What’s Your Favorite Dive Spot for Beginners?

[OTF]

Are you affiliated with SMACO Dive?

Oh yeah! But I've only used it twice, so I can't really give my opinion yet.

Do you work for and post on behalf of SMACO officially or just have it in your name because you like it? Is this thread (with a very vague open-ended question) an attempt at building engagement and reputation for the purpose of marketing SMACO products?

 

[USdiver1]

Surprised no one has mentioned Roatan. Similar corals and fish to Cozumel, but without the currents, nice easy beginner's stuff.

 

[BabyLitigator]

Getting to the Caribbean is a real pain from the West Coast. For places with easy non-stops on major carriers from the Western US, good options include Cabo (the Marine Park is good for beginners), Cancun/Playa Del Carmen, Southern Florida, most Hawaiian Islands. A lot of other places you are looking at a connection to a potentially "not every day of the week" final flight. Cayman Air does appear to have a nonstop to LAX though.

The Channel Islands near LA (most of my dives) are great but it can be cold and the 7 mm suits (if you are a beginner you aren't diving dry in the US) are a lot.

 

[rhwestfall]

We took my very green diver daughter to Key Largo. It worked well. The other place we took her was Tobermory in Georgian Bay. My first post certification dives were San Salvador Island (Bahamas). Having trained and had check-out dives in the cold north-east, these were really easy dives.

I have become a Curacao junkie, and the diving is really easy there. I'd say it is better suited for a beginner than Bonaire. Especially the shore diving.

As they say, your certification says you can conduct a dive in conditions similar to your certification dives. Hoping you got a good training...

 

[RoscoeRedThree]

It all depends on your location and budget. After getting certified in low viz lakes, my first real dives were in the Bahamas. I loved the fact that the visibility allowed me to actually see what I am doing. It was also very beneficial to dive in warm waters where I could focus on diving and watching my surroundings instead of shivering.