Where in the Caribbean should I go diving in mid-late November?

[Ironborn]

I am considering possible destinations for a November 18-25 diving trip (my dates are not flexible). I would appreciate your suggestions and feedback as to where to go. I have considered several possibilities, and below are the reasons that I have not selected them thus far.

I had been considering the Turks & Caicos and Saba/St. Kitts liveaboards, but I am concerned that any reef damage or sand accumulation from Hurricane Irma might detract significantly from the quality of the diving in both destinations. I was also hoping to save the Saba/St. Kitts liveaboard for a week that does more diving on Saba than St. Kitts (that week's trip would have more diving on St. Kitts).

The Belize Aggressor IV and the Cayman Aggressor IV are both sold out for those weeks, and the Belize Aggressor III only has one spot for a female diver. I considered land-based options for both Belize and the Cayman Islands, but the liveaboards seem to be the way to go for both destinations.

There are some liveaboard options in the Bahamas, but the quality of the diving and overall marine environment there does not sound that impressive.

Roatan in general and CocoView in particular are on my bucket list, but my research suggested that November would not be a good time to go there because of the rainy season and its impact on dive conditions.

I have already been to Cozumel, Curacao, and Bonaire. I have no desire to go to Cozumel again. My last trip to Bonaire was very recent and I want to save the repeat visit for when I have enough experience for the Self-Reliant Diver course. I am open to diving on Curacao again but have a strong preference for trying a new destination before I revisit a previous destination.

I liked the ABC islands enough to consider Aruba, but I have heard that the quality of the diving there is not high enough to go there specifically for diving purposes, unless one has a special interest in wreck dives.

Could you suggest any other Caribbean destinations that I have not considered? Are any of my reasons for not selecting any of the above destinations questionable or incorrect, in your opinion? (For example, is Roatan diving actually fine during the rainy season? Could the reef damage in the Turks & Caicos be less than I think it would be by that time?)

 

[drrich2]

I considered land-based options for both Belize and the Cayman Islands, but the liveaboards seem to be the way to go for both destinations.

If you want to hit all 3 Cayman islands, it is. But the jewel of the Caymans dive-wise seems to be Little Cayman, judging from various forum discussions. The main problem is getting stuck paying more if you're traveling single, and use a land-based option. Perhaps a dive group could add you and assign a same-sex room mate? They might be booked up by now, but worth a shot. Cayman Brac Beach Resort? How is the east coast of Grand Cayman doing since Irma, since people praise Ocean Frontiers and Grand's east coast diving highly?

Richard.

 

[flyboy08]

Bonaire or Curaçao? Costa Rica Flamingo area? Plenty of choices out there....we just returned from LC and if you have yet to dive that wall....go!

 

[KathyV]

Are you traveling double-occupancy or single? It makes a difference because sometimes you have to pay a major single supplement.

You have listed some lovely destinations, but first Irma and now Maria may sadly make some of them less attractive vacation destinations for a time.

Have you considered going outside of the Caribbean? The Kona Aggressor offers a great Hawaiian liveaboard trip and there are excellent liveaboards out of Cabo in Mexico.

We will be leaving for the Caymans in about a month and so far they have escaped the storms, we hope that trend continues!

But I am not sure that I agree that a liveaboard is the "best" option for the Caymans. We have done both liveaboard and land-based dive trips on all 3 Cayman islands and they are both great options.

Unlike most liveaboards, the Cayman Aggressor primarily dives sites that are accessible by land-based operations. The advantage of the liveaboard is that (weather permitting) you get to dive the best sites off of all 3 islands - and you can easily do 4 to 5 dives per day.

But if the weather is rough they won't make the crossing to Little Cayman and Brac and you will spend the week living on a boat and diving the popular land-based sites around Grand Cayman.

We loved our trip on the Cayman Aggressor, but we had good weather and spent most of the time diving around Little Cayman. If you are interested in some land-based options on Cayman, let us know and we can make some suggestions.

Honestly, if you are thinking about any Aggressor trip, you might want to wait until early 2018 to book. There's no guarantee, but for the last 4 years or so they have offered an anniversary sale during January/February, offering 30% plus off, you just have to book the trip in February but you can schedule it most anytime before the end of the calendar year.

Keep in mind that both the T&C Aggressor and Explorer do whale watching tours on the silver banks early in the year and start diving the T&Cs a little later. I do think that a liveaboard is the best way to dive the T&C, because it requires long boat rides for the day boats from Provo to get to the best sites.

I know that the Provo was hit hard by Irma and now Maria is heading toward Grand Turk, but if it turns out that French Caye and West Caicos were mostly undamaged, and if either the Explorer or the Aggressor have a spot for - then that's a great trip.

We did the Saba/St. Kitts Explorer trip and it was great, but it departs from St. Martin and that was hit hard by Irma, but at least the airport is open again. We liked the diving around Saba better, but we had poor weather and vis around St. Kitts, so it may not be a fair comparison. I don't know how well Saba and St. Kitts have weathered the storms.

Of the USVI, I heard that St. Croix had the least damage from Irma, but now Maria is heading that way, but normally there is very good diving around St. Croix.

Tell us more about what you are looking for and I am sure someone will be able to suggest some options.

 

[Ironborn]

If you want to hit all 3 Cayman islands, it is. But the jewel of the Caymans dive-wise seems to be Little Cayman, judging from various forum discussions. The main problem is getting stuck paying more if you're traveling single, and use a land-based option. Perhaps a dive group could add you and assign a same-sex room mate? They might be booked up by now, but worth a shot. Cayman Brac Beach Resort? How is the east coast of Grand Cayman doing since Irma, since people praise Ocean Frontiers and Grand's east coast diving highly?

Richard.

Yes, it also sounds like Little Cayman has the best diving out of the three Cayman Islands. But how much better? A lot better? A little better? I looked into the terrestrial options on Little Cayman, and they would not work as well for me as a solo diver who wants to do a lot of diving, i.e. a "terrestrial liveaboard," as one might find at CocoView in Roatan.

I looked into the terrestrial options on Grand Cayman, and they would be a better fit for my needs as a solo diver who wants to do a lot of diving, but the diving would not be as good, according to what I have read here.

Accordingly, I think that I will save the Caymans for a week when I can do the Cayman IV Aggressor, unless one can recommend a "terrestrial liveaboard" option for one of the Cayman Islands, e.g. a Cayman equivalent of CocoView.

 

[KathyV]

Yes, it also sounds like Little Cayman has the best diving out of the three Cayman Islands. But how much better? A lot better? A little better? I looked into the terrestrial options on Little Cayman, and they would not work as well for me as a solo diver who wants to do a lot of diving, i.e. a "terrestrial liveaboard," as one might find at CocoView in Roatan.

I looked into the terrestrial options on Grand Cayman, and they would be a better fit for my needs as a solo diver who wants to do a lot of diving, but the diving would not be as good, according to what I have read here.

Accordingly, I think that I will save the Caymans for a week when I can do the Cayman IV Aggressor, unless one can recommend a "terrestrial liveaboard" option for one of the Cayman Islands, e.g. a Cayman equivalent of CocoView.

There are excellent diving options around all 3 Cayman Islands, but Bloody Bay Wall off LC sets it apart. Take a look at Compass Point on the East End of Grand Cayman. They offer 4 dives per day. The East End and the North Wall are the best GC sites IMO (weather permitting) but there are good dive sites on the west side, too.

Sunset House on the south west side of Grand Cayman is offering a singles special right now, see the link below. It is a nice resort, nothing special, but breakfast is included and the fabulous Cathy Church Photoshop and Gallery are on the hotel grounds, if you are a photographer.

You get 2 boat dives a day and unlimited shore dives on the house reef - but I have heard that the house reef has gotten pretty beaten up. It is not the best diving that Cayman has to offer, but during this difficult year of limited Caribbean options, it might be a good choice for a single diver.

And you can sometimes find cheap, direct flights to GCM from NYC - although a lot of people are scrambling right now to rebook vacations, so that may no longer be true.

Have a solo trip planned? Sunset House has the answer with big savings

According to Blue Water Travels, Sunset House is charging $1814 per week for their solo traveler, courtyard room, dive special through Dec 15.

Which is a break because it is only $170 more than the price per person for double occupancy ($1642). They usually charge $2287 for single occupancy in a courtyard room with the dive package.

Tackling Being a Diver as a Single Traveler
$1,813.90 (Single Occupancy only)
Minimum seven night stay & six days of diving
Courtyard rooms only
Subject to availability
Valid for travel until December 15, 2017
Booking Period: Now - December 15, 2017

Note: if you prefer to dive Nitrox, most Cayman dive ops charge extra per tank for Nitrox, and that will add to the expense.

@Canhoto had expressed interest in the solo traveler special at Sunset House, perhaps he can chime in and share his opinion?

 

[Ironborn]

Are you traveling double-occupancy or single? It makes a difference because sometimes you have to pay a major single supplement.

You have listed some lovely destinations, but first Irma and now Maria may sadly make some of them less attractive vacation destinations for a time.

Have you considered going outside of the Caribbean? The Kona Aggressor offers a great Hawaiian liveaboard trip and there are excellent liveaboards out of Cabo in Mexico.

We will be leaving for the Caymans in about a month and so far they have escaped the storms, we hope that trend continues!

But I am not sure that I agree that a liveaboard is the "best" option for the Caymans. We have done both liveaboard and land-based dive trips on all 3 Cayman islands and they are both great options.

Unlike most liveaboards, the Cayman Aggressor primarily dives sites that are accessible by land-based operations. The advantage of the liveaboard is that (weather permitting) you get to dive the best sites off of all 3 islands - and you can easily do 4 to 5 dives per day.

But if the weather is rough they won't make the crossing to Little Cayman and Brac and you will spend the week living on a boat and diving the popular land-based sites around Grand Cayman.

We loved our trip on the Cayman Aggressor, but we had good weather and spent most of the time diving around Little Cayman. If you are interested in some land-based options on Cayman, let us know and we can make some suggestions.

Honestly, if you are thinking about any Aggressor trip, you might want to wait until early 2018 to book. There's no guarantee, but for the last 4 years or so they have offered an anniversary sale during January/February, offering 30% plus off, you just have to book the trip in February but you can schedule it most anytime before the end of the calendar year.

Keep in mind that both the T&C Aggressor and Explorer do whale watching tours on the silver banks early in the year and start diving the T&Cs a little later. I do think that a liveaboard is the best way to dive the T&C, because it requires long boat rides for the day boats from Provo to get to the best sites.

I know that the Provo was hit hard by Irma and now Maria is heading toward Grand Turk, but if it turns out that French Caye and West Caicos were mostly undamaged, and if either the Explorer or the Aggressor have a spot for - then that's a great trip.

We did the Saba/St. Kitts Explorer trip and it was great, but it departs from St. Martin and that was hit hard by Irma, but at least the airport is open again. We liked the diving around Saba better, but we had poor weather and vis around St. Kitts, so it may not be a fair comparison. I don't know how well Saba and St. Kitts have weathered the storms.

Of the USVI, I heard that St. Croix had the least damage from Irma, but now Maria is heading that way, but normally there is very good diving around St. Croix.

Tell us more about what you are looking for and I am sure someone will be able to suggest some options.

I travel solo. I do not have a dive buddy or a solo certification (yet). My solo status is an obstacle not only because of the single supplements, but also because it makes it harder to get the frequently required minimum number of divers for night dives or afternoon trips, beyond the usual 2-tank AM trips. Night dives are a priority for me because I like them so much and because there would be nothing else to do at night in most of these places (i.e. nothing that appeals to me) except sit alone in my hotel room and twiddle my thumbs. I also want a high number of dives in general, hence my interest in liveaboards, which are probably the best way to get the number of dives in general and night dives in particular that I want.

I thought about Kona but the travel time is too long for a one-week trip. I will look into the Cabo option that you suggested.

So it sounds like the Cayman Aggressor offers the same type of dives that one could get from any land-based Cayman options, except that the packaging is different, i.e. you get the convenience and high number of dives of a liveaboard and the weather-dependent opportunity to visit all three islands. Is that correct? In other words, could one get similar experiences (albeit with fewer and less convenient dives) in a land-based trip to each one of the three islands?

What I was hoping to find in a land-based option in the Cayman Islands is a "terrestrial liveaboard" or "dive camp," e.g. the Cayman equivalent of CocoView in Roatan. Ideally 4 dives a day - three tanks a day and a night dive every night. Accommodations and food are low priorities for me, and I would rather have a night dive than nightlife.

There seems to be a consensus that Little Cayman offers better diving than Grand Cayman - but how much better? A little better? Or a lot better?

The Turks & Caicos liveaboard would have been my first choice, and I would have done that if it were not for Irma and now Maria.

 

[KathyV]

...There seems to be a consensus that Little Cayman offers better diving than Grand Cayman - but how much better? A little better? Or a lot better?....

Better is a subjective term and varies with the individual. There is fantastic Caribbean diving available around all 3 islands, but it is weather dependent and you are going in winter when it can get windy.

The Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's Bight off of Little Cayman are spectacular walls, with lots of healthy reefs, many swim throughs, and excellent animal life. During most of the year the dive ops spend their time on BBW and JB, but if the weather turns and the winds are high, you may have to dive the other side of the island, that isn't as nice.

Brac has beautiful walls and reefs and lots of sea life and a few more options than LC when the weather is windy. They also have the sunken Russian Frigate which is a great wreck dive.

The North Wall and the East End offer the best GC dives IMO, but you can't always get out on the North Wall and sometimes the East End can get rough. There are some very lovely dives on the West Side and the weather is usually less windy on that side of the island. There are some good wreck dives around GC including the Kittiwake, and you ought to dive Sting Ray City one time - but go early before the cruise ship crowds arrive.

I like Cayman diving better than Roatan, there is more large animal life IMO, but if you like to see a lot of sharks, you will usually have more luck in the T&Cs and Bahamas.

I think you are correct, that the Cayman Aggressor is the best option for a single traveler that wants to do a lot of dives around Cayman, including Little Cayman, but there is always a risk that they may not be able to make the crossing. I think May might be a good time to try for the Cayman Aggressor, it is before the start of the summer tropical storm season and less likely to be windy than the winter months - but there are no guarantees. We went on the Cayman Aggressor in October and we had perfect weather and spent most of the time off LC, but the next week it was rainy and windy and they spent the entire time off GC.

During this hurricane ravaged season, when fewer Caribbean dive options are available, if you are considering Grand Cayman I think that 4-dive per day package at Compass Point or the single diver special at Sunset House may be good options for you to consider.

I am sure that others can chime in with additional suggestions, good luck!

 

[Ironborn]

There are excellent diving options around all 3 Cayman Islands, but Bloody Bay Wall off LC sets it apart. Take a look at Compass Point on the East End of Grand Cayman. They offer 4 dives per day. The East End and the North Wall are the best GC sites IMO (weather permitting) but there are good dive sites on the west side, too.

Sunset House on the south west side of Grand Cayman is offering a singles special right now, see the link below. It is a nice resort, nothing special, but breakfast is included and the fabulous Cathy Church Photoshop and Gallery are on the hotel grounds, if you are a photographer.

You get 2 boat dives a day and unlimited shore dives on the house reef - but I have heard that the house reef has gotten pretty beaten up. It is not the best diving that Cayman has to offer, but during this difficult year of limited Caribbean options, it might be a good choice for a single diver.

And you can sometimes find cheap, direct flights to GCM from NYC - although a lot of people are scrambling right now to rebook vacations, so that may no longer be true.

Have a solo trip planned? Sunset House has the answer with big savings

According to Blue Water Travels, Sunset House is charging $1814 per week for their solo traveler, courtyard room, dive special through Dec 15.

Which is a break because it is only $170 more than the price per person for double occupancy ($1642). They usually charge $2287 for single occupancy in a courtyard room with the dive package.

Tackling Being a Diver as a Single Traveler
$1,813.90 (Single Occupancy only)
Minimum seven night stay & six days of diving
Courtyard rooms only
Subject to availability
Valid for travel until December 15, 2017
Booking Period: Now - December 15, 2017

Note: if you prefer to dive Nitrox, most Cayman dive ops charge extra per tank for Nitrox, and that will add to the expense.

@Canhoto had expressed interest in the solo traveler special at Sunset House, perhaps he can chime in and share his opinion?

I will take a look at Compass Point and Sunset House. Would you say that either of them would be the nearest equivalent in the Cayman Islands, or at least on Grand Cayman, to the "terrestrial liveaboard" experience of CocoView on Roatan?

My main concern about land-based options is that I might have to run around to more than one dive operator in order to get the number of dives that I want, as I did in Cozumel (see my trip report). I fared better on Bonaire, where I found one operator that could give me what I wanted: three dives a day and then a night dive every night (see my trip report). I looks like Compass Point could give me most of that, including two night dives week; I would just have to find somewhere else to do night dives on those other nights, rather than sit alone in my hotel room and twiddle my thumbs.

Yes, direct flights from New York to Grand Cayman are convenient and affordable, and they were a factor in my potential interest in the Caymans. I was just about to pay a ridiculous price for a connecting flight to Belize for the Belize Aggressor III, only to find out that the one remaining spot that they have is for a female diver only.

I have no problem paying extra for Nitrox, considering the number of dives that I plan to do.

 

[Ironborn]

Better is a subjective term and varies with the individual. There is fantastic Caribbean diving available around all 3 islands, but it is weather dependent and you are going in winter when it can get windy.

The Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's Bight off of Little Cayman are spectacular walls, with lots of healthy reefs, many swim throughs, and excellent animal life. During most of the year the dive ops spend their time on BBW and JB, but if the weather turns and the winds are high, you may have to dive the other side of the island, that isn't as nice.

Brac has beautiful walls and reefs and lots of sea life and a few more options than LC when the weather is windy. They also have the sunken Russian Frigate which is a great wreck dive.

The North Wall and the East End offer the best GC dives IMO, but you can't always get out on the North Wall and sometimes the East End can get rough. There are some very lovely dives on the West Side and the weather is usually less windy on that side of the island. There are some good wreck dives around GC including the Kittiwake, and you ought to dive Sting Ray City one time - but go early before the cruise ship crowds arrive.

I like Cayman diving better than Roatan, there is more large animal life IMO, but if you like to see a lot of sharks, you will usually have more luck in the T&Cs and Bahamas.

I think you are correct, that the Cayman Aggressor is the best option for a single traveler that wants to do a lot of dives around Cayman, including Little Cayman, but there is always a risk that they may not be able to make the crossing. I think May might be a good time to try for the Cayman Aggressor, it is before the start of the summer tropical storm season and less likely to be windy than the winter months - but there are no guarantees. We went on the Cayman Aggressor in October and we had perfect weather and spent most of the time off LC, but the next week it was rainy and windy and they spent the entire time off GC.

During this hurricane ravaged season, when fewer Caribbean dive options are available, if you are considering Grand Cayman I think that 4-dive per day package at Compass Point or the single diver special at Sunset House may be good options for you to consider.

I am sure that others can chime in with additional suggestions, good luck!

Thank you for the greater details on the virtues of each island. I will start a separate thread on this in the Caymans sub-forum, to poll the audience, so to speak.