The best value for diving in the Caribbean

[tangfish]

What are your opinions on the best values for diving / general travel in the caribbean? From what I've read, seems pretty expensive everywhere, but where do you get the biggest bang for your buck?

 

[ronrosa]

What are your opinions on the best values for diving / general travel in the caribbean? From what I've read, seems pretty expensive everywhere, but where do you get the biggest bang for your buck?

I think Cozumel is the clear winner.

Great diving. $60 for 2 tanks. $50 for a clean air conditioned hotel room. $15 for a good meal.

Flights can be a little expensive, but so is everyplace else in the Caribbean. At least I can get there on a direct flight or at most 1 stop-over.

 

[herman]

I think Cozumel is the clear winner.

Great diving. $60 for 2 tanks. $50 for a clean air conditioned hotel room. $15 for a good meal.

Flights can be a little expensive, but so is everyplace else in the Caribbean. At least I can get there on a direct flight or at most 1 stop-over.

Not by a long shot. Bonaire beats that easy.

Great diving 24x7 (no boat required) $100 for unlimited tanks for a week. 4 or 5 dives per day is easily to do. Early morning or late night dives can be done any time

Nice rooms with kitchen $50

Meals anywhere for $5 up...and the water is safe to drink.

Air $450 out of Miami

 

[tvictory]

What are your opinions on the best values for diving / general travel in the caribbean? From what I've read, seems pretty expensive everywhere, but where do you get the biggest bang for your buck?

Utila has the cheapest, best "bang for the buck" diving in the Caribbean.

 

[ronrosa]

Not by a long shot. Bonaire beats that easy.

Great diving 24x7 (no boat required) $100 for unlimited tanks for a week. 4 or 5 dives per day is easily to do. Early morning or late night dives can be done any time

Nice rooms with kitchen $50

Meals anywhere for $5 up...and the water is safe to drink.

Air $450 out of Miami

I think you're right. I forgot about Bonaire and the shore diving. Unfortunately I haven't been there yet which is why it slipped my mind.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Is Bonaire diving any where near as good as Cozumel? I haven't been but have heard comments to the effect that there is not a lot of variety. Seen one dive site seen them all sort of thing. Coz keeps bringing me back. I even kind of like the boat ride. Part of the vacation experience for me is to get out on a boat every day.

 

[NDH]

We would love to do Bonaire next year but the dang airfare from Houston is $857 which kind of put a hurt on that idea. We just returned from Cocoview, Roatan which I thought was great because of all the shore diving I did along with the boat diving 31 in all. But the clarity of the water in Cozumel is great but Roatan I thought had better marine life.

 

[SueMermaid]

Bonaire or Cozumel, definitely.
I'd say the diving in Bonaire is head and shoulders above that in Cozumel, based on sheer variety. (please don't hit me if you disagree!)
Both places have incredibly good diving. Both places have good value.
If I had a choice between them, though, I'd pick Bonaire, no question. I mean, come on! There are wild goats and donkeys running all over the island!

 

[NDH]

SueMermaid you might be right about it being Bonaire but that dang airfare of 857 to getting to Cozumel of 359 makes two trips for the price of one.

 

[tangfish]

but doing 4-6 dives a day at $30 each in cozumel would surely eat up the savings in airfare. Well since I've been to Coz already (did my rescue there, and loved it!) I think I'll look into Bonaire.