Shore diving - other destinations? Ideas please.

[ernani]

4 years ago I have "discovered" Bonaire. Since then I have returned yearly. My favorite "feature" is the freedom of Shore diving. I would love to hear from all of you, diving wiz's, other ideas for destinations that will offer good shore diving. I can not go for more than 10-11 days at a time, so I highly prefer destinations that will not require 3-4 days of flying for the total trip [like remote Indonesian destinations]. I know the Red Sea well - so other ideas, please.
Thanks,
Yuval

 

[robint]

a few questions -- are you an underwater photographer? what do you want to see shore diving? do you dive solo? do like wrecks or macro life best?

We have found that Liveaboards give us the best thing next to shore diving. Have you considered a liveaboard? Since you are on the west coast, I would look at the Kona Aggressor or Palau Aggressor.

places in Caribbean you might consider:

Scuba Club Cozumel - watch my videos, read my reports. It isn't for everyone. Do 2 boat dives in am, then do 1-2 afternoon/night shore dives there are resort afterwards each day. It is the same site over and over, so as I said, it isn't for everyone. We love it for the fishlife, which changes daily and the fact it is 20' deep meaning we can get 1+ hours on every dive.


Cocoview Resort, Roatan - CoCo View Resort Roatan Scuba Roatan Diving located in Roatan, Honduras diving, scuba and snorkeling.
Watch their video on the website, it shows exactly what you get there. Rustic accomodations (we love it, rooms over water, nothing fancy) and 24/7 shore diving there at resort. Unlike SCC above, it is 2 walls with a wreck in middle, depths are 5'-100', you choose. All food and diving included in package, no extras but tips and booze. It is easy to do 5 dives per day there, some people even do more.

robin

 

[Cecil]

I'v done some great shore diving in the Caymans and I did a so-so shore dive in Barbados and a really lousy shore dive in St Martin. It just seems that in most places the reefs are off-shore except for Bonaire and Curacao.

 

[ernani]

Robin,

Thanks so much for detailed reply.
I am not a photographer and I actually like everything; big animals are always fun but great macro does it to me as well.
I travel alone for diving [wife doesn't dive and kids are 7 years old] I love diving solo and do it always in Bonaire but am okay to join others. I have been on few liveaboards and the downside of being alone on a liveaboard is that they are usually very confined. My last liveaboard in life was the Saba - St. Kits trip in which I found myself alone with a group of stock brokers [ALL the others...] - this week was a week from hell - the "market" was the ONLY topic of conversation and there was no escape!

I have been to Coco View as well as Bay Island Beach Resort, and totally agree with you and I have spent the last two Decembers in Cozumel so we agree but I am looking for more ideas.

 

[diversteve]

There's quite a few shoredives on Grand Cayman. Even more off the beaten path if you can connect with someone with local knowledge of entry points. I found out this spring that several of the excellent NW Point sites are shore accessible - with a long surface swim. (Hepp's Wall/Pipeline and Bonnie's Arch.) Here's a start: Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Grand Cayman - A newer dive not on the list is Lighthouse Point: Grand Cayman scuba diving - Divetech - shore diving Tanks are a little harder to secure - most ops are either boat based or won't let you remove them. Two exceptions are Eden Rock downtown and Divers Direct in West Bay.

Curacao is Bonaire diving with more to do while not diving. Easier entries - many off beaches or divedocks since the reef is a little farther offshore. Many also have dive facilities on-site for tank/wt. rentals etc. http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/ABC/Curacao/index.htm

At some sites if you were dropped on the reef you'd be hard pressed to tell which island it was. Otoh, there's nothing like the Mushroom Forest area on Bonaire - or the Carpile Wrecks. The best shore dive I've ever done on either island was probably Playa Kalki in Westpunt, Curacao.

Maui is also pretty good - http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/Maui/index.htm Probably the most shore dive sites within a day's travel not to the Caribbean. We're going to Kona this July, there seems to be almost a dozen shore dives nearby as well. But some of the entries look rough. http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Hawaii/TBI/index.htm

 

[ernani]

Diversteve,
Wow! Thanks so much for the info and the related website I didn't know about [www.shorediving.com].
Do you know how does Hawaii "treat" solo divers? any chance of getting tanks as a solo diver?
Thanks,
yuval

 

[diversteve]

I don't know as I've always been with my buddy when we rented. I do know that he has rented by himself from Scuba Shack in Kihei - I believe w/o any comment - but I wasn't there. He doesn't have a solo card either. There's also several Maui Dive shops that rent tanks, they're pretty casual...

 

[DiverVince]

ernani.. I've not found an island in the Carib which has all the shore diving which has made Bonaire famous (which is one of the reasons we bought there). Having said that, I've made a few hundred shore dives on St Croix. Specifically, Cane Bay, Davis Bay & Salt River. Cane Bay was my favorite shore dive there.

Generally speaking, most of the diving in the Caribbean is done off a boat. Wasn't too impressed with Roatan, we stayed at Fantasy Island next to Coco View.

 

[DeputyDan]

Since you sive solo anyhow - why not get your solo certification so that its not an issue.

 

[Nivek Llekots]

Have you tried Curacao!!!