Question Best diving for average joe in central America or Caribbean

[andreas84]

Hi everyone,

I would like to go to a 2 week diving trip this new year. We are in Colorado and not sure what the best location is.
We are average joe divers (advanced open water + deep dive) and like to dive a day and then do a day break from diving, so we don't want to stay on a boat a week.
We are mostly interested in seeing all kinds of animals.

We already have been diving in a bunch of places:

• Hawaii (Maui and Big Island): Did not see so many fish.
• Florida (Keys): Nice and convenient. But not the very best wildlife IMO.
• California (Point Lobos): Nothing to see and cold.
• Cozumel: Very nice wildlife, but people were not so nice. And I need Sudafed to dive and don't want to go to a Mexican jail.
• Egypt (Red Sea): Very nice, but too far.
• Thailand: Very nice, but would like to avoid the long trip if I can go to a similar place in Central America.

I would love what you guys think what the best destination would be.

Thank you!

 

[Damselfish]

Specifically Central America, not the Caribbean?
Animals = big stuff, smaller fish, corals, macro life?

 

[andreas84]

Caribbean sounds also good!
I think having a mix of different kind of animal sizes is nice, but I would mostly say bigger stuff and fish are the most interesting for us.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

I'd head to Bonaire. Not sure if it's the best, but there is simply nowhere like it. It makes for an amazing dive experience imo.

 

[Rob9876]

I'm a big fan of Cozumel, but given your criteria I'd also consider SouthEast Florida between Jupiter and Fort Lauderdale or so.. I've seen a good variety of larger wildlife on boat dives from Jupiter and Riviera Beach, plus there's always the possibility of mixing in some shore dives like Blue Heron Bridge or Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, etc.

Downside versus Cozumel is that hotels/lodging can be twice as expensive or so, boat dives about 50% more (most prices don't include tanks, plus they strongly suggest bigger tips), food is more expensive, pretty hard to not have a rental car, and more traffic generally.

P.S.: A lot of SE FL boat dive profiles are such ("square" dives where you are around 50+ feet deep the whole dive) that Nitrox can really be quite worthwhile -- you mentioned Advanced and Deep, personally I'd get Nitrox before going to SE FL.

 

[RobPNW]

I'd head to Bonaire. Not sure if it's the best, but there is simply nowhere like it. It makes for an amazing dive experience imo.

Can you recommend a best bang for your buck dive resort there (if diving every day)?

 

[drrich2]

Can you recommend a best bang for your buck dive resort there (if diving every day)?

I'm not who you asked; I was very happy with my Feb. 2022 trip for value.

2022 Trip Report Bonaire Trip Report - V.I.P. Divers/Aqua Viva Suites

I would like to go to a 2 week diving trip this new year.

dive a day and then do a day break from diving, so we don't want to stay on a boat a week.

all kinds of animals.

would mostly say bigger stuff and fish are the most interesting

That's gonna be tall order to fill. From what I understand, winter is when the lemon shark aggregation hits the Jupiter, Florida, area. If you don't mind shark feed diving, then there's a broader season and options like tiger sharks open up part of the year. There are things to go to topside. You can make a day trip over to dive Blue Heron Bridge.

Jupiter 2014 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/491927-jupiter-trip-report-9-7-14-9-11-14-a.html
Emerald Charters Trip Report 2017 - Trip Report - Emerald Dive Charters Trip Report

When I think big animals in the U.S., Caribbean and nearby, I think of:

1.) North Carolina - sand tiger sharks, but that's not the time of year for diving there.
2.) Jupiter, FL - various sharks. Goliath grouper aggregation in fall.
3.) California - giant sea bass, California sea lions, harbor seals. They have great whites, but you might not want to run into one.
4.) Bahamas - reef sharks unless you do a Tiger Beach itinerary for tiger and lemon sharks, or maybe Bimini for hammerheads or the Cat Island for oceanic white tips.
5.) Turks & Caicos - reef sharks. Expensive topside, can be long boat trips to the reef, allegedly best done by liveaboard.
6.) Socorros (liveaboard only), Cocos Island (liveaboard only), Galapagos (best done by liveaboard, it's said) - mantas, whale sharks (in season), various sharks (e.g.: scalloped hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, more), Galapagos sea lions. A Galapagos trip can be quite expensive.

I don't know what's going on that time of year in the Baja California area - Cabo San Lucas, Cabo Pulmo, etc... The pictures and discussions I recall suggest sizable numbers of medium/large fish and sea lions. It didn't sound like happening place topside, but I don't know how high maintenance you guys are.

 

[RobPNW]

I'm not who you asked; I was very happy with my Feb. 2022 trip for value.

2022 Trip Report Bonaire Trip Report - V.I.P. Divers/Aqua Viva Suites

Thanks! I'll check out the post. My hope is to work my way through the Carribean in the next few years. For the next year, I'm visiting Roatan and Utila, but in about a year, I'm looking for the next step in the plan

 

[drrich2]

RobPNW:

If it's a 1 time trip, you might want waterfront, and you can pack a lot of dives in when adding that convenient house reef night dive.

8 Day Trip Report: Sand Dollar, Dive Friends
My Research Notes for Bonaire - My Research Note For Bonaire

I get wanting to work your way through the Caribbean; I've been loosely pursuing that for years, and I'm nowhere close. There are a number of places I'll probably never get to - Grenada, St. Vincent, Carriacou, Monserrat, Martinique...I haven't even dove in the Bahamas yet! Or Saba! Or...ah, well...

We are average joe divers (advanced open water + deep dive) and like to dive a day and then do a day break from diving, so we don't want to stay on a boat a week.

If you take the focus off big animals, or you're content with a few 'medium size' ones (e.g.: green morays, sting rays, eagle rays, maybe reef sharks), Grand Cayman might be a nice option for what you want.

Curacao can be good. I've only got 10 dives there, and I don't know your odds of seeing a reef shark (I saw 1 eagle ray). You can have fun topside in Curacao or Grand Cayman.
Curacao Trip Research Notes
Curacao Trip Report with SB Surge Jan. 2019

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Can you recommend a best bang for your buck dive resort there (if diving every day)?

Unfortunately, I can't as it's been a while since I was last there. Lots of good info here on the board though.