Each of the locations you mentioned has something special to offer, I think you would enjoy all of them so you should probably try someplace new.
We once did a liveaboard out of Cabo and traveled up the Sea of Cortez. It was a great trip and since you like Cozumel then you will enjoy the fact that all our dives were drift dives from Panga inflatables. We saw sealions and lots of great sea life including some that you don't commonly see in the Caribbean. We had hopes of seeing whale sharks but that didn't happen. It was an expensive trip but unique and worthwhile. The water was little colder and you won't see the magnificent walls of Cozumel, the Caymans, or T&Cs.
We did an Aggressor liveaboard out of Kona Hawaii and I really enjoyed that trip. Healthy, beautiful hard corals but not all the soft corals and sponges you see all over the Caribbean. But lots of turtles and octopus and loads of healthy sea life including unusual fish that you won't see in the Caribbean. Night diving with Mantas is a major highlight of my diving memories! Again the water temps are a little colder than you are used to in the Caribbean.
We have done 2 T&C liveaboard trips out of Provo and they were great. We saw sharks on just about every dive and also eagle rays and other large creatures. The walls were gorgeous but they start a little deeper in the T&Cs than in some other Caribbean locations. We enjoyed spending time on land and on the Grace Bay Beach in Provo but my understanding is that there are often long boat trips out to the reefs if you go with a land-based dive operator. The best diving is off West Caicos and French Cay and you need to do a liveaboard to really see the best sites. And sometimes they offer a "Special" or sale price.
Both Hawaii and the T&Cs are very expensive, but taking a liveaboard usually covers all your costs and you will know up front how much you will have to pay. It may seem more expensive but you will get to do a whole lot of diving and your cost/per dive will usually be cheaper than using a land-based operator. Plus you get to visit the more distant and pristine locations.
The Caymans are our favorite location and there is very good diving off of all 3 islands. We have mostly taken land-based trips in the Caymans but we did do one trip on the Cayman Aggressor. All of our Cayman trips have been excellent. The Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's Bight off of Little Cayman are really something special. You won't see a lot of sharks in the Caymans (some nurse sharks and reef sharks mostly). But there are lots of turtles, sting rays, morays, loads of groupers (including an occasional goliath if you are lucky) and gorgeous walls and lots of healthy corals and sea life.
The Caymans are expensive but there are ways to mitigate the costs somewhat. You can usually find reasonably priced airfares to the Caymans, and on Little Cayman or Cayman Brac we stay at an all-inclusive resort (usually the Little Cayman Beach Resort or the Cayman Brac Beach Resort). The price includes accommodations, diving, meals, transfers, and hotel service charges. The food is served buffet style but it is very good. The only thing not included are the dive shop tips and the bar bill (unless you get a package that includes alcohol.) The water temps in the Caymans (and Florida, the Bahamas, and T&Cs) are little colder than I prefer in the Winter and Spring (mid to upper 70s) but they get warmer in the Summer and Fall (low to mid 80s). But of course the risk of hurricanes increases as the water warms up.
We did a lot of our earlier dive trips to Florida, Cozumel, and the Bahamas and we have done a couple of trips to Belize and Roatan - and they were great locations - but now we mostly prefer the Caymans, T&Cs, and Bonaire. I am happy to return over and over to a favorite location (and we often do!) but I think you should try a few more places to better inform your decision.
There are some other spots in the Caribbean that you haven't mentioned that might be of interest. The Fredricksted Pier on St. Croix is a photographer's dream. Not big animals but sea horses, octopus, and frogfish all over the place.
Dominica is a beautiful island and they have wonderful diving and unusual sea life, but it is hard to get there and they are still recovering from a major storm that devastated the island - so that might not be a good choice right now.
We did an Explorer liveaboard to Saba and St. Kitts and really enjoyed visiting these islands and the sea mount diving. This is usually a less expensive liveaboard than some of the other options and they often offer specials, especially for the fall dates.
There are also some Bahamas liveaboards that you might want to consider.
You have not mentioned Bonaire (or Curacao) in your list of possible sites. The diving is great but not spectacular but it is the whole culture of diving freedom that makes Bonaire so unique. The entire island is all about diving and most of the dives are shore dives - so if you don't like shore dives it might not be the best spot for you. There are a lot of healthy short walls and great sea life but not a lot of big creatures. Diving is pretty cheap in Bonaire and Curacao but airfares and accommodations can get pricey - but there are reasonable options available. Another nice thing about Bonaire and Curacao is that they are very far south and the water stays warm all year round and they are below the hurricane belt and less likely to get hit by a major tropical storm.
One of our best trips ever was to Egypt and the Red Sea, so many different creatures, beautiful corals and sponges, and a wonderful culture and history - and I am sure that there are a lot of bargain trips available right now. I am glad that we went when we did, but I am sad to say that I am not eager to visit that part of the world again during the current political climate - and that's too bad.
Anyway, there is a big wide world of diving out there! Sometimes I wish that we had spent more time in the Pacific and the Far East but the airfares are so expensive and the trips are so long - so we have usually stayed closer to home (and happily there is some great diving available that is not too far away!)
Have fun whatever you decide to do!
We once did a liveaboard out of Cabo and traveled up the Sea of Cortez. It was a great trip and since you like Cozumel then you will enjoy the fact that all our dives were drift dives from Panga inflatables. We saw sealions and lots of great sea life including some that you don't commonly see in the Caribbean. We had hopes of seeing whale sharks but that didn't happen. It was an expensive trip but unique and worthwhile. The water was little colder and you won't see the magnificent walls of Cozumel, the Caymans, or T&Cs.
We did an Aggressor liveaboard out of Kona Hawaii and I really enjoyed that trip. Healthy, beautiful hard corals but not all the soft corals and sponges you see all over the Caribbean. But lots of turtles and octopus and loads of healthy sea life including unusual fish that you won't see in the Caribbean. Night diving with Mantas is a major highlight of my diving memories! Again the water temps are a little colder than you are used to in the Caribbean.
We have done 2 T&C liveaboard trips out of Provo and they were great. We saw sharks on just about every dive and also eagle rays and other large creatures. The walls were gorgeous but they start a little deeper in the T&Cs than in some other Caribbean locations. We enjoyed spending time on land and on the Grace Bay Beach in Provo but my understanding is that there are often long boat trips out to the reefs if you go with a land-based dive operator. The best diving is off West Caicos and French Cay and you need to do a liveaboard to really see the best sites. And sometimes they offer a "Special" or sale price.
Both Hawaii and the T&Cs are very expensive, but taking a liveaboard usually covers all your costs and you will know up front how much you will have to pay. It may seem more expensive but you will get to do a whole lot of diving and your cost/per dive will usually be cheaper than using a land-based operator. Plus you get to visit the more distant and pristine locations.
The Caymans are our favorite location and there is very good diving off of all 3 islands. We have mostly taken land-based trips in the Caymans but we did do one trip on the Cayman Aggressor. All of our Cayman trips have been excellent. The Bloody Bay Wall and Jackson's Bight off of Little Cayman are really something special. You won't see a lot of sharks in the Caymans (some nurse sharks and reef sharks mostly). But there are lots of turtles, sting rays, morays, loads of groupers (including an occasional goliath if you are lucky) and gorgeous walls and lots of healthy corals and sea life.
The Caymans are expensive but there are ways to mitigate the costs somewhat. You can usually find reasonably priced airfares to the Caymans, and on Little Cayman or Cayman Brac we stay at an all-inclusive resort (usually the Little Cayman Beach Resort or the Cayman Brac Beach Resort). The price includes accommodations, diving, meals, transfers, and hotel service charges. The food is served buffet style but it is very good. The only thing not included are the dive shop tips and the bar bill (unless you get a package that includes alcohol.) The water temps in the Caymans (and Florida, the Bahamas, and T&Cs) are little colder than I prefer in the Winter and Spring (mid to upper 70s) but they get warmer in the Summer and Fall (low to mid 80s). But of course the risk of hurricanes increases as the water warms up.
We did a lot of our earlier dive trips to Florida, Cozumel, and the Bahamas and we have done a couple of trips to Belize and Roatan - and they were great locations - but now we mostly prefer the Caymans, T&Cs, and Bonaire. I am happy to return over and over to a favorite location (and we often do!) but I think you should try a few more places to better inform your decision.
There are some other spots in the Caribbean that you haven't mentioned that might be of interest. The Fredricksted Pier on St. Croix is a photographer's dream. Not big animals but sea horses, octopus, and frogfish all over the place.
Dominica is a beautiful island and they have wonderful diving and unusual sea life, but it is hard to get there and they are still recovering from a major storm that devastated the island - so that might not be a good choice right now.
We did an Explorer liveaboard to Saba and St. Kitts and really enjoyed visiting these islands and the sea mount diving. This is usually a less expensive liveaboard than some of the other options and they often offer specials, especially for the fall dates.
There are also some Bahamas liveaboards that you might want to consider.
You have not mentioned Bonaire (or Curacao) in your list of possible sites. The diving is great but not spectacular but it is the whole culture of diving freedom that makes Bonaire so unique. The entire island is all about diving and most of the dives are shore dives - so if you don't like shore dives it might not be the best spot for you. There are a lot of healthy short walls and great sea life but not a lot of big creatures. Diving is pretty cheap in Bonaire and Curacao but airfares and accommodations can get pricey - but there are reasonable options available. Another nice thing about Bonaire and Curacao is that they are very far south and the water stays warm all year round and they are below the hurricane belt and less likely to get hit by a major tropical storm.
One of our best trips ever was to Egypt and the Red Sea, so many different creatures, beautiful corals and sponges, and a wonderful culture and history - and I am sure that there are a lot of bargain trips available right now. I am glad that we went when we did, but I am sad to say that I am not eager to visit that part of the world again during the current political climate - and that's too bad.
Anyway, there is a big wide world of diving out there! Sometimes I wish that we had spent more time in the Pacific and the Far East but the airfares are so expensive and the trips are so long - so we have usually stayed closer to home (and happily there is some great diving available that is not too far away!)
Have fun whatever you decide to do!
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