Best dive location for Beginners?

[kj55]

I'm wondering where is the best dive sites for beginners in the world. I know kind of an impossible question. My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon. We recently did a discover scuba course and loved it, and are starting our certification next month. We also are gonna try and log a couple more local dives before our trip after we are certified. We are open to going anywhere in the world, assuming it is safe, so places like Egypt are off the table,(we are following US travel advisories). We are also willing to wait to take our trip so that we are going at the best time of year for whatever location we decide on. We aren't interested in a liveaboard. We figure that we will get tired quickly as we are new to diving. So we are thinking of doing a 10 day trip with a built in rest day.

we have done a good amount of research but are really having a hard time figuring out if places are really beginner friendly. We have heard Bonaire is great, but more research shows that it's alot of unguided shore diving. We are also worried about accidently picking a place that has alot of deep diving, but not alot of dive sites that are in more shallow water for a beginner. We have also considered going to dive the great barrier reef since we are really trying to make this a once in a life time trip. But it's seems like diving the great barrier almost always requires a liveaboard, and also while the biggest reef in the world, it doesn't necessarily provide the best diving.

Where would you consider the best diving in the world that is beginner friendly. Also please mention the best time of year for travel.

 

[Outbound]

It would help to know your overall budget as well as where in the US you are located. You mentioned Bonaire, and it is a great place for beginners. Currents are generally mild to non-existent for the vast majority of dive sites, and there are plenty of shallower sites. Even the deeper ones have pretty mild drop-offs. If you are nervous about going shore-diving on your own you can always go boat diving with a dive op. A few days of that and you will get some experience and can then decide if you want to strike off on your own. Curacao would be another great option. The diving is very similar to Bonaire, but there is a bit more to do topside. Keep in mind that the Caribbean has been hit really hard in recent years by hurricanes, hot ocean temps, and coral diseases. The diving is still good, but it's not nearly as vibrant as it was even just a few years ago.

If you want a once-in-a-lifetime trip then I would suggest somewhere in the Indo-Pacific.

 

[BoltSnap]

1. Curacao

2. Curacao

3. Bonaire

 

[lowwall]

What kind of topside activities are you interested in? Without knowing anything other than it's a honeymoon, I'm going to suggest Bali.

For example, this dive op looks interesting at a first glance. Rental gear is backplate and wing which, IMO, is a big plus. And easy diving is their actual name

Scuba diving Menjangan Island, Pemuteran, Bali - Easy Divers Bali

Explore the best dive sites around Menjangan and Pemuteran with Easy Divers Bali, a 5-star PADI dive resort with XDeep BCDs in North Bali.

www.easy-divers.eu

You should also consider doing an AOW course wherever you go. If you do the e-learning in advance, it's mostly just dives you'd be doing anyway and you get the attention of an instructor to help round out your skills.

 

[Damselfish]

Bonaire and Curacao are great places to gain experience and build confidence. Many people focus on the shore diving in Bonaire giving the impression thats the only thing you can do, but thats not the case. You can do boat or shore diving in both places. We prefer Curacao because it’s usually easier and cheaper to get there, and like topside more especially for restaurants. And I think theres more variety in the diving. But Bonaire has a better selection of true dive resorts which is a good way to start.

Both places will want some form of checkout dive, what that means varies from place to place and your perceived experience. That might be on your own off the dock, maybe someone hanging out to give you more weights if you need them. You don’t have to go far if you don’t want to, but will probably want to do more because its so easy once you’re in.

As far as shore diving, there is “load your gear in the car and drive to a remote beach” style. And there is “stay at a place on the water where you can grab your gear and a tank and jump off the dock.” The latter might feel less intimidating to you, and is preferred by me because I’m lazy on vacation. You may find after a couple boat or guided dives that you are suddenly comfortable in doing some easy shore dives on your own.

Cayman Islands are actually also pretty easy diving for beginners. Many sites are deeper, but you don’t have to do that, and some ops may not want you to if you only have OW. Would be a good place to complete AOW.

Don’t get hung up on “best in the world” stuff just yet’. You’ll appreciate that more later. Also a lot of those best in the world places are not beginner diving.

 

[wokkabear]

We are newer divers and just came back from a week in Bonaire self guiding ourselves alongside getting our Advanced OW cert. The self guiding is super easy and helps build confidence. Buy on Amazon "Reef Smart Guides Bonaire" book and it's descriptions are fantastic. Enjoy the dives at your own pace. We able to have the time to practice emergencies which was great too when you're not with a group, etc. Have fun!

 

[LI-er]

Key Largo. Easy to get to and not nearly as costly as an out of country trip (if you're in the US of course). Shallow, brightly lit reefs with little to no current in calm surface conditions and a short trip from the dock. And in between dives there are some great spots to relax in the nearby marinas. There's even some fish and corals to see , which for beginners are more than enough.

Lots of dive operators to choose from several of which put a divemaster in the water at no extra charge.

The only issue with Key Largo is that lodging has gotten extremely expensive with hotels starting around $300 per night. But there are some places that are still bargains if you know where to look, I know of 2 that are $100 per night.

Edited to add (after reading a subsequent post about the weather), another drawback of SE Florida is unpredictable weather. You can easily lose a week's worth of diving due to a sudden worsening of wind and wave conditions, it's happened to me countless times.

 

[arew+4]

I would also recommend Curacao or Bonaire, the weather is almost guaranteed to be near perfect anytime of year. The diving is uncomplicated, navigation is super easy on Bonaire, mostly easy on Curacao. There are some sites on Curacao with narrow coves and cliffs to the left and right that make it imperative you hit your exit, do these with a guide. I would recommend staying at a resort on the water with a dive shop to make life easier, it is a honeymoon after all. Do mostly boat dives, they will usually give you unlimited shore dives with a boat package. Having a house reef definitely makes the planning and executing your own buddy dives less daunting.

Because it's a honeymoon I would lean towards Curacao. My wife and took a similar path 35 years ago, we are still buddies and dive with our kids now. To muddy the water further, we did our honeymoon in Hawaii did The Big Island, Maui, and Oahu, the diving was great but we haven't gone back yet (East Coast)

 

[34109411]

I'm wondering where is the best dive sites for beginners in the world. I know kind of an impossible question. My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon. We recently did a discover scuba course and loved it, and are starting our certification next month. We also are gonna try and log a couple more local dives before our trip after we are certified. We are open to going anywhere in the world, assuming it is safe, so places like Egypt are off the table,(we are following US travel advisories). We are also willing to wait to take our trip so that we are going at the best time of year for whatever location we decide on. We aren't interested in a liveaboard. We figure that we will get tired quickly as we are new to diving. So we are thinking of doing a 10 day trip with a built in rest day.

we have done a good amount of research but are really having a hard time figuring out if places are really beginner friendly. We have heard Bonaire is great, but more research shows that it's alot of unguided shore diving. We are also worried about accidently picking a place that has alot of deep diving, but not alot of dive sites that are in more shallow water for a beginner. We have also considered going to dive the great barrier reef since we are really trying to make this a once in a life time trip. But it's seems like diving the great barrier almost always requires a liveaboard, and also while the biggest reef in the world, it doesn't necessarily provide the best diving.

Where would you consider the best diving in the world that is beginner friendly. Also please mention the best time of year for travel.

utila

 

[Ski7586]

As someone who has been to Bonaire a few times the diving is easy. Most of the entries are easy. You can pick your sites based on your comfort level, a good starter is salt pier. Follow the pier out and back. I also recommend the Reef Smart Guides Bonaire book, has great information but the dive site may have changed a little since it came out.

I know you said no liveaboard. I have only been on an Allstar liveaboard in the Bahamas's (AquaCat). They offered other excursions, and there were people who sat out dives and relaxed and enjoyed the quiet boat when everyone else was diving. If you get tired you don’t have to do the dive, but if you’re up for a dive you get plenty of that. Plus you have the added bonus of not having to change out your tank every dive.