Where to go in August with a new diver, non-divers, and a baby?

[anchochile]

Here's a doozy of a puzzle for you dive travel wizards:

Where should we go in August with a newly-certified diver (my wife), a six-month-old, and my non-diving parents?

The requirements:

• Beginner-friendly diving (no liveaboards; doesn't need to be world class but should be good enough to hook my wife as this will be her first trip post-certification)
• <12 hours travel time from the US West or East coast, since we only have a week or so
• Somewhere beautiful and interesting enough topside where non-divers would be happy hanging out with an infant, with nice non-diving activities to keep them happy (for example: scenic walks or drives, beautiful beaches, towns to explore, etc)
• Somewhere we could stay in one place for a week, with diving and other activities nearby, so we don't have to schlep from town to town or island to island with a baby in tow
• NOT Hawaii, as we've been there many times in recent years and we want to discover somewhere new

A few ideas I've had (please critique and suggest alternatives):

• Azores (looks intriguing and gorgeous topside; I know very little)
• Fiji (maybe too much travel time?)
• Palau (ditto)
• Baja - Cabo Pulmo/La Paz/etc (probably brutally hot in August)
• Somewhere in the Pacific Northwest??? (we are cold water divers!)
• Somewhere in the Caribbean - Bonire, Cayman, Cozumel? (hurricane season, though!)
• Galapagos???

 

[Doc]

“Beginner friendly diving” ?

From your list? Go to what you called, “somewhere in the Caribbean”. Buy trip insurance if you’re concerned about the storm season, and better play the odds by staying South of the Hurricane belt, below a line from Tobago to Cozumel.

Also- Consider quick access to the minimum health care that you’re willing to accept to support the needs of a six month old infant.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @anchochile

With all of your requirements, I'd strongly consider Grand Cayman

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Sinai, Eygpt has amazing dive locations , great food, amazing scenery , friendly people and a lot of what to see and do.

Would strongly recommend , the Red sea is amazing

 

[KathyV]

St. Croix or Grand Cayman are good destinations that meet your requirements. You haven't mentioned budget, but since you frequently travel to Hawaii I think that either of these 2 destinations will be within your budget.

@drrich2 has taken some trips to dive destinations with his non-diving wife and mother-in-law, and his young daughter, so he may be able to advise you.

 

[mi000ke]

Hi @anchochile

With all of your requirements, I'd strongly consider Grand Cayman

+1

 

[drrich2]

When our daughter was under a year old, we hit Key Largo with what Doc pointed out in mind; access to U.S. level health care if she got sick. She did okay, but on cruises, once she came down with bad bronchitis and needed nebulizer and antibiotic treatment, and another life vest chafing likely led to a bad case of impetigo requiring antibiotics. Little kids can get sick pretty fast; you need a place to go when they do.

I think Scubadada nailed it with Grand Cayman. Two other destinations, if you want to consider options, Curacao toward the east (trip report at Sunscape Curacao, an A.I. resort) and St. Croix (report) could work. I don't know how good their health care is. IIRC, Grand Cayman has a good rep. for health care.

With the disclaimer I tend to be cheap when footing the bill for a few people (actually, I'm just cheap...), I'd look at Grand Cayman's 7 Mile Beach area, considering Comfort Suites and Sunshine Suites Resort, which are the 'value conscious' options I've seen recommended, and pretty well-reviewed.

Richard.

 

[Damselfish]

I agree with Grand Cayman. It's a nice place to visit and nice place to dive. It checks all your boxes and is just plain easy. It should be a good experience for everyone.

Curacao could work, and has the advantage of feeling you've actually left the US and visited another country. More interesting in many ways, but maybe not quite as easy.

Just to throw in something different, someplace like Barbados or Aruba might work ok. Not as big as dive destinations but maybe good enough for that first trip, good vacation destinations for non-divers, relatively easy to get to, and I think pretty reliable on the health care side.

Of course lots of great places in the Indo/South Pacific and other places off the beaten track from the US - but with a new diver, 6mo old, and not much time, I would save those for later.

 

[chillyinCanada]

What's the latest on Zika?

 

[KathyV]

What's the latest on Zika?

The CDC has modified their Zika classification system and they have now listed most of the Caribbean as a region that has reported Zika in the past but has no current transmission. I know that Cayman hasn't had any new cases in about 2 years.