Where to go in the Caribbean?

[Trailboss123]

You might also want to consider Guanaja- The off the beaten track and unspoiled Bay Island:
Scuba Diving Trips & Snorkeling, Guanaja Clearwater Divers

 

[RyanNM]

Ok. I can't help myself. The title of this thread reminds me of a conversation I had with someone who was on the same boat as us in the DR. We were diving and the individual was snorkeling.

After I learned that he was from the same town, I asked him how he ended up coming to the DR. He said that he asked all of his coworkers, if there was only one place in the Caribbean that he could go on vacation, where would it be. He said that all of his coworkers said go to the DR.

After he told me that, I replied, your coworkers don't like you very much do they.

To put that in context, even the natives can't drink the water in the DR, you will get sick if the bar filter is not operating correctly (as did 7 of our party of 8), the roads in the area were so non-existent that people had to travel by boat up and down the coast, we got shaken down by a tour operator, and the diving is not good. The last straw was when the security guy tried to steal my regulator set at the airport.

Think about going to the BVI's and Cayman Brac. If you go to Cayman Brac, do not fly the Cayman Airways puddle jumper between Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

I disagree. One experience does not a truism make.
We had a wonderful time staying in Bayahibe, DR in early November. Found a nice airbnb on the beach. Dove with ScubaFun, good, competent people. The diving was good, definitely worth the trips out. Saw some nice Atlantic rays, porcupine fish, and other sea life I hadn't seen before. Go to the big resort areas on DR and the diving, I understand, is hit-or-miss, or just plain not good. Bayahibe is a small fishing town on the southeast coast where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic, a low key town. I heard about some good wreck dives, but didn't dive them. Some beautiful stretches of beach, no crowds. Good local people. Drink the water in MANY places south of the US and you're going to get sick. You can encounter trouble with tour operators, airport personnel or customs anywhere. We had no trouble whatsoever. Great highway from Santo Domingo to Bayahibe, about an easy 1.5 hr drive. Enjoyed an interesting day/night in old Santo Domingo, the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas. Good trip overall.

 

[RyanNM]

Roatan is a good place for someone who hasn`t dived in 20 years.....you`d probably like West End and it has a number of good dive shops to pick from. The dive sites are a short boat ride away and there is very little current.....aquatic life is good, but not as prolific, or as large as Cozumel, for example. There are eagle rays and turtles (no mantas) but few, if any sharks.

Placencia in Belize is probably a bit closer to the laid back village you`re looking for.....good diving too, but the boat rides are 45 minutes to just over an hour. You do get a hot lunch and surface interval on a beautiful caye though. If you`re interested contact Patti at Splash Dive.

www.splashbelize.com/

We loved the diving off Roatan.

 

[UtopiaOnUtila]

In our opinion (and we are a little biased because we now live here), Utila is a great dive location for new AND experienced divers. Here is a link to a pre-release web-page with some info on the diving experience on Utila.

Diving in Utila

NOTE 1: It is at least partially a marketing page, but we think it is a pretty accurate representation of what divers can expect.
NOTE 2: The page has lots of photos, so allow it lots of time to load initially (30s at least) and when it has loaded just keep scrolling down. It starts with some pictures but then has more information on the diving and marine life.

Here is a similar page with a overview of Utila the island (for people that have never been there)

Utila

 

[Shannon Markusen]

Little Cayman.

Little Cayman is lovely. I had a great experience at Little Cayman Beach Resort. The island is very small and quiet, but in my opinion better diving than the more posh Grand Cayman. That being said, Sunset House in Grand Cayman is a family favorite

BUT even better diving to be had in Carriacou...small island just North of Grenada. Absolutely the best coral and fish life I've seen in the caribbean (I've done the caymans, belize, roatan, both sides of mexico, and bonaire) and it's a lovely quiet island, not as quiet as little Cayman. Vibrant local culture and food, but still with that old Caribbean feel.