First Dive vacation suggestions please

[bduffy0419]

Hello,
We are a couple in our 50s and got certified four months ago in Jamaica. We would like to plan our first diving vacation and would like suggestions as to where to travel. We would like to dive once each day. We prefer a non AI,quiet, smaller but very comfy resort and would look for a fun, safety oriented divemaster. We would be flying from NY. What do you think? Thanks!

 

[catskill diver]

bduffy - from nyc you can get to alot of places direct.Sometimes the connection and the airtravel can be a bummer. What else are you planning while away? Nature oriented or shopping / city / night life. Costs a concern ? My wife and I are trying to get away several trips a year and spend time e-mailing the dive op's to get a feel for their responses and the tone they give. Putting all costs on a grid to total up all expenses. Decided the next two trips would be Saba - just her and I because its total nature and very resonable with spectacular diving.SeaSaba put the package together. The next family trip w/ 6 will be Curacao with a VRBO condo 3 bedroom / kitchen on the reef for $1000. the boat diving budjet gets out of hand w/ 6 of us, were shore diving is $10 per tank. take a look into the travel forums after you narrow it down a bit.

 

[bduffy0419]

Thank you for the response. We actually would fly out of Syracuse or Rochester. Our non-diving plans would be very quiet - hanging out on the beach or at a pool - just chilling. We like eating at local places vs resorts. Cost is not really a huge factor as we can only get away once a year. We would like to have a dive master with us for anything at all difficult. We would like to try a small amount on our own in a safe environment. We would be going in early November.

 

[dive brat]

Cozumel is relatively close and easy to get to, and the diving there is fantastic.

I would recommend Caribe Blue- a small but nice little hotel on the outskirts of town. Small, unheated pool, right on the water. In combination I would recommend Blue X T Sea Divers. They are professional, well prepared and safety oriented (with some nice luxuries like fresh towels and SI treats).

Where ever you go- have fun!

 

[robint]

November is not the greatest time to be going to the Caribbean as it is still the rainy season, end of hurricane season, so weather can be mixed and diving can be iffy. During fall/winter, your best bet for diving is going to be on the southside of an island away from any winter storms which cause rough seas, but that won't guarantee against any rainy weather. That said, you could have a week of nothing but flat seas and sun... or you could have cloudy weather and rain every day. It is really a crap shoot from Sept-Dec.

Best bet for best weather would be far south... like Curacao or Bonaire. Bonaire is primarily shore diving, no DM involved, so I am guessing Curacao would work better for you. There are boat dives available at all dive ops in Bonaire if you want, various packages and price ranges. Divi Flamingo is one in particular that I know has morning 2-tank dive packages.

If you don't mind possible weather issues -
Other places, like Belize (Ambergris Caye) or Cozumel would be good for new divers.
Also, Caymans will be an option.
I bet you can get good flights into Grand Cayman. Look at Sunset House and Cobalt Coast.

It all depends what type of accomodations you want - fancy or rustic, what you want to do when not diving, and price range.
I recommend you look at a few of the "Dive Travel" specialists websites:
www.bayadventures.com
Island Dreams Travel scuba diving vacations
Caradonna Dive Adventures

All of these companies are good and have plenty of info on destinations and prices.

November is a good time to visit Hawaii though. Much more relaxed pace, 2-tank morning dives then rest of day to lay around on beach, etc. Check out Maui or Kona. It is a little bit longer travel to get there from NY, and prices are higher than Caribbean but the diving is different and no passport needed.

robin

 

[vladimir]

Hello,
We are a couple in our 50s and got certified four months ago in Jamaica. We would like to plan our first diving vacation and would like suggestions as to where to travel. We would like to dive once each day. We prefer a non AI,quiet, smaller but very comfy resort and would look for a fun, safety oriented divemaster. We would be flying from NY. What do you think? Thanks!

Bonaire: very easy diving and a direct flight from Newark on Continental. Leave at midnight on Saturday night and arrive at 4:30 Sunday morning, for about $1,000. Stay at Harbour Village Beach Club, a small resort on the luxe side that has a nice sandy beach, a good restaurant that juts out on a pier into the channel between Bonaire and Klein Bonaire, and a boat (with divemaster) that leaves at 9:00am, 11:00am, and 2:00pm every day, even if you are the only two divers who sign up.

By the way, if you're only diving once a day, you can't really call it a dive vacation. That's probably the right amount of diving in Jamaica, but once you see what a healthy coral reef looks like, you might adjust your schedule.

 

[Carnold]

Bonaire - it was our first and I am 50. It is dive life changing. We stayed at Buddy's. The dive and drive package only includes beakfast. I suggest you try Macky Snack for lunch one day, a little but all the locals go there for lunch. They serve goat, chicken and fish with polenta and plantains. Shore diving from Buddy's is great, we did not go to any of the other shore diving sites. We did our first night dive on Buddy's reef. On the night dives the tarpon swim all around you, at one time as many as dozen. The flight to Bonaire can be hard, we did the redeye. Good Luck, Have Fun.
We have also been to Cozumel. We stayed at Scuba Club Cozumel, it was very nice as well. We plan to go to Cozumel again in April. Cozumel is drift diving which is nice. Shore diving is not as good. We are looking at Blue Angel, because SCC have not posted their April Specials.

 

[Karel]

Hello,
I would recommend Curacao. You can check all diving sites and beaches : here.
scroll down to the sites and click on them. You can also try the " click map".
You are welcome.

 

[dkktsunami]

Little Cayman Beach Resort

 

[Doc]

Cost is not really a huge factor as we can only get away once a year. We would like to have a dive master with us for anything at all difficult. We would like to try a small amount on our own in a safe environment.

Understand that a DM that you find during resort diving on vacation will not be fulfilling the same function as one did during your certification. Not every dive resort will tailor dives to absolute beginner abilities, at least not after the first dive you are taken on.

If money is not that much of an issue, consider hiring your own private DM until you feel comfortable. You will go on the same boat with everyone, you'll just have a lot more hands-on interaction. He will also have time to make sure you do everything safely and learn about diving, as well. The general DM of any given boat has a lot of things to juggle, and being concerned over the performance of two willing new divers is usually not high on his list of anticipated activities.

As the the advice about November's weather, RobinT has steered you in the right direction with Bonaire.