Favorite caribbean location on a budget / short trip for a beginner

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

nquinn

Contributor
Messages
74
Reaction score
13
Location
Arlington, VA
# of dives
25 - 49
About me: ~ 35 dives, aow/nitrox, but consider myself a beginner.

Looking to plan a short trip, say 5 days or so for a location to hop to, do maybe 2 dives a day, and relax with a little topside.

Wants:
- big sealife if possible (rays, sharks, whale sharks, etc)
- wrecks could be ok
- easier conditions. Some deeper dives OK but I'd prefer lots of nice views at 60' or shallower

Don't want:
- ugly coral only sites - if the site is mostly dead coral and sandy bottoms, i'm probably not interested
- shore dives - kinda new and this makes me nervous a bit - this also may be a solo trip for me
- really strong currents
- cold water

I have a southwest companion pass, so leaning towards these, locations, though have flexibility:

- cozumel or tulum
- bahamas
- turks & caicos (prob most $$$)
- belize
- florida keys or other FL, maybe less interested

Have already been to grand cayman (not little cayman) and PR (though haven't dived PR)

Any good comparisons for those places above or good suggestions?
 
Nice. Tulum is great place. Facebook - Dive with Pato. Great guy. Video From this December with Pato. You have Cenotes to try. Pato can help you with that also. Enjoy. Post when when your trip is happening.
 
Cozumel fits everything you're looking for. Don't let the idea of drift diving scare you away, it's more like diving on a moving sidewalk. You don't have to kick and you just gently glide by and take it all in. There are deeper wall dives, but the deepest I have ever been there is actually only 92 feet and you can stay on top of the walls and still have a lot to see in the 60-80 foot region. There are several sites shallower than 60', but those are usually done on second dives.

Also consider Roatán.

Wherever you go, make sure you are very familiar with what they are doing for COVID and you follow all the local laws and regulations and don't run into any surprises.
 
Cozumel can be done real cheap but does not have a lot of large stuff and has currents. The currents aren't a big deal, they actually make diving very easy. Hire a private guide or I'll dive with you first day and you'll be fine from ther on....

For where to stay - check resorts but check AirBnB's too - many many very cheap places. Message me if you want diving but I try not to push myself here on Scuba Board - I live in Cozumel
 

Back
Top Bottom