I want to do a diving trip, but I have no idea where to!

[carlosrjbr]

Hello,

First I would like to introduce myself: me and my wife are experienced divers (AOW, need only rescue for master diver certification) who have around 60 logged dives and have dived in Thailand (just 2 dives, close to Phi Phi), liveaboard in the Bahamas and also a some dives in Cozumel.

We are looking for another diving vacation, with a preference for a liveaboard (we loved the experience) and not ridiculously far from the americas. Also we don't want a repeat experience.

We also prefer warm water (24 C+) and good visibility (but we accept colder dives although we have zero dry suit experience).

Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[Trailboss123]

Aggressor Liveaboards have numerous Caribbean options you can consider: Aggressor Fleet - Official Website
Personally, I'd lean towards the Caymans, Turks and Caicos or Roatan.
Home - Explorer Ventures also does Turks and Caicos, as well as a Saba/St. Kitts itinerary.

 

[drrich2]

2 Places sometimes claimed as 'the best diving in the Caribbean,' are Little Cayman, and the Turks & Caicos (via live-aboard). Both are served by live-aboard. The lighthouse atoll region out of Belize has also been highly spoken of. Some links may help:

Picking a Caribbean Live-aboard - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/li...ats/495738-picking-caribbean-live-aboard.html

Cayman Aggressor IV May 2016 - http://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/cayman-aggressor-iv-trip-may-2016.527640/

Sun Dancer 2 (Belize) May 2015 (since renamed the Belize Aggressor IV) - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/li...ving-belize-via-sun-dancer-2-may-2nd-9th.html

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

http://www.atlantisdivers.com.br/en - at least the larger boat appears roomy - all I know about them...FDN has been on my bucket list for quite a few years - it's not clear if they go there via liveaboard or not.

Turks & Caicos (on the Explorer liveaboard) was a better trip than our Bahamas Out Islands liveaboard. Lots of deep walls, large pelagics, sharks etc - virtually no wrecks though. Easy if you can get to Providenciales, (PLS) they pick you up at the airport there.

 

[Nasser]

How far are you willing to travel? Do you have an overall budget (including airfare)?

 

[NYCNaiad]

Sun Dancer 2 (Belize) May 2015 (since renamed the Belize Aggressor IV) - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/li...ving-belize-via-sun-dancer-2-may-2nd-9th.html

+1 for the Belize Aggressor IV. I dove with it as the Sun Dancer 2 & it was marvelous!

 

[carlosrjbr]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I will check out those aggressor fleet, but between Cayman, Turks and Belize, which offers the best diving for larger specimens (sharks, rays, etc.)?

As for budget, anything around 3k USD per person for the liveaboard / hotels + diving (if staying on the island, considering 7 days of diving), less is obviously better here hehe. Air fare varies a lot so I won't include that on the budget.

I forgot to mention we don't need to rent any gear at all, if that makes a difference.

As for FDN diversteve, no they don't do liveaboard there and the trip itself is quite expensive tbh. It is on my bucket list as well but the dives are really expensive at ~140 USD for 2 tanks. Also lodging gets a bit expensive because you also have to pay a fee per day per person just to stay on the island (around 20-25USD per day).

 

[drrich2]

From what I experienced:

1.) Cayman Aggressor IV did Stingray City; aside from that, a number of ray sightings - eagle rays and southern stingrays. Some reef and nurse sharks.

2.) Belize Aggressor IV did a shark dive with a perforated bucket of lion fish, which were on a later dive distributed by a guide. Reef sharks came in. So, figure reef and nurse sharks likely.

From what I read:

Turks & Caicos is particularly 'sharky' in terms of reef sharks, and not lacking rays, either.

Richard.

 

[DeputyDan]

As indicated above - either the Aggressor IV in Belize (Former PH boat) or the Explorer ventures boat in T&C.

 

[EVMia]

Hi @carlosrjbr!

We'd love to have you onboard the Turks & Caicos Explorer II or even the Caribbean Explorer II! I used to crew onboard our Turks boat and have dived the St.Kitts/Saba boat, so if you have any specific questions - just let me know! Happy to help.
In Turks you'll have the chance to see Caribbean Reef Sharks and we have some pretty exciting night dives with Nurse Sharks. Also beautiful Southern Stingrays of all sizes and chances to see Eagle Rays, Hammerheads, and Dolphins not to mention Spotted and Green Morays (my fav). There are also a ton of gorgeous tiny creatures that the crew are amazing at pointing out!

In St.Kitts and Saba, the underwater landscape is vastly different from Turks, but unbelievably fascinating. There are so many cool critters like nudibranches, Decorator Crabs, Octopus, Green Turtles as well as the Rays and Sharks. In addition, there are some neat shipwrecks and we also do a lang tour on each island (country!) that we pass by. There are some interesting historical landmarks including a UNESCO world heritage site.

So...as you can see I can go on forever about these

Here are our videos for each of the Caribbean locations:
Turks & Caicos Explorer II - Caribbean Explorer II -
We also have some discounted weeks if you have some flexibility in when you can go - check them out here:
Year of Savings Specials - Explorer Ventures