I am interested in learning to Dive, but I am landlocked and I have physical disabilities

[diversteve]

Has anyone here dove at any of those all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean? I have been seeing ads for Beaches and the like and was wondering how worth it would be.

One thing to consider about Beaches is which one. Some of their properties offer diving in locations convenient for the resort, not better diving. One exception is the Turks/Caicos property - they do some of the best dives in the vicinity with slightly longer boat rides. They also do decent local boat dives - I've dove many of the sites they list. The diving is spectacular - deep walls mean lush coral growth. Off tiny French Cay we dove with more reef sharks than anywhere I've ever been - naturally occurring. And lots of turtles. All the dives have a shallow component as well - on several I dove solo and didn't break 40-50'. Plenty to see.

Pricey on Turks/Caicos though. I've been on the property once for about 20 mins. it seemed pretty nice. Grace Bay Beach is one of the nicest in the world and goes for miles. It's just a georgeous island with a lot of expensive properties so some good restaurants if you tire of the resort menu.

Also it's pretty easy to get to Provo (Providenciales) thru Charlotte or Miami.

Diving in Jamaica at either of the other Beaches is nowhere near as good - the reefs were over-fished for decades.

There are a lot of AI dive resorts all through the Caribbean. Caradonna.com books most of them. No extra cost to you - the resort pays them.

One you might consider is the Sunscape AI resort on Curacao. AA flies there so it's convenient from their hubs. Good, low current reef diving but likely the only big things you'll see are turtles and stingrays - no sharks. Lots of interesting small stuff - we found seahorses, slipper lobsters and lots of eels. One easy dive is the signature dive - the Tugboat. It's 17' deep. Ocean Encounters keeps a boat there and you can shroe dive off the beach.

Also the Dive Bus will pick you up for escorted shore dives all over the island - they do all the heavy lifting.

The Scubaboard Surges go there every couple of years - in fact the 2019 trip is. Look in that forum for details on the resort, activities etc. Probably sold out by now.

It's close enough to town to be an easy shuttle ride, yet not too close to the cruise port area which gets really congested.

Curacao is really easy diving. Later in the week if you want to try shore diving on your own - most of the beaches are dive sites with on-site shops for tanks/weights etc. And many can provide a paid guide with some notice.

There's also private guides like Bas Harts Diving and others - he'll pick you up and take you diving - might be just you and Sis plus him/his guide.

There's a lot of all-inclusive dive resorts in the Caribbean. Or they offer diving/room packages with maybe a meal plan.

Someone will likely suggest Bonaire but it's pricey flights and fairly difficult entries over coral rubble/ironshore with not much else to do there. I've been to both and Curacao diving is as good or better and there's a lot more to do topside. Boat diving on Bonaire is possible but you'll dive sites you can get to from shore. Also the default dive packgege is room/some boat dives/unlimited shore dives and trcuk rental to get to them - not much use for you. Food is extra everywhere except the Plaza Resort.

Trust me that you'll be bored to tears on Bonaire unless you're hardcore divers. We did 4 sometimes 5 dives/day, ate and went to sleep.

 

[Pettyfan45]

One thing to consider about Beaches is which one. Some of their properties offer diving in locations convenient for the resort, not better diving. One exception is the Turks/Caicos property - they do some of the best dives in the vicinity with slightly longer boat rides. They also do decent local boat dives - I've dove many of the sites they list. The diving is spectacular - deep walls mean lush coral growth. Off tiny French Cay we dove with more reef sharks than anywhere I've ever been - naturally occurring. And lots of turtles. All the dives have a shallow component as well - on several I dove solo and didn't break 40-50'. Plenty to see.

Pricey on Turks/Caicos though. I've been on the property once for about 20 mins. it seemed pretty nice. Grace Bay Beach is one of the nicest in the world and goes for miles. It's just a georgeous island with a lot of expensive properties so some good restaurants if you tire of the resort menu.

Also it's pretty easy to get to Provo (Providenciales) thru Charlotte or Miami.

Diving in Jamaica at either of the other Beaches is nowhere near as good - the reefs were over-fished for decades.

There are a lot of AI dive resorts all through the Caribbean. Caradonna.com books most of them. No extra cost to you - the resort pays them.

One you might consider is the Sunscape AI resort on Curacao. AA flies there so it's convenient from their hubs. Good, low current reef diving but likely the only big things you'll see are turtles and stingrays - no sharks. Lots of interesting small stuff - we found seahorses, slipper lobsters and lots of eels. One easy dive is the signature dive - the Tugboat. It's 17' deep. Ocean Encounters keeps a boat there and you can shroe dive off the beach.

Also the Dive Bus will pick you up for escorted shore dives all over the island - they do all the heavy lifting.

The Scubaboard Surges go there every couple of years - in fact the 2019 trip is. Look in that forum for details on the resort, activities etc. Probably sold out by now.

It's close enough to town to be an easy shuttle ride, yet not too close to the cruise port area which gets really congested.

Curacao is really easy diving. Later in the week if you want to try shore diving on your own - most of the beaches are dive sites with on-site shops for tanks/weights etc. And many can provide a paid guide with some notice.

There's also private guides like Bas Harts Diving and others - he'll pick you up and take you diving - might be just you and Sis plus him/his guide.

There's a lot of all-inclusive dive resorts in the Caribbean. Or they offer diving/room packages with maybe a meal plan.

Someone will likely suggest Bonaire but it's pricey flights and fairly difficult entries over coral rubble/ironshore with not much else to do there. I've been to both and Curacao diving is as good or better and there's a lot more to do topside. Boat diving on Bonaire is possible but you'll dive sites you can get to from shore. Also the default dive packgege is room/some boat dives/unlimited shore dives and trcuk rental to get to them - not much use for you. Food is extra everywhere except the Plaza Resort.

Trust me that you'll be bored to tears on Bonaire unless you're hardcore divers. We did 4 sometimes 5 dives/day, ate and went to sleep.

Yeah a dive resort might if just my sister and I want to go on a diving vacation at some point after we get certified, but one of the reasons I was looking at something like Beaches is if we do a family trip. My mom can't dive because she is diabetic and my father doesn't seem to have any interest, it would be kinda a dick move to to drag them to a diving resort and be like "ok amuse yourselves while sister and I go diving".

 

[purbeast]

I stayed at The Alexandra when in Turks and Caicos which is right next to the Beaches property there. I walked by it nearly every day when walking to Coral Gardens to snorkel. The property there is incredible. It's probably like 1/4 mile long along the beach if I had to guess, maybe more. However, the price back then (May 2014) was ridiculous. I remember looking at the prices just because I was curious and it was something like $800/person a day.

Generally speaking I'm not a fan of AI. My wife and I like to explore when we're on vacation and drive to different beaches and eat at nice restaurants every night, so we always do non-AI and rent a car. So sorry I can't give much advice in the way of AI.

While I haven't dove there, I do know what Grand Cayman has great diving. That is where I plan on doing my checkout dives in December hopefully. It's pricey but you can rent condos for cheaper than staying at a resort on the beach and it could be reasonable. That way if you went with other family who didn't dive they could enjoy Seven Mile Beach or wherever it is you stay while you go out and dive. Just a thought.

 

[diversteve]

Since you're bringing Mom/Dad - I'd look hard at Hawaii.. Either Maui or Oahu. There's hundreds of hotel options on either. In Oahu/Waikiki the dive operators pick up. I've only spent one day on Oahu but managed to see Waikiki, their version of Seaworld on the west? side, the Waikiki Aquarium - small but nice and Pearl Harbor. Steve don't shop but there's a lot of that there.

On Maui you have to get to either Lahaina harbor or the Kihei boat ramp - there's local shuttles running around Lahaina and Kaanapali all the time - where most of th big resorts (more affordable) are. Some like the Sheraton at Black Rock have an easy shallow dive on-site - you enter off their beach and swim out to the cove - it can't be 40' deep.Also Tiny Bubbles Scuba is nearby - I believe at the old Embassy Suites and all they do is local shore dives. You can also contact Scuba Mike for guided dives. There's a few resorts in Lahaina but they're older/smaller - none near the Kihei ramp.

Lahaina Divers in Lahaina has 2 big easy to board Newton dive boats.They also have HSA certified instructors on the boat. And group you by experience level. They do checkout/discover dives in the afternoons to a shallow site off West Maui where you'll likely see turtles. And go over to Lanai most mornings - one of the signature dives there is the Cathedrals - it was dive#12 for me decades ago - easy and shallow.

Also you can drive down to Kihei and go out to Molokini Crater - a 1/2 submerged volcano so it's very protected and shallow. The Backwall is a deeper dive you may want to try at the end of the week. There's one dive there where we found white tip sharks resting on the sand at about 40' - often a Manta swims by but not for us.

One other option might be an affordable condo in Kihei - there's a lot of them so prices are low - esp.at non-peak times. Most across the street from the beach. To be on the beach is usually in pricier Wailea where there's condos and big resorts along most of the beaches/bays. Shaka Divers does shore dives there and Doug has a dive bus - I believe he'll pick you up. A cab to the Kihei ramp would be about $20 - it's where the Molokini boats all leave from. Most do Molokini early in the morning than dive along the coast later when the traadewinds make the crossing rough.

One last option might be the Pride of Maui - it's a big snorkel cat that also offers a dive for certified divers.They moor in a shallow spot inside the crater and offer a discover dive as well - they teach the basics on the boat ride over.And have a waterslide and easy entry stairs they lower into the water. And do a bbq lunch. It's not the cheapest but I did it once with my dad/bil - they snorkeled while I dove with an instabuddy. It leaves out of Maalea harbor which is also where the Maui Ocean Center is. My sis rented a condo there once but said it was too far to drive for anything from there.

it's an option.

You all have passports right? Need that for anywhere in the Caribbean now.I believe even coming back from the US Virgin Islands we had to go through customs/immigration last time.

 

[diversteve]

What you need in the Caribbean is not a dive resort but a resort with diving. There's a lot of them.Look at the Divi properties - St.Croix might be an option.About 5-6 of the Curacao properties have a shop on-site as well as a shore dive.Some are condo properties but Ocean Encounters is at 2 other resorts besides Sunscape andCarib Sea Sports is at the Hilton in Piscadera Bay - a resort area.5mins to downtown for the shops, tours, old forts, etc.

If the BVI's are functioning again post-hurricanes last year - they have beautiful beaches.DiveBVI on Virgin Gorda is one of the best shops we've ever dove with - nice big boats and they provide full service - we couldn't even change tanks. There was a teen/dad new divers on our boat - they got their own DM at no extra charge.

Almost all of their dives are shallow - some didn't exceed 40-50'. Even the signature wreck - the Rhone is 70'. It's so big a rec. diver can do the swimthru safely - the sides of the boat are open in most places. I don't like wrecks but it was interesting - it'a split in 2 and about 300' long.

You would have to get a ride to their location as they're in the harbor and the resorts are scattered along the beaches all over the island. If Leverick Bay Resort has rebounded from the hurricane damage - they also keep a shop/boats there. It's about 45 mins. from anything though.

Tortola is equally nice from what little I saw of it.

You get there by flying to St. Thomas then the fast ferry over - takes about 90 mins. So reliable that my friends took an 8am ferry back for their noon flight. It's also possible to tour about 4-5 islands via the ferries - some nights they run late so you can spend a day on another island and still return back to your resort. One of my friends did that one day.

 

[Underwater Therapy]

I am a PADI MSDT Instructor in Lahaina, Maui. This summer I had the pleasure of certifying a gentleman who is a paraplegic. His doctor's signed off on medical questionnaire, so I was given the opportunity to certify him. He had some ability to walk, we (I had a DMC with me at the time) had no problem with getting him to and from the shore. He did an awesome job throughout the course, and I feel truly honored to helping him achieve one of his goals since losing feeling in his legs. If you are still interested, I would be happy to help you achieve the same!

 

[Pettyfan45]

Since you're bringing Mom/Dad - I'd look hard at Hawaii.. Either Maui or Oahu. There's hundreds of hotel options on either. In Oahu/Waikiki the dive operators pick up. I've only spent one day on Oahu but managed to see Waikiki, their version of Seaworld on the west? side, the Waikiki Aquarium - small but nice and Pearl Harbor. Steve don't shop but there's a lot of that there.

On Maui you have to get to either Lahaina harbor or the Kihei boat ramp - there's local shuttles running around Lahaina and Kaanapali all the time - where most of th big resorts (more affordable) are. Some like the Sheraton at Black Rock have an easy shallow dive on-site - you enter off their beach and swim out to the cove - it can't be 40' deep.Also Tiny Bubbles Scuba is nearby - I believe at the old Embassy Suites and all they do is local shore dives. You can also contact Scuba Mike for guided dives. There's a few resorts in Lahaina but they're older/smaller - none near the Kihei ramp.

Lahaina Divers in Lahaina has 2 big easy to board Newton dive boats.They also have HSA certified instructors on the boat. And group you by experience level. They do checkout/discover dives in the afternoons to a shallow site off West Maui where you'll likely see turtles. And go over to Lanai most mornings - one of the signature dives there is the Cathedrals - it was dive#12 for me decades ago - easy and shallow.

Also you can drive down to Kihei and go out to Molokini Crater - a 1/2 submerged volcano so it's very protected and shallow. The Backwall is a deeper dive you may want to try at the end of the week. There's one dive there where we found white tip sharks resting on the sand at about 40' - often a Manta swims by but not for us.

One other option might be an affordable condo in Kihei - there's a lot of them so prices are low - esp.at non-peak times. Most across the street from the beach. To be on the beach is usually in pricier Wailea where there's condos and big resorts along most of the beaches/bays. Shaka Divers does shore dives there and Doug has a dive bus - I believe he'll pick you up. A cab to the Kihei ramp would be about $20 - it's where the Molokini boats all leave from. Most do Molokini early in the morning than dive along the coast later when the traadewinds make the crossing rough.

One last option might be the Pride of Maui - it's a big snorkel cat that also offers a dive for certified divers.They moor in a shallow spot inside the crater and offer a discover dive as well - they teach the basics on the boat ride over.And have a waterslide and easy entry stairs they lower into the water. And do a bbq lunch. It's not the cheapest but I did it once with my dad/bil - they snorkeled while I dove with an instabuddy. It leaves out of Maalea harbor which is also where the Maui Ocean Center is. My sis rented a condo there once but said it was too far to drive for anything from there.

it's an option.

You all have passports right? Need that for anywhere in the Caribbean now.I believe even coming back from the US Virgin Islands we had to go through customs/immigration last time.

Thanks I will keep this in mind.
For passports, not yet but they are one of the first things on the list when financial stuff starts getting sorted out. As I understand it can take upwards of 8-10 week to get passports, better to them taken care of before they are need than paying a buttload more just expedite it

 

[Pettyfan45]

I am a PADI MSDT Instructor in Lahaina, Maui. This summer I had the pleasure of certifying a gentleman who is a paraplegic. His doctor's signed off on medical questionnaire, so I was given the opportunity to certify him. He had some ability to walk, we (I had a DMC with me at the time) had no problem with getting him to and from the shore. He did an awesome job throughout the course, and I feel truly honored to helping him achieve one of his goals since losing feeling in his legs. If you are still interested, I would be happy to help you achieve the same!

Thank you for the generous offer. Right now it less "interested" and more financial limitations. A gentleman from Florida also offered to teach my sister and I if I can get there, right now going to Florida could happen much sooner than Hawaii. Though if I end up needing to look for another option I will keep you in mind.

 

[diversteve]

Twin Sisters with Cerebral Palsy conquer Molasses Reef in Key Largo

 

[Pettyfan45]

Twin Sisters with Cerebral Palsy conquer Molasses Reef in Key Largo

I think I saw that one. It suck they seem to be kinda hard to get a hold of, might try again as more financial stuff gets sorted out.