Cberni
Registered
Playa Carmen. Maybe just got lucky but saw abundance of turtles, eagle rays and eels. Wife Loves the beach. Was there in July and liked it so much we re-booked for February.
Diving location with nice beaches
- Thread starter Mason Gierke
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Damselfish
Contributor
They also said “Mexico or Caribbean preferably” Kinda don’t get the sense they’re looking for cold water.
OP
Mason Gierke
Contributor
Sorry didnt specify, looking for warm water, will be traveling most likely late July or August. Thanks for all the info, I think there is enough for me to sort through it all know. Its great how helpful this site can be.
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#'s1,2 and4 on Richards list. Also Maui.
Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman is almost that long. Mid-way it gets pretty wide also. And the dive operators will all pick you up streetside to take youi diving - Red Sail even does it off the beach at the Westin or Marriott with a flat bottom boat.There's also a few shore dives both north SMB and around Georgetown - also lots of cruise ships call there daily.
Grace Bay Beach on Provo (Turks/Caicos) has it's own website - it's that nice. Dive operators also pickup there - good diving off Grace Bay and NW Point - great diving off West Caicos and French Cay but they're about a hour ride so dives are limited to two plus lunch or 3 but you're gone all day. No shore diving.
The nice thing about Curacao is that almost all the beaches have concessions and most have dive shops as part of that. Several sites like Porto Mari or Playa Lagun are good for both. Porto Mari is a nice double reef and your family can watch from shore.
I could make a case for a day at Lagun or Trunk Bay also since in addition to a good dive, they boh have real restaurants. Also most of the on-site shops have lockers, showers, etc. You do pay a small usage fee in guilders but that also means they do improvements like the dive dock at Trunk Bay. We saw multiple families there - there's turtles just off the beach in 6' of water. Seahorses farther out for the divers and it's the 2nd Carpile wreck site but deep. The big pontoon boat they used to drop the cars is out there also starting around 80' and down - it's a big wreck.
Curacao also has a lot of non-dive attractions, the Aquarium, Beach clubs, Ostrich Farm, historic old downtown, some forts etc.
Maui has a lot of nice beaches both west and south. Many of them are dive sites but you'll need to rent gear elsewhere unless you stay at the Grand Wailea - which has an awesome water park. There's a couple other properties with dives/shops on site like the Sheraton at Black Rock or the old Embassy Suites on Kaanapali - I think Tiny Bubbles Scuba is still there.
Most of the better Maui dives will require a car and a drive to the site. And virtually all the boats leeve from Lahaina Harbor in West Maui or the Kihei Boat Ramp in South Maui. Lahaina is a major tourist town, the Ramp is near nothing.
Most of the shops are in one of the towns so you check in once then meet at the boat to dive.
Curacao is probably the cheapest on my list. It's a tossup as to whether GC or Provo were the most expensive place we've ever dove - probably GC but I only spent a couple days on Provo around a liveaboard trip.
Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman is almost that long. Mid-way it gets pretty wide also. And the dive operators will all pick you up streetside to take youi diving - Red Sail even does it off the beach at the Westin or Marriott with a flat bottom boat.There's also a few shore dives both north SMB and around Georgetown - also lots of cruise ships call there daily.
Grace Bay Beach on Provo (Turks/Caicos) has it's own website - it's that nice. Dive operators also pickup there - good diving off Grace Bay and NW Point - great diving off West Caicos and French Cay but they're about a hour ride so dives are limited to two plus lunch or 3 but you're gone all day. No shore diving.
The nice thing about Curacao is that almost all the beaches have concessions and most have dive shops as part of that. Several sites like Porto Mari or Playa Lagun are good for both. Porto Mari is a nice double reef and your family can watch from shore.
I could make a case for a day at Lagun or Trunk Bay also since in addition to a good dive, they boh have real restaurants. Also most of the on-site shops have lockers, showers, etc. You do pay a small usage fee in guilders but that also means they do improvements like the dive dock at Trunk Bay. We saw multiple families there - there's turtles just off the beach in 6' of water. Seahorses farther out for the divers and it's the 2nd Carpile wreck site but deep. The big pontoon boat they used to drop the cars is out there also starting around 80' and down - it's a big wreck.
Curacao also has a lot of non-dive attractions, the Aquarium, Beach clubs, Ostrich Farm, historic old downtown, some forts etc.
Maui has a lot of nice beaches both west and south. Many of them are dive sites but you'll need to rent gear elsewhere unless you stay at the Grand Wailea - which has an awesome water park. There's a couple other properties with dives/shops on site like the Sheraton at Black Rock or the old Embassy Suites on Kaanapali - I think Tiny Bubbles Scuba is still there.
Most of the better Maui dives will require a car and a drive to the site. And virtually all the boats leeve from Lahaina Harbor in West Maui or the Kihei Boat Ramp in South Maui. Lahaina is a major tourist town, the Ramp is near nothing.
Most of the shops are in one of the towns so you check in once then meet at the boat to dive.
Curacao is probably the cheapest on my list. It's a tossup as to whether GC or Provo were the most expensive place we've ever dove - probably GC but I only spent a couple days on Provo around a liveaboard trip.
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I can almost count ALL the beaches on Bonaire on one hand. Most of the coast line on the west side is ironshore up to and into the water. It will shred your feet w/o good boots. Most of the dive resorts north of town are 15-20' above the water - at Buddy's there's ladders to get down. There are a few house rentals south of town in Belnem that have a skinny beach out front but some of those disappear with the tide.
I'll make a list:
Tje Plaza Resort - decent behind the breakwater
Harbour Village - exceeds your $2K limit. Nicest beatch there.
The tiny beach at the Divi
The even tinier beach at Sand Dollar condos.
Pink Beach but it's rocky - no facilities.
Coco Beach Club but they use a concrete curb to keep the sand onshore.
Lac Bay but you can't dive there - it's too shallow.
I'll make a list:
Tje Plaza Resort - decent behind the breakwater
Harbour Village - exceeds your $2K limit. Nicest beatch there.
The tiny beach at the Divi
The even tinier beach at Sand Dollar condos.
Pink Beach but it's rocky - no facilities.
Coco Beach Club but they use a concrete curb to keep the sand onshore.
Lac Bay but you can't dive there - it's too shallow.
Hoag
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My recommendation would likely be Provo TCI, but take this with a grain of salt. It would definitely be a compromise.
I would stay at the Ports of Call & dive with Dive Provo. The Ports of Call is not located on the beach so it is significantly lower cost than a resort that is right on the beach. Beaches in TCI are public, so while saving a significant amount of money, you can be on the same world class beach in less than 5 minutes.
Dive Provo shares a parking lot with Ports of Call, so the diving doesn't get much more convenient. You simply meet up in the parking lot & they take you to the harbour where the boat is docked and off you go. Transit times can be quite long depending on which dive site you are going to (around an hour). The diving in TCI is typically crystal clear turquoise water with very little current and a sandy bottom leading to a wall starting at 50-75 feet. It also tends to be very "sharkey". Do not be surprised if you see Reef Sharks almost every day.
As for food ... If you choose to eat in restaurants, then, yes TCI can become very expensive very quickly. There is, however a grocery store with a Deli in it that serves everything from salads & sandwiches to Italian food (IIRC, they have great pasta & amazing made to order brick oven pizzas.) only about a 5 minute walk away.
So, like I said, it is a compromise, but I think it is a great one. It is not right on the beach, but it is a 5 minute walk from some world class beaches. It is not the cheapest trip, but the costs can be mitigated quite easily. The diving will be good, but almost all dive sites will offer the same features (clear water, walls & sharks).
I hope that helps.
I would stay at the Ports of Call & dive with Dive Provo. The Ports of Call is not located on the beach so it is significantly lower cost than a resort that is right on the beach. Beaches in TCI are public, so while saving a significant amount of money, you can be on the same world class beach in less than 5 minutes.
Dive Provo shares a parking lot with Ports of Call, so the diving doesn't get much more convenient. You simply meet up in the parking lot & they take you to the harbour where the boat is docked and off you go. Transit times can be quite long depending on which dive site you are going to (around an hour). The diving in TCI is typically crystal clear turquoise water with very little current and a sandy bottom leading to a wall starting at 50-75 feet. It also tends to be very "sharkey". Do not be surprised if you see Reef Sharks almost every day.
As for food ... If you choose to eat in restaurants, then, yes TCI can become very expensive very quickly. There is, however a grocery store with a Deli in it that serves everything from salads & sandwiches to Italian food (IIRC, they have great pasta & amazing made to order brick oven pizzas.) only about a 5 minute walk away.
So, like I said, it is a compromise, but I think it is a great one. It is not right on the beach, but it is a 5 minute walk from some world class beaches. It is not the cheapest trip, but the costs can be mitigated quite easily. The diving will be good, but almost all dive sites will offer the same features (clear water, walls & sharks).
I hope that helps.
drrich2
Contributor
Since the original poster lists a fairly low dive count and per profile has been certified under a year, I suppose he may not have done much foreign travel to the Caribbean region (speculation on my part; he may be a seasoned traveler), so some added comments.
At least via live-aboard, diving out of Provo. is known for being rather deep (the top of the reef wall starting maybe 45 - 50 feet or so?). If you're fairly fresh out of open water training, you might want a destination tending toward somewhat shallower diving. Also, it is 'wall' diving - most of what we did started over a flat sandy plain, but we swam out to the wall and then is was swimming along a variably vertical wall, with the bottom way below. I just want it clear that a lot of scuba diving doesn't involved swimming over a flat 'floor' 10 to 20 feet under you.
While we've spoken of diving and trip costs, since this is a family vacation, be mindful the topside experience (outside the beach) varies a lot. The lushly vegetated St. Lucia was beautiful, St. Croix more 'gently mountainous' over part of it, Curacao is arid with some cacti, etc... But that's not what I'm getting at...
Some islands are particularly 'touristy.' While some don't like that, people looking for topside excursions to entertain kids & other family members may have a different perspective. Islands taking a lot of cruise ships often offer a lot of excursions. Grand Cayman is a popular cruise port (thus the capital can get congested hours they're in port); it's got a Turtle Farm (sea turtle production) and dolphin encounter option (disclaimer: many people are opposed to captive marine mammal 'exploitation' and some don't like the turtle farm; make up your own mind). Cozumel has various options (including dolphins). Provo. is not a cruise port...but Grand Turk is.
You can go to TripAdvisor.com, put in your destination and go to their 'Things To Do' category, and that'll give you topside options. If one family member is bent on trying zip lining, would carry the treasured memory of an in water hands-on dolphin encounter till death, etc..., that might narrow it down. And if you like your topside a little less touristy, St. Croix might be just right.
Richard.
At least via live-aboard, diving out of Provo. is known for being rather deep (the top of the reef wall starting maybe 45 - 50 feet or so?). If you're fairly fresh out of open water training, you might want a destination tending toward somewhat shallower diving. Also, it is 'wall' diving - most of what we did started over a flat sandy plain, but we swam out to the wall and then is was swimming along a variably vertical wall, with the bottom way below. I just want it clear that a lot of scuba diving doesn't involved swimming over a flat 'floor' 10 to 20 feet under you.
While we've spoken of diving and trip costs, since this is a family vacation, be mindful the topside experience (outside the beach) varies a lot. The lushly vegetated St. Lucia was beautiful, St. Croix more 'gently mountainous' over part of it, Curacao is arid with some cacti, etc... But that's not what I'm getting at...
Some islands are particularly 'touristy.' While some don't like that, people looking for topside excursions to entertain kids & other family members may have a different perspective. Islands taking a lot of cruise ships often offer a lot of excursions. Grand Cayman is a popular cruise port (thus the capital can get congested hours they're in port); it's got a Turtle Farm (sea turtle production) and dolphin encounter option (disclaimer: many people are opposed to captive marine mammal 'exploitation' and some don't like the turtle farm; make up your own mind). Cozumel has various options (including dolphins). Provo. is not a cruise port...but Grand Turk is.
You can go to TripAdvisor.com, put in your destination and go to their 'Things To Do' category, and that'll give you topside options. If one family member is bent on trying zip lining, would carry the treasured memory of an in water hands-on dolphin encounter till death, etc..., that might narrow it down. And if you like your topside a little less touristy, St. Croix might be just right.
Richard.
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