Turks & Caicos, Utila or Bonaire from California

[leannejh]

We are planning our next trip. I only have 25 dives logged, (my boyfriend has >200). Together we have been to Roatan (Anthony's Key Resort) and Little Cayman Beach resort. Loved both (liked the accomodations, and the fact that you can dive then go back to resort in between each dive AKR but liked the actual diving more at Little Cayman Beach Resort).

Trying to decide on next trip, we live in California and may be meeting up with friends from east coast and mid west as well. What are peoples opinions re/ Turks and Caicos, versus Utila or Bonaire? What did you like and where did you stay and thoughts on accomodations, flights, dive operators, things to do etc.?
Thanks

 

[Guy Carrier]

leannejh,

We have not done Bonaire but it looks really great and its on our short list.

We did Turks and Caicos last June on a liveaboard (T&C Explorer II) and loved it. The reefs were a little beat up in close but we dove at French Cay and West Sand Spit both well off-shore and they were great. Also saw some sharks that were fun. I have been led to believe that diving with a shore operator there can involve some longish boat rides to dive sites. Also it seemed that life ashore there was rather expensive in the limited time we were ashore.

Last March we went to Utila and the diving there was great too. Not a lot of big critters unless of course you happen to see a whale shark which is a distinct possibility, especially in the Spring months. The soft coral and reefs were as good as I've seen anywhere and the dive on Black Hills, a seamount east of the island, was to die for. We liked it so much we bought a beachfront lot for a remarkably low price (keeping in mind it is a third world country). Also there are several dive resorts along the south side of the island that have very good reputations (Deep Blue, Laguna and one more I can't recall). Also there is a brand new resort that is scheduled to open in early 2007 called Utopia Dive Village. It looks high end and has a website at http://www.utopiadivevillage.com/. We stayed at the Colibri in town since we were there to look at land but we dove every day with Deep Blue who also has a shop in town in addition to the resort. We're going back in March with our west coast kids.

Have you considered Cozumel as a place to meet up with east coasters? We're east coasters and we met our three west coast kids there last year for our family dive vacation. The diving there is spectacular and its about equidistant from both coasts. We like to stay at the Fiesta Americana Dive Resort and dive with BlueXTsea when its just my wife and I. We rented a villa when the kids joined us last year and it was very grand and pretty expensive, but if you had multiple couples paying the bill it might be just the ticket.

Hope this helps and have fun,

Guy

 

[fishsticks425]

Bonaire is really good for beginner divers. I was there with my family a few years ago. We stayed at the Plaza, which was really nice and they had an excellent op. We would do two dives everyday from boats and then we had unlimited shore diving. There was a wall that you could swim to from the beach at the Plaza which was nice. We also took tanks and drove around the island. All the dive sites are marked by big yellow rocks on the side of the road. The diving there is easy-calm water, good vis, lots of micro stuff to look at. The reefs are all protected so the coral is really healthy and there are plenty of fish to see. The only problem we had with Bonaire was what to do when we werent diving. We had one nondiver with us and she grew bored just sitting on the beach everyday. There is only one street of tourist shops (or there were when I was there) and the rest of the island is pretty much just local villages. We visited the national park and we went to see flamangos, but othere than that you are stuck at the resort and the beaches. I would recommend the Plaza Resort and Toucan Diving, which is their op-really good people who took care of you. The food was good there and the rooms were nice. They were like condos with a kitchen and living room so they were big. The people there were friendly and there were also a few restaurants in town if you wanted to get out of the resort.

Good Luck!

 

[DivePartner1]

Both are bit of a trick to get to but both are worthwhile. But each has different attractions.

In Utila, there is better life than in Roatan, and in Feb. you are likely to see whale sharks. But the island is spartan, with grinding poverty. I stayed in Laguna Beach Resort, which I recommend, although it is not as posh as AKR. And, you still get to deal with no seeums.

In the Turks, I'd recommend Grand Turk. It calls for an extra flight from Provo but the diving is much better and the island is delightful. GT has the British West Indies charm that most of the islands have lost, breath-taking beaches, some variety restaurants (usally at least 2 choices a day) and decent 1 or 2 star quality hotels. Skiffs pick you up at the hotel for a very brief ride to a 5000 foot wall. Very cool.

I dove both Oasis Divers and Blue Water Divers and would recommend either. I stayed in the Osprey Inn but other Inns in town are available. Some days, the cruise ships dump their hordes in town for several hours, but they are gone with the sun and fund more amenities that you'll find in Utila (just be sure to let the package store know you are NOT with a cruise ship). The town even has one working ATM.

You can't go wrong with either. If I were looking for variety in fish and whale shark and can tolerate noseems and spartan surroundings, I'd go with Utila, which is closer to you. For a relaxing, quality "get away from it all" dive vacation on a quiet island, I'd go to Grand Turk.