Little Cayman dreaming and ideas for beyond the Caribbean

[swim deep]

I just can't get Little Cayman off my mind! Our dive vacation with Little Cayman Beach Resort in 2012 was super and we will be returning in the late spring (2017)! It's just so hard to find a better place for the price! I have a fairly new camera, and I'm going to love learning to use it a little bit better!
Last year we enjoyed Coco View in Roatan, and we may return there again some time, but not right away.
We would also like to try Turneffe Island Resort, off the coast of Belize, but the price is just a little higher than we have budgeted for now. Maybe next time.
We live in Florida, and we have done most of our vacation diving in the Caribbean. I think we may be ready to try someplace a little farther next year. We want to see some different marine life. What do you think? Where would you recommend for Caribbean reef lovers traveling to other seas for the first time?

 

[KathyV]

It's a big beautiful world and there are so many wonderful places to visit and dive but if budget is an issue than the Caribbean probably offers the nearest and some of the cheapest options. You could try different experiences in the Caribbean, like shore-diving on Bonaire, drift diving in Cozumel, or taking a liveaboard vacation in the Turks and Caicos where you will see lots of sharks and Eagle Rays. The Fredricksted Pier in St. Croix is another unique experience.

You might look into Baja and the Sea of Cortez, it's not far away and has many different animals than the Caribbean.

Hawaii might be a pleasant first step outside your current experience. Many hard corals rather than the soft corals and sponges of Little Cayman, but healthy reefs and abundant fish life - including many tropical species that are different from the ones you are used to seeing. Lots of turtles and octopus and the chance to go night-diving with mantas, too! Not cheap but you can start shopping around for the best diving and deal you can find.

Right now Egypt and the Red Sea are very reasonably-priced and the diving is wonderful and quite different, but it may not feel comfortable traveling to the Mideast due to the current political climate.

Others can tell you more about Indonesia, and Australia, and the Philippines and other far-away places, but they are long trips and the airfare can be quite expensive - but you may decide that it is worth it - good luck! And have fun in Little Cayman!

 

[MV Dive]

Hi Swim Deep,
Please consider a trip to the Philippines, you can find direct flights from LAX to Manila for between $700 -$1,000. You can see of the marine life that we have to offer here. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have about traveling.

 

[jameseg]

You might look into Baja and the Sea of Cortez, it's not far away and has many different animals than the Caribbean.

I second Kathy's suggestion if you want different marine life but don't want to go too much further. My wife and I dove the Sea of Cortez aboard the Rocio del Mar a few years ago and absolutely loved the diving. The best mix of small and large creatures I've seen anywhere. With Rocio, you fly into Phoenix and take a van across the border, which makes for super easy travel arrangements. As I recall, they run this trip from July into the late fall. We went in July; viz is supposed to be better and temperatures warmer later in the year.

 

[Trailboss123]

It's a big beautiful world and there are so many wonderful places to visit and dive but if budget is an issue than the Caribbean probably offers the nearest and some of the cheapest options. You could try different experiences in the Caribbean, like shore-diving on Bonaire, drift diving in Cozumel, or taking a liveaboard vacation in the Turks and Caicos where you will see lots of sharks and Eagle Rays. The Fredricksted Pier in St. Croix is another unique experience.

You might look into Baja and the Sea of Cortez, it's not far away and has many different animals than the Caribbean.

Hawaii might be a pleasant first step outside your current experience. Many hard corals rather than the soft corals and sponges of Little Cayman, but healthy reefs and abundant fish life - including many tropical species that are different from the ones you are used to seeing. Lots of turtles and octopus and the chance to go night-diving with mantas, too! Not cheap but you can start shopping around for the best diving and deal you can find.

Right now Egypt and the Red Sea are very reasonably-priced and the diving is wonderful and quite different, but it may not feel comfortable traveling to the Mideast due to the current political climate.

Others can tell you more about Indonesia, and Australia, and the Philippines and other far-away places, but they are long trips and the airfare can be quite expensive - but you may decide that it is worth it - good luck! And have fun in Little Cayman!

Excellent suggestions Kathy!

 

[drrich2]

Where would you recommend for Caribbean reef lovers traveling to other seas for the first time?

Decide how married you are to warm water & high viz. Seriously. You can get a lot of budget live-aboard diving in California. I went to try it with a mindset a bit like yours; love Caribbean diving but wanted to take a look at some things you just don't see there. And while California trips don't have to be cheap, mine was.

Truth Aquatics Vision August 2016 - http://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/truth-aquatics-aug-2016-trip-report-california.532435/

My Notes For Researching My California Dive Trip - http://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/my-notes-for-researching-my-california-dive-trip.532316/

Shore diving Bonaire or Curacao would get you a lot of diving in. Not dirt cheap. Considered a live-aboard, like the Juliet?

Richard.

 

[dirtfarmer]

I would suggest for your out of the Caribbean trip, looking into Indonesia or coming in second the Phiilipines.
Indonesia has some of the world's best diving and the Phillipines can be excellent depending on the area you choose and can be done a little bit cheaper than Indo.