Where to go for SCUBA plus other stuff?

[apachemd]

Four of us are looking to go on a 7-day trip in late November. We're all first time divers. I only recently came to know that one can only SCUBA for 2 hours/day max. Hence, we would like to go to a destination with good diving, but also with lots of other outdoor activities to do the rest of the day -- hiking, scenic drives, restaurants, movies, culture. I have researched Bonaire and some of the other Caribbean destinations, and I have been to some of them as a non-diver in the past -- no offense to anyone, but the cities and amenities seem a bit... third world. We would like to go to a nicer, more modernized and cosmopolitan destination. All other factors being equal we would like the place to be closer to the US so as to minimize our travel time. Mexico, South America, Central America, Pacific Ocean -- we are open to anything.

Anyone -- thoughts?

 

[Jax]

Four of us are looking to go on a 7-day trip in late November. We're all first time divers. I only recently came to know that one can only SCUBA for 2 hours/day max. Hence, we would like to go to a destination with good diving, but also with lots of other outdoor activities to do the rest of the day -- hiking, scenic drives, restaurants, movies, culture. I have researched Bonaire and some of the other Caribbean destinations, and I have been to some of them as a non-diver in the past -- no offense to anyone, but the cities and amenities seem a bit... third world. We would like to go to a nicer, more modernized and cosmopolitan destination. All other factors being equal we would like the place to be closer to the US so as to minimize our travel time. Mexico, South America, Central America, Pacific Ocean -- we are open to anything.

Anyone -- thoughts?

Hi, ApacheMD! Welcome to ScubaBoard! :wavey:

I'm a little confused . . . why would you believe one can SCUBA for only 2 hours a day max? There are some people that go to Bonaire, and log five one-hour dives per day . . . others do the same on a liveaboard.

That said, don't dis Florida! It's got great diving and fun things to do.

 

[knotical]

Jax is right, of course. Whoever told you about the 2 hour limit is ... well, mistaken.

As for candidate destinations which meet your list of criteria, how about Hawaii?

 

[blue sky]

3 days in Key West and 4 days in Key Largo area and stop at the turtle hospital in Marathon. Lots of stuff to do on land and a variety of diving from big wrecks to Looe Key Reef and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

Depending on the cold fronts, you may need a 5 mil wet suit with hood. Late last December was atypically cold for the keys & I dove with a 3/5 wetsuit and 5 mil hooded vest and was fine.

Have fun!

Forgot, if you go to Key West go to the Hogfish Bar and Grill on Stock Island and have the Killer Hogfish Sandwich. Restaurants and Bars in the Florida Keys - Hogfish Bar and Grill Stock Island, FL

 

[apachemd]

Great input... okay so I "confronted" the person who told me this falsity about a 2 hour time limit and she said "Any longer and your tanks will be huge!" haha. Then yes she ceded that one could definitely do more if they were broken up into 1-hour increments. Thanks for the correction.

Key West and Key Largo... never thought of that, okay for total newbies?

Hawaii would be fantastic but I think it may be a bit far for a 6-7 day jaunt -- not to mention Hawaii is incredibly pricey.

Any thoughts on Cozumel? St. Lucia?

 

[jameseg]

I was about to second the Hawaii option until I saw your comment about distance. Certainly has everything you're looking for, but is quite a hike from NYC.

St. Lucia could be a good option for you. Like most Caribbean islands, its main towns aren't exactly the metropolitan capitals of the world, but there's lots to do on the island. I was there a year and a half ago, and in addition to diving, we did a tour of the island, including stopping at the rum distillery for samples and learning about banana farming, cruised down the west coast on a catamaran with stops for snorkelling, visited the cocoa plantation, and explored the volcanic area near Soufriere. We didn't do it, but there's a challenging hike up one of the Pitons (twin mountain peaks) if you're up for it. The best diving by far is in the southwest, near Soufriere. We stayed in the northwest by Castries, but were able to do a boat trip down to the southwest to dive once or twice. You can dive in the northwest, near Rodney Bay, but it's fairly mediocre.

The only thing to keep in mind with St. Lucia is that a hurricane went through there within the last year or so. I'm not sure how that affected the marine environment, and you'd want to check to make sure there was no lasting topside damage that would affect your trip (should be fine by now).

I've also been to Cozumel, but that was only for one day years ago, and I'm sure it's changed a bit. I'm sure the diving is better in Cozumel, but I really enjoyed St. Lucia for everything else it offered.

James

 

[DeputyDan]

You can do a non-stop from NYC to St. Maarten.

The diving is not great but it's good enough - especially for a new diver.

The French and Dutch sides are different

 

[Doc]

Great input... okay so I "confronted" the person who told me this falsity about a 2 hour time limit and she said "Any longer and your tanks will be huge!" haha. Then yes she ceded that one could definitely do more if they were broken up into 1-hour increments.

Still~ quit listening to "your friend". She continues to be a source of absolute misinformation. (and likely has a dive certification status of "air-hog")

If you want a "dive vacation", where you will have the opportunity to leave NYC and access as much diving as possible, then pursue that path and line of questioning. There are a few places in the Caribbean where you can log 5 dives a day with no sweat. Is that what you wanted to do... become SCUBA divers? The only way to do it... is to do it.

If you want two dives a day, the world is your oyster. Any island you land on, any dive-op that you might walk in to can provide that. If you want other diversions such as a PGA Golf Course or even mini-golf with a swim-up bar... that is available, too... at the two-dives-a-day kind of islands, anyway. Cruise ships might be an option.

Got to decide which path you wish to travel.

 

[chauncy19]

apachemd,
i would suggest cozumel or curacao. whatever flights made the most sense of these two is where I would suggest.
Cozumel I know has other things to do and Curacao must as well. I did dive Cozumel many years ago and always thought I would be back. Curacao i have done once so far but out on the western tip (westpunt) don't think you want to be that far from town but you could stay in town or much closer to it. anyway enjoy whatever....

 

[Damselfish]

so now that you know you're not limited to 2 hours of diving a day, do you still want the other stuff? And if so which other stuff? You give a pretty wide range. Few places have everything, and the better diving is often in places that are not what would be described as "cosmopolitan."

(By first time diver, do you mean you're looking for a place to get certified? You profile says not certified and that 2 hour thing implies that too.)