Roatan or Bonaire?

[BDSC]

I think for the time of year you are going, I'd stick to Bonaire just because of the hurricane factor. I can promise you won't leave there wishing you had gone to Little Cayman instead because Bonaire is very close to Little Cayman in diving.

Stick with Bonaire and Buddy's.

BDSC

 

[keytofreedom]

I am a huge Bonaire fan, so much so that I go there every year for a month. But, I have to say, Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall diving is superior to anywhere I've ever been in the Caribbean. You see big stuff there, as opposed to Bonaire, where you'll not see many big grouper and likely will never see a reef shark. But, it really isn't fair to compare the two. Bonaire is so much about the experience of choosing your own dive site and time, being the author of your own day. Little Cayman is like most other dive spots - you dive when and where they take you. But "where they take you" is unbelievable!

Also, in my experience, Little Cayman is more of a social experience than Bonaire. Each of the 4 (maybe 5?) resorts there is small and offers all-inclusive, family-style dining. You dive with, eat with, etc. the same people, basically, all week and, if you're like me, come away having made lasting friendships. Now, that's not for everybody, but it really added to the enjoyment of my vacation.

I think you should promise yourself not to miss either one. But, since you're planning to go in October, I'll echo what everybody else is saying. Go to Bonaire; eliminate the hurricane worry.

 

[vladimir]

You see big stuff there, as opposed to Bonaire, where you'll not see many big grouper and likely will never see a reef shark.

I agree--I have seen one nurse shark in 80+ dives in Bonaire. What you can see reliably are large tarpon, and occasionally, dolphins.

But, it really isn't fair to compare the two. Bonaire is so much about the experience of choosing your own dive site and time, being the author of your own day. Little Cayman is like most other dive spots - you dive when and where they take you.

I agree, well put.

 

[tiki_bill]

I've been to Grand Cayman many times but never made the short flight to the sister islands. I've always wanted to go but my fiancee wants to do a little more than just dive, which is why we are going to Bonaire. In Little Cayman, would a liveaboard experience be more economical and practical than staying at a resort?

 

[BDSC]

I've been to Grand Cayman many times but never made the short flight to the sister islands. I've always wanted to go but my fiancee wants to do a little more than just dive, which is why we are going to Bonaire. In Little Cayman, would a liveaboard experience be more economical and practical than staying at a resort?

In my opinion No. I think the liveaboard would be more expensive. You would probably be able to get in a few more dives each day if that is important. I know the Little Cayman Beach Resort does 3 dives a day and all meals are included. The rates are usually in the area of $1700 to $1900 for the week depending on the season. Don't hold me to that cause I haven't checked them in awhile. Also, it's not like the area around Little Cayman and Cayman Brac is such a vast area that the diving is going to be all that different in those waters. So I don't see the real advantage of a liveaboard unless you want 5 dives every day.

BDSC

 

[Diver Di]

I agree that if you decide to go to Bonaire, don't wait to book it. We tried to book Buddy's (and a couple others) for July about 3 months in advance and couldn't get in for the weeks we needed. We are now going in September and staying at Sanddollar.

I agree about Little Cayman too. Been to Grand Cayman a couple of times and to Cayman Brac. The dive that still stands out is the day we went over to Little Cayman and dove Bloody Bay Wall (while we were staying at Cayman Brac). When we go back to the Caymans it will definitely be to LC to dive that wall again. It was fantastic. Not that the other diving was bad by any means, but the dive on the BBW were great.

 

[ScubaDiverGreg]

What about the Divi Flamingo in Bonaire. Any thoughts on staying at this resort?

 

[salth2owannabe]

I could throw out a couple of more names for you to look at. We stayed at Coral Paradise and they arranged our dive package through Capt. Don's. Coral Paradise is brand new and they sit right next to Capt. Dons. (Buddy dive is just south of Capt. Don's and you can easily walk between them) Check out their web site. Capt. Don's has some really nice looking villas which might be an option as well. Capt. Don's was great to work with and I have no complaints about any of the operation. What I noticed about Buddy dive is that it appeared to me to be a larger scale dive operation, much more volume then some of the smaller resorts. The resort looked very nice and the staff I met were very friendly and helpful. We rented a video camera from Buddy dive for a day.

 

[vladimir]

I've been to Grand Cayman many times but never made the short flight to the sister islands. I've always wanted to go but my fiancee wants to do a little more than just dive, which is why we are going to Bonaire. In Little Cayman, would a liveaboard experience be more economical and practical than staying at a resort?

I don't know if it would be more economical, but it would free you from the regimentation of a resort like Little Cayman Beach Resort. (Which is, by the way, a well run operation.) Every meal is scheduled and every dive is scheduled and don't take more than 50 minutes because they have to get back for lunch. Granted, meals are pretty scheduled on the Aggressor too. But you don't have to commute to the dive sites and it frees up some time, and you can jump in any time you want, so if you're not ready at 8:00 am, you can still dive at 8:15. The island of Little Cayman doesn't have a lot going on, so if you do take a liveaboard, you won't miss much on land. One problem with the Aggressor is that they may not even make it to Little Cayman. If the crossing looks rough, they will spend the week around Grand Cayman.

 

[spectrum]

Driving can eat up a lot of time if you have a big group like we had - we had a 3 BR apt w/ 6 people. had to go back for tanks a lot.

We were enjoying a great week a Buddy Dive a year ago NOW. Still suffering PBD.

Anyhow we went as a foursome and the room came with an extended cab mini pickup. It was just right for 8 cylinders and our gear.

We did notice that the parties of six got a van. These are not full sized American plumbers trucks, they are also minivans. I can't imagine getting 12 cylinders and gear for 6 in one of those. Also you need to do it all out of the back Where with the puck-up you can all work around the cargo bed to load, unload and handle your gear using it as staging platform.

There is also a certain human inertia factor to consider and the bigger the group the slower it will get moving. It would take an exceptionally obsessed group to not be loosing precious time.

For those reasons I would negotiate to keep everyone in pick-ups, not vans. That way you can make complete 2 tank outings and keep moving.

Pete