Roatan v. Belize v. Turks v. Bonaire
- Thread starter jscheier
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
DeputyDan
Contributor
What is the purpose of your trip?
What is your budget?
Who all is going and what do they want to do?
Most important - what do you like to do?
What is your budget?
Who all is going and what do they want to do?
Most important - what do you like to do?
Purpose - to dive
Budget - all seem to be in price range
Everyone going is a diver
I like to dive. Being from NYC, night life is not something I look for when I go away. After diving, I'm content with sitting on a beach/by a pool and just relaxing.
I've been to Bonaire a few times, so I know what to expect there.
Budget - all seem to be in price range
Everyone going is a diver
I like to dive. Being from NYC, night life is not something I look for when I go away. After diving, I'm content with sitting on a beach/by a pool and just relaxing.
I've been to Bonaire a few times, so I know what to expect there.
drrich2
Contributor
I'd go to Bonaire because I like shore diving, lots of it, my wife and buddy are both very sea sickness-prone (and yes, I know about Bonine and Ginger Root), and neither is willing to spend a week on a live-aboard.
Do you enjoy shore or boat diving more?
How important is it to you to dive a whole lot? If you stay on the mainland & use a charter boat service, you're looking at 2 dives, maybe 3, per day. If you do a live-aboard, you dive a lot but you live in a boat for a week & miss out on non-diving mainland activities.
How important is it to you to do other things (e.g.: visit Mayan ruins in Belize, tour a rain forest, shop, etc...)?
That's Bonaire vs. the rest.
Belize has the jungle & Mayan ruins. Does anyone in your party want to do anything besides dive?
Richard.
Do you enjoy shore or boat diving more?
How important is it to you to dive a whole lot? If you stay on the mainland & use a charter boat service, you're looking at 2 dives, maybe 3, per day. If you do a live-aboard, you dive a lot but you live in a boat for a week & miss out on non-diving mainland activities.
How important is it to you to do other things (e.g.: visit Mayan ruins in Belize, tour a rain forest, shop, etc...)?
That's Bonaire vs. the rest.
Belize has the jungle & Mayan ruins. Does anyone in your party want to do anything besides dive?
Richard.
I enjoy shore diving but 2 of the divers are going to be new, so boat diving is probably better for this trip. How is the diving in Bonaire compared to the others? The only "bad" thing about Bonaire diving (IMO) was no big fish, dolphins or sharks. Very little Rays (I saw none) and only saw 2 turtles.
DeputyDan
Contributor
I have been to three of the four (have not been to the T&C)
If you wanted a mix of diving and adventure activities then its Belize
T&C has the beaches
You know the deal on Bonaire.
You may want to consider Coco View Dive resort on Roatan. It's basically like summer camp for divers and the price is very reasonable.
You can dive your brains out or you can chill in a hammock or by the bar.
The food isn't much to write home about but there is enough and it's filling.
It is not fancy - but its the closest thing to a liveaboard you can get to and not actually do a liveaboard.
If you wanted a mix of diving and adventure activities then its Belize
T&C has the beaches
You know the deal on Bonaire.
You may want to consider Coco View Dive resort on Roatan. It's basically like summer camp for divers and the price is very reasonable.
You can dive your brains out or you can chill in a hammock or by the bar.
The food isn't much to write home about but there is enough and it's filling.
It is not fancy - but its the closest thing to a liveaboard you can get to and not actually do a liveaboard.
DeputyDan
Contributor
If you do a search on COCO View you will get hundreds of trip reports and commentaries.
I have only been three times and my avatar pic is from there!
I have only been three times and my avatar pic is from there!
drrich2
Contributor
I have been to Bonaire 4 times, not of the others. I had 2 dives in Costa Maya, and 2 in Cozumel (Palancar Gardens & Santa Rosa; the second was much better), so I've got to visit the 'Meso-American Reef,' which I suspect would be similar to Belize. This experience is anecdotal.
1.) In Bonaire, 4 trips (about 65 dives total, I think), I've seen 2 eagle rays, neither let me close.
2.) At Santa Rosa in Cozumel, after we back-rolled in & were waiting to get moving, a big eagle ray swam right under us, close.
3.) In Bonaire I have seen a few grouper of size (like 3 feet or so), not real regularly (I'm not counting graysbys and conies). At Santa Rosa, a big black grouper (it wasn't black, but that's the species) swam up almost touching distance and followed us awhile (I think it's used to divers feeding it).
4.) On the first dive at Cozumel, by buddy pointed out a yellow stingray. On the second, our guide pointed out a southern stingray.
In Cozumel, we dove with Living Underwater, a well-regarded operator who had 120 cf steel tanks. I'm a big guy, and air hog, and I LOVE 120 cf steel tanks! Dove over an hour & 15 minutes! Yay-us!!! If you've air hogs along, see what your dive op.s can offer.
If you go to Bonaire, hit Hilma Hooker, so if you see nothing else big, you'll at least see some tarpon.
Any chance you could stay over a week? If so, the land adventures like the Mayan ruins might be a big draw for Belize.
Richard.
1.) In Bonaire, 4 trips (about 65 dives total, I think), I've seen 2 eagle rays, neither let me close.
2.) At Santa Rosa in Cozumel, after we back-rolled in & were waiting to get moving, a big eagle ray swam right under us, close.
3.) In Bonaire I have seen a few grouper of size (like 3 feet or so), not real regularly (I'm not counting graysbys and conies). At Santa Rosa, a big black grouper (it wasn't black, but that's the species) swam up almost touching distance and followed us awhile (I think it's used to divers feeding it).
4.) On the first dive at Cozumel, by buddy pointed out a yellow stingray. On the second, our guide pointed out a southern stingray.
In Cozumel, we dove with Living Underwater, a well-regarded operator who had 120 cf steel tanks. I'm a big guy, and air hog, and I LOVE 120 cf steel tanks! Dove over an hour & 15 minutes! Yay-us!!! If you've air hogs along, see what your dive op.s can offer.
If you go to Bonaire, hit Hilma Hooker, so if you see nothing else big, you'll at least see some tarpon.
Any chance you could stay over a week? If so, the land adventures like the Mayan ruins might be a big draw for Belize.
Richard.
DeputyDan
Contributor
I have only dove Belize by liveaboard - not land based so based on my experience - Belize was much better.
But, Remember a liveaboard goes to the better sites in the northern 1/2 of Belize. No liveaboards in southern Belize.
So my experience may not be apples to apples...
But, Remember a liveaboard goes to the better sites in the northern 1/2 of Belize. No liveaboards in southern Belize.
So my experience may not be apples to apples...
Similar threads
