Family Diving - Bonaire vs Caymans or other???

[MakingBubbles]

I am planning a vacation for my family in September (or maybe November). I realize that everyone's idea of the "best" vacation destination is subjective to their own situation. I am an advanced diver. My wife and 11-year old daughter have about about 10 dives under their belt. My 10-year old son is going to be a newly certified diver. I am looking for a destination that has the following (in order of priority). I realize that there probably is no location that has all of these criteria... That is why I prioritized them.

1. Safe for children. We keep a close watch on our children, but obviously there are places that I might go with other adult that would not be appropriate or safe for children. You understand...

2. EASY diving. This is very important being that my wife and kids are relatively new divers. Great visibility, little currents or surge is important. If shore diving, I may have to carry all of the tanks since my wife has a bad back and my kids aren't strong enough to carry them for any real distance. If boat diving is necessary, I am looking for a "pampered" diving experience that is not rushed in any way so my wife and kids are comfortable.

3. Excellent sea life and overall diving experience. Examples of things we would like to see are wide variety or large shoals of fish, soft corals, sea fans, eels, and larger species like dolphins, sharks, rays, whales, etc.

4. Other fun top-side activities for the ENTIRE family. While diving is the primary activity we'll be doing, other activities are a bonus. Sometimes my wife and daughter can only handle one dive every 5-6 hours. I have much more stamina than everyone else, so I may end up diving with each of them individually. It might be nice for my wife and daughter to do something else while my son and I dive. For example, we've stayed at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas that offered other activities (like playing on the beach, tennis, archery, etc.)

5. We also like participating in local cultural activies. For example, we attended a fish fry in a local fishing village in the Bahamas and visited Road to Hana, Place of Refuge, and waterfalls in Hawaii.

6. Kids club. Sometimes the kids like to interact with other kids their own age. This also gives my wife and I some alone time together to go diving or do other "adults-only" activities. While this is not critical, it is nice to have.

We are looking for most "bang for the buck." We are a fairly modest family that does not require luxury. We rarely eat in upscale restaurants and shopping and nightlife are not a priority. Though it might be nice to pick up a small trinket for a souvenir. Unless we are staying at an all-inclusive, we usually like rooms or condos with a kitchen that we can eat at the room to keep the dining costs low. We are also open to try local cuisines and "hole in the wall" restaurants if it's not too expensive and they have good food. As far as lodging, we are not picky as long as it's clean (i.e. not bug infested, etc.).

After looking at many reviews, I am thinking of either Bonaire or one of the Cayman Islands. I've never been to any of these locations. Can those who have been to both weigh in on your recommendation based on the priorities I've listed above? Also, if there is better destination that I am not thinking of that meets this criteria, please let me know.

For points of comparison, we've been diving in West Palm Beach, Bahamas (Freeport), all of the Hawaiian Islands (including Manta dive on Kona), and Southern California (Monterey). Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[dvrliz1]

Even though I am prejudice, because I live here, I definitely have to as Bonaire.

It has everything you ask for in your post. There are various different "kids clubs", your wife and daughter can horseback ride, go kayaking in the mangroves, do a "spa" afternoon with massages, or manicures/pedicures.. The whole family could also do the horseback riding, a few great sunset cruises, kayaking, fishing, a day trip on a great beach on Klein Bonaire, and there are a lot of local festivals and such that you would enjoy!

As far as local food, you have to try some of Chef Gibi's Goat Stew, also, there are a lot of local snacks (small restaurants) that have a lot of local flavor, they are inexpensive and have great local food.

Bonaire is a great place for new divers, with easy entries at a lot of the shore diving sites, but also has great boat diving....for the money vs. the Caymans...I think it would be Bonaire all the way.

Just MHO....

Liz

 

[Cecil]

What Liz said. Bonaire is much easier diving and much less expensive. Check out www.bonaireinfo.com for info and www.bonairetalk.com for questions. The Sand Dollar resort has a nice kid's program (AFAIR). If you want go a little less expensive, Liz's Golden Reef Inn is also very nice (and a great host).

 

[ronbeau]

I am planning a vacation for my family in September (or maybe November). I realize that everyone's idea of the "best" vacation destination is subjective to their own situation. I am an advanced diver. My wife and 11-year old daughter have about about 10 dives under their belt. My 10-year old son is going to be a newly certified diver. I am looking for a destination that has the following (in order of priority). I realize that there probably is no location that has all of these criteria... That is why I prioritized them.

1. Safe for children. We keep a close watch on our children, but obviously there are places that I might go with other adult that would not be appropriate or safe for children. You understand...

2. EASY diving. This is very important being that my wife and kids are relatively new divers. Great visibility, little currents or surge is important. If shore diving, I may have to carry all of the tanks since my wife has a bad back and my kids aren't strong enough to carry them for any real distance. If boat diving is necessary, I am looking for a "pampered" diving experience that is not rushed in any way so my wife and kids are comfortable.

3. Excellent sea life and overall diving experience. Examples of things we would like to see are wide variety or large shoals of fish, soft corals, sea fans, eels, and larger species like dolphins, sharks, rays, whales, etc.

4. Other fun top-side activities for the ENTIRE family. While diving is the primary activity we'll be doing, other activities are a bonus. Sometimes my wife and daughter can only handle one dive every 5-6 hours. I have much more stamina than everyone else, so I may end up diving with each of them individually. It might be nice for my wife and daughter to do something else while my son and I dive. For example, we've stayed at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas that offered other activities (like playing on the beach, tennis, archery, etc.)

5. We also like participating in local cultural activities. For example, we attended a fish fry in a local fishing village in the Bahamas and visited Road to Hana, Place of Refuge, and waterfalls in Hawaii.

6. Kids club. Sometimes the kids like to interact with other kids their own age. This also gives my wife and I some alone time together to go diving or do other "adults-only" activities. While this is not critical, it is nice to have.

We are looking for most "bang for the buck." We are a fairly modest family that does not require luxury. We rarely eat in upscale restaurants and shopping and nightlife are not a priority. Though it might be nice to pick up a small trinket for a souvenir. Unless we are staying at an all-inclusive, we usually like rooms or condos with a kitchen that we can eat at the room to keep the dining costs low. We are also open to try local cuisines and "hole in the wall" restaurants if it's not too expensive and they have good food. As far as lodging, we are not picky as long as it's clean (i.e. not bug infested, etc.).

After looking at many reviews, I am thinking of either Bonaire or one of the Cayman Islands. I've never been to any of these locations. Can those who have been to both weigh in on your recommendation based on the priorities I've listed above? Also, if there is better destination that I am not thinking of that meets this criteria, please let me know.

For points of comparison, we've been diving in West Palm Beach, Bahamas (Freeport), all of the Hawaiian Islands (including Manta dive on Kona), and Southern California (Monterey). Any help is greatly appreciated.

For Bonaire you might want to pick up the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy"
http://www.infobonaire.com/bsdme/order.html. The book is inexpensive ($15 including shipping). The book provides a lot of details about each sight and it suitability for both snorkeling and diving (an level of difficulty).

The other option to consider is Curacao. We stayed at Breezes Curacao last year and were happy with it. The rooms are very functional and had plenty of room to hang up wet suits. The food was good and the entertainment was decent. Breezes Curacao is an all-inclusive resort. My daughter was a few months short of 13 when we stayed there last year.

My daughter enjoyed the trapeze, diving, food and some other kids her age she met at Breezes during our stay.

The "Kids programs" would be much to young for your children. My daughter checked it out and found it was really aimed at kindergarten to second grade kids at the oldest.

One shore dive per day on the local reef in front of Breezes is included free of charge as part of your stay.

My daughter and I (wife is just getting her certification now) dove the Breezes reef and did some dives with "The Dive Bus". We were very happy with the Dive Bus. Try to get Mark or Suzy (the owners) as your dive master. My wife did snorkeling at Breezes and came with us on the Dive Bus and snorkeled while we dove.

I also did one boat dive with Oceans Encounters that left from the dive shop located at Breezes Curacao. I was very happy with it. Some others have had some no so good experiences with Oceans Encounters. I have not seen any complaints about the Dive Bus however. The are located right next door to Breezes Curacao. In fact we walked there from Breezes when we were trying to decide on using their services.

 

[MakingBubbles]

...The whole family could also do the horseback riding...

Liz

I am a pretty large man (i.e. 280 lbs. +). Do they have Clydesdale horses in Bonaire? They might need one for me...

 

[MakingBubbles]

Thanks for all of the replies already. Even prior to my initial post I was leaning toward Bonaire because of the shore diving, but I've also heard some good things about the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find much information on these islands in comparison to Bonaire… and there’s even less information about kid-friendly dive locations (i.e. shallow dive sites). If money is not a concern, does anyone think that any of the Cayman Islands or T&C would provide as good or better diving experience or overall vacation experience for my family? If so, why? Keep in mind that most of the diving we’ll do is relatively shallow (less than 40’ deep) because we’re diving with the kids.

Here are some reasons why I might want to visit these other places and my concerns. Keep in mind that this is all based on hearsay. I’ve not been to any of these places so I’m only basing these comments on what I’ve read. So far, the great folks on ScubaBoard have never steered me wrong so I want to hear from those who have actually been to these islands and Bonaire. Can anyone confirm or deny these ideas I have based on my reading.

Grand Cayman – Many direct flights from my home airport in Atlanta, Georgia. Stingray City sounds like a neat experience cool. Excellent visibility (not sure how it compares to Bonaire). Very popular (although this could be a downside if the dive sites are over-used and damaged like many other popular locations)

Little Cayman or Cayman Brac – Bloody Bay Wall sounds like an awesome dive, but I think it might be too deep for the kids to enjoy. Not sure if these are any other good shallow dives. Also, I’m not sure if there is anything else to do except dive.

Turks and Caicos – Excellent Beaches. Easy diving. Excellent Visibility. Frequent visits from dolphins, turtles, rays and other large pelagics. Diving sounds really great though I am not sure how many of the great sites would be too deep for the kids. Sounds like most good dives are from a boat. I’m not sure if the boat dives would be as easy for the kids as shore dives, but maybe they are easier. Does anyone else have any thoughts about with this?

Forgive my rambling…. I’m just thinking out loud. If anyone can provide me with real world comparisons between Bonaire and these islands, it would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to tell me if anything I said above is “off-base”.

Big thanks in advance!!!

Chris

 

[MakingBubbles]

For Bonaire you might want to pick up the book "Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy"
http://www.infobonaire.com/bsdme/order.html. The book is inexpensive ($15 including shipping). The book provides a lot of details about each sight and it suitability for both snorkeling and diving (an level of difficulty).

The other option to consider is Curacao. We stayed at Breezes Curacao last year and were happy with it.

Ronbeau,

Thanks for the info on this book about Bonaire dive sites. I'll definitely buy it if I decide to go to Bonaire. I was looking at Curacao also, especially since I have some free hotel nights at the Hilton hotel chain that I can use there. Can you tell me how the shore diving and topside activities compare to Bonaire?

Best Regards,
Chris

 

[Damselfish]

If you are concerned with keeping kids under 40' I think Bonaire is your best bet, or Curacao. There is plenty of shore diving in Curacao too, from a few of the hotels and all over the island. Some of it is secluded and some is from public beaches which may be an advantage for you - you pay a few bucks at these but then there are often snackbars, bathrooms, etc. Lots of people like the Dive Bus.

Or perhaps someplace in the Virgin Islands? Or Vieques/Culebra off Puerto Rico I think are shallow? Maybe even Aruba would work.

You can find some shallow options on Grand Cayman but 40' will be pretty limiting and you will miss most of the stuff Cayman is famous for. Might want to save that until the kids are ready to go deeper. Bloody Bay wall is not one dive site, but a whole area with many sites. It's famous partly because it starts shallow, so in fact you could stay above 40' and see lots and still have some of the experience of a wall, assuming the kids have good bouyancy control and you're not worried about them having no bottom. The boats go there a lot but not all the time. Cayman Brac at least what I saw stuff tends to start deeper.

On Provo, the Grace Bay diving may be ok depthwise, not sure, but that's not the better diving in T&C. The better diving starts deeper and is from a boat, with longish boat rides. I forget the starting depths in Grand Turk. It does seem T&C is feast or famine on the bigger animals.

You can't really generalize and say boat diving or shore diving is easier. Shore diving off your hotel dock or someplace with a easy entry is easy. If you have to haul gear a long way to a challenging entry with sharp rocks or surf then it's not as easy. Boat diving may be a new experience for them but should be easy unless it's a place where they have to get back on the boat in rough conditions or something.

As far as other stuff to do, you really have to say what you might want to do. Someplace like Grand Cayman there is certainly more "activity" but that doesn't always translate into stuff to "do." Someplace like Little Cayman you have to entertain yourself but there are usually bikes available, there's bird watching, it's a safe place for kids to go off. Someplace like Little Cayman Beach Resort there is a pool table, tennis/basketball court, volleyball & horseshoes on the beach, kayaks to rent, etc. - though I rarely see anyone using any of them. In my opinion most islands don't have that much to do so it's really a matter if they have something you want.

 

[MakingBubbles]

If you are concerned with keeping kids under 40' I think Bonaire is your best bet, or Curacao. There is plenty of shore diving in Curacao too, from a few of the hotels and all over the island.

Thank you Damselfish. You really cleared up many of the questions I had. I've narrowed my trip down to either Bonaire or Curacao. Like I said, we're a pretty simple family that's easy to please. We love to do things like tennis, kayaking, play pool, ping pong, or participate in local cultural experiences when we are not diving.

 

[smokey braden]

makingbubbles,
you have already received some good information.
sounds like your family is heading for a fantastic holiday.
if curacao has gained your interest there might be one more option.
http://www.sunsetwaters.com/index.php
we stayed there in '04
my son who was 14 earned his ow from sunset divers.
http://www.sunsetdiver.com/
do some research and i'm sure your family will have the time of their lives no matter where you decide to go.
regards,