Please rank these 5 Islands

[Kleppta]

I am forced to choose from the following list of places (cruise).

My wife would like to see me when we go on vacation....waddya say to that!

I will be in the following and have to choose 2 or 3 max.

St Kitts
St Maarten
St Thomas
Guadeloupe
St Lucia

I am leaning toward St Thomas, St Lucia and Guadeloupe. But as well as the quality of the diving ease of access to the cruise ship port is a factor, which may limit me for Guadeloupe.

Thnx
Kleppta

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

On that list I have only been to St. Thomas and St. Lucia. Of the two I would say that St. Lucia is better.

 

[caymaniac]

I would say;
St. Lucia.
St. Thomas.
St. Martin.
I've only been to St. Thomas and St. John. But from reading reports, St. Lucia would be maybe the best. I've seen others suggest from St. Matin you may be able to dive Saba, which according to
Doc V. would be perhaps best of all.

Dive Safe,
Caymaniac

 

[AquaRock]

I would go with St Thomas and St Maarten, dive centers are very easily accessable at both locations. Also dont believe all the bad hype about St Maarten i was there in august the diving is very good, the reef has healed nicely and several sharks although small ones. Plus you get to skip out on the 2 biggest shopping locations. AquaRock

 

[scorpiofish]

1) St. Kitts
2) St. Lucia
3) St. Thomas
4) St. Maarten

Guadeloupe - clueless

 

[Doc]

Like Kleppta said when he posed the question- he is being "forced" to chose between them, so here's how I'd rate those islands (for diving):

18th
24th
27th
33rd
103rd

Give your wife a picture of you. Go diving somewhere else in the Caribbean. She'll use the AmEx card, you'll use compressed air.

Unfortunately, the subject of cruise ship access SCUBA diving is an oft posed question. The nexus of Cruise Ship Ports intersecting with Quality Dive Destinations is a non existant, for all intents and purposes- they are mutually exclusive. On the rare occasion that this occurs, you are not allowed enough shore leave to make the physical move easily to a good operation or dive site. (You can try- and Lord knows, people do!)

Reputable dive ops aren't going to take you to their more advanced sites because they haven't "looked you over" for a few simple dives. You will be just glimpsing what they have to offer.

For example, any dive op on Roatan that takes a cruise diver to the (highly over-rated) fabled Mary's Place is breaking a local law that there is no money to enforce. On the contrary- there are simple resort based shore dives that are eye popping (CCV).

Get her into SCUBA experience class in the cruise ship pool. DO NOT ASSIST, yourself. Maybe she'll come around. If not, get her that picture of your face and go diving. :boom: She'll get over it.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

RoatanMan once bubbled...
Like Kleppta said when he posed the question- he is being "forced" to chose between them, so here's how I'd rate those islands (for diving):

18th
24th
27th
33rd
103rd

Give your wife a picture of you. Go diving somewhere else in the Caribbean. She'll use the AmEx card, you'll use compressed air.

Unfortunately, the subject of cruise ship access SCUBA diving is an oft posed question. The nexus of Cruise Ship Ports intersecting with Quality Dive Destinations is a non existant, for all intents and purposes- they are mutually exclusive. On the rare occasion that this occurs, you are not allowed enough shore leave to make the physical move easily to a good operation or dive site. (You can try- and Lord knows, people do!)

Reputable dive ops aren't going to take you to their more advanced sites because they haven't "looked you over" for a few simple dives. You will be just glimpsing what they have to offer.

For example, any dive op on Roatan that takes a cruise diver to the (highly over-rated) fabled Mary's Place is breaking a local law that there is no money to enforce. On the contrary- there are simple resort based shore dives that are eye popping (CCV).

Get her into SCUBA experience class in the cruise ship pool. DO NOT ASSIST, yourself. Maybe she'll come around. If not, get her that picture of your face and go diving. :boom: She'll get over it.

Thanks for the laugh. If you are forced to cruise to accommodate the other person in your bed then check out Norwegian Cruise Line. The Norwegian Wind cruises out of Miami to Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. You still have all the problems associated with cruise diving but I would do it again just for the variation. Good Luck!

 

[stevsgarage]

I've only been to St. Thomas and St. Maarten from your list but I prefered St. Maarten of the two. I found the diving equally great although I wasn't to fond of the operator I used in St. Thomas. I found the people a little nicer in St. Maarten and the island seemed really fixed up for tourism, but I only spent a couple days in each place.

 

[rakjar]

I have been to St. Thomas and St. Maarten, twice. I only have been diving, a discovery dive through the cruise line, in St. Maarten.

Both are beautiful and have alot to offer after the dives. Sometime, now that I am certified I would love to go back to these islands and diving again.

 

[grumpygrouper]

HI
I have only dove St Maartan and St Lucia, personally I liked St Lucia.

Happy and Safe Diving
Ron