Just got our Advanced Open Water in Roatan. Where to next?

[Mark2189]

Hey all!

My wife and I just got our open water certification in Roatan. We had a blast but were ready to plan our next trip. We are looking at going somewhere in January. We are in Texas so were looking primarily in the Carribean. Right now, were considering a week trip to Grand Turk. Were also considering Grand Cayman or Belize. We really like an opportunity to see some sharks, but I'm not sure if were ready for tigers, bulls etc. We also would like to stay relatively shallow and keep our budget close to Roatan prices. We have less than 12 dives under our belt. Any recommendation or suggestions?

Thanks

 

[boulderjohn]

The places you mentioned are mostly pretty pricey. Cozumel is an easier reach for you and less pricey, but you will likely go deeper and you will definitely have more currents. Of those you mentioned, Belize is the least costly, and it does have pretty good diving. If you go to Ambergris Cay, you will see loads of nurse sharks close to shore.

Other than that, you won't see a whole lot of sharks in any of the places you mention. I have been diving all over the world, and since I mostly shun baited shark dives, I have almost never seen a tiger shark, and I count myself lucky any time I see a bull.

BTW, it does not take any particular level of dive skill to appreciate seeing sharks of any species. They are all fun to watch.

 

[AdivingBel]

St. Croix out of Christiansted on day-boats will get you sharks and warm water/high viz diving in winter (I'm sure others will chime in with other locales). Most of the rest of Caribbean I've been to requires LOBs to really, nearly guarantee sharky dives. Once you've dived enough to really be comfy, the easiest I've found for truly "big stuff" is the Socorros. You can run across the odd "men in grey suits" nearly anywhere. SE FL out of Jupiter/WPB has plenty of big stuff, but I wouldn't consider winter there "tidy bowl" diving. Don't rush you're diving adventures too much...it's kind of about the journey. Have fun and be safe...

 

[Green Frog]

I don’t know whether you are committed to the Caribbean “proper” but here’s a thought; I've dived in the Bahamas over New Years, and water temps are mild (dive skin or light wet suit). If you go to Stuart Cove's Nassau and do virtually any of their dives, you are likely to see Reef and Nurse Sharks. I've dived with them several times over the last 25+ years and was their most recently in early June. They are about middle of the road price wise, and as Island Resorts go, Nassau can be pretty reasonable.

Although I had been on several of their "Shark Encounter" (read "shark feeding") dives, this time I just went on the regular two tank (AM and PM) dives. I still saw sharks on virtually all of my dives and on one especially, they actually became pesky... not aggressive or dangerous, just curious to the point of being in the way. I almost wanted to shoo them off so I could take pictures of other things! BTW, I was wearing my new "Yum Yum Yellow" fins, but I don't think that really made any difference. I did decide to take advantage of the opportunity and knelt in the sand to wait for the shark to come to me... see images below.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

71% of the world is ocean. You have a long, long list.

 

[jonhall]

We really like an opportunity to see some sharks,

We also would like to stay relatively shallow

I like @AdivingBel 's suggestion but I prefer the west side in Frederiksted. Some varied diving in St. Croix. The north side (Christiansted) may get you sharks, but you can get some nice shallow dives on the west where the water is usually pretty calm. The Frederiksted Pier, which is a top dive site and no deeper than 45' near the end, should be done multiple times and at night - can do on your own or with a guide. For the number of dives you've done, St. Croix would be a great place.

St. Maarten has some diving on different ends of the island. Dive sites around Great Bay usually have sharks showing up. Farther west are some dive sites with some small wrecks that are easy to swim around/look at. Not a bad place to increase one's dive total.

Since @Green Frog mentioned Bahamas - guaranteed sharks at several dive sites on Grand Bahama, namely Shark Alley and surrounding sites. I just don't remember doing a lot of shallow dives, 60' and less. As an fyi, a diving acquaintance was bitten by a shark while on the ladder of the dive boat this past June - lost her lower leg - reportedly a first there in last 40 yrs. Although I've been there a few times, I wouldn't recommend it thinking of your requirements.

Cozumel. imo, could be a good place. In general, a dive op will take divers to a deeper site (60'+) first and do a second dive shallower. There are some ops that have multiple boats and will fill it with like divers - you can request 2 shallow dives - the op will let you know if they can do it.

Right now, were considering a week trip to Grand Turk

I need someone to back this up. Grand Turk is really beautiful as is the water - and you can dive - but I think the real diving sites are in Caicos, more specifically the Providenciales.

Grand Cayman is where I did my checkout dives many years ago and I've been back several times. Great island on the expensive side, but diving the 7 mile beach sites (there are many) is pretty easy - usually calm water but you can expect a deep dive followed by a shallow dive. There are some good shore dive options though and those are fun.

When you make a decision, you'll be able to get several recommendations if you have any questions.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Mark2189

So it looks like you and your wife have just a couple of dives other than your OW and AOW training. Do you already have nitrox?

Maybe you should get a bit more shallow experience somewhere like Key Largo, FL. I would imagine you are not ready to go out by yourselves and would benefit from a guide. Rainbow Reef would fit the bill, others can give additional suggestions.

Lots of places could meet your requirements, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Cozumel... The day trips in Turks and Caicos are quite long. Some of these trips would not meet your budget requirements.

Best of luck with your future scuba, let us know what you do.

 

[Green Frog]

Hi @Mark2189

Maybe you should get a bit more shallow experience somewhere like Key Largo, FL. I would imagine you are not ready to go out by yourselves and would benefit from a guide. Rainbow Reef would fit the bill, others can give additional suggestions.

I'm not sure you're going to get good enough viz in the Keys to satisfy the expectations you've developed training and diving at Roatan. There's definitely a lot of shallow diving, but it is too close to the land masses of the Florida Keys so viz tends to be poor by comparison to what you've come to expect. If you take this as a given, there are some nice places to see and some very colorful medium to small fish. See the long running Blue Heron Bridge Trolls thread for a good discussion with a lot of tempting photos.

Froggie

Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III

Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived at 1210 for a 1426 high tide. The park was not crowded. Snorkeled the trail prior to diving. Did a REEF fish survey of 52 species in 45 minutes. Entered the west side on scuba at 1325. Visibility was slightly improved from yesterday at about 25ft...

scubaboard.com

 

[boulderjohn]

St. Maarten has some diving on different ends of the island.

If you choose St. Maarten, be sure to spend at least one day on nearby Saba. It has some of the very best diving anywhere in the Caribbean, and one true adventure of an airport.

 

[FeudalGooch]

I did my first discover dives in Belize, off Placencia, was wonderful and got me into diving. I did Guanaja, Honduras, a bit more remote than Roatan, definitely quieter as far as tourism. You fly into Roatan and ferry over.

I'd also say Florida like others have mentioned. A bit more seasonal but there's a lot of options. For something a bit different, dive for shark teeth/fossils in Venice, fl. Just get your comfort level up, visibility can be poor at times but it's shallow dives so you can be down a while searching. You'll see some aquatic life but it's not the reason to do diving there. You could also ferry over to Bahamas from South Florida, so maybe can combo some locations in a trip if you've got enough vacation time.