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For a long weekend certification = anyone suggesting a destination with connecting flights or an all inclusive should be totally Ignored as all they are doing is telling you their favorites.
Of the previous suggestions - ones to rule OUT.
Abything in entral America including the Bay Islands. Ambergris is a beyond flight/ferry and Placencia takes 2 days to realistically get to.
So do the Cayman Sister Islands - my dive buddy owns on Brac so is very familiar with the route.
I do not believe the BVI's have recovered yet but if you want an honest assessment, contact Casey(f) at DiveBVI one of the owners. It also has the same problem as you fly into St Thomas then take the fast ferry over. I only mention it b/c my friends left at 8am for their noon flight home and had time to stop for lunch - the ferry port and the airport are near each other. There's also a lot of direct flights to STT as it's a major cruise embarkation point. There;s also a lot of shallow boat dives in the VI's so good for newer divers. not really any shore dives though.
Bonaire is going to be an all day ordeal - probably thru ATL. Insel Air shut down earlier this year so their flights from CLT or MIA are gone to you.
Maybe St Thomas's East End. Lots of condo rentlas, 3-4 resorts have an onsite operator or there's operations like Red Hook or St Thomas Diving Club (at Bolongo Bay resort) that caters to newer divers. The drive out isn't terrible - about 45 mins shared van or rental car. We actually thought about doing a dive since we were at our condo by about 2pm. Coki Beach/Dive has a shallow dive there - the cruise excursions go there.
I'd look at Aruba. Dive with Clive (Dive Aruba) has a good rep. Aruba is also a non-stop flight from DCA - and you get there mid-afternoon.
Curacao could work too. It's easy, shallow shore diving - they have 2/3's the dive sites of Bonaire.
Several Resorts like the Hilton, Sunscape or Lions Dive have a shore dive and an operator on site. Many of the western beaces do also - 15-45 mins drive from town. Your non-diver won't be bored either and the 3 resorts I mentioned have a free shuttle. If your non-diver likes the beach - there's a lot of them, they have faclities on site and many are named dive sites.
Use a site like Google Flights or Matrix/ITA (google owns both) and specify no stops. Some of those have to have good diving also
I'd have suggested Nassau also due to proximity but there's only 2 shops there and Cove's has a 45-60 min shutttle ride daily.Both they and Bahama Divers do pick up in the resort areas, Stuart Cove's also has the cruise dive contracts so tends to be easier dives.
Maybe see if you can get to Greand Bahma also - several shops are based around Port Lucaya and a couple others at the south side resorts. Probably a connection thru FLL for DCA though,
Of the previous suggestions - ones to rule OUT.
Abything in entral America including the Bay Islands. Ambergris is a beyond flight/ferry and Placencia takes 2 days to realistically get to.
So do the Cayman Sister Islands - my dive buddy owns on Brac so is very familiar with the route.
I do not believe the BVI's have recovered yet but if you want an honest assessment, contact Casey(f) at DiveBVI one of the owners. It also has the same problem as you fly into St Thomas then take the fast ferry over. I only mention it b/c my friends left at 8am for their noon flight home and had time to stop for lunch - the ferry port and the airport are near each other. There's also a lot of direct flights to STT as it's a major cruise embarkation point. There;s also a lot of shallow boat dives in the VI's so good for newer divers. not really any shore dives though.
Bonaire is going to be an all day ordeal - probably thru ATL. Insel Air shut down earlier this year so their flights from CLT or MIA are gone to you.
Maybe St Thomas's East End. Lots of condo rentlas, 3-4 resorts have an onsite operator or there's operations like Red Hook or St Thomas Diving Club (at Bolongo Bay resort) that caters to newer divers. The drive out isn't terrible - about 45 mins shared van or rental car. We actually thought about doing a dive since we were at our condo by about 2pm. Coki Beach/Dive has a shallow dive there - the cruise excursions go there.
I'd look at Aruba. Dive with Clive (Dive Aruba) has a good rep. Aruba is also a non-stop flight from DCA - and you get there mid-afternoon.
Curacao could work too. It's easy, shallow shore diving - they have 2/3's the dive sites of Bonaire.
Several Resorts like the Hilton, Sunscape or Lions Dive have a shore dive and an operator on site. Many of the western beaces do also - 15-45 mins drive from town. Your non-diver won't be bored either and the 3 resorts I mentioned have a free shuttle. If your non-diver likes the beach - there's a lot of them, they have faclities on site and many are named dive sites.
Use a site like Google Flights or Matrix/ITA (google owns both) and specify no stops. Some of those have to have good diving also
I'd have suggested Nassau also due to proximity but there's only 2 shops there and Cove's has a 45-60 min shutttle ride daily.Both they and Bahama Divers do pick up in the resort areas, Stuart Cove's also has the cruise dive contracts so tends to be easier dives.
Maybe see if you can get to Greand Bahma also - several shops are based around Port Lucaya and a couple others at the south side resorts. Probably a connection thru FLL for DCA though,