Where to go (Bonaire, Grand Cayman, or Dominica, or elsewhere)

[jscheier]

Planning on going diving the 1st week of August. I will be diving with my father. He is limited in the number of dives a day. I have been to Bonaire and Grand Cayman a bunch of times. Dominica keeps on being recommended.

Any thoughts on the above or anywhere else that is somewhat easy to get to?

Thanks

J

 

[drrich2]

What's limiting your Dad? I, too, have been intrigued by Dominica; here are some old threads on it. It's been suggested it may no longer take 2 days to get to & from; that could be a game changer for some people.

Discussions of Dominica -
Dominica…everything I should know but don’t - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gr...minica-everything-i-should-know-but-dont.html
I was surprised by how nice the diving was in Dominica. Excellent! - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/le...rised-how-nice-diving-dominica-excellent.html
Dominica Recommendations? - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/lesser-antilles/494111-dominica-recommendations.html

When people talk about Dominica, the topside attraction of lush rainforest hiking seems to be a draw. Is your Dad up for that? What do you and he like to do besides diving? Will you limit your diving to diving with him, or will he join some of your dives, but otherwise do something else while you keep diving?

Richard.

 

[Trailboss123]

Cozumel, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, Curacao, West Palm Beach/Boynton Beach or the Florida Keys. I cannot speak to Dominica.

 

[Kharon]

It didn't take us 2 days to get to or from Dominica flying from EWR (Newark, NY). We left early in the morning and got there in the afternoon. Flew through Puerto Rico and took a puddle jumper from there to Dominica and back. I think it was American for the large plane and an American associate for the small plane.

I recently looked and found prices that were no more than flying to Bonaire. You have to check the individual airline websites and fool around with dates and stop overs. The search sites (Cheepoair, Kayak, etc.) don't work. All they find are very expensive and loooong flights.

Hiking on Dominica doesn't have to be strenuous. We went with a guide through the rain forest and followed a stream to a waterfall with a pool to swim in. Boiling Lake is another thing altogether. Dominica has both extremes and everything in between

Culturally, it has the only Carib indian village still in existance. All topside activities are nature related. No fast food, no casinos. It is a magnificant nature island.

 

[drhappy]

Considering your dad's limitations the shore diving in Curaçao is really easy. Check out the folks at The Dive Bus

 

[jscheier]

Thanks for the replies. I should clarify. When I say my father is limited, he would not be going on 4 or 5 dives a day (like we used to 10 years ago in Bonaire). He is limited to 2 dives a day. My father is very active, plays tennis 3 times a week and goes to the gym 3 to 5 days a week.

Thanks

J

 

[PatW]

Little Cayman has nice diving. It has good fish populations, very good visibility, and two easy dives per day works well. It is an out island.

Another place is Turneffe Island Resort. Again, it is an out island. Nice place, good service, good diving, food is very good and George is a wonderful bartender.

But being in hurricane season, you could go south to Utila. Utopia Village has good reviews. There is a great variety of dives: walls, pinnacles, reefs, muck. A lot of small fish and morays. There are some realy nice corals. Again, it is out island.

 

[diver0008]

It is an out island.

What does that mean?

 

[KathyV]

What does that mean?

Small islands that are usually less developed than their affiliated mainland or main island. You usually have to fly to the more popular site and then travel separately to the out islands, like flying to Ambergris Caye from mainland Belize.

Little Cayman and Cayman Brac are out islands but they call them Sister Islands in the Caymans.

 

[KathyV]

What's limiting your Dad? I, too, have been intrigued by Dominica; here are some old threads on it. It's been suggested it may no longer take 2 days to get to & from; that could be a game changer for some people...

I'm sure that it depends on your departure point, but I understand that it may now be easier to get to Dominica, at least from major hubs. It took us 2 days both coming and going when we went to Dominica from Chicago a number of years ago, we had to overnight on Puerto Rico each way.

But I was talking to the Dominica vendors at the recent Our World Underwater Expo and they told me that has changed and you can now get to Dominica in only one day from Chicago.