What are options for Christmas Trip dive destinations?

[Minnesota Cricket]

Our family of three have been going on Christmas dive trips for the last several years. We love Bonaire and were planning to go there again but it looks like that is off the table right now. The little bit of research I have done is pointing towards either Roatan or possibly Maldives. My wife is not wanting to go to Mexico/Coz because of cold/rain we have experienced in the past in December.

Thoughts on either of these destinations? Any other ideas?

 

[flyboy08]

I've been in Coz the past 7 Decembers and don't recall any rain or cold? Winds (Norte), yes, but none of the other elements you describe?

I would suggest the Maldives you've never been!

 

[CathyE]

December is still the rainy season for Roatan.
You might get mostly sunshine or you might get very wet.

 

[Redfoot]

Turks and Caicos open, albeit with some hoops to jump through.

You could look at Aggressor or Caribbean Explorer for liveaboard, or plenty of land based options as well, including Grand Turk and South Caicos.

Land based=potentially longer boat rides, but if all 3 of you are diving not a big deal. Most people are concerned about long boat rides because they have someone waiting for them back at the resort.

Probably the most expensive week to travel there all year, but it is safe, beautiful, good food, and awesome diving without venturing too far from the USA.

St. Lucia also open, but I think they get a lot of rain in the winter? I may be wrong about that.

 

[Doc]

All of the Caribbean

December is iffy, at best.

It is Tropical Storm Season.

Sure, spend a week on a liveaboard. Jump on. Hang on.

Everywhere in the Caribbean...same, same.

Not just in Cozumel, Belize, The Windwards, Trinidad up to the Bahamas. I would place my limited bets on Bonaire, but you’ve nixed that.

Christmas weather in our “swimming pool” pretty much-so sucks.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Is Grenada going to be open at Christmas?

I haven't been to Roatan as many times as Doc but traveled there a bunch of times for Christmas usually for 3 weeks at a time. The weather was usually lousy.

I spent far more time in Belize over the years and December was usually lousy though I also experienced some amazing days too. That's days out of weeks long vacations.

 

[Minnesota Cricket]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

After further consideration, research, and debate we have made the decision to skip the Christmas trip this year. Poor wife is not happy but she knows it's probably the right decision. It's hard because as a real estate agent Christmas is really the one time of the year where she feels she can at least somewhat disconnect from work.

We did Belize 2 Christmases ago and ran into some crappy weather on the worst possible days. We had some ok diving but the day we went to the Blue Hole was rain, wind, and cold. Right back was a puke fest. Don't think I'll get the family down there ever again.

 

[flyboy08]

Now is the BEST time to travel in my mind...95% of folks, like yourself aren't, so there's mucho less peeps (our recent visit this past August was awesome!)....We are booked for December, like past Decembers, and look forward to seeing how the Grand Occidental weathered the storm.

We'll dive with Aldora so if there is a Norte, they'll dive the east side! Counting down the days!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

After further consideration, research, and debate we have made the decision to skip the Christmas trip this year. Poor wife is not happy but she knows it's probably the right decision. It's hard because as a real estate agent Christmas is really the one time of the year where she feels she can at least somewhat disconnect from work.

We did Belize 2 Christmases ago and ran into some crappy weather on the worst possible days. We had some ok diving but the day we went to the Blue Hole was rain, wind, and cold. Right back was a puke fest. Don't think I'll get the family down there ever again.

That's a shame because when it's glorious, it's amazing.
I've done the 3 dive day trip out to the Blue Hole with the lunch on Half-moon Caye and the two fabulous following dives on Christmas Day twice.
Yes the ride can be a bit bumpy but that doesn't bother me. It's worth it to me. That said, it'd probably be better to do it staying out at the Atolls.
I've been lucky that for some reason early January seems to bring good weather to both Roatsn and Belize.

Grenada has a different weather pattern than the more northern and even central Caribbean.

 

[DuTemplar]

I see you've gone with "nope, not this year" and I'm trying not to give up too....

The current "fun" with travel has my wife and I wondering that. Some places aren't open, don't know when they will be open, or how well they'll do. We definitely aren't getting back to the States this year for a Christmas at home with y family, and taking the two 1 year old boys on 15 hour flights, plus a connection. Her home in Turkey is still looking sketchy this far out with the kiddos. We've been debating a trip for somewhere that would be like 1 day diving, 2 beach/ chill days and back. Kids optional on that "long weekend."

If I was in the States, Baja/ Socorro would be tempting. Currenly we're seeing some maaaajor deals on Maldives including bookings anytime through all of next year and the southern Maldives sound decent or Christmas and the current deals are fully refundable for any reason. If I could, I'd get to Chuuk/Truk Lagoon in December, I would in a heartbeat buuuut the travel connections are insane and that'll be a two week trip (and I need a little more tech time, and maybe a lottery ticket for a rebreather system.). We're living in Qatar, so direct flights to Egypt are still out politically and the connections take forever or are very expensive. Thailand can be interesting, as can Myanmar... but I was looking at pre-twins liveaboards that leave Thailand to go there... Though I did see a few liveaboards leaving India for the Andaman sea, which would be cool. Likewise, a liveaboard for Sipadan would be on my "wish list" to get to for Decemberish, with the addition of hammerheads into the normal mix of cool stuff.

In the end, we may very well bounce for a long weekend over to Oman, they have some interesting spots and apparently the plankton blooms draw whale sharks through there in December so hey...

I've been browsing Belize as a retirement place after here, and after seeing the Book of Face groups the last few months, I'm reconsidering that for sure.