dive vacation for non-diving spouse

[fudgeorama]

I am looking for a dive vacation with my non-diving spouse. After searching the forum, it appears that on a liveaboard there is not much to do other than dive. The best I can think of is West Palm Beach or Ft. Lauderdale. Dive in the morning and shop in the evening. Any other suggestions?

 

[mikswi]

Curacao, diving is as good as Bonaire but has a huge town with many stores/restaraunts.

 

[smokey braden]

fudgeorama,
welcome to this board.
you will find lots of info here about great vacation destinations.
my wife snorkels but does not dive.

our agreement is if we go on vacation together and there is diving available, i'm allowed to blow 2 tanks in the morning and then the rest of the day is for her.

if i go on vacation without her, i either go with one of my dive buddies or i do a liveaboard.

this so far has kept everyone happy.
when you decide where to go please send us a trip report upon your safe return.
regards,

 

[HowardE]

I like your idea of ft. lauderdale as well... remember... when you do take your wife shopping in the evening... go to RIVERFRONT and shop at "A Shore Thing" for all of your gift giving, cigar, and souvenir needs.

 

[StSomewhere]

our agreement is if we go on vacation together and there is diving available, i'm allowed to blow 2 tanks in the morning and then the rest of the day is for her.

Before scuba I had the same arrangement with my wife with golf. Out at dawn, back by lunch, the rest of the day is hers, and she gets to sleep in. Now I mostly substitute diving for golf.

But I'd still do both if I thought I could get away with it.

fudgeorama, if your wife likes to shop then FLL has a lot to offer (the large marine life is awesome), if she likes to party then maybe Key West. You are right that even at dedicated dive resorts on land there may not be a lot for a non-diver to do.

 

[cuddlefish]

Hawaii is a destination that will have tons of things for a non-diver to do while you sneak in some fun diving.

Also, I was on the Palau Agressor several years ago and the two non-divers had a blast...snorkeling, kayaking, relaxing, reading. They loved it.

 

[diveborg]

Both suggestions of Curacao and Hawaii (especially the Big Island) are good suggestions.

I would also add Cozumel to that list. If she is the all inclusive resort kind of wife, there are couple there that would keep her happy.

There are also a couple of liveaboards that would be worth a look. While Aquacat in the Bahamas is sold as a dive liveaboard, it looks like they offer non-diving stuff too. The one I'd really like to try is the Cuan Law in the BVI. They only offer 3 dives a day, but lots of non-diving stuff too. If money was a secondary concern, the Cuan Law would be by choice.

 

[dvrliz1]

Check out the article on the main page of Scubaboard "Bonaire, Just Paradise".

 

[Liquid Fit]

In my case, I am the diver and my husband is the nondiving spouse. The one place that we both love is Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan Honduras. I do the two morning dives and hubbie goes out on the snorkel boat. This is great because this boat is a designated snorkel boat and they go to some really neat places. The have a guide in the water at all times. We then have lunch together and usually hang out at the swimming pool. Sometimes we will spend the afternoon in the kayaks or go for a horseback ride along the beach. Napping in their wonderful hammocks is another must do activity. I rarely do the night dives, so we both like to get cleaned up and enjoy a relaxing dinner together. Oh, did I say that we enjoy relaxing, relaxing and relaxing. This type of vacation is not recommended for those who must have lots of nightlife. Usually we are in bed catching some zzzzzz's by 9pm. Key is that we both have a wonderful time.

Carolyn

 

[fins]

I am looking for a dive vacation with my non-diving spouse. After searching the forum, it appears that on a liveaboard there is not much to do other than dive. The best I can think of is West Palm Beach or Ft. Lauderdale. Dive in the morning and shop in the evening. Any other suggestions?

Hey Fudge,

Curacao: Dive sites close to shore, lots of shore diving and plenty of other things to do on the island.

Grand Cayman: Dive sites close to shore and some shore diving so you can be back to the hotel late morning after a 2 tank dive and again lots of other things to do on the island

Cozumel: Not the best, nor even recommended dive op but we did disocover that the Occidental all inclusives at the Southern portion of the island have a dive op that comes back to the beach for surface intervals which enables you to choose 1 dive, or 2 or 3 dives and the times that you want to go and once more, lots of other things to do on the island