Question Best diving for average joe in central America or Caribbean

[RyanT]

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

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "bang for your buck." Is it dives per dollar? Or other amenities or experiences? Getting back to the OP, for me, in this part of the world, I love Huracan dive lodge in Belize. You don't get as many dives as you do on a liveaboard. But, the food is spectacular, the lodge is super comfortable. There is a max of 8 divers, so small group diving. On our last trip, we got to know the other folks with us and made new friends. The pace of diving (3 per day) is mellow; it seemed like a really good combo of plenty of diving and relaxing. As far as big animals, we saw reef sharks on every dive, eagle rays and turtles occasionally, and all the usual suspects in the small fish/invert category.

 

[dirtfarmer]

• 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!

I've dived far and wide and unfortunately the Caribbean pales in comparison to the Red Sea and Thailand and those I consider sufficent. Then there are the top notch areas of the Coral Triangle that make The Red Sea and Thailand pale in comparison to them. Indonesia has some of the best diving in the World, and the Philippines can be spectacular also. Yup it's a long way to travel, but they are hands above the Carribean. You really should get used to diving every day as liveaboards are really fun and sometimes the absolute best way to dive an area. And in Indonesia many places are dedicated dive resorts, so a day off can get pricey.

I've spoiled my self over the years, yup I enjoyed the diving in Cozumel and am going back for a quick trip soon, and I used to enjoy a little place called Little Corn Island off Nicaragua, decent diving for the Caribbean but it's got a great tropical island vibe. Soccoro is close to the U.S. and spectacular but again a liveaboard, and I am a huge fan of Tiger Beach off the Bahamas (heading there for a third time in January). But hands down Indonesia or the Phillipines are my favorite destinations.

 

[RyanT]

Whoops, sorry @RobPNW, I missed that you were asking about Bonaire. At any rate, I still love Huracan.

 

[drrich2]

Getting back to the OP, for me, in this part of the world, I love Huracan dive lodge in Belize. You don't get as many dives as you do on a liveaboard. But, the food is spectacular, the lodge is super comfortable.

It would be of interest to some of us, er, well-insulated people to know they don't have air conditioning, though their website indicates they rely on ocean breezes plus ceiling and floor fans.

 

[RyanT]

@drrich2, Huracan does not have A/C. They are an ecolodge. A substantial proportion of their electricity comes from solar panels. They do have a generator to run fans, etc. at night, but it's not enough for A/C. I know some folks require A/C for sleeping at night. I also prefer to sleep cold. But, I actually got a little chilly at night with the ceiling fan on medium, so I found it to be incredibly comfortable. Belize is tropical, so the annual temp variation isn't huge. However, my one trip there was around Christmastime. Even in the tropics, I suspect that Dec-Feb is a tad cooler than Jul-Aug.

 

[Damselfish]

Not doing liveaboards or multiple days of diving in a row may eventually really limit you. If part of it is just a desire to see other things, perhaps consider combining a week on a LOB and a week on land. Not everyone does every dive on a liveaboard, and occasionally some boats will offer above water excursions, but true that you probably wouldn't want to skip diving half the days.

 

[dirtfarmer]

@drrich2, Huracan does not have A/C. They are an ecolodge. A substantial proportion of their electricity comes from solar panels. They do have a generator to run fans, etc. at night, but it's not enough for A/C. I know some folks require A/C for sleeping at night. I also prefer to sleep cold. But, I actually got a little chilly at night with the ceiling fan on medium, so I found it to be incredibly comfortable. Belize is tropical, so the annual temp variation isn't huge. However, my one trip there was around Christmastime. Even in the tropics, I suspect that Dec-Feb is a tad cooler than Jul-Aug.

I've been looking at Hurican...it seems to have close acess to Halfmoon Caye which many say has one of the best most diverse, fish dense reef in the Caribbean. @Dan rates it very high comparing it to Raja Ampat. Which can be a big order.
The relaxed atmosphere and good food add alot of value. I can deal with the no A/C. Maybee my Nov 23 trip or my Jan 24 trip.

@RyanT does Hurrican dive Halfmoon often? Say in a 10 day stay how many mornings will they dive it?

These days I'm staying closer to home and looking for top diving not so far away as Indonesia. I'm heading back to Cozumel in a month after 12 years, then in January I'm feeding my adrenaline addiction with another liveaboard to Tiger Beach.

 

[Dan]

I've been looking at Hurican...it seems to have close acess to Halfmoon Caye which many say has one of the best most diverse, fish dense reef in the Caribbean. @Dan rates it very high comparing it to Raja Ampat. Which can be a big order.
The relaxed atmosphere and good food add alot of value. I can deal with the no A/C. Maybee my Nov 23 trip or my Jan 24 trip.

Here’s my trip videos of diving in Belize, which includes Half Moon Caye.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Bonaire!

 

[RyanT]

@dirtfarmer, Yes, they dive half moon caye. Huracan's normal routine is a return to the lodge for snacks or rest between each dive. Most sites are 10ish min away, so that makes it easy. Half moon caye is a bit farther, maybe 1/2 hour. So they usually make a day of it once per week. They load up the boat with tanks, the chef, and a barbecue grill! Then they take everyone over for three dives there with food and rest on Half Moon in between dives. In 10 days, you could possibly hit it twice. In a week you'll likely do it one day with three dives. I guess I did like the diving there a little better (the eel grass beds and eel gardens were especially cool)! But honestly, I didn't feel like the other sites were a big step down, I really enjoyed all of them.