Guadeloupe or Barbados?

[ReinhardtS]

Hi there! We are two beginner scuba divers (20 dives only) and we are visiting the Caribbean in 2020. We'll be spending time in Guadeloupe and Barbados, and need to decide where we spend the majority of our diving time. I can't find recent or comprehensive advice in past posts unfortunately (or I didn't search well...)
Any suggestions?

• We should be specialised for deep dives by then (not yet)
• We speak basic French, but are assuming the language won't be too much of a problem in Guadeloupe, so it's more about the experience
• We'll have to rent most of the equipment (except masks, dive computers)

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Scraps]

Having dove in both places within the past 13 months, I would give more time to Barbados and less time to Guadeloupe.

Both are lovely. Both have a good variety of sites for divers of various levels.

The only reason for my recommendation is that it's easier to get to the various dive sites in Barbados than it is in Guadeloupe. You can spend more time diving and less time traveling to dive sites.

I'd spend the bulk of my time doing a variety of wreck and reef dives in Barbados, and go to Guadeloupe just long enough to see the Cousteau reserve and the Japanese Coral Gardens. To cover more sites than that in Guadeloupe would involve a lot more driving and probably a ferry to Les Saintes.

Best wishes,

 

[drrich2]

Here's a link to elgringoperdido's 2018 Guadeloupe trip report; as I recall, it was a good one. Might help you.

Be careful - a certification card doesn't always equate to being ready to do it capably and safely. There's another thread going where a woman lost her husband to what's suspected to be nitrogen narcosis in Hawaii, and the deeper you dive, the higher risk you are for that (and be mindful narcosis isn't consistent; just because you seem fine at 100 feet one day doesn't mean you'll be fine there on a later dive).

There are old threads on Barbados diving, though I don't recall offhand any one particular 'rises above them all' thread.

One way to decide is to see what you want to do topside at each, and which topside experience is the greater draw. Then diving would default to the other island.

Richard.

 

[Scraps]

Following up on Dr. Rich's warning about diving deeper than your experience and training: The Carlisle Bay Marine Park in Barbados is a great place for new divers to see five wrecks in shallow, protected waters.

 

[ReinhardtS]

Thanks for the advice and everything! Very much understand that certification isn't everything, we're very cautious divers and will never do something we don't feel comfortable with on the day, or than a guide/instructor advises, but advice always welcome! I merely mentioned it so that people are wary of giving me tips for places that are for more experiences divers.

Looks like we'll aim for the 2 dives in Guadeloupe, and then continue to Barbados to meet friends there and dive more there. Heard that Dominica (where we might be a bit too) also has some great opportunities.

 

[BrackaFish]

Safe diving and be sure to remember to write a trip report when you get back.