Rob9876
Contributor
I think this is an interesting question, for me in that situation I'd probably avoid:
1. Cancun: I'm not a fan of the Spring Break atmosphere there (I could even hear the thump-thump of club music underwater near the beach). While I think anywhere on the Riviera Maya I went I would be wishing I was in Cozumel, Cancun stands out as my least-favorite part of that region.
2. Nassau: Not my favorite place topside, and everything I've seen seems to indicate daily boat diving from Nassau (as opposed to liveaboards departing from there and going farther out) is not so great. Diving in the Exumas Cays is good, but not sure if there are any AIs there.
3. San Juan/Northern P.R.: From a water clarity perspective I'm not a huge fan of the northern side of Puerto Rico, including San Juan. I understand that there is decent diving on the east and west coasts, though I think those may involve longer boat trips than you might want since you're traveling with friends.
4. Puerto Plata, D.R.: Went there before I started diving, so I can't comment on boat trips. While snorkeling near the beach I could not see 10 feet in front of me. Also, at the time Puerto Plata itself was not really a place you wanted to wander around in.
5. Antigua, W.I.: Again, went before diving, turquoise water looks postcard-pretty but is quite silty and snorkeling was not good any of the 5 or 6 places we went on the island. Prices were expensive, food was sub-par (but expensive), roads had potholes that could literally swallow a small car in numerous spots.
1. Cancun: I'm not a fan of the Spring Break atmosphere there (I could even hear the thump-thump of club music underwater near the beach). While I think anywhere on the Riviera Maya I went I would be wishing I was in Cozumel, Cancun stands out as my least-favorite part of that region.
2. Nassau: Not my favorite place topside, and everything I've seen seems to indicate daily boat diving from Nassau (as opposed to liveaboards departing from there and going farther out) is not so great. Diving in the Exumas Cays is good, but not sure if there are any AIs there.
3. San Juan/Northern P.R.: From a water clarity perspective I'm not a huge fan of the northern side of Puerto Rico, including San Juan. I understand that there is decent diving on the east and west coasts, though I think those may involve longer boat trips than you might want since you're traveling with friends.
4. Puerto Plata, D.R.: Went there before I started diving, so I can't comment on boat trips. While snorkeling near the beach I could not see 10 feet in front of me. Also, at the time Puerto Plata itself was not really a place you wanted to wander around in.
5. Antigua, W.I.: Again, went before diving, turquoise water looks postcard-pretty but is quite silty and snorkeling was not good any of the 5 or 6 places we went on the island. Prices were expensive, food was sub-par (but expensive), roads had potholes that could literally swallow a small car in numerous spots.