Diving with Southwest

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Allibelle

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# of dives
50 - 99
I'm looking for dive recommendations for summer (July/Aug) with fairly easy travel. We went to the Keys last time and it was ok. We weren't blown away with the dives. We've got some miles on Southwest, so I was wondering if there is any good diving at Southwest locations OR if there are easy connections (different airline) to elsewhere.

I'm dying to go to Bonaire, but I'm not fired up about the flight schedules I'm finding (some in the 24 hour total travel time range).

Southwest flies to:
Nassau
Punta Cana
San Juan
Montego Bay
Aruba (can I book my own connection to Bonaire?)

We will be a few couples, possibly with kids and a babysitter. We generally prefer color, reef dives. My husband and I have never dived in the Caribbean (our experience is all SEA and Australia). The other couples don't have a lot of experience in the Caribbean either.

I'm afraid we were very spoiled in Asia with fantastic dive sites in every direction. Now the travel portion seems daunting from our land-locked state.
 
My .02

Nassau is a possibility. The issue there is it's all boat dives with either Stuart Cove's or Bahama Divers so tends to be more expensive if doing daily dives since 2 dives runs over $100. Those are the only two options on Nassau - Cove's pretty much owns that market. Logistically for you they're not as good since it's a 45min. shuttle ride to their operation on the south side - all the resorts etc. are north or on Paradise Island. Bahama Divers is located at the bridge to Paradise Island so if you stayed on it (Atlantis Resort or others) or nearby in Cable Beach - you could be back from diving by lunch time. Something affordable in that area is Comfort Suites - they're owned by Atlantis so you get full resort access yet more affordable. Not beachfront but Atlantis has a pretty nice one - actually several. And there's a lot of kid friendly things there - waterpark, dolphins, etc. - I think they even offer day programs for the kids.

Don't know the DR.

San Juan would be a possibility but you'd have to drive elsewhere since the better diving is not there but either to the west/southwest or the east coast. (Not much of a drive though)

Montego Bay could be an option. The couples type resorts there offer diving so it's probably decent. I've not been there but a buddy has. I have in the past read Jamaica is over-fished though.

You can get from Aruba to Bonaire. Often within the same day depending on when you arrive there.
Another routing option is to fly on any of a number of major U.S. and South American carriers to Aruba and then take Insel Air (with a stop in Curacao) from there to Bonaire.
https://www.fly-inselair.com/en/

With kids you should consider Curacao also. It's a bigger island so there's more non-diving things to do. Sunscape is an affordable, kid-friendly AI resort - diving is with an on-site operator and they also offer a kids program. Plus the Sea Aquarium is near there and the Ostrich Farm a little inland.

Most of the shore dive sites are also beaches so if someone wanted to babysit, everyone else coould sneak in a dive and not be gone more than an hour. The Marriott in Piscadera Bay is also an option since it's near downtown but not in downtown. The issue with downtown is no beaches at the resorts and a lot of cruise traffic sometimes. If you see the Marriott Renaissance listed - while it's nicer - it adjoins the cruise pier basically. And they have no beach.

There's also all sorts of condos/villa options for your group as well - same as Bonaire - if you prefer that. www.curacao.com

It's also the same diving as Bonaire - in the west I felt it was better than Bonaire. Certainly more varied.

Nothing is going to be as good as Asia in the Caribbean though.
 
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I'm looking for dive recommendations for summer (July/Aug) with fairly easy travel. We went to the Keys last time and it was ok. We weren't blown away with the dives. We've got some miles on Southwest, so I was wondering if there is any good diving at Southwest locations OR if there are easy connections (different airline) to elsewhere.

I'm dying to go to Bonaire, but I'm not fired up about the flight schedules I'm finding (some in the 24 hour total travel time range).

Southwest flies to:
Nassau
Punta Cana
San Juan
Montego Bay
Aruba (can I book my own connection to Bonaire?)

We will be a few couples, possibly with kids and a babysitter. We generally prefer color, reef dives. My husband and I have never dived in the Caribbean (our experience is all SEA and Australia). The other couples don't have a lot of experience in the Caribbean either.

I'm afraid we were very spoiled in Asia with fantastic dive sites in every direction. Now the travel portion seems daunting from our land-locked state.
.
They also fly to Cancun, which gives you access to the entire Yucatan/Mexican Riviera (including Cozumel).
 
Since you already have mentioned paying for a flight from Aruba over and above your SW ticket, you might consider going to Nassau and getting in an island hopper and fly out to some pretty good diving in the Bahamian out-islands. San Salvador, etc.

None of your listed SW available destinations are any great shakes, even for the Caribbean, much less compared to Asia and SoPac. That said, if your total dive count that you have on your profile is any correct indication, try hard to find what cool stuff there is- beyond just simply being overwhelmed by the abundance you have previously been presented with.

Wherever you decide, really focus on the local flora and fauna. Try to find a DM who is a qualified naturalist guide, a real expert on what is hidden in plain sight. If all he can do is point at Lobsters and larger fish, change DMs. Suggest also that you study up on, or buy a Caribbean/Bahamas Reef Fish/creature ID book (paul Humann series) for a good primer.
 
You don't say which "land locked state" you live in, so that may make a difference in recommendations.

Southwest does fly into Cancun now, with a sister company but you can use your free flights with them.... I wouldn't stay there though for diving. Cozumel is where the great diving is and it would mean another flight over, or land transport down to Playa del Carmen then the ferry over, which would be a halfday travel each way. Staying on Cozumel would give you diving and activities for non-divers and kids.

You could use your Southwest miles, we build up lots of them also so we know what you mean.... and fly to a place that has direct flights to somewhere good.

I think you should explore Cozumel as an option. With families and kids, you might like one of the AI packages you can get where the resort has a big pool, etc. Several options there, and the diving is fantastic. It is also relatively cheap compared to some other locations in the Caribbean.
If price is not a factor, then maybe look at Grand Cayman.
If you want more rustic accommodations, not fancy hotels, look at Anthony's Key Resort in Roatan. Families and kids that I know who have been there loved it.

there are several really good Dive Travel companies, all have packages that are about the same. Look at:
Island Dreams Travel scuba diving vacations, cozumel scuba diving, dive travel, dive resorts, diving trips
Bay Adventures :: Dive Adventures and Island Vacations :: 888.599.3483
Scuba Diving Vacations - Caradonna Dive Adventures


They are a great place to get started on your search.
 
Thanks everyone! Very good suggestions. I also found out that Delta does fly to Bonaire direct from Atlanta. I was looking at dates in July and August and no flights were coming up, but I guess that is more of a schedule thing. When I looked in April/May, I found that there are flights.

I had not thought of Mexico at all. Just kind of forgot. That could be a good route to go as well!
 
If you weren't blown away with the dives in the Florida Keys (which part of the Keys? How many dives? Care to mention which sites you hit?) and your prior experience is southeast Asian & Australia, you may be in danger of becoming a jaded diver pretty early on! And you haven't exactly put forward a list of all 1st tier destinations at that.

Nassau is famous for Stuart Cove's shark dives. Is that something you guys want to do? If it's a big deal, or you could care less, could be a big factor here. I've read the best Bahamas diving is via live-aboard, but that won't likely work for your group.

Here's an old thread on diving in Puerto Rico; scroll down to read what ginovega had to say about it.

Bonaire would be a good place for you guys to dive when, where & how you wish, as a small group. While it's not known for its non-diving attractions, it's got windsurfing, kiteboarding & snorkeling, and a drive through the park up north can be scenic.

Richard.
 
FYI Airtran was fully intergrated into Southwest on 28 December and is no more, all their flights are now Southwest.
 
There's also a United flight direct from Houston (IAH) on Saturday - in fact there's two:

Capture.jpg

Southwest flies into Hobby(HOU) though which is about an hour away if you need to use your miles to get there. That would probably be a pretty expensive cab/shuttle ride. A friend lives in Galveston so I did it the drive once - we left the Hobby vicinity around 4:15AM and were at IAH just before 5AM.

He knew a couple who once landed at Hobby, rented car and drove to George Bush - with no drop-off charge it was cheaper.
 
One other thing that occurred to me is that about 10 years ago we flew to San Juan then on to Bonaire on American Eagle. (AA) Almost a full day layover - we had time to cab into San Juan and walk around downtown all afternoon.

While I don't think that flight exists any longer at all - while sitting in the waiting area they were calling local flights for some of the better diving nearby - I remember the BVI's, St. Kitts and I believe Dominica and Barbados were also called. At the time I remember thinking those were all places I wanted to dive.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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