Good place for first saltwater dive?

[Mitch]

as I have been there myself. I am sure Herman would agree that it is not a desert island, in fact, it has some very pretty and lush tropical landscape and there are plenty of nice white sandy beaches at the end of the island. It is also probably the best place to go if you want to do a lot of diving off the shore. You just get into the water, swim out about 100 yards, and you are over the wall.

Bonaire, however, is a bit difficult to get to from Dallas. You would have to take a flight from Dallas to Miami, layover for a couple of hours, then take another flight from Miami to Bonaire. You can count on an entire day getting there and another entire day coming back. Bonaire is definitely a place to put on your "to go" list but I still think you might want to go to Cozumel first.

 

[herman]

Well Mitch, not sure I agree with tropical, the resorts do keep the grounds lush but away from the resorts, it is arid...lots of catcus and thorn bushes. It does have it's own kind of beauty that I do enjoy but Gilligan's Island it's not. As for "sandy beaches" well, guess it depends on what you are use to, I am use to 100-200 ft wide sand beaches that strech for miles and while the southern end of Bonaire does have some reasonable beaches (Pink Beach and Windsock are 2 that come to mind) they don't fit my idea of a "wide, sandy" beach. Having said that, I do love Bonaire. I have been there the last 3 years in a row and intend to go back next year (twice if I can swing it).

Molly, unless night life and crowds are important to you, don't write Bonaire off too quickly. If by a beach to relax on, you mean a place where you can put a towel and lay around for a while in peace and quiet then those kind of beaches do exist. On the other hand, if you want crowds and lots of people around you, with food stands and vendors, it's not your kind of place. For easy diving, it can't be beat and if you determine dollar value like I do..
hours of bottom time/ dollars spent, Bonaire wins by a long shot. 4 to 5 dives per day, each 1hr+ are possible, tiring but possible. On my last trip I averaged 3 dives per day, each lasting over 1 hour. As for air, have you looked at Air Jamaica? They fly out of Houston.