that I'm looking at.

-Bonaire
-Grand Cayman (the reef resort)
-Turks and Caicos (club med resort)
-Cozumel
-Belize
-Roatan

Out of these which has the best vis and LARGE colorful LIFE/fish. I'm not really into coral that much. I would even consider hawaii if it has sites that can give me this.

Thanks

First....LARGE colorful LIFE/fish? According to your profile, you are a new diver, so what are you calling large? The ocean is full of lots of fish, big and small, all colorful or at least more colorful that the trout and bass in local lakes. Big fish tend to be less colorful that smaller ones, too. What exact fish are you wanting to see?

Second... January is not always the best in much of the Caribbean. El Norte winds tend to blow and can cancel diving for days at a time in places like Cozumel and Belize, and the north side of Roatan. Not sure about T&C but I would bet it is the same.

There are lots of cheap all-inclusives in Cozumel though, just be forewarned that weather can be great or windy with rough seas, no way to tell. It is probably the least expensive and busiest dive destination in Caribbean.

Fantasy Island Resort on Roatan would be a good fit for you.. all inclusive, lots of fishlife. It is on the south side of Roatan so diving continues all winter.

There are no all-inclusives, per se, in Bonaire. I think Divi Resort has some sort of "plan" where you can get meals but it isn't really cost effective when you are walking distance to tons of cheap eats. Buddy Dive might be a better place as they have the breakfast buffet included and I think they still have the lunch menu at beachhut 1/2 price to those staying there. You get a truck with your room included in price, just drive to town (5 minutes away) for dinner. The big reason to go to Bonaire is the unlimited shore diving, so you will be driving all over the west coast of the island to various dive sites each day... no real benefit to an all-inclusive package.

Hawaii, it is still winter in January there too, so water is colder, like low 70s and water can be rougher. It is whale season there, but you can't dive with them, only see them at surface or hear them underwater. Lots of colorful medium sized fish, some turtles, maybe dolphins.

I have lots of photos and videos on my website, see links below my name. They can give you an idea of what you would see at places like Bonaire, Cozumel, Hawaii, Roatan, etc.

My Bonaire videos: http://www.vimeo.com/album/18778
My husband's Cozumel photos: http://www.rnrscuba.net/2009Yucatan/Cozumel_and_Yucatan,March2009_photos.html
My husband's Roatan photos: http://www.rnrscuba.net/CCV_Roatan_2008/CCV_photos_videos.html

robin

 

[RJP]

When you say "all inclusive" do you mean the typical Club Med sort of thing, or do you mean a resort that has a package that includes diving? Very different animals.

The former will seriously limit your diving opportunities at such a resort, as well as limit your choice of island/destination.

The latter, on the other hand, will often be as "easy" and often less expensive than doing an "all inclusive" resort and obviously open up a much wider range of options.

Of course if you want the best of both, go for a liveaboard trip!

 

[diver 85]

sometimes a crap shoot @ that time of the year for the Caribbean----ie 'bad' US cold fronts making it down there.......It's not so much the vis but the high winds & ruff seas etc....good luck in the timing is what is needed......

EDIT: we got 'caught' on Roatan 2 extra days late one January due to the airport being shut down to the jets for 2 days----ie we left out Monday(MLK day) when we had a scheduled flight out the Saturday before(got very hairly let's just say----lol)

 

[scubafan99]

Hey, another question. I keep seeing mention of mostly Cozumel. What about Freeport or Nassau in the Bahamas in January? I'm also looking for an affordable place to go in January that is reasonably warm. We've been to Key West in January, and the water & weather is a bit chilly.

We thought about Cozumel but are worried about the very point you mentioned. If bad weather is common in Cozumel, is it the same elsewhere? I just discovered Playa Del Carmen as another possible place to go. Does Cozumel shelter the shore from the worst of the bad weather?

Thanks!

 

[robint]

Hey, another question. I keep seeing mention of mostly Cozumel. What about Freeport or Nassau in the Bahamas in January? I'm also looking for an affordable place to go in January that is reasonably warm. We've been to Key West in January, and the water & weather is a bit chilly.

We thought about Cozumel but are worried about the very point you mentioned. If bad weather is common in Cozumel, is it the same elsewhere? I just discovered Playa Del Carmen as another possible place to go. Does Cozumel shelter the shore from the worst of the bad weather?

Thanks!

January is still winter ..... everywhere in Caribbean. Everywhere. Bad weather is possible anytime of year, but more likely during winter months... late Nov-mid Feb.

 

[DeputyDan]

The Bahamas is you best bet for big stuff. The water will be colder then,
A 3 mil probably won't cut it.

 

[pushc6]

So there's really nowhere in the Caribbean that's 'safe' from the Nortes? Are any locations less likely to be hit or is it pretty much a crap shoot and your chances are about the same no matter where you go?

 

[Damselfish]

no place in the Caribbean is safe from some kind of "winter weather". I would say your chances of getting blown out are less the further south you are, although winter tends to be the rainy (and buggier) season in those areas. But the further south you go the warmer you will be. Consider Bonaire, Curacao (probably the 2 most reliable weather choices); also St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, maybe St. Lucia or Dominica. Lots of the resorts and diving in these places are on the protected lee sides of the islands too.