most convenient Caribbean destination from SFO

[fuggler]

My boyfriend and I just got back from a 2-week vacation in the Philippines. Had an amazing time diving at Puerto Galera + Bohol, doing topside outdoorsy stuff, and seeing my childhood friends. Now I want to start planning a 9-day trip somewhere in the Caribbean for April or May. I've narrowed it down to Bonaire, Roatan, Belize, and Utila. We both take pictures when we dive, so it's very important that the sites have great photo ops and not a lot of strong currents. (So no Cozumel-like place where most sites are drift dives.) Based on our preferences, can you guys tell me which place is most suitable? Thanks a lot.

preferences:
- less than 10 hour flight from San Francisco, CA (since we only have 9 days)
- convenient sites close to shore
- cheap ($20-25 a dive)
- some topside stuff to do (hiking, caving, ziplining)
- walls, colorful reefs, and weird critters
- dive guide included in the setup (not really a big deal; I just appreciate local DMs pointing out weird stuff that we might miss or the resident fish hiding in its usual spot)

 

[robint]

My boyfriend and I just got back from a 2-week vacation in the Philippines. Had an amazing time diving at Puerto Galera + Bohol, doing topside outdoorsy stuff, and seeing my childhood friends. Now I want to start planning a 9-day trip somewhere in the Caribbean for April or May. I've narrowed it down to Bonaire, Roatan, Belize, and Utila. We both take pictures when we dive, so it's very important that the sites have great photo ops and not a lot of strong currents. (So no Cozumel-like place where most sites are drift dives.) Based on our preferences, can you guys tell me which place is most suitable? Thanks a lot.

preferences:
- less than 10 hour flight from San Francisco, CA (since we only have 9 days)
- convenient sites close to shore
- cheap ($20-25 a dive)
- some topside stuff to do (hiking, caving, ziplining)
- walls, colorful reefs, and weird critters
- dive guide included in the setup (not really a big deal; I just appreciate local DMs pointing out weird stuff that we might miss or the resident fish hiding in its usual spot)

Bonaire is cheap diving as you can reach most of the dive sites from shore. Most dive ops there have "unlimited air" packages, which means you pay for a tank and then just exchange it after a dive for a full one. Very cheap. You can do 1 dive each day or 5 dives a day, totally up to you. Food there isn't cheap, most people get a room with a kitchen and visit the grocery store. Weird critters? Frogfish and seahorses are the big draw.
We stayed at Buddy Dive and liked it alot. Welcome to the Buddy Dive Resort website
my Bonaire videos: Bonaire on Vimeo

Roatan is great, no current to speak of, and lots of colorful reefs. The AIs there have great packages with boat dives and shore dives. Not as cheap as Bonaire in that respect, but when you add in meals and the fact you can do 4-5 dives per day it comes out as a better deal to me. Weird critters? Seahorses, pipefish, and other small animals are abundant.
Welcome to CoCo View Resort
this is our favorite place but it is small and is booked way ahead of time for many dates. If you want to go there you need to plan ahead. It is a dive resort for divers, nothing fancy but unlimited 24/7 diving.

robin

 

[fuggler]

Robin, thanks so much! Your videos are awesome. (You can hand feed iguanas?!) Gave me an idea of what shore diving's going to be like in Bonaire. Scubadiving mag just emailed me about Plaza Resort's deal. $700 for 7 nights, 6 days of unlimited shore diving + 11 boat dives, etc. Wow, that's cheap!

Someone also recommended Coco View to me. I'll leave it up to the partner to decide since he's the designated driver. Are the Bonaire sites easy to get to? (5-20 minute drive) and are both resorts photographer-friendly? (adequate camera only rinse tanks)

 

[oly5050user]

Robin, thanks so much! Your videos are awesome. (You can hand feed iguanas?!) Gave me an idea of what shore diving's going to be like in Bonaire. Scubadiving mag just emailed me about Plaza Resort's deal. $700 for 7 nights, 6 days of unlimited shore diving + 11 boat dives, etc. Wow, that's cheap!

Someone also recommended Coco View to me. I'll leave it up to the partner to decide since he's the designated driver. Are the Bonaire sites easy to get to? (5-20 minute drive) and are both resorts photographer-friendly? (adequate camera only rinse tanks)

Bonaire sites are very easy to get to ...You can take a 30 second walk and you are in the water or you can hop in a truck and drive 2 minutes or 25 minutes..
The Plaza is ok,but I found when I stayed there the house reef was not easily accessed as it was a 5 to 7 minute walk from our room.
The advertised price you read at $700. is a good value,but does it include a truck,breakfast,free nitrox..I have a instructor led group going April 17th-25 to Bonaire .Includes airport transfers- hotel-unlimited diving-free nitrox-6 boat dives-truck-buffet breakfasts-50% discount at resort restaurant.On the water and anywhere from a 30 second to 2 minute walk from your condo to 3 different dive sites.
Very photo friendly.
PM me if interested.

 

[svyper]

I have been to roatan and bonaire, and found the diving on bonaire much better. Healthier reefs, more critters.
In both locations you will not find many big fish (we saw stingrays and turtles; Utila right next to roatan has whale sharks though ...).

Cocoview is a great resort, and narrowly beats bonaire for convenience (walk 50 ft to the boat and go diving vs. get in your car and drive for 2-25 minutes).
There is a little bit of hiking on bonaire (slaagbai park) and great windsurfing, but that's about it.

No wall diving on bonaire, but very nice reefs, and one wreck (unless you are a techdiver, then there is more choice). There are only a few dive sites on bonaire that occasionally have currents.

We did a fair bit of drift diving on roatan, but I think that is seasonal (fall).

Check out bonairetalk.com for more information.

On bonaire there are many choices as far as accommodation goes - there are a couple of resorts (you mentioned one), but you can also rent condos for a reasonable price, either right on the coast, or further inland. The island is small, so you will have a hard time to be further away from the ocean than 10-15 minutes drive.

If you want to do hard core photography, I would pick bonaire (again, I have not been to utila or belize). As *you* pick the dive spot (and not the boat driver) you can do as many dives at the same spot as you wish (if you find that one great subject that you can't get enough of ).

My boyfriend and I just got back from a 2-week vacation in the Philippines. Had an amazing time diving at Puerto Galera + Bohol, doing topside outdoorsy stuff, and seeing my childhood friends. Now I want to start planning a 9-day trip somewhere in the Caribbean for April or May. I've narrowed it down to Bonaire, Roatan, Belize, and Utila. We both take pictures when we dive, so it's very important that the sites have great photo ops and not a lot of strong currents. (So no Cozumel-like place where most sites are drift dives.) Based on our preferences, can you guys tell me which place is most suitable? Thanks a lot.

preferences:
- less than 10 hour flight from San Francisco, CA (since we only have 9 days)
- convenient sites close to shore
- cheap ($20-25 a dive)
- some topside stuff to do (hiking, caving, ziplining)
- walls, colorful reefs, and weird critters
- dive guide included in the setup (not really a big deal; I just appreciate local DMs pointing out weird stuff that we might miss or the resident fish hiding in its usual spot)

 

[Doc]

...just got back from...the Philippines diving at Puerto Galera + Bohol

You mention a desire to have no current. You simply will not find any similar currents to the Philippines in the Caribbean other than in Tobago.

Are the Bonaire sites easy to get to? (5-20 minute drive) and are both resorts photographer-friendly? (adequate camera only rinse tanks)

CoCoView is photographer intensive. When the pro-shooters come to Roatan (Stan Waterman is there right now), they go to CoCoView. Several cameras only rinse tanks, the one on the boat is a "no-slosh" invention. Cameras only rinse tables. Have a look: CoCoView Explained in Pictures pictures by Doc_Adelman - Photobucket

Here's what you might expect to shoot: ScubaBoard Gallery - South Side Roatan

I think Belize is out for many of your criteria, and Util is nice in-season with the chance of Whale Sharks, otherwise it does not hit much on your list.

Browse my Photobucket albums of the Philippines and if those are what trips your trigger, you'll like CoCoView's particular zone of Roatan.

As far as "on-land" activities, I believe (other than bars), Bonaire has the better island touring compared to Roatan. Neither island heads my "topside activity" list (I like Tobago the best), but Bonaire has some fun stuff. Contrary to some of the above warnings about food cost, eating out on Bonaire can be relatively cheap, depending on how far away from tourist centers that you drive. Bonaire has better restaurants if you are spending some money on fancier dinners. Bonaire is a stark, intensely photogenic island... compared to Roatan which is a dense rainforest environment~ with jungle canopy zip lines if that gets you all googly-eyed.

You also mention cost as a factor. You're going to have to try hard to beat the amount of diving you can get at a price from any AI Resort on Roatan... much less the food. You need a car to shore-dive Bonaire because the resort-based shore dives are rather marginal. The drive-to Bonaire shore dives are better and quite inviting- but you have to rent a car. On the other hand, the shore dive at CCV is something that people do over and over... on purpose. I would put the shore diving about equal, but by comparing one resort to an entire island nation!

Coming from the Philippines to the Caribbean might be a great let-down for some, but I appreciate your comment about wanting the assistance of a local "critter gitter". This is a smart plan. Things are a lot less obvious in the Caribbean, but then again- some of the coolest things in the Philippines were almost invisible without special observational skills.

 

[fuggler]

oly - The $700 package includes 7 nights at a standard suite, daily breakfast, 6 days of unlimited shore with 11 boat dives, and a 7 day car rental. It sounds good except they charge for wifi and the rooms' distance from the house reef might be a problem since we'll have camera gear. I'm a pretty strong girl though; I'm used to shore diving with heavier gear and crappy entries/exits in Monterey, CA.

svyper - You make a good point about the freedom to pick our dives in Bonaire. Does Coco have scheduled boat dives or do they just go out whenever people want to dive?

roatanman - Viz wasn't that great when we were in the Philippines last month, so I might be more wowed in the Caribbean. I definitely would have missed the pygmy seahorses if we didn't have a guide though. Your thumbnail pictures alone are amazing; I'll have to take a look at all your albums after work. So now it's down to Bonaire vs Roatan but both sound great and the costs are comparable. Belize is on my list because of the mayan ruins, but realizing that the dive sites are all spread out and a few hours from Belize City makes it hard if we're only there for 9 days.

Thanks everyone for the input!

 

[oly5050user]

oly - The $700 package includes 7 nights at a standard suite, daily breakfast, 6 days of unlimited shore with 11 boat dives, and a 7 day car rental. It sounds good except they charge for wifi and the rooms' distance from the house reef might be a problem since we'll have camera gear. I'm a pretty strong girl though; I'm used to shore diving with heavier gear and crappy entries/exits in Monterey, CA.

Thanks everyone for the input!

if it is true that $700. gets you that package then go for it. It looks like a ultra low rate.I would go for it.Its a lower rate than the DEMA specials.
I just checked on the DEMA special for that resort in April (7th heaven at 18 palms special) and the special is $785 dbl/-$644. TRIPLE-/$575.-quad..includes 6 days of diving-breakfast-nitrox...added extras are car@$345 + 11 boat package $227.
must be booked before Nov 3 2009.
If you add in all the extras it comes out to about the same price that I have for my group at Buddys.

 

[Doc]

You're going to want to dive both Roatan and Bonaire. Just pick one, then plan on the other.

Does Coco have scheduled boat dives or do they just go out whenever people want to dive?

This question comes up all the time... about every dive destination. Unless it's your second or third trip, how would you know what to ask for anywhere? Much like our mutual experience in Puerto Galera (actually I assume it was Sabang Beach), the second time I was there they took me back to all of the cool stuff they had before. Any operation will take you to the best sites that you are able to deal with. In the Philippines, the demands could be great when compared to the essentially all-the-same skill level dives of Bonaire or Roatan.

Roatan's CoCoView price will give you 20 boat dives in a week. A two tank at 0830 and a two tank at 1400 hrs. The dive sites are pre-planned, but after 10 moored dives in a week, you'll see most variations of the theme. Yes- you can ask to swap dive sites- you can even jump boats with permission. (With shore dives, I usually log 28 dives in a week)

On Roatan's South Side, most divers who have never before been know all about Mary's Place, Calvin's Crack and other more dramatic formations. Mary's Place access is limited by scheduled appointments, so CCV will have a shot at it 4x a week (Four boats are used). Calvin's Crack? CCV goes 4x a week there, too. Only one other resort gets there reliably- RHR. Other than that, most folks don't know what to ask for.

The trick about CCV is the shore dive. This is all over the SCUBABoard forum, but if you look at this, you'll figure out why most people shore dive as much as possible. (Think: Night Diving!)

Bonaire's main and very big plus over many other destinations is the geography of Klein Bonaire (the little island just offshore) positioned as it is.
<- please click on this thumbnail ->
This is the land of a true desert island. Besides spectacular and stark contrasts, there is a tremendous convection oven effect that causes a lot of waves on the NE side. Everybody drools over diving there, but for no reason I can ascertain. Stick with what Bonaire is known best for- the access to Klein Bonaire. The boatsmen will pick a moored dive site location that is best shielded from the day's wind direction- the diving will be perfect!

 

[fuggler]

You're going to want to dive both Roatan and Bonaire. Just pick one, then plan on the other.

You're absolutely right. Both are on our "to dive" list. It'll come down to air fares for May.