New divers - advice on which itinerary in the Caribbean

[rivers]

Option 3. Book with blue water divers in Grand Turk. They usually have a boat going out for cruise goers, and the vis is excellent (so much that if you wanted to stay on the reef at 50-ish feet, you can still follow the group above and dive your dive, very little current). I've dove with them numerous times, I was always allowed to dive my cylinder (I had over a 90 minute dive with my buddy,while most others on the boat had about an hour. Mind you, I worked on cruise ships at the time and still made it back in time).

 

[flots am]

Not sure where you guys dive on Bonaire, but as recently as March 2012 I did the 10 minute walk from the port to the Divi and was in the water in less than 40 minutes after leaving the ship.

Did you get the "don't touch anything" lecture, a checkout dive and a park permit (a small plastic circle or a one-day paper receipt)?

flots.

 

[Skybadiver]

Of course. My experience shore diving at bonaire is that all of the resorts have a "guard" at the entrance to the premises. The guard asks if you'll be diving, and if the answer is yes, he/she collects the $10 park permit fee and gives you the receipt. Then you go to the air stand, show your c-card, get the 30 second lecture and, if you can also show your logbook evidencing a recent open water dive, they hand you a tank and you're on your way. I've seen others getting the "checkout" dive, and it's amounted to someone from the hotel, dive shop, whatever, observing them get in the water. If they do it without incident, they're given the ok to descend and they're on their way.

I hate to see folks being turned off what it perhaps the best shore diving in the world because of an overblown perception of local requirements.

 

[mbwilliamn]

If you are looking for a cruise to scuba dive, the best trip we have found is goes to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan. All 4 are great dive stops. I usually book my own trip in everyplace but Belize...smaller groups, better dives. In Belize that is not practical....book the cruise ship's trip. They pick you up off the cruise ship (diving is the opposite direction of the port). I have posted before on recommended operators in Cozumel and Roatan. If you can't find it, PM me. Have fun and welcome to the board!