My Best/ Worst Dive places in Caribbean

[ronscuba]

......
So far, we've been thinking about Bonaire(+Aruba), Turks and Caicos and Cayman Islands (don't know which on). All comments and recommendations are highly appreciated!.....

The strong points on your choices:

Bonaire: Diver focused island. The ease of shore diving, going where, when and as long as you like.
Aruba: Beaches, wrecks, shopping, good food options.
Turks & Caicos: Beaches, likely to see sharks.
Grand Cayman: Stingray City, shopping, good food options.
Little Cayman: Diver focused island. Wall diving.

My own favorities purely on what I experienced underwater:

Cocoview Roatan: Healthy reef and coral, great macro.
Cozumel: Great walls/swimthroughs, visibility, larger fish compared to other Caribbean areas. Great night dives.
Belize Liveaboard: Overall best diving I have done in the Caribbean

 

[Cumbo]

Thanks for the reply!

How are the prices at these places? Are all-inclusive type dive resorts the best (or even wise) option?

Which of these places offer suitable diving for a beginner?

EDIT: moved the Cozumel/Isla Mujeres bit to the right part of the forum..

The strong points on your choices:

Bonaire: Diver focused island. The ease of shore diving, going where, when and as long as you like.
Aruba: Beaches, wrecks, shopping, good food options.
Turks & Caicos: Beaches, likely to see sharks.
Grand Cayman: Stingray City, shopping, good food options.
Little Cayman: Diver focused island. Wall diving.

My own favorities purely on what I experienced underwater:

Cocoview Roatan: Healthy reef and coral, great macro.
Cozumel: Great walls/swimthroughs, visibility, larger fish compared to other Caribbean areas. Great night dives.
Belize Liveaboard: Overall best diving I have done in the Caribbean

 

[DeputyDan]

Look at these web sites for an ideal of prices.

CoCo View Resort : Rates

Rates « The Little Cayman Beach Resort

The buddy dive - Bonaire site was down when I posted but check it as well

Make sure that you compare apples to apples. Different packages offer different services

 

[Hesslerca]

Hi bill: I agree with your list but did love Saba as I am a wall freak! So, how did you convince Pirates Point on Little Cayman to give you 3 dives a day? I like the look of the resort (and do not like the look of LCBR) but really want 3 dives a day for the variety. Any other place to stay on little Cayman that is not the national debt??

---------- Post added ----------

Just was in Cozumel and hated the fact that I had to share my afternoon dive with cruise ships. how to avoid???

 

[ronscuba]

How many dives per day would you like to do ? Will this be a dedicated dive vacation or a vacation with diving ? The answer can make a big difference in deciding where to go ? If you want a dedicated dive vacation a liveaboard will give you the best diving.

It is not always easy to do an apples to apples cost comparison diving in the Caribbean. The topside attractions, hotel quality, food quality, shore vs. boat dives, airfare, etc.. In general Caymans and Turks & Caicos will be more expensive, but those islands are more developed and less rustic compared to say Roatan, Saba, Dominica.

 

[Cumbo]

We want 3-4 dives per day (I'll do 3+1 night dive and she'll probably be happy with just 2+1). The dives are going to have to be with a guide because she's a newbie. The dives are going to be fairly easy (for her) - I have more experience, so no problem for me. The ideal situation would be to have great diving and something to do topside, too, but diving is what we're going to Caribbean for.

If we're still sticking to land-based options, any other ones?

How many dives per day would you like to do ? Will this be a dedicated dive vacation or a vacation with diving ? The answer can make a big difference in deciding where to go ? If you want a dedicated dive vacation a liveaboard will give you the best diving.

It is not always easy to do an apples to apples cost comparison diving in the Caribbean. The topside attractions, hotel quality, food quality, shore vs. boat dives, airfare, etc.. In general Caymans and Turks & Caicos will be more expensive, but those islands are more developed and less rustic compared to say Roatan, Saba, Dominica.

 

[ronscuba]

We want 3-4 dives per day (I'll do 3+1 night dive and she'll probably be happy with just 2+1). The dives are going to have to be with a guide because she's a newbie. The dives are going to be fairly easy (for her) - I have more experience, so no problem for me. The ideal situation would be to have great diving and something to do topside, too, but diving is what we're going to Caribbean for.

If we're still sticking to land-based options, any other ones?

I would recommend combining Cozumel & Playa Del Carmen into one vacation. Cozumel for ocean dive and night dives. The diving in Coz is fine for a beginner, just find a good op/guide.

2-3 days in Playa Del Carmen for topside activities and cenote dives. The cenote dives are too much for a beginner, but you can swim and snorkel them too. Chitzen Itza ruins are impressive. Night time walking, eating and drinking on 5th ave is cool. The beaches are pretty nice too.






Just be aware and careful with the timeshare people. They are sneaky. Some of them approach you inside the airport appearing to be official airport employees.

 

[Bryan Cunningham]

Ever tried Garden of the Queens (Jardines de la Reina)? Only 500 divers a year allowed to visit, been a marine park since 1996. Unspoilt with loads of sharks and Goliath groupers up to 600lbs. Rated as one of the best diving destinations in the World.

 

[Tjack]

Nice thread comparing Caribbean dive locations shaping up here.

The OP has an impressive list, one needs to consider seasonality of locations for both diving conditions and sea life.

For example Turks and Cacaos can provide outstanding diving with frequent Caribbean Reef Shark encounters. Hunting Black Jacks and Nurse sharks make for some exciting night dives. Best done via a liveaboard as Provo is expensive and boring IMHO. I might have to add Grand Turk to my list of places to go for land based diving?

Belize is a big place with big critters. Spotted Eagle Ray and Nurse shark are common throughout. I have seen Black Tip, Hammerhead and Bull Sharks in Belikan waters. Placencia has a good shot at Whale Sharks in season. The outer atolls provide some healthy reefs with schooling Permit and Horseye jacks. I would consider doing a Liveaboard in Belize next time as the best diving seems to be off shore.

Roatan has dramatic walls with excellent topography, several good wrecks, shore and boat diving. Big Black Grouper and the best shark feed at Cara a Cara for big stuff. An abundance of Sea Horses and Macro. Backpacker West End or All Inclusives provide lots of options.

Cozumel is a dive circus, superman drifts, viva Mexico. Lots of variety from Nurse Sharks to the Splendid Toadfish. Shore diving is doable but limited by current. Thy have some of the best priced package dive deals in the region, my only problem is I have yet to find a dive op there that I would recommend. The Playa del Carmen Cenotes / Cozumel drifts combo is hard to beat.

Jamaica is rough and tough, but has the richest culture I have fond in the Caribbean. The Food, Music etc. are hard to beat. Their reefs tend to be in bad shape but for big Southern Stingrays I can't think of a better place. Sun Divers Negril is an excellent shop, I did most of my early dives with them and hear they are still a great outfit. Has anyone dived Port Royal off Kingston?

Saba was a bit of a disappointment but I had very high expectations. Strong currents kept us off the premier dive sites most of the time. We did see Manta Ray and Caribbean Reef Shark as well as Sea Horse and various Nudibranchs. There are a few spectacular dive sites there as well. No shore diving or beaches and pricey, yet the mountain in the sea landscape is unique.

Little Cayman, shhhhhh. The bloody bay wall is spectacular with roaming Reef Sharks. Limited topside options but the diving is some of the best in the Caribbean.

I just got back from Curacao, doing the drive and dive deal. I can see the appeal of a shore diving destination and will have to do Bonaire soon as it makes #1 on so many lists. Not sure how it would be for beginners though. Curacao has some truly unique coral formations, and and abundance of Eels. Sharp tailed, Spotted Snake, Golden spotted, big Greens, Spotted, Goldentail eels. If you are into Eels this has to be it.

What about the Florida Keys? They have a nice assortment of wrecks as well as Tarpon and Goliath Grouper. The reef structure here is not as spectacular as other Caribbean locations but for many of us you can drive there with a ton of gear. Good shore and boat dives, might be a great place for beginners?

Not technically Caribbean but Bahamas has great visibility and light with white sand bottoms. The big Loggerhead Turtles there are a hoot. Lots of options in Bahamas from the backpacker style Blackbeards liveaboard, land based resorts in either Nassau or Freeport, to tons of little getaways throughout. My buds rave about Cub Med, San Salvador for Hammerheads.

Nice to see Dominica at #2 on the OP's list as this has been on my must do list for a while.

Providencia via Costa Rica just went way up on my list, any big stuff there?

What about Corn Islands, Nicaragua?

Some have been saying that the Caribbean is lacking as a tropical dive destination on this thread. It is easy for North American divers to get a little jaded regarding our local tropical waters. The reefs are in poor shape with a lack of abundant fish as compared to some places in the Indo-Pacific region but don't forget we have the coolest Sponges on earth often with ideal conditions and visibility. Topside the Caribbean is hard to beat, look who invented the BBQ and the hammock.

 

[drrich2]

Since others mentioned time of year as important with some dive destinations, it's worth expanding on. This one means different things to different people; I abhor wearing a wet suit in the warm tropics, so I plan Caribbean diving to avoid needing one. I can dive water down to 75 degrees without requiring a wet suit. Some comparisons:

1.) Jan. 2011 I dove 2 dives in Cozumel & 2 in Costa Maya (cruise ship stops); I think the water was 76 degrees, & okay with me.

2.) Dec. 2012 dive around 16 times on a Bonaire trip; water was fine. I get the impression it tends to be 79+ degrees much of the year. Bonaire is south of the hurricane belt, which is good, though tropical storm Omar hit the west coast hard some time back (but my old instructor was there at the time, & told me his group took advantage to dive the east coast that time, which was calm at the time!!!).

3.) Haven't done the Bahamas, but if I understand correctly, in winter a wetsuit would be necessary.

4.) Haven't dove Roatan, but it's my understanding the rainy season may (or may not) knock out a substantial portion of your dive trip.

So, depending on what time of year you travel, your cold tolerance and attitude toward wet suits (e.g.: some people always wear them to protect from abrasions & jelly fish, etc...)_, and you desire to reduce risk of hurricanes or rainy weather wrecking your trip, some destinations may win out over others part of the year.

Richard.