Unsupervised, unlimited diving?

[Troutmaster]

Another vote for Grand Cayman, lots of shore sites, walk up, rent your tank and off you go. But you MUST have a buddy. It is against the law in Grand Cayman to dive solo. There is also a huge fine for wearing gloves (they really don't want you to touch anything).

 

[robint]

As the others have mentioned.... anyplace on Bonaire - dive 24/7. Grab tank, put it in your vehicle and drive anywhere on island and dive.
www.buddydive.com (very easy to do diving from this place, as well as any other oceanfront resorts)

also - Cocoview Resort in Roatan, Honduras has 24/7 diving from the resort, you can dive all you want whenever you want. They do ask that if you go out after dark that you sign on a log at the dock your room number and what time you went out, then sign back in but other than that you just grab a tank and go.
Welcome to CoCo View Resort located in Roatan, Honduras a beautiful resort with diving and snorkeling activities.
the resort is small with only 26 rooms, so if you want to go there be sure to call and try to book asap. Many dive clubs and groups book ahead of time, some yearly, so it fills up fast.

robin

 

[DeputyDan]

Your second boat dive (in the morning and afternoon) at COCOVIEW the boat drops you off and then goes on into the resort.

You better want all the bottom time you can stand cause you are sure going to get it!!!!!

You work your way back to the resort on your own depth, time and schedule!

SWEET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cruiser]

Coco View Resort in Roatan. You dive the way you want to.

 

[Doc]

Excellent historical and social perspectives were written above as to how this came about. There is also a general mistrust factor that pervades a DM's view of many divers who appear at specific locations.

To explain a bit more about Roatan's CoCoView Saturation Model

First boat of the day is at 0830 or so. Your first tank, you are requested to limit your dive to 60 minutes. This is done for a number of reasons. First, as many before have pointed out, the boatsmen and DM's have a schedule and a life. You need to do some SI before the next tank, in the case of CCV, usually 1/2 hour. That's when they will drop you off at your choice of two walls, where you can race in, or just putter along and return ashore at 1:30 bt, maybe even more as some do.

The same cycle repeats in the afternoon boat, which pulls out at 14:00 hrs. Again, first another moored dive, then a drop-off dive so you can make a shore exit very much-so at your leisure.

Some very few folks might decry the drop-off dive as "the same old dive", but most of us who have done it see it otherwise. It is a constantly changing environment, and once you get past simply looking at walls and structure, which are dramatic enough, you get entranced by the ever changing opportunities to spot the critters.

At the end of those drop-off dives, a lot of people take time to poke around the shallow, intact upright 140' tanker wreck or the DC3. I prefer to wait for other divers to be dropped off along the walls for their return trip, and I ask to be "dropped on the wreck". Having done this for many hundreds of dives, I know every inch of that Prince Albert Wreck pretty well. It bottoms in 65fsw and most of it is shallower. We usually are out there for close to two hours, never getting bored.

In that the shore dive is right there at the resort, just under your room, the night diving is well attended and there are no issues of gear security. An anchor chain leads you back from the Wreck to the shore exit, so the bogey of feeling lost disappears quickly. Our 8pm night dives are always in the 1:20bt range, if it was shallow (as they mostly are) we often do a second one at 10pm

The same general dive profiles and access can be managed from FIBR with a bit more work, but for the budget minded, it can be a good option, too.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

To explain a bit more about Roatan's CoCoView Saturation Model

First boat of the day is at 0830 or so. Your first tank, you are requested to limit your dive to 60 minutes. This is done for a number of reasons. First, as many before have pointed out, the boatsmen and DM's have a schedule and a life. You need to do some SI before the next tank, in the case of CCV, usually 1/2 hour. That's when they will drop you off at your choice of two walls, where you can race in, or just putter along and return ashore at 1:30 bt, maybe even more as some do.

The same cycle repeats in the afternoon boat, which pulls out at 14:00 hrs. Again, first another moored dive, then a drop-off dive so you can make a shore exit very much-so at your leisure.

... only one potential hazard with taking too much time on that slow swim back to CCV ... you might miss lunch or dinner. Dining hours are generous, but you can still miss the meal with a 90-minute second dive ... ask me how I know ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Louie]

I noticed your location was Dubai (although I don't know what part of the world you're interested in travelling to for your holiday).

I dived in Gozo and there, they let certified and experience divers go fairly well on their own - although you have to arrange for tanks and transport. I'm not sure about the main island of Malta.

Red Sea liveaboards - all my dives have been with buddies or solo.

Wherever you are though, if there are a lot of DMs eager for work - especially in low seasons - they're going to be trying to sell you a guide.

 

[Doc]

Dining hours are generous, but you can still miss the meal with a 90-minute second dive ... ask me how I know ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I'm always plopping in for the second dive at 10:15 or so....

I gotta know- what did you do, go take a nap?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm always plopping in for the second dive at 10:15 or so....

I gotta know- what did you do, go take a nap?

... I dropped in on the wall for dive 2, swam in, had about 1000 left in the tank, and decided to putter around in the front yard for a while. You can stay down a long time in 6 feet of water ... by the time I came in, dropped my rig, and peeled outta my wetsuit, lunch was over ... :depressed:

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[vladimir]

Kungkungen Bay Resort in Indonesia had a house reef -- diving there was unlimited and unguided within certain hours (daytime, basically). Boat diving was guided, but dive time was based on gas.

This is also the case at Lembeh Resort, directly across the strait.

Been on many boats all over the world that let you do your own thing; in fact I've never once been with a Dive Op that forced a guide on me.

This has been my experience too, for the most part, although occasionally I dive with operators that want to do a dive or two with you to satisfy themselves that you are competent. I am okay with that--it seems like a reasonable request to me.

Tulamben, Bali ... you have three great dive sites right off the beach ... a wreck dive, a wall dive and a reef dive. We spent four days there, and met several folks from Europe and Australia who spend weeks at a time there diving whenever they feel like it.

As a bonus, the diving's pretty fantastic ... especially if you're into photography ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yes, the diving is excellent, and easy, too.

I'll add the Belize Aggressor to the list.