Where to go?

[divemom]

Hopefully someone can help me. We're trying to plan a vacation for this winter for extended family which includes 5 divers (1 instructor, 1 divemaster, and 3 advanced), 1 snorkler, and one 18-month old toddler.

We're looking for someplace that has great diving, calm beaches for my daughter, and warm water. We'd like to avoid busy cruise ship ports, and we'd also like an island that has other activities like hiking for the non-diver. We live on the East Coast, so we're trying to find someplace in the Carribean so that the flight wouldn't be too long.

Any suggestions?

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

Grand Bahama is close and the diving that I had was fantastic, of course the warm water was a rare treat in itself.

The beaches were magnificent, there is a huge state park on one end of the island. We rented scooters and got out of town on them (I wouldn't advise them in town, they drive on the wrong side there), buses and cabs were available for trips to the bazaar, the casinos, not sure of other attractions.

Key West, the whole of the Keys, are nice too. Its as exotic as most of the places I've been outside the country but they give a much better rate on American currency. The shopping and the aquarium in Key West were better but the beaches of GB island were out of this world.