Destination question

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Painter

Contributor
Messages
152
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Location
Provincetown, MA
# of dives
100 - 199
I am looking for a warm water destination where I can meet up with my best friend for a dive vacation. He is on the west coast and will need to get certified on the trip (maybe doing all the class work online beforehand). I am on the east coast and am a novice (OW 32 dives) and would want to dive with him when he gets certified.

So far, all of my dives have been with a divemaster, and if I am diving with my friend as a complete beginner, I would probably want to continue with a divemaster.

Because of a mild physical handicap, I need fairly easy access for shore dives, but I am fine climbing in and out of a boat with a good ladder.

Budget is a concern to me, but not to my friend. He would want someplace with good food. I have seen some resorts that look like good prospects.

Cozumel looks like a possibility. He might like Hawaii, but I'm not sure that I want to travel that far.

Any suggestions?
 
Roatan, generally easy diving, decent operators with long history for training. Reasonable pricing.
 
Roatan has no good shore dives except at Cocoview and the resort exists as a series of boardwalks to the cabanas so IDK if that would present a problem for you. In some cases it's a few steps up/down also. Scratch Anthony's Key as there's almost 60 steps up the hill to the dining room.

Several of the other dive resorts have varying degrees of shore dive but most require you to stay with them - they're not setup for outside visitors. And there's really only 4, maybe 5 even worth doing. Boat dives otoh, are cheap and easy - you should probably pick one of the bigger operators as they'll have bigger boats with ladders/swimsteps - some of the West End operators operate out of Panga's which require some exertion to exit and re-board. It's actually almost impossible to find anyone willing to allow their tanks off-site for the 2-3 other shore dive options.

A big plus for Roatan is affordable boat diving, I think it's still 10/$350 there. And they're all short boat rides - some of the operators even return to the dock between dives.

Before someone suggests Bonaire know that the vast majority of shore dives there require good boots, often assistance from your buddy/DM and all entries except off the dive dock resorts are over ironshore and coral rubble - both on and just offshore. It's slick and sharp and to make it more fun, spiny urchins love the cracks it provides..I must've got stuck a dozen times and shredded my shin once in a hole off Angel City - the reef there is oddly pockmarked with holes. On the flipside, any of the dive resorts could handle your buddy's checkout dives and all have dive docks leading to their house reefs - a couple are among the known Bonaire dives. It's actually possible to mostly boat dive Bonaire and cherry pick the easier entries when shore diving although everyone knows it as the shoredive capital of the Caribbean. Some better than expected restaurants in town, I'd rank At Sea or It Rains Fishes among the best. It's also a place with Snak's where the specialty is often goat stew.

If you want to sort of meet in the middle, look at Curacao. Many entries are off sandy beaches, the dive operators have constructed docks when needed with stairs and boat dives are as easy as fall off the boat.
Plus for your friend, some of the better diving is under 60' deep - the famous Tugboat wreck/pier is one example. The Ocean Encounters people have good dive boats with good ladders/swimsteps - I have a marginal knee sometimes and I had no problems re-boarding. So does Caribbean Sea Sports or Go West Diving on the West End. Might be too quiet in the West End for your friend, there's only about 3-4 restaurants period - several closer in/near town are highly rated though.

Maui would also work too if you do want to travel that far. Lots of easy entry shore dives right off the beach - rent the right condo and there's a dive off your beach - mostly in South Maui or farther north in Napili. Lots of good boat operations also and most boats have wide swim steps as well as ladders. - not that any operation on Maui is cheap - most average 2 dives/$100 with a multi-day discount. Nice that you can rent tanks and shore dive there easily enough.

And inside Molokini Crater - where all the south Maui boats dive - is shallow, full of life (the snorkel boats feed the fish) and you'll see benign white tips and if you're really lucky a Manta Ray at one site there. Mike Severns or B&B Scuba could be good choices for easy boat access and there's a handful of guided shore dive operations the area including Maui Dreams Dive Co or Shaka Divers. MDDC could take care of your buddy's checkout dives also. They also charter Maui Diamond II - a smaller dive boat out of Ma'alea harbor a few minutes north of the Kihei area - the other boat operations leave from the Kihei ramp. They all have a DM per 8 divers, I think it's a requirement. Obviously lots of good restaurant options on Maui - there's a Roy's in West Maui that's worth a stop. And many, many others,

Shorediving.com has entry pictures for both Curacao or Hawaii so you can see what to expect. Kona is another option but many of their shore dives are over lava - often sharp lava that has to be crossed just to get to the water. At some of the Maui sites you can park within 50' of the beach but get there early...

If he hasn't started already, encourage your friend to do the PADI E-learning with a shop located where you decide - he can do all the bookwork now and just checkout dives on arrival so you won't have to wait around all day. Plus many of the shops allow you to tag along as long as you don't interfere. A couple like Lahaina Divers on Maui will even go to shallower sites for him then allow you both to dive the last dive of the class together in the afternoon.

Every location I mentioned a Divemaster is automatically in the water with all groups of divers so that's covered and you can hire a dive guide for shore dives at all of them - some like the Dive Bus on Curacao - pick you up to go diving and they provide a DM as well as tank changing etc. Shaka Doug on Maui also has a Dive Bus and provides whatever you need at the location. Should you pick Bonaire - Bas Diving or VIP Diving are options. Our morning boat DM also offered to guide us in the afternoon independently of his resort operation. For - at the time - $25pp.
 
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When do you plan to go? You might find that all Caribbean islands still standing are already booked all the way to June 2018.
 

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