New diver seeking next dive trip suggestion.

[htatton]

I too like to dive to about 30 to 45 ft. I also am most comfortable with a hard bottom. I have found the sites around Isla Mujeres (a small relaxed island 8 miles off the coast of Cancun Mexico. There are some very interesting dive sites, including the MUSA underwater museum. There are sites for all types of conditions, no current, mild current, and drift dives. I dive with a small shop CasaDelBuceo.com located on Isla Mujeres. They cater to small groups, 6 max and have very personalized service. Their guides are great. Fun, safety and environment conscious, and Enrique has a unique ability to find and point out all the fun ocean critters.

I'm going back in two weeks and can hardly wait.

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

So, you're fairly new but you've dove Bonaire & briefly in Hawaii; ocean diving isn't new to you. You're based out of the eastern U.S., Pennsylvania, and you like shallow diving, boat & evidently some shore diving mixed in. It's human nature to want everything in one destination; sometimes it's worthwhile to let a thing or two go when the other reasons for a place are compelling.

For shore diving in this wide general region (U.S., Caribbean), I tend to think Bonaire (which I've been to 8 times) and Curacao (here's a thread on Curacao vs. Bonaire; I think Curacao may well be your best option, unless you're wanting something 'more different' from Bonaire), then St. Croix (did 2 boat dives on a cruise ship stop), Grand Cayman (ditto), and I've heard of shore diving on one of the smaller Caymans but don't recall much about it & I'm not under the impression it's made clear like Bonaire's shore dive scene. And Roatan; from what others have reported, Roatan underwater topography varies strongly depending on whether you dive the north or south, many people staying on a resort don't 'roam the island' unlike Bonaire, and as you've been told in this thread, shore diving is by few - CocoView being much loved by many, Reef House Resort a budget option, and...well, IIRC Fantasy Island Beach Resort has some but the posts I've read about that would not make me choose it. I'd aim for CocoView if I were going to Roatan.

If you put aside shore diving, then boat diving shallow regions opens up other options. While they've moved their location a little since I went, I dove in Key Largo with Rainbow Reef Dive Center back in 2013 & loved it. Viz. not as good as Bonaire, but good enough, fishier in my limited experience, & I got 4 dives in/day with guided provided at no extra charge. And roundtrip airfare to Ft. Lauderdale (where we rented a car) was fairly cheap. Oh, and Key Largo seems to be a popular destination for group dive trips, so if you like traveling with a pack, shouldn't be hard to pull of.

Roatan is also popular for group trips, but I tend to see other locations (e.g.: Turquoise Bay Resort?) as the destination instead of CocoView or Reef House Resort. Keep in mind that the logistics of a Roatan trip are different from a Bonaire trip. In Bonaire, it doesn't matter much if you stay at Buddy Dive Resort or wherever, mainly about the onsite house reef since you're going to roam up & down the west coast anyway. What I'm told about Roatan paints a very different picture.

If you like budget dive trips with boat diving, I'd look at Key Largo, Cozumel & maybe some Roatan offerings (check the airfare; it's a big part of your trip cost).

If I wanted to cram in a whole lot of dives & Bonaire wasn't on the table, I'd consider Key Largo, Curacao, CocoView in Roatan or a live-aboard (Live-aboards are another option!). I tasking 4+ dives/day.

If I wanted big tanks (e.g.: 120 cf steel) because I didn't have good air consumption (& I was bad when I had 30 dives), I'd think about Cozumel with an op. that does big tanks; Living Underwater, Aldora & I can never seem to remember the 3rd. Long dives can give you bottom time, too.

If you want 3 dives/day (2 morning, 1 afternoon), more options open up. Consider seeing what Little Cayman Beach Resort can do for you? Maybe Cayman Brac? I mention them because Little Cayman is held by some to offer the best diving in the Caribbean. I hope to be blessed to check it out someday.

Richard.

P.S.: If you want to dive heavily, with great convenience, a live-aboard is tough to beat. There are many options; I tried the Sun Dancer 2 out of Belize last May & loved it. I think some people need to dive awhile to work up their nerve to commit to a week on a boat, but once you do, you may regret putting it off.

 

[KathyV]

One consideration at any of the resorts is the Single Supplement since it sounds like you are one. At some resorts it's up to 55% of the double occupancy rate - at others like Cocoview I think it's $200 - assuming a room not a cabana also. Some resorts like Sunset House on Grand Cayman periodically offer an a single rate discount also...

The OP is looking for travel options next year so this won't help; but according to Dive Travel Services the small, diver-dedicated, all-inclusive Cayman Brac Beach Resort is waiving the single supplement for selected travel dates in November and December, see below:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ca...t-waives-single-supplement-dates-nov-dec.html

 

[The Chairman]

Don't forget where you left your Keys! Year round diving down here and plenty of peeps to go diving with. No passport required!

 

[Bigd2722]

I would think the Keys would fill most of your desires. They are a little light on shore diving, but then explore Southeast Florida for other options

 

[tattooedjeeper]

I just got back from Key Largo three weeks ago, I did 8 dives with Rainbow reef and my max depth for the week was 40 ft. All the dives were very nice with lots of sea life, good scenery and the captains and crew from rainbow reef were awesome. You won't have shore diving but you'll still have a great time. I'm looking forward to getting down there again for a few days. Good luck with your search...

 

[miserkris]

Thanks all. My local dive shop said he'd go to cozumel again in March to the same resort of casa del Mar. How's this place compared to the other blue angel resort that was suggested...especially for a off the resort shallow dive.?

I too like to dive to about 30 to 45 ft. I also am most comfortable with a hard bottom. I have found the sites around Isla Mujeres (a small relaxed island 8 miles off the coast of Cancun Mexico. There are some very interesting dive sites, including the MUSA underwater museum. There are sites for all types of conditions, no current, mild current, and drift dives. I dive with a small shop CasaDelBuceo.com located on Isla Mujeres. They cater to small groups, 6 max and have very personalized service. Their guides are great. Fun, safety and environment conscious, and Enrique has a unique ability to find and point out all the fun ocean critters.

I'm going back in two weeks and can hardly wait.

Wow! In 2007 before i started scuba...went to Playa del Carmen. Took snorkel trips to Isla Mujeres. ..what a trip! A mix of very shallow 5 to say 40feet ....had a great time. I'd love to do this if this is safe. Outside the USA i prefer staying with a group that has at least few Americans. Maybe I'm too worried. ..is that isle very desolate?
........

Reason i like shallow dives is safety. Worst case i could do a CESA....plus air lasts longer. .i consume fast. In Hawaii i surfaced 15 min early than others but they had 2k dives.

About live aboard. ..they're bit expensive. How can i get deals for that? It won't be as exhausting as repeated shore dives
battling waves!

Thanks all. ...[emoji3]

 

[drrich2]

The well-known cheap 'camping at sea' live-aboard is Blackbeards, and T.C. posted a review that's got the basics of what you need to know. If you want a similar setup with more privacy/less basic perhaps, do some searching around about the Juliet and Lost Island Voyages.

I consider the mainstream Caribbean region live-aboard price to run around $2,500, give or take, + nitrox, & plan to tip. Blackbeards is down around $1,000, and you'll find pricing varies a bit.

When you see sales, pay attention to the overall situation. Is that sale in hurricane season? Is it when the water's colder (e.g.: an issue in the Bahamas)? Is it just that they want to fill some boats on short notice in the remainder of the year, and they're willing to cut you a deal? I did a Sun Dancer 2 live-aboard trip out of Belize & loved it. Great service, but it's more mid-range in cost.

For a whole lot of shallow boat diving cheap, hard to beat Key Largo in my view. If you go through tanks fast, Cozumel's Living Underwater and Aldora (& that other op. I can never remember) offer steel 120 cf tanks. A number of places can get you 100 cf tanks; Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo has 2 I could use, & the Sun Dancer 2 had them, too.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

About live aboard. ..they're bit expensive. How can i get deals for that? It won't be as exhausting as repeated shore dives battling waves!
]

For near U.S. destinations Explorer Ventures has a specials page.
Year of Savings Special
Explorer Ventures Last Minute Offers

They'll probably update next years specials around February. Sign up for their e-mail list, the trips are week specific and go fast. Often $4-500 off specific weeks.

So does Aggressor. Aggressor Fleet and Dancer Fleet - Luxury LiveAboard Diving

Also check with Cat Ppalu, it's a sailing cat out of Nasau that's a lot nicer than Blackbeards although it's booked by them also. They're typically a full-boat charter but if the chartering party doesn't use all the spaces, they'll ask if they can sell them. It's usually around $16-1700 all in including port fees, taxes etc. Last time I checked the base fee was $1545. The Bahamas Charter Sailboat Cat Ppalu

 

[drrich2]

About live aboard. ..they're bit expensive.

This is worth following up. Often, a live-aboard trip basically provides you room, good food, transportation (in other words, you don't need to rent a car) & more diving than you'd likely get from a land-based option. If you divide total trip cost by # of dives for a 'bang for the buck' rough metric, they can look sweet for the solo traveler.

The 'X factor' comes into play when you're traveling as a pair or group. A dive resort may price assuming 2+/room, and charge a hefty single supplement to the solo traveler. But a traditional hotel, on the other hand, often costs a set amount for the 1st person, and very little to add people. So when I stayed in Key Largo at the Courtyard Marriott and we packed me, wife, toddler & mother-in-law into one room (which was comfortable and fine; lots of hotel rooms come with 2 queen beds), it wasn't much different than if I'd been there alone. Similarly, a rental car costs the same however many people ride in it (though the SUV you need to haul a larger amount of dive gear may cost more).

Here's a thread on picking a Caribbean live-aboard.

If you want to see some examples of breaking down cost of various 'budget' scuba trip options in this region, here's a thread on Total Cost Mid-range Budget Florida & Caribbean Trips, where some of us did a little bean-counting compare & contrast.

Richard.