Best shore diving PLUS non-diving topside in exotic location?

[robint]

although I am a huge CCV fan, I don't know that it is best for her. They do mostly boat diving there, regardless of the excellent shore diving. I think she might get a bit bored if you are going on the boat dives and she stays back at resort... remember there is no TV, no pool, just a quiet little place on the oceanfront with hammocks. There are some tours, like a zipline trip and a shopping trip to west end, etc. but not enough to fill a week if she doesn't like the water. There is also the dolphin program over at AKR, I have been told the snorkeling with them is far better than the dive. We love CCV and are heading back there in March, to us it is the perfect Caribbean destination, but we are dive animals! If you do decide to go there, make sure they have rooms available and book asap...it is very small and books full up to a year in advance many weeks of the year.

I would consider Bonaire though... her being able to walk right into the water then right back out may make a dive animal out of her!!! No chance to get seasick at all. There is also the wind surfing, and a windcart thingy we heard about. Sound like fun. And the little German/Dutch style town is small but quaint. If you do the boat dives, they are usually very short rides, like 5-10 minutes at most, then right back to resort with no SI on the boat. I could do a whole week there just shore diving though since the reef is sooooo close to shore everywhere! Really, Bonaire might be perfect for you both.

robin

 

[CompuDude]

Food for thought, folks, thanks. I'll see what she thinks about a hybrid vacation in the Caribbean, spending some time on Bonaire and then island-hopping elsewhere.

What's the best island in the Caribbean for topside stuff, in terms of art, culture, the more refined (non-water-related) pursuits?

 

[damage]

I really like Bali, UW is amazing and topside is really an exotic place; the interest places (the temples, the monkey forest etc) are not that far from the hotels zone (1-2 hrs tops) and are really worth it, besides night life is great.

 

[trigfunctions]

Look at Dominica and St. Lucia. The topside attractions are fantastic. The shore diving is great but not fantastic.

 

[caymaniac]

How about Hawaii, it isn't too far from CA. There's some shore diving and plenty to see topside as well as cultural shows. Maybe Maui, for you there's great diving with Molokini nearby plus shore diving, then for her a bike ride (non-pedaling) down a mountain for over 30 miles, the road to Hana, Lahina to eat, Kaanapali beach area is nice, waterfalls to find and plenty of hiking, maybe whale watching and of course a Lua.

 

[robint]

Food for thought, folks, thanks. I'll see what she thinks about a hybrid vacation in the Caribbean, spending some time on Bonaire and then island-hopping elsewhere.

What's the best island in the Caribbean for topside stuff, in terms of art, culture, the more refined (non-water-related) pursuits?

uuuhhhh........ are you asking about art galleries and that kind of refined culture?
Or are you asking about native culture like people still living in huts and selling crafts by the roadside?

 

[bob kopki]

So my wife is finally certified. YAY!

Now we're planning an exotic vacation that will include (but not focus on) scuba, probably about two weeks in late December/early January 2010.

The biggest problem is that she is violently seasick. Seriously. 10 minutes on a boat in placid waters, and no matter how drugged she is, she's an unhappy camper. And once she's unhappy, fuggetaboutit, the day is ruined.

She did say that she might consider a boat once or twice during a trip IF the ride is VERY shore (like 10 min or less) and very smooth, but that still doesn't give us much to work with.

I need to find a vacation spot that includes lots of fantastic shore diving options, warm water, an exotic location (i.e., Florida and Hawaii are out, no matter how good the shore diving), and lots of things to do and see topside that don't include the water. Preferably fascinating cultural, architectural, natural, whatever. Just not diving, and nothing that involves a boat.

This lets out Bonaire, unfortunately, as she is not interested in diving enough (at this point, at least) to want to do diving all day. She'll want shopping, sightseeing and culture, and Bonaire is just too limited, by all reports. And she's not really a "cocktails by the pool" girl, so there really has to be serious options for topside entertainment.

We LOVE Asia (Thailand is perfect topside, but the shore diving there doesn't make the cut), and Bali is a strong contender at this point, but we'd like some other options to chew over as well. Jamaica is a blast topside, but the diving is merely adequate at best, and requires a boat to get there.

And, of course, being American (and she Jewish), the middle east/red sea options probably aren't safe enough for serious consideration.

I know there are islands in the Caribbean that have some good shore diving to offer, but how do they stack up for the rest of the trip? A few days of diving during a 2 week trip is probably the most I can hope for. We could possibly go one place to dive and hop on a plane to somewhere else close by with better topside options, but that definitely eats into the trip... more flying in the middle of a trip is a hassle that easily eats a whole day, maybe more.

From a shore diving standpoint, I've read good things here and at Shorediving.com about:

• Roatan/CocoView Resort (but not much topside in Roatan, right? and Honduras proper is not very safe to travel in per State Dept. advisories)
• Curacao - (but how is it topside?)
• Grand Cayman - (but how is it topside?)
• Bonaire (perfect diving, but very poor option due to lack of topside activities)
• Sipadan/Mabul (but I know nothing about it)
• Okinawa (great from an exotic standpoint, but probably tough due to Japan's high cost, and I don't know much about the diving)
• Bali - a serious option, as there is pretty great shore diving and topside is pretty good, plus definitely exotic, but the topside options are far from diving locations, and are there enough topside things to do?
• Dahab (Red Sea) - Probably not an option due to political instability

Anyone have any good options for me to ponder, or thoughts on the ones I've listed above?

I think you will find like everything else in life, you can't have EVERYTHING on a two week
dive vacation

Grand Cayman has very good shore diving on the North Coast
Probably the best restaurants in the Caribbean ( expensive)
A great 7 mile long beach on the West side.
little in the way of cultural or scenic things to see on land, its all in/underwater.
its close to home, safe & friendly
the water will still be reasonably warm in Dec, but I would wear a 1mm full suit, maybe more
lots of shopping ( thats not good for your wallet)
you can fly to Cuba from GCM if you want a real cultural diversion

 

[CompuDude]

How about Hawaii, it isn't too far from CA. There's some shore diving and plenty to see topside as well as cultural shows. Maybe Maui, for you there's great diving with Molokini nearby plus shore diving, then for her a bike ride (non-pedaling) down a mountain for over 30 miles, the road to Hana, Lahina to eat, Kaanapali beach area is nice, waterfalls to find and plenty of hiking, maybe whale watching and of course a Lua.

I'm from Hawaii. Grew up on Maui. Love it. Want desperately to go back.

My wife has NO interest. Far too expensive for what you get... she'd much rather spend the same amount of money on somewhere exotic and far away. If it doesn't require a passport, it doesn't count as travel. (Her opinion, not mine)

 

[CompuDude]

uuuhhhh........ are you asking about art galleries and that kind of refined culture?
Or are you asking about native culture like people still living in huts and selling crafts by the roadside?

Ideally the first one, but I'm not holding my breath. I have a severe allergy to "tourist trap"-type salesmanship, however. People sitting and living in squalor, selling mass-produced "crafts" that were sometimes "crafted" in an entirely different country give me hives.

Jamaica (and parts of Thailand) was fascinating, but this aspect drove me nuts.

 

[CompuDude]

I think you will find like everything else in life, you can't have EVERYTHING on a two week
dive vacation

Grand Cayman has very good shore diving on the North Coast
Probably the best restaurants in the Caribbean ( expensive)
A great 7 mile long beach on the West side.
little in the way of cultural or scenic things to see on land, its all in/underwater.
its close to home, safe & friendly
the water will still be reasonably warm in Dec, but I would wear a 1mm full suit, maybe more
lots of shopping ( thats not good for your wallet)
you can fly to Cuba from GCM if you want a real cultural diversion

Now THAT is a really interesting idea. Hmmm... Cuba...