First time divers need to figure out best destination for us - help please

[apachemd]

So my fiancee and I are first time divers from NYC. We are looking to go the first week of May. It seems that there are trade-offs with all destinations that are close to the continental US, was hoping to get some input from you more experienced and traveled divers. In rough order of importance what we are looking for is:

1. Good diving for beginners. We are hoping to do 2 dives/day each morning, and be done by midday or so. Thus we'd like to eliminate or minimize transit/drive time on most days to dive spots.
2. Some good, active, non-diving activities for us to do in the afternoons -- hiking, biking, zip lining, etc.
3. Amenities/comfort. We don't necessarily need or want the Ritz, but decent 3+ star places (by US standards) with clean rooms, good A/C, no bugs, and maybe big TV's with movie options would be nice.
4. Food. We are ok with cooking or having someone cook for us if the room offers that option, but some decent dinner dining options where we can dress up a bit and that have nice ambiance and views where we can eat nice, healthy, fresh meals with a bit of red wine a few nights would be nice.

We've looked at Bonaire and Dominica so far. Bonaire seems to be the clear winner for diving for us but o/w appears to be on the spartan side. Dominica offers appealing nice non-diving activities but I read that it too is on the "primitive" end of the spectrum, also I read some concerns about cold water there. We're avoiding Grand Cayman and T&C b/c we've already been to those places. Cozumel is another option we're considering. We've been to Hawaii and it is a bit far anyway. I think Bermuda water will be cold but I'm not sure.

I could use any help or guidance y'all could offer. Much appreciated, thank you

 

[diverrex]

Unfortunately many of the good dive locations don't have much to do other than diving. Dominica would be good for afternoon activities up in the rainforest. Not sure what you mean by cold water there, it's about the same temp as other Caribbean locations. Dominica isn't that primitive, it has a number of nice hotels by the water and lodges in the rainforest. The thing about Dominica is it's harder to get to some other places, you can't take as much baggage because you fly into the island on a small plane and the food is okay but definitely not great. Bonaire is super easy diving, lots of small colerful fish. If you pick a resort like Buddy's you can do some boat diving and mix in some shore dives. They are super easy in Bonaire. The resaturants are great on Bonaire but there is not a lot to do other than dive, or kiteboard to the south, windsurf on the windward side or kayak in the mangroves (which we really liked). If I had only a week I'd go to Bonaire. If I had two weeks I'd definitely go to Dominca and plan to spend some days in the rainforeast. Canyoning in Dominica was one of the most fun things we've ever done, made missing a day of diving worthwhile.

You might also look at Roatan.

If you ever find a place that has a god mix of quality diving and then good outdoor activities for the afternoon let me know, I've been looking for one.

 

[apachemd]

Great input. Difficult accessibility is a factor I had heretofore not considered. Roatan looks... interesting.

Thoughts on Cozumel?

 

[Queen Triggerfish]

I love Cozumel, but it would not be among the first places I would list for beginners. Granted there are LOTS of divers certified there, but some of my friends with close to 50 dives have found the drift diving a little unnerving at first. I'm sure that depends on one's comfort level and what you are used to. It's not an "absolutely not," but just not where I would take beginner divers.

I would also vote Roatan because it's easy diving for beginners and has quite a of the topside activities you mentioned. Curacao would be another possible choice. I think there is more to do topside than Bonaire, although I think Roatan might still be the winner for the types of activities you asked about.

I'm sure you will have fun no matter what you choose!

 

[Doppler]

I love Dominica... beautiful spot... Not much in the way of mad nightlife and I do not think Starbucks has a store there, but wonderful people and beautiful diving.

 

[diversteve]

no bugs pretty much eliminates Roatan in May...although they do have several ziplines. It's also going to be pretty humid then. On Roatan the only place I know of with flat screen TV's - except maybe some of the better West Bay resorts - is Barefoot Cay - they even have DirecTV. Downside of BFC is it's a little isolated. It might be a good choice though as they have small boats, small groups and a DM on every dive. Also it's really "valet" diving, they'll set up your gear etc. - or not - as requested.

The other AI's - Cocoview, Anthony's Key, Fantasy Island etc. are more rustic. If you decide on Roatan, most of the restaurants/nightlife is in the West End. There's also some nicer condos available on vrbo.com. As well as several highly regarded dive operators, Coconut Tree, Reef Gliders, West End Divers are mentioned here often.

Curacao is basically the same diving as Bonaire with much more to do topside. There's also some good dive operators on both ends of the island - used to dealing with divers of all experience levels. A lot of the sites are fairly close offshore since the reef parallels the shore. So two dives and you're back for lunch typically. Other things you can do there: Curacao Travel Packages - Tourism Guide Information In and around Willemstad there are a lot of dining options in all priceranges also - many on the water. For a conventional hotel, the Marriott Emerald Resort in Piscadera Bay is nice - about 10mins. to downtown from there but there's also several other resorts and restaurants nearby.

One advantage for new divers is the Dive Bus - they do escorted shore diving till you get a handle on that. Although there it's pretty easy, most entries are off either dive docks or sandy beaches and the reef parallels the shore. Tugboat might be one dive site you could try on your own - it's 20' deep and an easy entry. It's all pretty much low-current diving also except for a couple of spots known for drift-diving - which require a boat. The Dive Bus - WELCOME

I agree with the above poster, I wouldn't recommend Cozumel for new divers. A lot of the diving is deep and it's mostly drift diving. Although it's better for air consumption you have to know what to do - especially when you surface as there's often other boat traffic in the same area. I'd save it for when you have more dives.

Bonaire might be another good choice but there's less to do on the surface. The DM's are excellent at pointing out small critters that most of us never see. Toucan Divers at the Plaza Resort might be a good choice, they have smaller boats - only take 12 per boat and put a DM in the water with you automatically. They also have easy entry/exit boats - something to consider when you're just starting out. You have enough to deal with without having to worry about that. So do many other dive operators on Bonaire - I just have personal experience with TD.

On Bonaire I think Den Laman Condos has flat screen TV's - and an on-site restaurant. As well as a great dive - Bari Reef - just off the beach there.

 

[apachemd]

Great input everyone, very informative, many thanks.

One thing I did not consider until after I started looking for flights... most of these carib destinations are quite far from NYC -- requiring 1+ days of travel each way (!). So we actually settled on Bermuda. I don't think the diving is going to be as good as the carib, and the water will be colder, but the flight is a quick 2:15 hop, and it seems like Bermuda is more "developed," so those makes up for the drawbacks to some degree. I hope Bermuda ends up being ok for us...

Thanks again for all your input!

 

[devinesigns]

Another option you might want to try on a subsequent trip is the Florida Keys. Specifically in Key Largo, the diving is extremely easy for beginners because it never gets deep- max 30 feet on most dives. There is plenty of stuff to do on the surface as well.

But I agree with the others that the best dive spots tend not to be the best spots for everything else.

 

[DeputyDan]

Look at St Marteen - dive with Octopus diving on the French side - Would be an OK first trip - closer to NYC than most

 

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

Sounds like you made your plan. For future trips...don't discount Cozumel. We did our first ocean dives there years ago and still visit frequently, though it may not be your best bet for a wide array of athletic topside pursuits (its strengths are more about restaurants, bars, shopping and wandering, though if you ferry to the mainland, there are numerous zip line places, cenotes, excellent ruins, etc.). If your first dives are drift dives and you don't know anything else, it seems like a perfectly normal, effortless way to go. We found Dominica to be way more lacking in tourism infrastructure than Bonaire, and if we went again, we'd be sure to stay in the heart of downtown (we didn't, and our dining options were extremely limited). But I'd say it's probably better than almost anywhere if you're looking for a hiker's paradise. I like Bonaire a lot and wish it were as easy to get to as Cozumel. And Roatan had some nice diving too. You don't hear a lot about Bermuda diving, but I'd expect you'll be happy with it. Hope you have a great trip.