Shallow diving?

[creekland]

Sorry if this is a repeat - I've tried searching... to no avail - but it could be that I'm just not experienced at picking words to search with?

Anyhow... we're on the hunt for a Feb 2007 diving vacation location AND we have 3 kids with us who will be 14, 12, and 11 at that time (all already certified and will have plenty of summer experience, but probably none between sept - feb) so would like to keep the diving to 40' or so.

We prefer warm (tropical) in Feb and something really cool to see (coral, big critters, etc). We just came from HI this past Feb so would prefer somewhere different. Loved the Manta Ray night dive there - and 2 Steps. Loved the coral at the Dry Tortugas too (though just snorkeled there as we were camping at the National Park at the time).

We also have crowd allergies and aren't into the party/loud scene.

We're quite flexible with lodging, food, and are equally ok with land based or boat based. We don't need 5 stars.

Besides diving, we also love snorkeling, hiking, and pretty much any other "nature" show.

We prefer a private guide - though can probably hire someone anywhere I would suspect. There's 5 of us, so a 6 pack works too since we basically fill it up. Obviously our guide would have to be ok with kids diving (well mannered and well seasoned traveling kids).

We love joking and having fun (well, not practical jokes in the water, but in general...) so the guide has to enjoy life too.

Outside this board, Bonaire had been mentioned for us to consider - but I've read about the last couple of hurricanes doing a bit of damage to the reefs, so I'm unsure.

We're also considering Mozambique to combine a land safari and see Whale Sharks, but I'm having a tough time with research to see if it's shallow enough - or what else is there for diving.

BVI was just mentioned and I'll research that... but I'd really like a whole list of places to consider so I can narrow it down for a family vote soon. For us, anticipation is half the fun... and, of course, planning can take a little bit of time.

So please, feel free to recommend places - or if you own/work at somewhere you think we should consider, I'll welcome the advertising (private or on here). At this point, any and all options will be considered. Our choice will depend on the family vote and the amount in our bank account at the time... we took a month off for HI and it was wonderful... but we could be looking at a week, 2, or maybe a month for 2007.

 

[El Orans]

Outside this board, Bonaire had been mentioned for us to consider - but I've read about the last couple of hurricanes doing a bit of damage to the reefs, so I'm unsure.

I'd go back in a heartbeat.

www.bonairetalk.com

 

[TSandM]

As I wrote on your other thread, we spent a week on a chartered sailboat in the BVI and had a ball. Doing a sailboat charter like we did gives you your lodging, your meals, a guide, your transportation and your dive operator all in one. We did 11 dives in five days (although that was the most they had ever done, and I'm not sure they were thrilled about it). Many were shallow and very beautiful. You can read a report of the trip, with photographs, here. There are also a lot more pictures on our website.

 

[slingshot]

I was also thinking BVIs, where there is lots of good shallow diving, and even the stern of the Rhone is close to your depth range (around 70 feet max). We logged dives <60 feet at some decent locations like Indians, Ring Dove Rock, Aquarium, and the airplane wreck (don't recall the name of that, Coral Gardens perhaps?). Not the most stuff on land to do, as I recall, and it put a dent in the pocketbook, but the diving was nice.

 

[divingjd]

Little Cayman has a lot of great diving in shallow water. It is known for wall diving, but the wall starts shallow. Parts of Bloody Bay Wall start in 15 feet of water. The south side diving is all shallow. There isn't much to do but dive, but the diving is fantastic, probably the best in the Caribbean. You will see great coral, lots of fish and critters of all sizes. The water is amazingly clear. Little Cayman Beach Resort is very nice and I have heard lots of good things about Southern Cross Club and Pirates' Point.

 

[TheRedHead]

My teenagers loved St. John. The island is 70% national park with plenty of hiking and nature trails. You can stop at just about any beach on the island and snorkel. Easy, shallow diving. Not sure how many big critters you would see. It's easy to dive BVI while you are there. No cruise ships!

We rented a 2 bedroom villa at the Westin and it provided plenty of room for the 4 of us. 3 bedroom villas with private pools are also available.

The Westin provides activities for the kids while you are diving. My kids are picky and they loved it there and dying to go back. We took them to St. Croix last year and they were disappointed it wasn't St. John.

http://www.westinresortstjohn.com/welcome.htm

 

[creekland]

Thanks for all these suggestions - esp those with places to stay attached to them. I'm still open to more, though it definitely looks like it may be difficult to choose... it would be great to have unlimited money and just go from one to another... Anyone have success growing money trees or finding geese that lay golden eggs?

Another question - has anyone been to Mozambique? Some of those dives combined with land safaris seem really neat, but I can't find depths... I'm aware of the Malaria risk - seems that hits lots of places though.

 

[del_mo]

Damage to Bonairs reefs? I hadn't read or heard anything about that. Is that true?

 

[Doc]

Damage to Bonairs reefs? I hadn't read or heard anything about that. Is that true?

Must be, read it on the internet.

Go to Cayman. Take 'em diving with a private operation. Gotta be cheaper than Mozambique- so cost isn't an issue.

There are very few dive sites that have concrete floors at 40fsw. At some point, they're going to have to be trusted to watch their own depth. Whale Sharks do not generally gambol in 40fsw. And btw- what's so safe about 40fsw? Now, don't get me wrong, I agree that most of the cool stuff is at or above that depth, but if you're worried about diver safety, there are other much more pressing concerns.

If safety is an issue as much as it seems, you might do well to consider local medical facility infrastructure and evacuation paths. Like Mozambique? Little bodies have less resiliency in many ways and time can be of a critical issue. Just something to consider. Cayman wins again. (Then there's StingRay city... how could a kid not have a great time?)

I have found that the general diving abilities of most children limit their perception of what they are seeing quite dramaticaly. They are usually quite happy bobbling over any sort of reef versus being beat-up to take a longer boat ride to this "special" reef. It's more a thing of Whooowhoo I'm diving!". I have, however, seen devout underwater naturalists at the age of 10... who know what they're seeing. There are exceptions.

Add into the equation- what will the local DM and dive op do with such a group? They're not going to be diving on dive sites called "Heart Attack", nor are they likely to be graced by being taken to any pristine reef due to suspicion of lack of skills.

I would skip any drift diving, shore diving (ie: Bonaire), liveaboard (You may like your kids, but...), small resort, and so on. Anywhere that your well behaved kid's presence could be discerned by other divers who thought they were on an adult venue.

Remember, you are doing a wonderful thing, taking your kids diving, but at the same time, you have entered an adult world of fully developed muscles, endurance and thinking abilities. Potential nakedness at the relaxition hour, something always eagerly anticpated by off-gassing divers might be squelched. Not good karma. If you go to anything less than a private catered operation, be prepared for derision. It's really no-one's fault, the less-than-forthcoming resort ops want to sell their spaces. Nowhere does it guarantee division between adults and kids. I'm sure you believe that your kids are invisible, but other adults will soon find otherwise. I have seen kids scattering their gear on a small Asian boat whilst the guys dressed in TriMix and twins were trying to reach their Zen state or whatever it is that they do. Again- it isn't your fault, it isn't that of the other divers. Find a family oriented (or private) dive op. If for nothing else than your own sanity and the self confidence of the kids.

Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan does great things with kids- they even have a captive Dolphin deal where the kids get to... do whatever they do with Dolphins. Very much so a kid friendly environment.

"You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't." JOHN PRINE

Dear Abby, Dear Abby...
You have no complaint
You are what your are and you ain't what you ain't
So listen up Buster, and listen up good
Stop wishing for bad luck and knocking on wood
-John Prine

 

[creekland]

I have no idea if the reef damage alleged on Bonaire is true or not - just saw a trip report (on a different board) from someone that had been there before and after the two hurricanes who was quite disappointed with nature - fish were still there and fine, reef was disappointing... A lady from our local dive shop is heading there in a couple of weeks for her 5th trip and I figured I'd check with her for a first hand account when she returns. Should be quite up to date I would think.

And Roatan Man - you've caught the drift of EXACTLY what we are looking for - somewhere where we can go as a family and see some good/great sights underwater (and perhaps above) without disturbing others who are also spending money on their vacation. When I had mentioned liveaboard - it was meant private (accomodating 5 or 6) not the Aggressor fleet, etc (though I didn't make that clear - sorry - I'm still new at this...).

My kids are well behaved, but I respect that many folks don't like kids - period - and they ARE still kids (and newbies to diving). They do, however, know what they are seeing... and would probably fit in with those few exceptions you talk about. They surprised many in HI with knowing the difference between a Snowflake eel and a White Mouth, etc. Heck, they know more than I do about what they are seeing. I'm a "isn't that pretty" type and they're all about knowing names and species... and what's rare and what isn't - along with habitat, position in food chain, reproductive cycle, etc. Drives me crazy sometimes, but I don't discourage it. They buy local "critter" books and devour them both before and after their water experiences (diving or snorkeling).

I do have a few newbie questions to ask if you don't mind... Why NOT Bonaire and/or shore diving? Reef damage? Other issues? Many folks including our LDS have been recommending it to us for shallow diving where we can rent a villa at Buddy Dive and do as much or little as we want on our own schedule... I'd like to know pros and cons - from someone who's willing to be honest.

The 40' limit comes mainly from Padi - I'd be willing to let the kids go to about 60' at that time. They "may" have gone a tad deeper in HI to look at a couple of things... and did ok.

Our problem with most places set up for "kids" is that our kids get bored there... so I really do think private is the way to go for us for the time being - till they get some more experience and age.

Cayman - I'll look it up - and thanks for the suggestion. Mozambique came out of a family "conference" where the suggestion was made of going to Africa to see the land safari for our next big trip - and looking up what I could find on the net to combine land and diving - if possible. It's difficult to find folks that have been there to ask about our "special" considerations. I'm afraid if I contacted the organizations themselves they would say, "sure come" being more concerned about the money than us (or others). So I'm looking for outside info if I can find it.

Please feel free (to anyone) to offer any opinions on where/who and how. We do NOT want to mar anyone else's vacation while taking ours... and as my sig says, I'd just as soon learn from others experiences... both good and bad.

I do appreciate all who have taken the time to offer suggestions!