January diving trip

[portland]

any recomendation for diving trip in January in to Caribbean area, already have been dove at Cozumel, Bahamas, Great Cayman, Aruba. i'm trying to find out what will be the best island at this time of year, and what will stand up after all the places i dove already on caribbeans. any tips or advices will be welcome. Please help

 

[ColoDale]

Broad question since I don't know what you like but at that time of year it will be warmer the farther south you go. As you may know, the Bahamas can be cold in January. Cozumel is good then unless a Norte comes in (colder, more wind and possible port closures but are infrequent).

Based on this then I would look to the Lesser Antilles chain. Though these border the Atlantic and can still get colder/windier weather.

Others might include Honduras or Costa Rica thought the weather in these I am not sure of. Possibly Jamaica or Dominican Republic.

So basically I have named almost all the Caribbean. Depends on what you want.

As far as diving, the places you mentioned are different (drift, walls, shore diving, shallow, deep, tongue/groove, macro, pelagic, etc) so matching the diving depends on where you go.

 

[portland]

i know it is wide question. Mostly i'm trying to find a place where will be good weather, warm water, good reefs, some walls, a lot of marine life. i don't want to end up in rain, cold choppy water. and i think you make a good point about to go south. How about Curacao? May be Roatan?

 

[ColoDale]

I have not dived the ABC's nor researched it so I have nothing to offer for Curacao.

My information on Honduras is limited but it is my understanding and with a brief search, that December/January can bring more rain. The Nortes, from what I read, can reach Honduras which will bring winds that create choppy seas and lower the air temps. The Nortes which affect Cozumel, do close ports there for diving and can last several days.
These Nortes are hit and miss. I have been in Cozumel many times in Dec, Jan and Feb and have had excellent weather but also have had dives cancelled. Rain has been hit and miss there as well during those times.

I would look at the SB forum for the Bay Islands under Central America for more information.

If you wish to better your odds then I would still look further south. As mentioned I would look to the Lesser Antilles and further south within those as well. The ABC's may be an option as you mentioned. It is my understanding that Bonaire has better diving than Curacao but do some research that one.

I would definitely search for weather patterns in January for any island you are interested as it is different depending on location.

 

[Seaside Curacao]

I'm biased as I live in Curacao and run my business there. There are many good reasons for that! Great diving with several excellent operations or plenty of shore diving, relaxed countryside, city is 20 minutes away if you like that, great folks, generally really safe...Bonaire and Curacao always vie for who is better, and they're both great! Curacao has more to do other than diving but the diving is generally the same...terrific!

 

[curious2dive]

Diving at Curacao is great during the day or at night. But besides that there is al lot to do after the diving. You can dive with a guid or alone. Most of all shore entries are easy, that counts for diving also. Thre are operators while driving you from one to the other spot the tell you about history, or take the scenic road. There mostly local and knew the island well. That's just an extra added to the diving. If you want to know more I can help you.

Regards Hans :snorkling:

 

[portland]

well, i think that will be a great solution for me, because my girl is not a diver, and on a top of that limited flights from US making my vacation as week or two weeks and nothing in between. I would like to stay some where close to city so she has acces to city when i'm diving and to the beach too. Any recomendation will be appareciated. Some thing more budget will be great.

 

[kierentec]

I'm a little biased as well, but St. Croix might also be a great option for you. water is a little chilly here in january, around 80 degrees (chilly for me at least), but the weather is very nice, highs in the mid-low 80's, lows in the mid 70's (at night only) and not much rain. The diving here is fantastic, with over 70 dive sites, we can promise to never have to repeat any (unless you want to, of course). We have amazing wall dives, a few great wrecks, beautiful shallow reefs, and our pier has been ranked time and time again as one of the top pier dives in the world. it's a pretty big island, with a ton of stuff to do, however still isn't super touristy. we don't get many cruise ships, and our shop does not cater to the ships when they do come in. we typically only get a few divers off the ships, and they are usually the types that don't want to deal with the crowds (which is good, because neither do we ). it's also a pretty easy trip since we are a US island, there are plenty of flights and no passport required! check out our website (in my signature) for more info and send us an email or give us a ring if you have any questions!

 

[curious2dive]

Well to stay there are options, if you want to stay in an appartment or a hotel. Prices vary also.
To reach the city and beach can be done by taxi or if you want you can do 2-tank dives and take your girl with you and she'll stay at the beach.
We just have solutions.
Let me know if we can b e of a further help.

Regards
Hans Pleij

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Another vote for Curacao. We were there in Nov and the diving was fabulous. We're big fans of diving with The Dive Bus; Mark & Suzy are fabulous.

Can't give you any suggestions on where to stay, other than to say that we were not at all impressed with Breezes, and would not stay there again.