Best Location for a new diver?

[kimkc1971]

My husband & I are planning to take our 11year old on his first dive trip later this year. We just got back from Cayman and after hearing about our trip, he is really looking forward to getting certified. He's a good swimmer and has snorkeled in the Caribbean several times. My question is, what is the best location to take him to? Even though it was terrific, we won't go back to Cayman right away, so we're considering Roatan (BIBR?), Bonaire or Cozumel (Hotel Cozumel?). Which has the best conditions for a new diver? We're also looking for a resort that has a kids' club since our 4-1/2 year old will be with us as well. Thanks!

 

[Scuba65]

I personally recommend Bonaire. It's a great place for families in my opinion and it will also be good for the 4 1/2 yr. old. stay at the Bonaire Plaza Resort. they have everything you need there.

 

[traciedee]

I have to second the Plaza Resort on Bonaire. You can dive right in front of the hotel and it is easy diving. Shallow and calm, but really pretty good diving. My hubby and I would go out at least once a day after our dives at different locations and just do an easy dive. Also, most of the boat dives are close by-- about 15 min trip and usually very easy, fairly shallow diving. Saw my first seahorse in Bonaire. In fact I floated upside down in the water for about 40 minutes just looking at them. Never really believed they existed. I think they also have a kids club of some sorts and one of the few mini beaches on the island. Also, I think they usually include breakfast buffet in the package which can help with expenses.

 

[robbcayman]

I would go with Cozumel. It's cheap, excellent diving and friendly people. Cozumel has over 80 dive operators. Some of the good ones are Blue Angel, http://bluextseadiving.com/. I have been to Cozumel several times never disappoints. You can't go wrong with either Cozumel or Bonaire. Hope this helps.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Check out the kids club at El Presidente in Cozumel. My five year old and seven year old didn't want to leave.

 

[blawler1]

With Continental starting up weekly direct flights from Houston Dec 16 for under $500, its a pretty easy call for a beginning diver.

Whereas Cozumel's signature dives are considered advanced (Palancar, Columbia, etc are all 80' to 100' drift dives), Bonaire is about easy access shore dives with little or no currents and perfect for all types of diving, especially training because the reef is so close to shore and in many places slopes gently from 25' to 130', so they can be dived at any profile with plenty of stuff to see above 50'. My wife and I did our OW referrals, AOW and several specialties there with Sanddollar (now Bonaire Dive and Adventure) and always had a comfortable situation due to the outstanding conditions (warm clear water with very little current)

As already mentioned, Plaza is nice, also Buddys and Sanddollar have great facilities and training programs.

My two cents is that while Cozumel still offers world class diving, it is rapidly losing its charm and getting more congested every time we go. When we were there last December, there were as many as 12 cruise ships in port one day and it was chaos downtown the entire trip. Prices have also risen drastically due to the influx of cruise ships.

Bonaire on the other hand, rarely sees a cruise ship, is safe to drive on and has perfectly safe tap water. Also, due to the fact that it is so far south, it does not get the chilly Winter nortes that sometimes blow out dive days in Cozumel. It does have a couple of pocket sized casinos, a hand full of bars and not much else in the way of night life (hey, thats what night dives are for)

 

[peterjmaerz]

...While the Allegro (if it's still called that) and El Presidente offer activities for kids on Cozumel, if it's diving your honing in on, Bonaire's got world class dives with very little challenge, plus pools and fun stuff for kids as well at some of the above-mentioned resorts. The house reefs at a couple of the resorts are easy and good.

Bonaire's come out at the top of the list for novice divers repeatedly in Scuba Diving Magazine's polls. Seems to me like a match for your needs.

Best Regards,

 

[robbcayman]

I also suggest the El Cozumeleno awesome hotel, probably the best hotel in Cozumel.

 

[Canadian_Diver]

My husband & I are planning to take our 11year old on his first dive trip later this year. We just got back from Cayman and after hearing about our trip, he is really looking forward to getting certified. He's a good swimmer and has snorkeled in the Caribbean several times. My question is, what is the best location to take him to? Even though it was terrific, we won't go back to Cayman right away, so we're considering Roatan (BIBR?), Bonaire or Cozumel (Hotel Cozumel?). Which has the best conditions for a new diver? We're also looking for a resort that has a kids' club since our 4-1/2 year old will be with us as well. Thanks!

In the March 05 edition of Scuba Diving, all of the Florida Keys were recently rated in the Top 10 locations for new and advanced divers. These were rated by readers. Here's how they panned out...

1 - Marathon, Florida Keys
2 - Bonaire
3 - BVI
4 - Islamorada & Tavernier, Florida Keys
5 - USVI
6 - Yap, Micronesia
7 - Key Largo, Florida Keys
8 - Curacao
9 - Big Island, Hawaii
10 - Oahu, Hawaii

So, if you're aiming to keep costs down, the Florida Keys is a great bet. Only problem right now, are the hurricanes. Next best bet is Bonaire, it usually isn't as affected by hurriances like Florida is at this time of year.

 

[vols3232]

I have not been to Bonaire but I have visited Coz and Roatan. I would choose Roatan because of the ease of diving. I have also heard good things about BIBR although we stayed at Fantasy island. My understanding is that Bonaire has some more difficult entry and exits if you are doing shore dives. Fantasy Island and Coco view have a wall right in front. BIBR has the spooky channel in front for shore diving. Coz is much more difficult for a newby although he would enjoy the reef and fish life. Roatan does not have the larger fish that Coz had when we were there. That is not to say that Roatan was lacking in fish or reef. Roatan was also not quite as deep. Most of our profiles were above 70 ft and could have been done above 40 ft without losing much. I also might suggest that you get your local dive shop to do the certification or do the check out dives on a referral. This way your son will be able to concentrate on the book study and be able to enjoy the vacation more. This will also get him diving with you quicker. I believe that the skills he learns at home can be practiced and he can enjoy the week exploring the beauty we know. I hope this helps and is just my two cents.