Bonaire handrails

[ernani]

I have been diving all over the Caribbean since I was certified 8 years ago -- making up for lost time making $$$, raising kids, etc. Having just been to Bonaire for the first time and having been blown away by the quality, ease and low-cost of the diving there -- what are the places that surpass it? Because I can't wait to visit them. I ask with the utmost sincerity.

I guess this is one of those everlasting questions and discussions...here are my two cents worth::devil3:

Dove extensively on Roatan [including a 3 months long diving vacation when my wife needed a quiet place to write, and I was diving daily]. I prefer the opposite side of the island [Bay Island Beach resort and Antony's Keys side] to that of Coco view's. BIBR has a much better house reef with shore diving possibilities than Coco View, but in essence Roatan is boat diving rather than shore. Good variety of dive site with higher chances for large encounters. Bugs can be a real problem some of the time and you are not as independent as you are in Bonaire [though night life, if you have a car can get MUCH better - but then night life is better on the moon than in Bonaire].

I think Cozumel is largely over-rated for diving and far too busy with 3-6 huge cruise ships in port every day - been there a few months ago and will not go back. If you are okay with very slow pace [slower than Bonaire's], limited options and only boat diving, I LOVE Grand Turk [not Provo] for the diving and amazing water. Beaches there are spectacular as well.

Most Live-aboard operation offer good dive-sites [I have been on few all around the Caribbean] - it is more a question of style and choosing your favorite boat and price, rather than destination [except for special trips like whales etc].

Bonaire, IMO, offers an unmatched destination for experienced divers who are after a quiet vacation at their own pace, times and profiles [I dive alone...] - diving freedom at its best with as good underwater scenery as the Caribbean offers.

 

[BrianOD]

On many sites there are stone cairns marking the easiest entry spot. I've found them to be very helpful (both coming and going)

 

[bcaderunr]

Great, that makes deciding on your next Caribbean vacation easy: Belize Aggressor. Don't like liveaboards? Turneffe island Resort.

Funny you should mention it. I tried to book TIR for the same week -- and they were FULL! That's how I ended up in Bonaire instead. It's still on my short list. And I AM a big Liveaboard fan as well.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Sorry if I'm repeating I don't have time tonight to read all of the replys. My advice go south and then do the north sites by boat. Plenty of easy entrys in the south.

 

[Mossman]

I found the Belize outer atolls boring after a few days, but that might have been the fault of the Pilot which didn't move around very much. Bonaire has more diversity IMO. T&C was great from a liveaboard (Aggressor), especially if you like sharks, but the sites we dove closer to Provo were pretty dead. Roatan was merely OK, though I've heard it's much better diving from the Cocoview end. Cozumel has superb diving if fast drifts are your thing (sucks for photography), but the island is starting to look more like Miami than a funky diver's island and it's almost as crowded underwater too. I've heard Dominica is really nice - if anyone can advise me how to get there via CO or partners and taking all of my heavy dive and photo gear with me, I'd give it a shot.

 

[BDSC]

I've been to most of the places mentioned and as far as the quaility of the diving goes, and I'm talking about just the dive itself (time in the water), I don't see any of the places mentioned so far being as good as the diving in Little Cayman. I've been to Bonaire numerous times and like it alot but I have noticed over the last few trips the vis doesn't seem to be what it once was.

 

[ernani]

I've been to most of the places mentioned and as far as the quaility of the diving goes, and I'm talking about just the dive itself (time in the water), I don't see any of the places mentioned so far being as good as the diving in Little Cayman. I've been to Bonaire numerous times and like it alot but I have noticed over the last few trips the vis doesn't seem to be what it once was.

Can you do shore diving on Little Cayman [have been only to Grand Cayman years ago and hated it]? Can you dive alone? Please detail for our sake [those who never were there].
Thanks

 

[BDSC]

Can you do shore diving on Little Cayman [have been only to Grand Cayman years ago and hated it]? Can you dive alone? Please detail for our sake [those who never were there].
Thanks

Yes. You can shore dive from Little Cayman. I don't bother because there are plenty of boat dives to do but I've seen people shore dive. There are no scuba police around as far as I can tell so if you want to dive alone I doubt anyone would stop you. I dove alone on Grand Cayman several times but not at LC.

 

[tarponchik]

I've heard Dominica is really nice - if anyone can advise me how to get there via CO or partners and taking all of my heavy dive and photo gear with me, I'd give it a shot.

Dominica has a law that forbids diving w/o a local guide. This pretty much rules shore diving out. The trips to dive sites on a boat are very short, 5 min top, so in theory you could easilly do 4-5 dives a day. But no way, these guys are very, very relaxed. In 5 days of diving there we did only 11 dives. The airport is in NE, and we dived in SW, so get ready for a 2-hr ride. Driving is a nightmare cause the island is a chunk of rock and the roads wind like snakes and always go 45 degrees up then 45 degrees down etc. The roads are very narrow, and they drive on the left, just to complicate things further. I suggest, do not rent a car and move around on local mini-buses or call a cab. On the bright side, diving itself is very interesting and marine life is rich and diverse. The island has beautiful waterfalls and great hikes along desolated volcanic landscape. And the grow world's best pineapples.

 

[BDSC]

The airport is in NE, and we dived in SW, so get ready for a 2-hr ride. Driving is a nightmare cause the island is a chunk of rock and the roads wind like snakes and always go 45 degrees up then 45 degrees down etc.

Boy do I ever remember that drive! We actually had someone at the back of the bus get sick but the bus was able to stop and they got outside before disaster struck. I've never been on a road like that and hope I never have to again. It looked dangerous to me but they do it every day and never give it another thought. Those folks can drive!

We didn't do many dives either but the island may very well be the most beautiful island I've ever been on.