Dive, Dive, Dive Locations other than Bonaire and Roatan

[lmorin]

Re the original question. Check out Cozumel. Guided boat dives, 2 per trip, are the norm, but a number of places have decent shore dives which you can do on your own schedule. We have been to Scuba Club Cozumel a couple of times. Not expensive to get there and the stay is quite reasonable. SCC created underwater walls and mounds of post-hurricane debris that are very attractive to a wide variety of fish right out front of the resort. We favor Bonaire and its general lack of current, but fully appreciate the good qualities of Cozumel.

 

[gkrane]

Re the original question. Check out Cozumel. Guided boat dives, 2 per trip, are the norm, but a number of places have decent shore dives which you can do on your own schedule. We have been to Scuba Club Cozumel a couple of times. Not expensive to get there and the stay is quite reasonable. SCC created underwater walls and mounds of post-hurricane debris that are very attractive to a wide variety of fish right out front of the resort. We favor Bonaire and its general lack of current, but fully appreciate the good qualities of Cozumel.

Yes, already on this one. I have reservations for Blue Angel Resort in Coz next Nov. My oldest son is meeting us there who will be on leave from the Navy. It will be our first Coz trip so I am looking forward to it. I chose BA because of the shore diving. SCC was my second choice if BA didn't work out.

 

[Doctorfish]

Have a look at Laguna Beach on Utila. They offer 3 boat dives per day after which you can dive from shore for a later afternoon dive or night dive( or both ).
The house reef there is not a bad miniwall.

Grand Cayman has good shore diving at Turtle Reef and Lighthouse which you can do after a 2 tank AM dive. We usually get in 20-22 dives there over a week.

Reef House on Roatan has a pretty good house reef as well. Accommodation somewhat spartan.

 

[H2ODoc]

We shore dove Cayman Brac, and I think you could consider it as an option. Cost... well, not the cheapest, but we did a good job of buying fresh fish and conch hunting and saved some costs there.

They have the painted rocks and seemed to be trying to improve the shore dive sites. Most people boat dive there, but shore diving was surprisingly abundant!

 

[diversteve]

I've done 4 shore dives/day on Curacao. It's more work (driving) than Bonaire but you need an SI - and maybe lunch anyway. In some areas you can do 4 different sites with a little planning. We dove Nos Kas - the former Habitat house reef one afternoon then took their tanks to Porto Mari nearby. Cas Abao and Daiboobay are also within 15mins. drive. Similarly the "Knips" run along the same road - all 3. Each end of Playa Kalki is different also - to dive both you'd drive between the Go West locations at either end of the bay.

There are similar pairings up/down the coast - Tugboat/Directors Bay being another. In fact the road to one has a turn-off for the other. Playa's Lagun and Jeremi are about 10mins. drive apart on the same road also. Once we did 5 dives with planning - 3 different west side sites then doubled on Sunset Waters reef (resort is gone now) late afternoon plus a night dive there. This isn't all the sites but you can see the logical groupings here: Scuba Diving

Some Cayman boat operators do 4 dives/day but that gets pricey fast. We did that once or twice - other days two boat dives/2 shore dives. Turtle Reef, Lighthouse Point or Cobalt Coast are pretty close to each other. Eden Rock/Devils Grotto downtown also but it's 500' from the busy cruise port. One afternoon we circled around downtown and dove at Sunset House - there's enough there for 2 dives, the LCM wreck, the Mermaid and I sort of liked the shallows to the north - rows of reef not much deeper than 40' or so.

Cane Bay Wall on St. Croix's north side has about 5-6 named sites also. An acquaintance owns a condo there and walks out thru his neighbors backyard - his is too rocky. He doesn't rent it though - we've asked.

It's not the Caribbean but you can easily manage 4 dives/day on Maui. Combinations of boat/shore or all shore. With a stop for lunch. Typical in South Maui is 2 boat dives due to the traewinds but almost every beach near Kihei/Wailea is also a dive site - there must be 8-10 unique dives 5 minutes apart. Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Maui, Hawaiian Islands

 

[chillyinCanada]

KathyV is right about the liveaboards and the deals that can be had. Don't forget that whatever price you get includes sll meals and drinks, at least it did on the Explorer II.

Maybe you should consider Belize. With three divers and a desire for 3 to 4 dives a day, you could easily strike a deal with an operator for three tank days plus night dives. No shore dives though. I should be able to point you in the right direction for accommodation. Southwest airlines has started regular flights to Belize and prices are awesome.

 

[drrich2]

I was just finishing up a reply to your related post in the thread on Total Coast Mid-range Budget Florida and Caribbean Trips, then noticed this thread, where it's more pertinent to topic, so I'll copy & paste to here. Some suggestions have already been made by others.

I have never really tried to figure out the cost per dive for one of our trips, but I am in the process of searching for other destinations other than CoCo View, Bonaire, and a liveaboard that can net you 25+ dives in a week.

I'm not into topside attractions, nightlife, or other things. A dive vaction to me is diving and more diving.

Cost is a factor for me since I dive with my wife and son so everything is X3.

You already know about live-aboard, Bonaire & CocoView (on Roatan), and want other options (in this region?). Here are other options that may be of interest:

1.) Curacao - People often define it in terms of how it compares to Bonaire, so see this thread on Curacao vs. Bonaire.

2.) Key Largo, Florida - my trip report. Some of the cheapest diving I've done, but fishy, nice shallow reefs, option for deep wrecks.

3.) St. Croix - this may be a stretch, but if you stay at a hotel facing Cane Bay Wall, and are willing to do reportedly long swim outs to the drop off, you can supplement your boat diving with shore. Do plan to try the Frederiksted Pier elsewhere on the island, though. Here's a thread discussing St. Croix as a dive destination.

3.) Grand Cayman - not usually considered a budget destination, but has some shore diving. An all-inclusive package at Cobalt Coast might at least let you get an idea what the total price would be, and IIRC airfare to Grand Cayman often isn't as bad as some places. If you guys would be content staying on the reservation without renting a car, that'd save some money.

4.) While it wouldn't likely hit 20 dives, much less 25, be mindful that quality can compensate for quantity to a point; I heard great things about Little Cayman, and Little Cayman Beach Resort. Last I checked I don't think their prices were too bad. KathyV has posted about some specials at Cayman Brac Beach Resort - here's a link to the special page she posted about 10-14-15. Cayman Brac has a rep. for being 'almost as good as Little Cayman,' from what I've read. Turns out Cayman Brac has some shore diving.

Cayman Brac Shore Divers Facebook Page.

CaymanCompass.com June 2013 article, Cayman Brac Makes Shore Diving Easy. Some excerpts from that page:

There, visitors and residents now have around 25 well-marked shore dives they can choose from. The dive sites have always been there, of course, but until recently they were only known to the Brac’s resident shore diving community.
Now though, visitors can just as easily locate the entry points, thanks to a brand new system of bright red, painted rocks placed at the roadside, indicating the access point.
Nina Banks, a local resident had seen a similar system in Bonaire, and had been suggesting setting up something along the same lines in the Brac for the past 10 years.
“Nothing got done about it until last year, when the president of the Sister Islands Tourism Association, Neil van Niekerk, was all for it, and Martin at the Brac Scuba Shack said I would be the perfect person to put in charge, since I have been a shore diver on Cayman Brac for over 20 years and know every nick, crack and cranny for shore diving,” she says.
Nina rallied her shore diving buddies and got them all painting rocks with names of different dive sites on them. She then went out and put the rocks in position. The red rocks are placed on the roadside on the main road that runs parallel to shore, on both the north and south sides of the island.

Cayman Brac generally has a more rough and rugged character than its sisters, and the shore diving is no exception. You may have to carry dive gear a fair way from car to shore, cross some rocky shorelines, or negotiate a tricky entry to the water. Dive booties and highly recommended and surface marker buoys once in the water are compulsory.
Once you’re in the water, however, there are shipwrecks (including the famous Captain Keith Tibbetts) close to shore, abundant, healthy corals, a good chance of seeing sharks, and plenty of fish life.
If you’re looking for a somewhat off the beaten track experience, something a little adventurous yet right on your doorstep, then make your way to Cayman Brac – before the crowds descend on it.

I've yet to read of a shore diving-intensive trip report here, but I'd like to see that change.

Old 2006 ScubaBoard thread on shore diving in Cayman Brac. Note mention of a requirement for a dive flag back then; I don't know about now.

Old 2001 webpage on Cayman Brac Shore Diving Locations.

Here's a webpage I just turned up Googling on Cayman Islands Shore Diving.

Richard.

 

[gkrane]

1.) Curacao - People often define it in terms of how it compares to Bonaire, so see this thread on Curacao vs. Bonaire.

I've looked into this and read the threads. For the hassle factor to see most likely similar bio-diversity, I would do a return to Bonaire.

2.) Key Largo, Florida - my trip report. Some of the cheapest diving I've done, but fishy, nice shallow reefs, option for deep wrecks.

Didn't know specifically about this one. Will definitely be checking this out.

3.) St. Croix - this may be a stretch, but if you stay at a hotel facing Cane Bay Wall, and are willing to do reportedly long swim outs to the drop off, you can supplement your boat diving with shore. Do plan to try the Frederiksted Pier elsewhere on the island, though. Here's a thread discussing St. Croix as a dive destination.

I will also look into this.

3.) Grand Cayman - not usually considered a budget destination, but has some shore diving. An all-inclusive package at Cobalt Coast might at least let you get an idea what the total price would be, and IIRC airfare to Grand Cayman often isn't as bad as some places. If you guys would be content staying on the reservation without renting a car, that'd save some money.

Seriously considering Cobalt Coast but am waiting to see how things shake out with the management change. From what I understand shore diving will change quite a bit with Reef Divers replacing Divetech. Little Cayman BR may be the trip that I break form for cost wise. I can get a 17 dive package and they offer a discount for children. From what I have read the reef at Little Cayman is much shallower than Brac which is a benefit to my son. Well ,at least it will make the dive op less jumpy.

4.) While it wouldn't likely hit 20 dives, much less 25, be mindful that quality can compensate for quantity to a point; I heard great things about Little Cayman, and Little Cayman Beach Resort. Last I checked I don't think their prices were too bad. KathyV has posted about some specials at Cayman Brac Beach Resort - here's a link to the special page she posted about 10-14-15. Cayman Brac has a rep. for being 'almost as good as Little Cayman,' from what I've read. Turns out Cayman Brac has some shore diving.

Cayman Brac Shore Divers Facebook Page.

CaymanCompass.com June 2013 article, Cayman Brac Makes Shore Diving Easy. Some excerpts from that page:





I've yet to read of a shore diving-intensive trip report here, but I'd like to see that change.

Old 2006 ScubaBoard thread on shore diving in Cayman Brac. Note mention of a requirement for a dive flag back then; I don't know about now.

Old 2001 webpage on Cayman Brac Shore Diving Locations.

Here's a webpage I just turned up Googling on Cayman Islands Shore Diving.

Richard.

We seem to have quite a bit of the same criteria requirements for choosing dive vacation spots.

 

[OkByMe]

A few years ago I took a chance on a TS swap to the East end of Grand Cayman. There are only 2 properties there and is serviced by a good dive operator. It is some of the best diving I have ever found. Mid point on the South side near the light house, the wall is RIGHT there at 100 yards or less. The wind is usually out of the South and the waves can be high, but you can catch it on a calm day. All the way East toward the Northern point, the Wall is RIGHT there. All the pollution and traffic is on the West end, along with the cruise traffic. You will need a rental car and it would be best to stay East too. If you do stay at Morrits or the Reef, buy all your groceries and supplies at West end to save money. There are few restaurant options available East.