Best family dive location - 3 kids under 16

[H2ODoc]

I was planning on a Christmas dive trip for the family and get the 3 kids certified (11, 13, 15 yrs old).

Originally, I thought Bonaire - because we've been there, no current, no sharks (to pacify one kid's fear!), and easy shore diving.

Flights to BON are very expensive, though, so any other recommendations for a family-friendly Christmas trip?

I'd get the kids certified here in Colorado, and have them do the open water dives on vacation.

Cozumel is out (we are going there this Spring already, plus drift diving didn't seem like a great idea for young kids)
Caymans are probably too expensive.
Hawaii isn't bad, but youngest son is not a fan of sharks. And I told him that it's be just about impossible to see one in Bonaire
Belize - seems like a good choice. No current, but no shore dives, either.


Ideas?

 

[diversteve]

Price Curacao flights, they're often cheaper/shorter than Bonaire. As a family you could stay at the Sunscape AI resort. Or rent a condo - some even have on-site dive operators. Lots more non-dive things to do than Bonaire also. Curacao - a unique island paradise

Basically identical shore diving as Bonaire with easier entries off the beach instead of over ironshore. Most sites also have a dive op and food on-site so you can make a 1/2 day or so of it. More driving is required between sites. Most of the beaches are exceedingly nice also. I don't think you'll see a shark there - we didn't over 10 days - maybe some dolphins near Lagun - not counting the paid dolphin dive at the Sea Aquarium/Ocean Encounters. Which is $200pp. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Curacao, ABC Islands

Go to any of the popular dive sites off Belize and you're likely to see reef sharks. Price boat dives also, most are pretty expensive since except from Ambergris everywhere else is a long boat ride (45mins-hr+) out to the reef. In south Belize the logistics of that limit how many dives/day those resorts can even do. The advantage there is all the non-dive activities you can access, Mayan ruins, river tours, nature preserves etc. Stay at an Atoll resort by contrast and you really are - they only run shuttles to the mainland on a once or twice weekly guest exchange. I'd be going to Belize to see/film sharks.

Maybe look at the Virgin Islands also. We only did a couple of dives off St. Thomas over two days and didn't see any sharks. On the East End it's pretty quiet, there's a lot of resorts/condo rentals and the diving is pretty shallow - most of the Cays diving was about 60' or less. Cow/Calf Rocks - a famous site - is 40'. Nice beaches in the area also and there's a few shops/restaurants in Red Hook, everythng else is a short drive back to Charlotte Amalie. CA seems less safe, most of the resorts are fenced/gated and it's kind of run-down in areas. Coki Beach in the East End is one shallow shore dive option but about the only one - I've read there's one more in Hull Bay on the north side. I don't remember what we paid for boat dives but it wasn't unreasonable. I like Red Hook Diving since all their DM's are actually instructors. If you want to do an AI - I believe Bolongo Bay/St. Thomas Dive Club bundles it all. Day trips to St. John are also possible - the car ferry between them takes 1/2 hr. It's more snorkeling/beaches there though. Virgin Islands Vacation Information

You can also access the BVI's via fast ferry just about hourly but we did see an occasional shark at dive sites there - often it was rare enough that the DM would be tank tapping to show it off. There's some shallow dives there also. Virgin Gorda is Cayman pricey but there's more modest reasonable resorts on Tortola. More of the better diving is a short boat ride across the channel and there's no shore diving in the BVI's to speak of. Except off islands that require a boat ride to get to. Welcome to the Official Website of the BVI Tourist Board

Maybe St. Croix also. There's shore diving on either end of the island, the Fredericstad Pier or Cane Bay wall. There's a Divi resort there that's sort of AI. St. Croix/St Thomas flights were priced comparably - mostly it's American Airlines. Later arrival on St. Croix IIRC than St. Thomas - we were on St. Thomas by about 2pm - from Phoenix. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: USVI, St. Croix, Caribbean

Obviously the Bahamas are out for your "shark" diver...lol.

 

[H2ODoc]

Thanks diversteve.

Curacao is a great idea. I'll keep an eye on that airfare, too. Right now, it's $$$$.

When we did Ambergris / Belize, we only saw nurse sharks. I'm fairly sure I can convince junior that they are like kitty cats. The kids would love all the spotted eagle rays in Hol Chan. But yes... boat diving can get pricey when there are 5 of us.

 

[mikeycanuk]

We got certified in Barbados. And we went over Christmas, but got cert. later in the year. We did shore dives and while it's not the best diving it was easy. Lot's to do topside as well and you won't get a cold snap being so far south.

 

[robint]

Christmas is going to be expensive ANYWHERE you go.

I am confused.... you are going to Cozumel in spring, but you are looking for a dive trip somewhere else for the following Dec to get them certified? Why not do that in Cozumel?

I can highly recommend Scuba Club Cozumel for getting kids certified. We got our kid certified in Cozumel back at age 12 in 2000. BUT we have been going to SCC for past several years and every trip see a family getting kids certified. They put them all on their own boat and take them to kid friendly shallow dives. Certification shore dives are done right there in 20' deep water at the resort. The instructors there are A+ in my opinion, and my husband is an instructor and says the same thing from his observations of them with students. If we had another kid to get certified, that is where we would take them.

 

[diversteve]

I missed Christmas so the VI's might be colder. Especially the BVI's - off some of the northern islands you're on the fringes of the Atlantic. There's one called Seal Dog Rock that actually bisects a major channel between them. Can be some current but it brings stuff in both ways. The Atlantic side seemed deeper but as we moved around the pinnacle we found large schools of baitfish. Larger predators like cuda hovering nearby. I swam thru them and they parted around me. One of the cuda had lunch while I filmed, glittery scales everywhere. Some years later they're still there - someone recently posted a similar experience.

 

[drrich2]

Flights to BON are very expensive, though, so any other recommendations for a family-friendly Christmas trip?

I like Robint's idea; from another thread I know Scuba Club Cozumel is near Hotel Cozumel, and they have access to a shore dive right there. Which could be great for helping your kids get certified.

So, you're having to factor in price hauling a group around to exotic locales. I feel your pain. And Christmas tends to mean colder water in some locations; not the time of year I'd likely head to Key Largo (but I like water warm enough to skip wearing a wetsuit) - where I found about the cheapest boat diving I've seen yet (trip report - Rainbow Reef Dive Center).

Bonaire & Curacao are below the traditional hurricane belt. You've already been to Bonaire. I like Diver Steve's Curacao idea in part because it offers you a chance to keep costs down.

You've got to factor in total trip cost, not just airfare costs. Let's do a quick comparison to a mainstream boat diving destination.

1.) Airfare - both. Curacao tends to average lower airfare than Bonaire. And you're taking 5 people I think?

2.) Resort - both. At least in Bonaire, costs for adding extra people beyond the 1st 2 are often a good deal cheaper, since packages are designed to split a rental truck cost between 2.

3.) Rental vehicle - Curacao & Bonaire, yes. Other places - varies. But with youngsters, likely you'll get out and 'see the island.' And a vehicle can serve 2, or 5. No added cost for having the kids along.

4.) Boat diving - can be done on Curacao & Bonaire, but you can cram in a lot of shore diving for, on average, dirt cheap. Especially on Bonaire, but I would guess Curacao isn't much more (some sites may entail a small fee). Boat diving is all the diving at many places, most of it at some. On Curacao, you might do a couple of boat dives to expose the kids to it. Boat diving entails tips; shore diving doesn't. Tipping for a party of 5 at even $5/tank means $50 per 2-tank boat trip on top of trip cost!

5.) Number of Dives - Bonaire & live-aboards rock for banging out 20 - 25+ dives/week. Other's reports suggests Curacao trips tend to average fewer dives than Bonaire, but you can still do a bunch. And at this point, you can't know just how many your kids are going to want to do.

6.) Cost/Dive - a crude metric for evaluating trip value is Total Trip Cost/# Dives Done. So, do a lot of dives, average cheaper/dive. The truth is more nuanced; different places have different dive conditions. But it's not a bad rule of thumb.

7.) At some places, you'll need to pay in advance for a set number of trips/dives. Which means pressure to do those dives. If you pay for a boat dive package, what happens when 2 or 3 days into the week somebody doesn't want to dive today? The politically correct answer is anyone can call any dive any time for any reason. Decide for yourself if that's your idea of reality.

Christmas time, some smaller divers who would benefit from warmer water, aquarium-like tropical conditions for beginners, trip cost control via mainly shore diving to avoid boat dive expenses, no upfront paid commit for an expensive multi-day boat dive package, option for dive as a family & grow together where navigation is easy instead of following a guide around on boat dives, option for guided diving if you wish (e.g.: Bas Harts, Dive Bus), or do your own thing.

I've been to Bonaire 8 times. Only set foot on Curacao to change planes. But if I were juggling your priorities, and didn't want to hit Bonaire, I can't think of a better choice for you than Curacao.

About what airfare cost are you looking at?

Richard.

 

[Thailand Divers]

It may seem like a long way but try looking at Phuket. The diving is easy and there is awesome diving in shallow water, minimal currents and great viz. The price for the diving is cheap and accomadation is cheap also. There are dive centers that run kids courses and diving for kids Kids This shows the conditions are great for younger kids. The price for the flight may be more but if you get a mid week flight the prices are normally less and the cost of diving, food accomodation are less when you are there. Also the dive boats are larger boats with cabins and good food as there is a chef on board. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea are all included in the price so you only need a light meal in the evening on all dive days so you save money again. Kids holidays are expensive with the extras, Phuket is a place where the extras are cheap and as long as the meals are included in the dive trip thats a huge saving when there are 5 people to feed everyday. Diving

 

[DeputyDan]

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