best diving desinations in Central or South America?

[tangfish]

What are the top 5 diving destinations in Central and South America, in order?

Among those 5, which has the best compliment of land-based culture?

 

[Doc]

What are the top 5 diving destinations in Central and South America, in order?

Among those 5, which has the best compliment of land-based culture?

Is "#5" the best, or "#1" ?

The best diving... Do you mean:

-the most often visitesd?
-the one that "gets the most votes" at SDM ?
-the one that has the most sharks ?
-the one that has the little critters for advanced divers ?
-the best dive boats ?
-the best deals ?
-the best for newbies ?

The best land based culture... do you mean:

-the most unaffected by the USA ?
-pockets of native village (displays for tourists) ?
-the best music ?
-bars and clubs, restaurants ?

I go for diving. I will put up with almost any diving op infrastructure shortcoming. I don't need or want restaurants or bars. I have seen all the sharks, dolphins and easy to spot stuff. I come to dive.

My list may be different than yours.

 

[cyklon_300]

destinations for world-class diving in the region you specifiy are Galapagos and Cocos.

Galapagos (and more generally Ecuador) has a rich land-based culture to explore. Cocos, on the other hand, is uninhabited (with the exception of park rangers). Mainland Costa Rica offers a wonderful collection of natural attractions (whitewater, volcanoes, rainforests) and extraordinarily friendly people.

One could make numerous arguments for three other options.

 

[tangfish]

RoatanMan, I suppose you could use any criteria you want, perhaps stating why you chose those places. I personally am not that experienced of a diver so dolphins would probably be great fun for me. Cost is always an issue so the best value would be important. By land based culture, yes, I do mean the least influenced by US culture, if there were a McDonalds on every corner then I'd hardly count that place as very culture rich. Bars and Clubs are a plus for the younger person like myself. I also happen to be fascinated by archaeology and love to travel by land, that is why Cozumel and Belize appeal to me with its relative proximity to such treasures as the Mayan ruins in the Yucatan and Tikal. Galapagos is inspiring for its place in biological history as well. Probably anything you'd have to say would be of value, as we all have something to offer others who have never been to the places we've been.


cheers,

Calvin

 

[Cudabait]

Calvin,

Are you trollin? You've posted inquiries about the Red Sea and Mummies and now you want to know what the best dive locations are in central and south america. Is it gonna be diggin' or diving? All the digs in central & south america are located Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Peru in South America. In the time you have (mentioned elsewhere) it would seem that the Riviera Maya area would afford you the best possible combination of price, diving and proximity of diving spots to ruins, etc.

I'm with RoatanMan on this one, lots of good points. Then again, you can check out the latest edition Scuba Divers Magazine. You may find several dive destinations that are reputed to be the number one destination in any given area.

Regards,

 

[tangfish]

Cudabait, I've got two trips planned, one to central or south america and one to egypt. I can be more flexible with time if need be depending on what I learn from my research on the areas to be visited. I am a writer/photographer for a travel magazine and if I can justify to them that staying longer will afford more useful material then I'll be able to stretch the trip out a bit. Some other considerations go into my decisions too, for instance I need to find out if the best time of year for diving in these areas coincides with the best weather to photograph the antiquities (in egypt, guatemala and mexico). I've already done Peru so that one is already ticked off the list. From what I've read the riviera maya seems like the best compromise. As far as diggin or diving, it'll probably be both. last year this time I was diving, skiing and digging all on the same trip, let me tell you, it was quite a load of gear to manage for one person! Thanks for the helpful advice