poleinahole
Registered
I spent three weeks diving in the above countries. Here is the low down:
ARUBA: Poor viz (lots of plankton), few fish and reef diving is very average. Even the DMs working there admit it is not a dive mecca. Still, the Antilla wreck (the second largest in the Caribbean after the Bianca C) is worth a dive. Water was cold. 24C. Dive operator: Sea, Fly and Dive: Dutch run. Very responsive to e-mail bookings. Have large, well maintained boats (with sundeck) and gear for rent if you don't want to schlep your stuff. Efficient and don't crowd the boat. We were only 4 divers. Two experienced, two doing discover dives. This means depth restirctions and 45 minute dive times for more experienced divers. Since the Antilla has some shallow bits, more experienced divers can go off and do their thing though you will go to a nearby 40 ft scattered wreck dive for your second dive. Hotel: Talk of the Town across the street is cozy, convenient and comfortable.
CURACAO: Water was warmer than Aruba at 26C. Viz still not great but they were having storms in from Venezuela. Very artifical island. They must be spending a lot to promote it in dive magazines as a wonderland, but after a week diving their signature dives (ie Mushroom forest and the Jan Thiel, etc. ) I won't be back as there are far better places to dive. Reef diving was far superior to Aruba and also have some wrecks, so there is something for everyone. Dive Operator: Ocean Encounters. Very slick PADI 5 star place. Italian owner makes sure guests are happy and Dutch staff are helpful and efficient. Boats are very nice and fast. Quality gear rental. The problem is they really pack them to the gills. We had 22 divers! To me diving is about being one with nature and freedom and I hated the crowd. Also, most of the divers just do one or two dive trips a year so dives are designed around divers who need to surface after 45 minutes. Hotel: Royal Aquarium Resort. I stayed here as I had enrolled my niece and nephew in a Kids Sea Camp Program. It's a great and safe place for kids, but I wouldn't stay here as a serious diver. Instead, head to the KuraHulanda Lodge (not the hotel & (slave) museum by the same name in town, which is well worth a visit if you have the cash. A cheaper option is the Sunset Beach Resort, which has better diving, less crowds and less of that artifical Curacao feel about it.
Bonaire: What can I say? Like all dive fanatics I keep coming back here for the great reef diving, clear viz and lots of fish, even though Bonaire lacks pelagics. Water 28C. You have got to love a country that is dedicated to divers and hasn't succumbed to cruise ship overun, casinos and tacky souvenir shops. Non divers may not be too happy on Bonaire though. Hotel and Dive Operator: Carib Inn. Run by the first DM on the island. The accomodation is a bit dated, but clean and comfortable. Many folks stay next door at the more upmarket Dive Dive which has a restaurant, but serious divers come from all over the island to dive with Bruce and his team--some over 50 times!! Why? Because the serious diver is king here. They issue you a tank when you arrive and you just bring it to the filling station to be refilled. Great housereef just outside. You can sign up for boat dives too and they also book night dive trips to the Town Pier (sign up a week in adavnce and send your passport details for the harbormaster). New divers are welcome but you will wait on the boat until the last diver surfaces. Generally after 60-75 minutes. If you want to dive with the DM you can, if not you can do your own thing and solo dive if you wish. Prices and advice are honest. Attracts an older, quiet, dive passionate crowd so you will never want for dive buddies if you are a solo diver looking for company. Heaven.
Venezuela:
I had a wonderful time and never felt unsafe in Venezuela even though I'm a female solo traveller. This country has a real heart and is one of my favorites (I've been to 156 countries). Just go!
Ocumare de la Costa: The travel agent told me this was a good place for diving although I hadn't heard of it. It wasn't and I left after a day to continue on to Los Roques and Margarita. No reef diving, but you can dive two wrecks. You have to arrange for the DM to be there through EcoLodge in advance since this place sees few divers. I stayed at the Eco Lodge in El PLayon which was great and laid back. They also have a lodge at La Cienaga which is more basic and where I was supposed to stay to dive from. It's in a mangrove area so not great for diving or even snorkelling. But kayak use is included in the price if you are into that. La Cienage sees lots of day trippers from Eco Lodge.
Isla Margarita: Warm, Pleasant, laid back island. I stayed at the main beach at Playa de Agua. Hotel: Costa Linda--pleasant, laid back place in a rustic style built around a garden courtyard and pool. Rooms are simple but clean and have a Latin America feel to them--they even have hammocks in the rooms in addition to beds. Restaurant service during the day is expensive and not so great there, however. Diving: Margarita Divers or Eco Buzos which works with Margarita Divers and has their main business in Los Roques. www.ecobuzos.com/english/index.htm. They cater mostly to Dutch and Brazilian tourists doing Discovery Dives and also islanders. (Other Venezuelans get handled by a dive operator in Caracas and the Germans have their own German speaking dive set up.) They will pick you up at your hotel and take you to a fishing village 10 minutes north of Playa el Agua for a 45 minute boat ride to Los Freiles. You drop of your dry stuff and can use a toilet at their "camp", while the crew offload the food and cook and give the Discover Divers a brief scuba lesson. Then you do your first dive, usually at La Piscina--the swimming pool. The coral is pretty beat up from beginning divers and storms and viz was not great, but there are loads of fish and neat creatures to discover. Experienced divers get their own DM who will point out Octopus, bat fish, scorpionfish, eels out to you. They then serve a wonderful lunch of grilled barracuda and chicken (sometimes beef), with rice, coleslaw, fruit, soft drink and strong Venezuelan espresso coffee. The second dive is usually a drft dive and more expereniced divers get dropped off first and find their way to the spot the discover divers are in after 45 minutes. A very enjoyable, laid back experience. The crew are hardworking, multilingual and very firnedly and work hard to make sure everyone has a good time. They usually have 12-14 people on board, but usually only 2-3 experienced divers. After the second dive, they bring out the free Polars (beers) or softdrinks.
Los Roques Archipelagao: The best place to dive in Venezuela--but you have to go to the outer islands (usually 45 minutes by boat) instead of the nearby ones, so make sure there Discover Divers and their teaching schedule don't mean you just get stuck around Francisky Island around Grand Roque where the viz and coral is not great. You will be rewarded with schools of huge multi colored parrot fish, tarpon, huge moray eels, stingrays and excellent coral diving. Note that the dive boats are small and most lack sun covers so make sure you bring lots of sun cream as the sun is fierce here. Eco Buzo is the best bet for English speaking visiting divers. See website above. They can book your flight and posada (small, family run inn) too. They have responsible and knowledgeable DMs & good gear, but check the status of the Discover Divers and how this will impact you. Dive times are 45-50 minutes as most of the certifed divers have medium experience (i.e. PADI Advanced). Hotel: There are no hotels, just simple family run posadas. Some are now quite upmarket though. If you have the cash, i recommend the Italian run Malibu. I stayed at the Los Corales (The Corals) place right next to Eco Buzo. They only have 4 simple rooms (2 w. aircon) but it is a really friendly place, clean and the food sublime. They play good music and all the guests sit around one table and talk until late in the night swapping tales and grooving to the music. They offer free shots of rum and salsa lessons too! Water is in very short supply on Los Roques so please talke care when showering or rinsing your dive gear.
Mochima: The second best place to dive in Venezuela after Los Roques. Dive operator: Aquabee or Horisub. Hotel: Lecheria--the dive shop is on the opposite bank so arrange for them to pick you up by boat in the morning. La Boracha has wrecks (Jolly Rodger), caves (La Cathedral) and deep dives. Viz is average. Water is colder than in the rest of Venezuela at about 21C, but it can dip below that.
ARUBA: Poor viz (lots of plankton), few fish and reef diving is very average. Even the DMs working there admit it is not a dive mecca. Still, the Antilla wreck (the second largest in the Caribbean after the Bianca C) is worth a dive. Water was cold. 24C. Dive operator: Sea, Fly and Dive: Dutch run. Very responsive to e-mail bookings. Have large, well maintained boats (with sundeck) and gear for rent if you don't want to schlep your stuff. Efficient and don't crowd the boat. We were only 4 divers. Two experienced, two doing discover dives. This means depth restirctions and 45 minute dive times for more experienced divers. Since the Antilla has some shallow bits, more experienced divers can go off and do their thing though you will go to a nearby 40 ft scattered wreck dive for your second dive. Hotel: Talk of the Town across the street is cozy, convenient and comfortable.
CURACAO: Water was warmer than Aruba at 26C. Viz still not great but they were having storms in from Venezuela. Very artifical island. They must be spending a lot to promote it in dive magazines as a wonderland, but after a week diving their signature dives (ie Mushroom forest and the Jan Thiel, etc. ) I won't be back as there are far better places to dive. Reef diving was far superior to Aruba and also have some wrecks, so there is something for everyone. Dive Operator: Ocean Encounters. Very slick PADI 5 star place. Italian owner makes sure guests are happy and Dutch staff are helpful and efficient. Boats are very nice and fast. Quality gear rental. The problem is they really pack them to the gills. We had 22 divers! To me diving is about being one with nature and freedom and I hated the crowd. Also, most of the divers just do one or two dive trips a year so dives are designed around divers who need to surface after 45 minutes. Hotel: Royal Aquarium Resort. I stayed here as I had enrolled my niece and nephew in a Kids Sea Camp Program. It's a great and safe place for kids, but I wouldn't stay here as a serious diver. Instead, head to the KuraHulanda Lodge (not the hotel & (slave) museum by the same name in town, which is well worth a visit if you have the cash. A cheaper option is the Sunset Beach Resort, which has better diving, less crowds and less of that artifical Curacao feel about it.
Bonaire: What can I say? Like all dive fanatics I keep coming back here for the great reef diving, clear viz and lots of fish, even though Bonaire lacks pelagics. Water 28C. You have got to love a country that is dedicated to divers and hasn't succumbed to cruise ship overun, casinos and tacky souvenir shops. Non divers may not be too happy on Bonaire though. Hotel and Dive Operator: Carib Inn. Run by the first DM on the island. The accomodation is a bit dated, but clean and comfortable. Many folks stay next door at the more upmarket Dive Dive which has a restaurant, but serious divers come from all over the island to dive with Bruce and his team--some over 50 times!! Why? Because the serious diver is king here. They issue you a tank when you arrive and you just bring it to the filling station to be refilled. Great housereef just outside. You can sign up for boat dives too and they also book night dive trips to the Town Pier (sign up a week in adavnce and send your passport details for the harbormaster). New divers are welcome but you will wait on the boat until the last diver surfaces. Generally after 60-75 minutes. If you want to dive with the DM you can, if not you can do your own thing and solo dive if you wish. Prices and advice are honest. Attracts an older, quiet, dive passionate crowd so you will never want for dive buddies if you are a solo diver looking for company. Heaven.
Venezuela:
I had a wonderful time and never felt unsafe in Venezuela even though I'm a female solo traveller. This country has a real heart and is one of my favorites (I've been to 156 countries). Just go!
Ocumare de la Costa: The travel agent told me this was a good place for diving although I hadn't heard of it. It wasn't and I left after a day to continue on to Los Roques and Margarita. No reef diving, but you can dive two wrecks. You have to arrange for the DM to be there through EcoLodge in advance since this place sees few divers. I stayed at the Eco Lodge in El PLayon which was great and laid back. They also have a lodge at La Cienaga which is more basic and where I was supposed to stay to dive from. It's in a mangrove area so not great for diving or even snorkelling. But kayak use is included in the price if you are into that. La Cienage sees lots of day trippers from Eco Lodge.
Isla Margarita: Warm, Pleasant, laid back island. I stayed at the main beach at Playa de Agua. Hotel: Costa Linda--pleasant, laid back place in a rustic style built around a garden courtyard and pool. Rooms are simple but clean and have a Latin America feel to them--they even have hammocks in the rooms in addition to beds. Restaurant service during the day is expensive and not so great there, however. Diving: Margarita Divers or Eco Buzos which works with Margarita Divers and has their main business in Los Roques. www.ecobuzos.com/english/index.htm. They cater mostly to Dutch and Brazilian tourists doing Discovery Dives and also islanders. (Other Venezuelans get handled by a dive operator in Caracas and the Germans have their own German speaking dive set up.) They will pick you up at your hotel and take you to a fishing village 10 minutes north of Playa el Agua for a 45 minute boat ride to Los Freiles. You drop of your dry stuff and can use a toilet at their "camp", while the crew offload the food and cook and give the Discover Divers a brief scuba lesson. Then you do your first dive, usually at La Piscina--the swimming pool. The coral is pretty beat up from beginning divers and storms and viz was not great, but there are loads of fish and neat creatures to discover. Experienced divers get their own DM who will point out Octopus, bat fish, scorpionfish, eels out to you. They then serve a wonderful lunch of grilled barracuda and chicken (sometimes beef), with rice, coleslaw, fruit, soft drink and strong Venezuelan espresso coffee. The second dive is usually a drft dive and more expereniced divers get dropped off first and find their way to the spot the discover divers are in after 45 minutes. A very enjoyable, laid back experience. The crew are hardworking, multilingual and very firnedly and work hard to make sure everyone has a good time. They usually have 12-14 people on board, but usually only 2-3 experienced divers. After the second dive, they bring out the free Polars (beers) or softdrinks.
Los Roques Archipelagao: The best place to dive in Venezuela--but you have to go to the outer islands (usually 45 minutes by boat) instead of the nearby ones, so make sure there Discover Divers and their teaching schedule don't mean you just get stuck around Francisky Island around Grand Roque where the viz and coral is not great. You will be rewarded with schools of huge multi colored parrot fish, tarpon, huge moray eels, stingrays and excellent coral diving. Note that the dive boats are small and most lack sun covers so make sure you bring lots of sun cream as the sun is fierce here. Eco Buzo is the best bet for English speaking visiting divers. See website above. They can book your flight and posada (small, family run inn) too. They have responsible and knowledgeable DMs & good gear, but check the status of the Discover Divers and how this will impact you. Dive times are 45-50 minutes as most of the certifed divers have medium experience (i.e. PADI Advanced). Hotel: There are no hotels, just simple family run posadas. Some are now quite upmarket though. If you have the cash, i recommend the Italian run Malibu. I stayed at the Los Corales (The Corals) place right next to Eco Buzo. They only have 4 simple rooms (2 w. aircon) but it is a really friendly place, clean and the food sublime. They play good music and all the guests sit around one table and talk until late in the night swapping tales and grooving to the music. They offer free shots of rum and salsa lessons too! Water is in very short supply on Los Roques so please talke care when showering or rinsing your dive gear.
Mochima: The second best place to dive in Venezuela after Los Roques. Dive operator: Aquabee or Horisub. Hotel: Lecheria--the dive shop is on the opposite bank so arrange for them to pick you up by boat in the morning. La Boracha has wrecks (Jolly Rodger), caves (La Cathedral) and deep dives. Viz is average. Water is colder than in the rest of Venezuela at about 21C, but it can dip below that.
