Vacation with a non-diver spouse

[BCC]

My bride of almost 35 years is suggesting a vacation where I can dive for our anniversary in early Oct. Great idea!

She doesn't dive and never will, but she does love water and beachfront hotels.

I would appreciate recommendations for a destination she would enjoy, while I'm off diving every morning. You know, beach, spa, pool, nice restaurants, good hotel. And of course, great nearby diving where I can find a buddy.

One week or a bit longer, early October. Florida works as does anywhere in the Caribbean or Mexico, plus more, I'm sure. Would fly out of Tampa or Orlando, if needed.

I'm a returning diver after a 20 year gap. Got recertification (glad I did) recently and will have done about 25 recent dives since then.

Thanks.

 

[doctormike]

I also have a non-diving wife. I just got back from St. Croix in the US Virgin Island, staying at the Carambola resort. St. Croix is terrific, US territory so no need for passports, your US cell phone plans work, and overall very easy to get to.

The Carambola is a beautiful resort on the north shore, on a terrific beach with great amenities. But one of the best things about it for someone with a non-diving family is that there is awesome diving right off the shore, and the excellent Sweet Bottom Dive Center is right at the resort. That means that you can go for a dive and be back to your family in an hour, as opposed to leaving them for more than half a day to go do a boat dive (like on Turks and Caicos, the other place we often go). The staff at SBDC is amazing, and they make it very easy for you to dive like this, taking you and your gear from the shop to the beach in a golf cart, and then rinsing and storing it for you afterwards.

Also, St. Croix has the Fredericksted pier, which is one of my favorite dives in the Caribbean, and VERY easy. You can do this one while your wife hangs out in town, shopping or touring. I could do this dive again and again. They also have great boat dives as well (wrecks and reefs), in case you want something other than the house reef or the pier.

 

[NYCNaiad]

There's a whole recent thread on this as well which may be helpful: Any good Caribbean dive resorts for a non-diver? My suggestion is included in there as well.

And welcome back to diving!

 

[drrich2]

NYCNaid linked you the thread with an extended discussion. My 1st impression on reading your post was that it screamed 'Grand Cayman.' I've been researching St. Croix and agree that could work well. You drive on the left side of the road in both, by the way.

When weighing trip cost, be aware airfare to Grand Cayman is often cheaper than some other places, though once on-island it's a different story.

Florida has a diverse array of great diving; it's not where I'd suggest 1st line. To each their own, but I'm thinking:
1.) You already live there (though it's a big state so that doesn't mean it's all locally convenient).
2.) The Keys aren't known for beach.
3.) Jupiter I'd consider once you've got more dives in.
4.) West Palm Beach could work, as could Fort Lauderdale/Pompana, I suspect, if Florida really calls. I've dove Jupiter & Key Largo but not those two.

Richard.

 

[Trailboss123]

Just like @drrich2 - As I was 1/2 way through your post, Grand Cayman was foremost in my mind. You will both absolutely love it and it is a wonderful anniversary getaway. You will have numerous accommodation and dive operator options and many of us have our favorites. There are many posts in the Caymans forum and @KathyV and @scubadada are also very good resources, as they have logged many trips. Feel free to PM me, if you desire. I have made 2 recent trips in the last year and am happy to share my thoughts. Welcome back to the 2/3 world!

 

[RandomGuy1]

What works for me is to let her pick the place, and I'm allowed to go diving while we are there. That is how I ended up having a diving vacation in Massachusetts this year.

 

[paulithepin]

In January my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of going to the Sandals Grande St. Lucian resort and we had a fantastic time. Great food, drinks, spa, and entertainment at a luxurious resort on Rodney Bay that also included fantastic diving. It is an all inclusive resort so all the costs are known upfront. Not to mention the diving and gear (if needed) are included! Perfect resort for a couple where both do not dive. I shot my first underwater videos on a GoPro and they can be seen on www.dreamdestinationsbybeth.com. Beth did a fantastic planning our trip and upon our return we booked a return trip in October with her. I describe the trip as a luxurious, relaxing, romantic vacation with the bonus of great diving at no additional cost.

 

[drrich2]

No mention was made of kids; Sandals is for couples. They don't take kids - Beaches is their associated line that takes families, if that's of interest.

Mention of the included diving at Sandals has been made at Scuba Board before, and my impression of others reports was mostly not complimentary. To the point I suspect some would seriously consider booking with a private provider (like Scuba Steve's at St. Lucia; I did a couple of dives with them & liked it). If that's of interest, a Search on Scuba Board for the term 'Sandals' might turn up 1st hand reports to follow up.

Richard.

 

[pasadenatim]

My wife is a non diver also. We recently went to Playa in Mexico. There are several all inclusive resorts which offer a load of activities and nice beaches. We stayed at a RIU and I dove with Dressel Divers. Generally I would stay away from all inclusives for a strictly diving vacation, but this allowed me to dive pretty much every day, doing 2 tank morning dives, and then I had the afternoon and evening to spend with the wife. It was relatively inexpensive also.

 

[BCC]

I also have a non-diving wife. I just got back from St. Croix in the US Virgin Island, staying at the Carambola resort. St. Croix is terrific, US territory so no need for passports, your US cell phone plans work, and overall very easy to get to.

The Carambola is a beautiful resort on the north shore, on a terrific beach with great amenities. But one of the best things about it for someone with a non-diving family is that there is awesome diving right off the shore, and the excellent Sweet Bottom Dive Center is right at the resort. That means that you can go for a dive and be back to your family in an hour, as opposed to leaving them for more than half a day to go do a boat dive (like on Turks and Caicos, the other place we often go). The staff at SBDC is amazing, and they make it very easy for you to dive like this, taking you and your gear from the shop to the beach in a golf cart, and then rinsing and storing it for you afterwards.

Also, St. Croix has the Fredericksted pier, which is one of my favorite dives in the Caribbean, and VERY easy. You can do this one while your wife hangs out in town, shopping or touring. I could do this dive again and again. They also have great boat dives as well (wrecks and reefs), in case you want something other than the house reef or the pier.

I want to thank everyone for their replies and opinions. While no decision yet, we are leaning towards the Carambola Resort in St Croix. This looks like the perfect mix of diving for me and the sort of things my wife likes to do.

She's leaving the choice up to me. The Sweet Bottom Diver Center looks perfect for me and the diving first rate. Couldn't go wrong with the Cayman Island choice, either!

Thanks again