Roatan vs (San Andres+) Providencia - End of year? (1st week of Jan 2014)

[gbf]

ok, Doc, I've been quietly reading your CCV reports and advice.

In spite of my aversion to dive boats/groups I'm going to go to CCV - it just sounds too good.

My young daughter is recently graduated/employed, and therefore will miss our upcoming trip to Bonaire (other daughter and new hubby will be going). As payback, I told her I'd take her on a trip when she accrued vacation - for some reason it is frowned upon to take time off to go diving when you've only been working 8 months.

So, cocoview it will be for us next spring.

thanks.

 

[Doc]

In spite of my aversion to dive boats/groups I'm going to go to CCV - it just sounds too good.

My young daughter is recently graduated/employed, and therefore will miss our upcoming trip to Bonaire

Bonaire should also not be missed. When someone asks about good diving combined with something to do while on land, Bonaire is one of the few islands in the Caribbean that comes to mind. (Our absolute favorite for this combination is Tobago) Bonaire not only boasts stark natural topside beauty, but the varied restaurants there are just delightful- anything from stewed goat to Rijstaffel.

As to your boats/groups @CCV thought: I have spent my usual annual two week trip to CCV and never gotten on a boat once. Just did the shore dive. The boats are huge- they have slots for (?) maybe 72 tanks. They assign about 12-15 divers on each one, you have about 6' to the next diver's seat. After Day One, the divers start to filter away and the load drops to maybe 10 on any given trip, often less (shore diving and vacation laziness). I've been on countless departures with just 2 or 3 divers aboard.

The resort can hold a "packed-to-the-max" of I guess about 60 divers, divide that by the 5 Fifty Foot boats, that comes out to 12 per boat... if they all get out of the hammock.

The underwater scene from a CCV boat dive is not what I call crowded in the least. I do solo dive all the time, but not to get away from crowds. I do it because I'm the only one who raises my hand when I ask who wants to go diving. Truth be told, most of my solo dives occur at 10pm, after we've gotten finished with the one at 8pm. I like me some night diving, and CCV is where I can do as much as I want. One year I dove 4x a night and slept all day. They left meals for me in plastic wrap so I could eat while everyone else was sleeping.

A picture is worth a thousand words: CoCoView Explained In Pictures Photos by Doc_Adelman | Photobucket

 

[gbf]

Thanks.

We've been doing Bonaire annually since 1986, first with my bride and me, and then us and our young children, later with just me and my bride again, and now with grown children.

Our first visit to Bon was because my bride is subject to violent mal de mer (is there any other kind?) and Bonaire sounded like our kind of place (no boats) - and it worked wonderfully for us.

My young daughter and I will give CCV a whirl next spring and then maybe bring the remaining troops later in the summer.

When will you be there next year?

 

[Scubawankenobi]

Bonaire should also not be missed. When someone asks about good diving combined with something to do while on land, Bonaire is one of the few islands in the Caribbean that comes to mind. (Our absolute favorite for this combination is Tobago) Bonaire not only boasts stark natural topside beauty, but the varied restaurants there are just delightful- anything from stewed goat to Rijstaffel.

I second this - we just returned from Bonaire, and although I've only dived a few locations in Caribbean (including Carib, say +FL) [ Cozumel few times, Aruba, Dominican Repub, etc ] I'd range Bonaire right near/at the top.
On my list to explore - Little Cayman & Turks & C (from live-aboard).
However, I've been an avid shore diver (~1500? shore dives - mostly CA & BC) and the shore diving in Bonaire was hard to beat.
To be honest, it's so easy/convenient with short swims/easy, entry/exit, easy navigation, good viz, no/low current, I'd venture to say "easier" than a lot of boat diving I've done. ;-)
Trip report with some pics & video: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bonaire/487331-bonaire-trip-report-june-21-29th-plaza-resort.html

Re: Roatan & CCV
Wow Doc - thank you again so very much for all the great information and feedback!
I don't often venture off reservation, however the spouse usually wants 1 trip somewhere away from the resort, so also appreciate those notes. Maybe I can just do the "half day island tour" through CCV and then make it back for my afternoon and night dive(s)?

Re: CCV night dives
Also really appreciate those notes. I'll make sure & pack my 2nd light now in case I deplete my primary (doubles as video flood), as I really enjoy night dives. Probably my favorite diving - so that's great to hear about Roatan/CCV. Will admit that I've not done a lot of night diving solo, mostly as I've dived more challenging shore dives (CA & BC), or where nav/surf entry/exit kept me conservative w/a buddy at night. In Bonaire my "flood" attracted other divers to dive me me, as it attracted the Tarpon (4-5 at one point) to swam me and use the light for hunting!

Again - thanks so much for sharing your experience/advice. December can't come too soon!
For now...back to our chilly BC waters, hoping the summer "murk" clears up this weekend.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

Looks like you may have settled on CCV. I always offer Reef House and Las Rocas as alternates. I have a co-worker who did San Andres a couple of years ago and he was less than impressed and even though he got a great all-inclusive deal, only did a couple of dives and never returned. Personally, when we head to the Caribbean, we do the Caymans. Just returned from Utila and decided for about the same money, Caymans offers nicer accommodations, pools, food, diving etc so overall better value for my bucks. But that is just my opinion having done maybe 15 trips to Utila and about 10 to Roatan.

 

[Scubawankenobi]

Looks like you may have settled on CCV. I always offer Reef House and Las Rocas as alternates. I have a co-worker who did San Andres a couple of years ago and he was less than impressed and even though he got a great all-inclusive deal, only did a couple of dives and never returned. Personally, when we head to the Caribbean, we do the Caymans. Just returned from Utila and decided for about the same money, Caymans offers nicer accommodations, pools, food, diving etc so overall better value for my bucks. But that is just my opinion having done maybe 15 trips to Utila and about 10 to Roatan.

Really appreciate all the great Carib feedback.
Re: San Andres vs Providencia
Might be splitting hairs here, as I have no personal experience, but I've read here on SB (as well as elsewhere online) that while San Andres isn't worth doing - Providencia is quite nice. San Andres - overcrowded & overfished, reefs not healthy. Providencia - not many people, hard to get to, not over fished, healthy reefs.
As far as I know they're "the same", but I've read from some they're night&day diff.
Guess only way I'll know is to go myself!
Mentioning that, as it's very likely now that when we return to visit in-laws (from Colombia) next year (late summer?) it's likely we can get them to come join us on an island vs mainland (like this trip) - so I'm lobbying for Providencia. Will decide/book probably next Jan ...& or course report back to SB.

Question:
Did you hear reports from San Andres island or Providencie (differences)?

Re: Utila/Caymans
Also really appreciate that feedback. For our own, non-family-time, trip Caymans might be next after Roatan.
I've heard that Little Cayman has some of the best (wall?) diving? I've heard that from a long-time friend who's in scuba travel industry & has dived+travelled all over the world these past 25yrs (he prefers SoPacific but says for Carib-Caymans Little C might be best).

Re: CCV - alternatives
Thanks for note on alternatives!
We're hoping we enjoy Roatan as much as we've heard others have. So might turn into a repeat as Cozumel has been & Bonaire will be.

 

[gbf]

We stayed at Reef House for 2 weeks a couple of years ago. I enjoyed it. Has changed owners since we were there, so no comment on it now. They advertise shore diving, but it was hit-or-miss based on wind. Our first week, no shore diving, blown out. 2nd week, get all you can stand. Did have to hump stuff to the end of the jetty, and had to arrange it in advance.

I dove CB and LC many many years ago (stayed at Buccaneers Inn on CB just to date myself), and at LCBR/Condos/Sam McCoys on Little Cayman. The wall diving on LC is the bomb, and there is shore diving, but not as convenient/easy as Bon (IMO). I'd do them again in a heartbeat, but boats don't agree with my dive buddy/bride.

 

[diverjen]

Bonaire should also not be missed. When someone asks about good diving combined with something to do while on land, Bonaire is one of the few islands in the Caribbean that comes to mind. (Our absolute favorite for this combination is Tobago) Bonaire not only boasts stark natural topside beauty, but the varied restaurants there are just delightful- anything from stewed goat to Rijstaffel.

We are having the conundrum of where to go next and have pretty much settled on Bonaire for a third time unless circumstance pushes us into a shorter trip and then we will look at Roatan and Coz. Interested to hear more about Tobago, though, would you make a comparison to Bonaire for me? PM me if this is too much of a hijack!

 

[Doc]

When will you be there next year?

My wife decides. She lets me go on 5 or 6 trips a year, but when she decides it's CCV, make that #7 for me She likes April/May... We'll see.

i am by no means the only source of CCV info, there are also a large numbers of return visitors with great local knowledge that, like most divers, they are willing to share when you join them there. A few of them are here on SB as well.

When you are there, sit with the Doc, Doc Radawski, he is a resident display and part of the CCV Zoo, Dinosaur Section. (I am merely part of the traveling exhibit) He has seen and done it all including the legendary Crystal Skulls thing. Also speak at length with Patty Grier who runs the seperate on site dive training & shop. She is a brilliant instructor and teacher of u/w naturalist observation skills. The resident photo pro is Tim Blanton who shoots PBS documentaries with the names you know from the industry. The DMs are a gold mine of naturalist skills, ask and learn how to find the little critters... They know!

The dive shop might have simple single lensed glass magnifiers... Or bring your own. A very important tool, along with a flashlight, daytime as well. Go slow, Seymour. ( think about that Honduran DM joke)

i believe I previously chimed in positively about Reef House, and concur with the prior weather observations, but it is also an enchanting micro resort, worth considering for any dive oriented vacation on Roatan.

 

[Scubawankenobi]

Diverjen - no worries on hijack. Great discussion!

Re: Coz/Bonaire
Like I mentioned in my trip report, I really couldn't choose one over the other. Loved 'em both for different reasons. Been to Coz a couple of times now, so would probably go back to Bonaire - I fell in love with that easy shore-diving! Coz is so nice & easy as well.

Love learning of people's experiences and reading the recommendations...