Help me choose destination

[cmaha76]

Hi all, and thanks for you help in advance.

Next summer I'm exchanging a week of my condo for a tropical destination for my wife and I and a non-diving couple. From air fare cost and limitations on my exchange I've got it narrowed down to the following... St. John, Cancun, Aruba or Antigua.

I want to keep the non-divers happy, but still want some decent diving. I know Cancun will be fun top-side but I'm afraid the diving will stink. I can't find too much on diving in Antigua or St. John other than dive-op pages. Aruba seems to be the best mix, but I've been there before and it is the most expensive for airfare and dining etc... I'm open to any and all opinions.

 

[Antietam]

IMO St Johns has the best beaches anywhere. Have only done 6 tank dives around ST Johns/ST Thomas and very suprised in the quality of reef life. The reef looked very healthy!!!. Fish life was abundant. Also has plenty of wrecks in that area. Have already started planning return trip. Did not stay on ST Johns but you have to take a ferry from ST Thomas to get there. Cant speak for the nightlife either but St thomas has plenty of that. Cancun did not impress me diving wise-party town for sure!. Have not been to Aruba. Good Luck!! hope it helps

 

[RICHinNC]

Well....you got shore diving...boat diving....and lots above the water activities in Barbados plus it is an easy island to drive around on.

 

[divingjd]

Cancun diving is not bad. There is really a lot of marine life. It doesn't have great coral formations. It's not where you would go for a dedicated dive vacation, but as a place that can keep some non-divers happy while you do some diving, it's not at all bad. You can always do a day trip to Cozumel for some great diving. If you are interested, you can also dive the cenotes near Tulum. They run guided cavern tours for open water divers. You should be confident in your skills and have good buoyancy control and air consumption to get the most out of the cenotes. I would bet that airfares will be lowest to Cancun.

If you search for Cancun in the Mexico forum, you will find a fair amount of information about diving in Cancun. Some people say it is not good at all, but I think most of us would say that it is surprisingly good.

I have no experience with the other locations, although I have heard St. John is pretty good.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Of that list I have dived Antigua and St. John. Of the two I would give the edge in diving to St. John. Topside Antigua is quite poor and may present a culture shock if you are not used to the Caribbean proper. St. John is the most "virgin" of the Virgin Islands and has a lot of pristine beaches and park like activities. If you make it there make sure and dive the Rhone.

 

[altaskier]

St. John is the most "virgin" of the Virgin Islands and has a lot of pristine beaches and park like activities. If you make it there make sure and dive the Rhone.

Virgin Gorda is perhaps even more "virgin," in the British Virgin Islands. I can echo that the Rhone is great, and I have had a lot of other nice dives with DiveBVI on Virgin Gorda.

 

[Scuba Monster]

St. John, definitely (imo)! I got married on Trunk Bay, St. John 2 years ago and was certified by Cruise Bay Watersports on St. John as well. We spent 17 days on the island and touring the BVI's - you'll love it. The diving is good and I highly recommend Cruise Bay Watersports. Since, we have been to St. Lucia, Bonaire, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel. All great places for diving, but I can't wait to go back to St. John - it is incredibly beautiful.

 

[Cacia]

ST John gets my vote.

day trip to the Rhone or the Baths if possible..

 

[Mawg]

Hi all, and thanks for you help in advance.

Next summer I'm exchanging a week of my condo for a tropical destination for my wife and I and a non-diving couple. From air fare cost and limitations on my exchange I've got it narrowed down to the following... St. John, Cancun, Aruba or Antigua.

I want to keep the non-divers happy, but still want some decent diving. I know Cancun will be fun top-side but I'm afraid the diving will stink. I can't find too much on diving in Antigua or St. John other than dive-op pages. Aruba seems to be the best mix, but I've been there before and it is the most expensive for airfare and dining etc... I'm open to any and all opinions.

Aruba? Since the heinous rape and murder of Natalee Holloway I dont know anyone who would even consider going there.

 

[mow2000]

I'd take St. John over Cancun. St. John won't have the topside attractions which some people like. But many of us don't find these attractions very "attractive" when we experience them up close. Cancun is glitzy, glittery and full of people. St. John is very laid back, has really nice beaches. If you have a car you can easily find a beach that you can have to yourself. The snorkeling isn't too bad. I've never done any diving there. I dove in Cancun and felt like I wasted my money but I've heard there is some good diving there. My impression of Cancun was that everyone wanted my money. In St. John people were friendlier and not so interested in my money. Just my overall impression. If I were taking non-divers to St. John I'd push the beaches, snorkeling, hiking and relaxation. It's also, in my opinion, ideal for families.