Location options for boyfriend's checkout dives....

[CuttlefishCuddler]

Hey Everyone,

I need some advice...

So, I've been diving several years in lots of great locations, and I have finally convinced my boyfriend to get certified (he is an experienced free diver, and has always hated the idea of wearing all the necessary gear). He is completing his classroom and pool sessions here in New England, but wants to do a referral for his checkout dives. I'm just having trouble deciding where we should go, the trip length would probably be 4 nights, and we would prefer not to have the airtime be longer than 7 hours. He is on the fence about going someplace I have already been, (Grand Cayman, Roatan, Bahamas, Cozumel, Cabo, Cancun, Aruba to name a few). We really just want a place that has lots of marine life, good for a beginner diver and experienced diver, and that is warm since we are also looking to escape the cold for a bit (even though it's been a pretty mild winter).

I've done lots of searching around the internet, but I'd rather get some input from folks who have had great diving experiences somewhere in particular.

Thanks in advance.

Meaghan

 

[--tom--]

Input from a West Coast perspective, Bermuda? Short trip, water a little cold for this time of year until May. Lots of shipwreck debris.

I have been looking at Vieques and Culebra for a while. They are small islands off of Puerto Rico--there doesn't seem to be a lot of people visiting them. The bioluminescent bay in Vieques fascinate me.

 

[SheltonEskridge]

Bonaire

 

[mbs]

Well you could always do what my GF (now wife) and female DM at the shop did to me... Puff out your chest and say you need to do your checkout dives here in the cold dark northeast waters. Cuz if you can dive here you can dive anywhere. They didn't listen when I said but I don't want to dive anywhere, I want the warm blue water with the pretty fishes Dutch Springs for crying out loud

Anyway, under the assumption that he has more sense than me, Curacao comes to mind. Easy cheap flights from the northeast. We dove with GO WEST Diving - EN - Curacao Padi Scuba Dive Center - GO WEST Diving this past Dec. and had a blast. I could do the house shore dive there every day! Talk to Andreas.
Bonaire is a great place for beginners as well.

 

[t-mac]

Why not Key Largo? Incredibly easy to get to. No passports. Lots of good shops. Great reef diving for his check-out dives and great wreck diving if you want to do something else.

 

[t-mac]

I have been looking at Vieques and Culebra for a while. They are small islands off of Puerto Rico--there doesn't seem to be a lot of people visiting them. The biolumine

Been sailing and diving there. We loved both places. Admittedly, we only dove on our own at sites selected from a dive map, but the diving was just so so. We did try an operator in Culebra, but they actually discouraged us from going out that day because they were at a training site that we probably wouldn't enjoy. Great honesty, but I think the message I get is that while there may be good sites, they are probably limited. Definitely go with a shop.

 

[ZzzKing]

Belize is nice and warm.

 

[diversteve]

Look at Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. It's not cheap but no worse than and maybe a little cheaper than Grand Cayman. Same excellent wall diving - IMO as good as GC. All pretty low current unless you specifically go drift diving.

Turks and Caicos World’s Top Islands - Turks and Caicos Tourism Official Website

Here's your flight - from Boston - 6:45 out, 4hrs. non-stop on the return. I just picked the first of March at random.

 

[TMHeimer]

Trip length 4 nights. That means 3 days. 2 of those will be checkout dive days and 3 of those 4 dives, as you know, will be mostly doing skills. I would agree with maybe Dutch Springs, maybe even Key Largo (though I've been to neither). Unless money is no object, I would spend the least possible on such a short trip. My almost always advice is wait for warm water locally and finish it off there--unless there is no interest at all in local NE diving. If it were me, I'd not want to fly anywhere "exotic" for such a short (and task oriented) number of days.

 

[george_austin]

Bahamas, Bonaire