Really none of the places you've selected are optimal for unlimited shore diving. It doesn't help that you're planning a trip in the middle of high season either.
On Roatan shorediving is mostly done on the south side at Cocoview Resort, Fantasy Island or Reef House Resort. CCV/FIR share the same wall, reef, wreck - other than that there's
not a lot of shore diving on the rest of the island. All three are basically stay there, eat there, dive there, they're sort of isolated.
There's only about 8 other sites on Roatan to shore dive period. Tank availability is an issue also, most of the resorts don't let you remove tanks from their property. Flights to Roatan tend to be higher also. You can stay/eat very cheaply non-AI in the West End - even a few hostels but there's not really much shore diving there. My friend rented a 1br studio at Coconut Tree Divers for $45/nt. Probably a dozen inexpensive dining options within a block either way.
http://www.bayislandsdiver.com/
Weather might be a factor in the winter on the north side - diving is sometimes cancelled while the south is still divable all year. Many of the operations use beach launched pangas which may shut them down. Bigger operators will move boats to the south side and arrange to shuttle you over. Boat dives in the West End are as cheap as 10/$250 at many dive shops. Coconut Tree Divers, Reef Gliders, West End Divers are good options. And there's a dozen more nearby also.
Cozumel is a lot of deep drift boat diving. Scuba Club Cozumel is an AI and does have a shore dive IIRC. Fiesta Americana is another - IDK if/what is there for shore diving. Hotel Villa Blanca has a very shallow shore dive also - it's not an AI afaik but very reasonable to stay there. There is a meal plan option also, IDK what - but some friends were recently there. There's also 2-3 different dive operators on the property or nearby.
IDK anything about Cancun but I understand it's mostly boat diving. Typically a great beach means lousy shore diving. There's the Cenotes when you get more experience.
You need to expand your search to include other areas - especially if shore diving is a priority.
Bonaire is the undisputed shore diving capital of the Caribbean - over 80 named sites. There are resorts in all price ranges, some of the more reasonable options are Dive Hut or Bruce Bowker's Carib Inn. AI on Bonaire normally means lodging, truck rental, unlimited shore diving, possibly a few boat dives and sometimes breakfast. If you have friends going or can find a trip to tag along on, sometimes a quad-share option in a 2-3br condo prices out very reasonably - even at one of the better resorts like Buddy Dive, Habitat or the Divi Flamingo. All have good shore dives off their propertry, Habitat sits on 2 sites.
There are some reasonable lunch/dinner options including several burger/sandwich/deli shops, a couple of pizza/pasta places and a great takeout bbq. Bonaire would be one of the easiest places to find a buddy. I was asked two different times at different resorts if I needed one while waiting for mine. Also the rental vehicles are mostly 4-dr. small pickups so people usually have room for another diver if asked. All things Bonaire:
Info Bonaire - The Bonaire Information Site - The Most Current and Up-To-Date Information
Bonaire entries aren't particularly easy unless you dive off the resort docks - many are on official dive sites. Most of the shore dives are either north or south of town and are over ironshore/coral rubble so footing is often an issue. And if you go down, there's no facilities at any of the sites. Something to consider as a new diver. If you do go, buy good
treaded boots. Bonaire diving is mostly small stuff also, probably the biggest thing you'll see are turtles and stingrays. And the occasional tarpon.
Curacao is another option. Same diving as Bonaire but a larger island. Entries are much easier, many off sandy beaches with on-site dive/snack facilities. There are a couple of pricier AI options (Breezes, Lions Dive, Blue Bay) - many of the hotels/resorts also have on-site dive operators. Often that's a branch of Ocean Encounters - they have 4-5 locations.
Curacao Travel- Caribbean, Curacao, Dutch Caribbean lists options.
The better diving is West, but it's more isolated, would require a car to access and generally is off sandy beaches with a short swim out to the reef. For new divers the advantage to either Bonaire or Curacao is that the reef parallels the shore so navigation is easy.
One reasonable option is All-West Apts. in Westpunt. They're 45mins. from town, on one of the best shore dive sites on Curacao and have Go West Diving on-site. There's also 1/2 dozen other good dives within a 10-15min. drive back towards town. It's really quiet out there at night.
We stayed a week on Curacao and only did one boat dive - to a site not shore accessible. We first rented a place near Playa Lagun for $65/nt - nice apt. ocean (cliff) view, not much cooking facility, near both Playa Lagun and Playa Jeremi dive sites. Later we moved into town and rented duplex condos in the Piscadera Bay resort area - IIRC it cost me $500/wk for mine - 2br/1ba. full kitchen, 2 miles to a nearby larger market. There's some shorediving across the street off the Hilton/Marriott resorts but mostly we used it as a base to access sites just west and farther east of Willemstad. Move a little closer into town and the prices increase - the best diving (with a couple of exceptions) is not downtown. A vehicle is almost a must on Curacao to do a lot of diving, sites are off one of several major roads and spread out all long the coastline.
Another option on Curacao is the Dive Bus, they do escorted shore diving and pick you up from most hotels/resorts in the Willemstad area.
The Dive Bus - WELCOME It may have just been where we went but the two things we often seemed to find were big eels and lots of interesting shrimp/lobster etc. Also squid and an occasional seahorse. And a lot of fish. The Dive Bus also has a few reasonable apt's/ for short term rental.
Another option might be St. Croix. The north side has access to the wall in about 1/2 dozen spots. Frederickstad Pier is a good, shallow easy shore dive. There's a Divi Carina resort on St. Croix but IDK anything about it. We were able to get there with one connection on AA also. Maybe not though as everything is expensive there.
Grand Cayman has over a dozen shore dives. And two AI's - Sunset House and Cobalt Coast. Due to location CC is a full AI, I believe you can buy a meal plan at Sunset House. Or walk to Georgetown for lunch/dinner. There's a Burger King, Subway, KFC, Hard Rock Cafe, Margaritaville and many better local restaurants also. Both have a great shore dive off their property. Cayman is also the 2nd most expensive place I've ever dove so probably not within your budget realistically.
ShoreDiving.com - Your Shore Diving Web Community! will give you a starting point. Compare/contrast some of the entry photos of the sites to see the differences between Bonaire and Curacao. It also lists every shore dive on Roatan - and most of them on Grand Cayman.
Given any thought to a cheap liveaboard? Blackbeards is only $939 for a week of diving meals, sailing etc. in the Bahamas. It's possible to do 20 dives. It's also similar to camping at sea. Your only expenses would be a flight to Nassau or Freeport and the crew tip.
Blackbeard's Cruises Liveaboards, Bahamas scuba diving
