Diving Trips

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themagni

Contributor
Messages
431
Reaction score
172
Location
Canada's Pacific Southwest, BC
# of dives
100 - 199
Hi everyone. I am looking for two diving destinations.

My wife and I had been planning to go to Hawaii for our 15th anniversary, which is coming up July 2013. In the years since we made that plan and now, she's been there 3 times so she's less interested in going. She doesn't dive, although she's been snorkelling enough to understand why I like to dive.

She's recently told me, "you should go on your own for a dive trip somewhere. I always get to go nice places, but you only travel for work." It's true, my last trip dive was Halifax (Lunenburg). When a localish trip came up, she said, "Huh, I said _anywhere_ but you want to go there, _all right_," and if you're married you know what that means...

Anyway, I'm looking for two places to go diving. One for me to go for a weekish, mainly diving, in warm water. All my dives have been in cold water, and I'd like to see what it's like with less than 100# of gear. I'd like to go in 2012. Cool ruins, museums, or biking tours would be a huge plus on off days. I'm not a partier, so if the attractions are "great night life," that's not what I'm looking for.

The second place would be somewhere where it's not just about the diving, somewhere where a couple where one doesn't dive can have fun. This would be for our 15th anniversary in 2013. (I would go for a couple of dives while I was there, not as the focus of the trip.)

I don't want to be spending a fortune here, one great opportunity came up locally but it would have been close to eight grand. (Galapagos dives + Mayan ruins)

I do eat a vegan diet, so I may have trouble with some liveaboards.

I'd love to hear some suggestions, thank you.
 
One for me to go for a weekish, mainly diving, in warm water. All my dives have been in cold water, and I'd like to see what it's like with less than 100# of gear. I'd like to go in 2012. Cool ruins, museums, or biking tours would be a huge plus on off days.

You've got enough posts on the forum, and enough dives, that I assume you've read about some of the destinations. Let me run some of the basic options by you and see what you think and have considered before.

1.) Bonaire - 1 week shore diving. Dive Hut would probably be cheapest for a solo vacationer (& what I plan to try soon). Buddy Dive would be a good first time place with a nice house reef if you travel with someone. Far as I'm concerned, only the evening you fly in & the evening of the day before you fly out need be 'off days.' You could rent a bike or some such & ride around if you wanted. Washington-Slagbaai National Park would be worth a truck driven trip part of one day. Plan to rack up 12 to 20 shore dives while you're there.

2.) Cozumel - stay at a hotel (e.g.: Occidental Grand?) & dive with a 2-tank dive/day operation like Living Underwater, Aldora or Blue Xstacy (if memory serves). The 1'rst 2 have bit 120 cf tanks for long bottom times, from what I understand; don't know about the 3'rd. I've also heard of Scuba Club Cozumel but don't know much about the onsite dive op. or tank options. Do not attempt to ride a scooter in Cozumel, based on forum postings that it's dangerous & people do get hurt. Cozumel tends to be drift diving. I got 2 dives there with Living Underwater one January 20'th and I think the water temp. was around 76 degrees.

3.) Belize Live-aboard - to get out to the better sites. Take a day to do a tour up the New River by boat, walk in the jungle & view 4 Mayan Ruins (& climb atop 2 of them). Tall Temple, Mask Temple, Jaguar Temple & one other we saw on a cruise ship excursion.

4.) Bahamas AquaCat Live-aboard - if you want it warm, it needs to be summer, and I don't know how long they book up in advance. Blackbeard's is a 'camping at sea' economy alternative.

5.) CocoView Resort in Roatan - I think this one has boat & shore diving both. Someone on the forum commented that unlike Bonaire, Roatan is not one of those places you typically drive all over the island in your spare time; apparently many folks 'stay on the reservation,' so to speak. I've never been to Roatan.

Are you wanting shore diving, boat diving or a mix? If there's a lot of diving to do, how much time do you intend to dedicate to other activities like jungle hikes & bike tours? Do you want to dive half a day (e.g.: charter boat schedule) or all day if you can (e.g.: live-aboard or shore diving)? Anything you like or don't about the 5 example trips I listed?

Richard.
 
I like Cozumel. Great diving, beach side hotel, great food, no worry about a car, inexpensive, a bit hot in the summer but not bad. Decant non diving activities but days off? There are no days off! :D

There are a ton of choices, the Keys, Bahamas, Rotan, Turks and Caicos, Bonaire to name a few. What are you looking for other than great diving? The airfare can be expensive which makes the USA attractive. I really enjoy the Keys, but there are no sandy beaches. Very good diving but Coz is better as are many places.

Vegan menus are a PITA and hard to find more so in 3rd world countries. Get ready for salad, but maybe some chefs can make it work. I had a work buddy who was Vegan, she ate a lot of salads.
 
Anyway, I'm looking for two places to go diving. One for me to go for a weekish, mainly diving, in warm water. All my dives have been in cold water, and I'd like to see what it's like with less than 100# of gear. I'd like to go in 2012. Cool ruins, museums, or biking tours would be a huge plus on off days. I'm not a partier, so if the attractions are "great night life," that's not what I'm looking for.
Maybe mainland Belize? south around Hopkins/Dangriga - no museums. But there's mountain biking, Mayan ruins, the Jaguar preserve, howler monkeys, river tubing, ziplines?, nature trekking and good diving just offshore via boat. You can also stay on one of the atolls but that will limit your non-dive opportunities - on some of them the resort is the only thing there. Ambergris Cay may be more of the party scene than you want. And most of the other attractions are on the mainland - often in the jungle.

It's probably reasonably easy to get to from BC also.

The Playa Del Carmen/Cancun region also has accessible Mayan ruins. Including Chichen Itza and Tulum. Good diving offshore and you could do the entry level cenote dives also. Even daytrip over to dive off Cozumel with pre-planning. Cancun has a lot of nightlife but you don't need to stay there. My buddy did a week in a quiet beach resort just outside Cancun with his family reasonably over the holidays (high season) - including about 5 days of diving both ocean and a day trip to the cenotes. It's when you stay at the mega-resorts that it gets expensive but since that's not your interest...

The second place would be somewhere where it's not just about the diving, somewhere where a couple where one doesn't dive can have fun. This would be for our 15th anniversary in 2013. (I would go for a couple of dives while I was there, not as the focus of the trip.)
Maybe Curacao? There's a lot of non-dive things to do there including most that are on your previous list also - no ruins. Famous shopping, a dozen casinos, a lot of nice beaches, biking, hiking, a cave trip, most watersports, the Seaquarium etc. Some nice restaurants in town, many are waterfront. Many of the resorts have dive operators on-site so you could do 2 dives in the morning and be back by noon on those days you wanted to. Curacao Travel- Caribbean, Curacao, Dutch Caribbean - the Marriott Emerald Beach resort/casino is a nice one. Great beach, pool area, 10 mins. to downtown - you don't really want to stay downtown as the cruise port is there also - and if you wanted to try some escorted shore diving the Dive Bus would pick you up there - or at most resorts in town also. I've also heard the Avila Beach is very nice and in town - no personal experience except we drove by it a couple times.
 
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Would do a liveaboard - either Belize or Cayman as flights from the West Coast are relatively cheap. Spend a few days after exploring the country if Belize - get out of town and come home if Cayman. Cozumel would be third choice as flights are even cheaper. As a solo traveller a liveaboard can provide some instant interaction with others and likely the divers will be relatively experienced. Not like a resort boat where you have a good chance of being treated like cattle and be diving with beginners.

On the second choice have a look at Bali or Thailand. Both are interesting places, can be inexpensive to stay, flights are not too bad and both have some interesting dive spots.
 
My favorite dive vacation thus far has been Turks and Caicos. I stayed on Provo but spent most of my time diving West Caicos and was awed by the wall dives with the abundance of life. Lots of fish obviously but we encountered a Spotted Eagle Ray, several sharks, turtles, blowfish, sting rays of all sizes. It was fantastic. I also dove curacao and it was "ok"; nothing special and the dive operators flipped out on me because I wanted to wear gloves and they cheated me out of $50 US with a charge after I had returned to the US. My second favorite dive vacation was Bermuda. Not only are there plenty of wrecks to dive but Bermuda has som much to do other than just diving. I also did some diving in Maui and wasn't impressed; we have better diving in Florida off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale.
 
As an avid diver with a non-diving (but snorkeling) wife, I assure you it is easy to have a great time together in just about (but not quite) all the places mentioned above. Do a 2 tank dive in the morning whilst she sunbathes/relaxes/snorkels, and then spend your afternoons and evenings together. It works fine.
 
The second place would be somewhere where it's not just about the diving, somewhere where a couple where one doesn't dive can have fun. This would be for our 15th anniversary in 2013. (I would go for a couple of dives while I was there, not as the focus of the trip.)

I don't want to be spending a fortune here, one great opportunity came up locally but it would have been close to eight grand. (Galapagos dives + Mayan ruins)

I do eat a vegan diet, so I may have trouble with some liveaboards.

I don't understand your pricing reference, because the Galapagos (on a liveaboard) would be the last place I would take a non-diving spouse.

Galapagos land based is seldom done by any North American, but it is a super way to provide what you want at 30% of the cost of a liveaboard. Lots to do and see on land when doing land based, good access to diving even in a day boat.

But if you are wanting luxury for her, vegetarian perfection, as well as some great diving: Maldives. Getting there and the time needed is the killer.
 
Tulum and cavern diving, great place for non diving buddy as well, snorkeling in caverns is awsome!
we are a small independent dive shop who can help you out to spend the most unforgetable holiday ever., just because we love this place.
beside diving tulum area is great, beautyful ruins in Coba where you can bike in the jungle the whole day, great cenotes for swimming and diving with breath taking decoration, light refractions, its an unique experience! Accomodotaion on the beach are great, neat and not so expensive, beach is not busy and you can walk for miles and miles. There is Sian Kha Marine Park nearby where you can rent a canoo and spend the whole day searchnig for birds.....many option.
if you need more information contact me and I would be happy to help you.
here some pictures form cenotes.....

cenotediving_angelita.jpgcenotediving_chacmool.jpgcenotediving_grancenote.jpgcenotediving_manatee.jpgcenotediving_pit.jpgcenotediving_carwash.jpg

and some pictures from the beach
IMG_1235.jpgIMGP0492.jpgIMGP0489.jpg

gosia
 

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