If you had to pick one....

[davida]

Hello all,

I am a newbie here but first wanted to express my thanks for all those so willing to share their experiences & knowledge at this site. there have been so many topics of interest and amazing photos that I could not pass up asking some advice.

I would like to do my firxt real dedicated dive trip this late fall/winter and have been reading with interest those opinions expressed over Cozumel and some Carribean locations. I have up to a week to use and prob about $1000 US for my budget (not a lot I know but I can get cheap flights) so I would like some opinions on where would be the best place to spend it. I have some dive experience from dives done in Roataan, jamaica and snorkelled in Belize. I have only done about 15 dives so far, the deepest being about 85 ft. I am mostly interested in seeing various tropical fish/reef and seeing anything beyond that would be a bonus (moral eels, stingrays, etc...)

I have been reading some articles in Scuba Diving magazine and am interested in Maybe the Grand Caymans, Turks & Caicos, Cozumel. Which would you pick given the time/location and budget. I am in Toronto.

thanks for any help.

 

[Firebrand]

Do you have your AOW Cert? Some places may limit your depth based on your certification level. Do you have to go to the caribbean? You could fly into Miami, rent a car and drive to Key West, hitting lots of good dive spots along the way.

I've been to Dominica, but I haven't dove there, but from what I've heard from other divers on the cruise, the dive sites at Dominica are some of the best in the western hemisphere. Dominica has a true Tropical Rain Forest, and the U.S. dollar is accepted there.

 

[Damselfish]

Grand Cayman and Turks and Caicos are expensive destinations. There are ways to economize and I'll bet those are some of the cheaper flights, but fitting it in that budget sounds pretty hard unless you are getting really good deals on flights, like free. On Grand Cayman you could do some shore diving to save money, but you would miss alot if you did no boat diving. Shore diving isn't much of an option throughout Turks and Caicos. Maybe Coz could be done on that budget, but I don't know.

Shore diving in Bonaire is cheap but it tends to be expensive to get to. Utila is another place you can stay and dive cheaply, but again it may not be cheap to get to.

 

[Doc]

Utila is another place you can stay and dive cheaply, but again it may not be cheap to get to.

It costs about $700 US to fly to Roatan (Utila) from Houston. FIBR is working some fairly good deals from Canada with a charter outfit. But....


I don't think $1000 will do it. Florida, altho nowhere near the Caribbean possibility, might be the best option.

Look hard at the four-five day deals to the Bahamas (Nassau/Freeport). Sometimes that is a space filler for them.

 

[scubajane]

With a $1000 budget, your options are limited. I would focus on Cozumel or the Florida Keys. We all want to go to those exotic locations but some of my best dives have been in the Keys....

 

[tangfish]

With a $1000 budget, your options are limited. I would focus on Cozumel or the Florida Keys. We all want to go to those exotic locations but some of my best dives have been in the Keys....

Go to Cozumel, dive with Deep Blue

 

[parrotman]

Your flights have such a major part of the cost that it is hard to say with out knowing what those costs are. You say you can get cheap flights, so assuming that this is due to frequent flyer miles or family airline discounts something along those lines then you can look at the costs of the location with out worrying about the flights.
Personally from my experience Cozumel is expensive. I hear alot of people talk about how cheap it is but I don't know what they base it on. I have been diving all over the Carib and paid more money per dive on Coz than anywhere else. Bonaire can be very inexpensive if you exclude the flight cost. After all, where else in the Carib can you get unlimited diving for $99 a week? After that I would concur with Utila as being most economical if you stay in one of the budget places in town.
Caymans are very expensive and Turks and Caicos is probably not far behind.

There is a place on Bonaire, I think it is called the Friars Inn? Not sure, but it is a backpacker type accomodation that is quite inexpensive. Take that plus the $99 a week for diving and the eat at the local eateries you can do it for a pretty good price.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Greetings from accross the Lake. Direct flight. . .Air Canada charter. . .Signature Vacations. . .Toronto to Cozumel. Done it many times. Great deal (inexpensive), good travel, easy diving.

 

[scubajim]

Your best bet is Cozumel. Concentrate on cheap air fare. You can get inexpensive but nice hotels for $38-$40 a night.Check out air charter flights to Cancun. You can get the bus to Playa Del Carmen and take the ferry to Cozumel

 

[davida]

Thanks to all so far, some good recomendations. I would totally be open to a 3 or 4 day package for the same buckaroos if it meant better diving. I have a brother who is a pilot & diver so we would be getting a considerable discount on the flights. Has anyone had a good Cayman package for 3-4 days for around that price. From what I understand its a good time to go and they could use the tourism $ after Ivan.

thanks again