Good Diving & Nightlife

[DirtyDeeds]

I am looking for suggestions on where to go on my next vacation. I just received my open water certification so I am looking to find a good place to dive. I am single guy going with a buddy of mine so I am also looking for a place that has a good nightlife. I am looking to go for a week and live in NY so probably somewhere in the Carribean/Central America but I am open to other areas.

Thanks,
DirtyDeeds

 

[diversteve]

Aruba? Cozumel? St. Thomas? - diving's best in Coz...

 

[wulvrine74]

Try the Mexican Riviera - Acapulco, Mazatlan, etc.
Not bad with the pricing and they have some really good dives. The night life in Acapulco is awesome!
www.scubavacationexperts.com has some information on this area

 

[DirtyDeeds]

Thanks all for your advice! I think I have narrowed down my trip to Cozumel or Roatan. The diving seems very good at both places just not so sure about the nightlife. Anybody been to both places to compare. It looks like Roatan is cheaper.

Thanks,
DirtyDeeds

 

[Drewpy]

Not much nightlife in Roatan-Westend has some bars,etc but nothing like Cozumel.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

It looks like Cozumel is the place to go. They have the diving and nightlife I am looking for plus the rates are similiar to Roatan. Roatan seems to have just a couple of bar/clubs on the West End. Thanks all!

 

[Moose016]

Yeah, Cozumel is great, main stop off for a lot of cruise ships, though they don't usually stay overnight. right when you get off the dock there is a fat tuesdays to the left (try the 190 octane) and one of the jewlery stores had free frozen margaritas and playa del sol (beach resort) had all you can drink specials, water sports, big bar and pool. I have been there twice and definitely have plans to return again.

 

[tangfish]

Stay in Playa Del Carmen and do a daytrip or overnight in Cozumel. There is no nightlife whatsoever in Cozumel. Playa though, has great places to go out, you can also do a cenote dive from there, my favorite is Dos Ojos.

 

[Doc]

Thanks all for your advice! I think I have narrowed down my trip to Cozumel or Roatan. The diving seems very good at both places just not so sure about the nightlife. Anybody been to both places to compare. It looks like Roatan is cheaper.

Either place you can drink enough to put yourself at risk for DCS for the next dive.

At Cozumel there will be more places to do that with more people to do that with. The diving is, for the Caribbean, maybe a 6. You can drink non-alcoholic drinks and have a great time. Let the party happen around you.

In Roatan, there are many fewer places to drink with less people but the drinks are cheaper and there are many places on the "West End" to do this. The diving (from the West end, I would give a 7.5 in comparison. Alcohol seems to fuel the dance in Roatan more so than Coz. Once you go to a place for the night, you're pretty much so there for the duration.

Unfortunately at this stage in your dive carreer you will not see the difference in diving. That is not an insult, just plain observable fact. Your observational skills are not what they will be at dive #25 or even dive #18, much less #300. At this point, you really might be lucky to see the proverbial 45' Yellow School Bus with 4 way flashers if it were parked on the reef. Log some dives, get comfy- then worry about "what you'll see".

Roatan is best for the micro (small) stuff and the ability to see will come in time. The reef on the West end is in a Marine Reserve and your current buoyancy skills might be better suited to the easy drift of Cozumel.

The Coz dive boats are easier and simpler, and most of all the DM's see a constant stream of divers who are logging their 13th dives, etc.

Coz sounds like the place for right now, and consider re-reading that chapter about alcohol and DCS.

 

[AXL72]

There is always cancun for diving and the night life!!!!

I was surprised how great I enjoyed a two tank dive offshore cancun.

There are several dive shops in cancun. If you need a name (just for the sake of a name) I ended up going with Manta dive shop, but again, there are several other shops to choose from. They served the purpose of taking me out on a dive, that was extroardinary. Felt good with their safety consciousness, but other shops are probably just as safety focused.

You could look up Manta or any other dive shop on the net, and e-mail them about what sites you might like to dive...aka wreck morning dive, cenotes, cozumel, or any other particular location that sticks out as being potentially interesting. They sometimes may be accomodatiing if you e-mail them with a request at least a week or two or more in advance (avoid the day or night prior to arrival as it may not be worth much for getting your preference(s)/expectations).

Manta, as well as other shops, also take groups to cozumel and the cenotes for a one stop shop sort of package.

Cancun is more happening in terms of night life. There is more infrastructure (aka city life that you may be accustomed to from living in NY). However, Cancun is very small compared to New York, of course.

Cozumel may be good for night life. If the cruise ships are in cozumel, the night life is great and hopping. If cozumel has no ships in port, then there is essentially absolutely no night life whatsoever, except on rare occasions when an abundant number of night life types are staying in cozumel hotels.

Senior Frogs / Carlos & Charly's in cancun is good, and there are other places you may enjoy.

Have fun...and whatever you choose, it will be good. Enjoy!!!