Where to go?

[oreocookie]

Starting to plan next summer's trip and looking for location suggestions. I'm think somewhere in the Caribean or Central America. For the moment we're leaning towards an AI like cocoview or scuba club cozumel, but aren't ruling out other options.
We have a budget of about $2000 per person (2 of us) including flights. We did Blackbeards this summer so we don't need luxury (and we haven't ruled out doing that again).
Any suggestions of areas that are relatively inexpensive but with good diving or specific resorts to look into? Thanks

 

[mselenaous]

COZUMEL! June 12-19...
Here are the details. It's in your time frame and well within your budget...
AND the Scubaboard FUN factor to boot. Ask anyone who has attended any of the Scubaboard Invasions.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/in...-2011/361021-whos-going-cozumel-invasion.html

Look forward to meeting you in Cozumel!

Now that's the "Easy" Button.

 

[oreocookie]

I'll have to keep that in mind. I've wanted to do ITK and this sounds similar just without the K part.

 

[diversteve]

How about Utila? A week at Deep Blue Resort (full AI) is $850 pp/dbl. July-Oct. $1000 in June. 3 boat dives/day plus a couple of shore sites accessible from their beach. Night dive days that's your 3rd dive. Nice people, nice resort, everything was really clean. It's smaller - 10 rooms total (20 guests?) - which I prefer. Every room faces the beach. It is located across a lagoon channel from town so access is by boat. Deep Blue Utila - swim with whale sharks at our all inclusive resort. Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

As long as you can get to San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba (mainland) or Roatan by about 1PM it's possible to get there the same day. There's no lights at the airport (no terminal either...lol) so no night flights. We flew to Roatan and took the (2) ferries over. Arrived on Roatan at 12:10 and were on Utila at 5PM. The biggest hassle is getting through Roatan immigration, after that it's a 10min. ride to the ferry port followed by 2 ferry rides. The ferries dock next to each other in La Ceiba so it's an easy transfer.

<- And you might get to see/snorkel with one of these

 

[diver 85]

Starting to plan next summer's trip and looking for location suggestions. I'm think somewhere in the Caribean or Central America. For the moment we're leaning towards an AI like cocoview or scuba club cozumel, but aren't ruling out other options.
We have a budget of about $2000 per person (2 of us) including flights. We did Blackbeards this summer so we don't need luxury (and we haven't ruled out doing that again).
Any suggestions of areas that are relatively inexpensive but with good diving or specific resorts to look into? Thanks

Go to the other side of the island(Roatan) ie north side & visit AKR..

 

[Carlos Danger]

I have generally always tried to venture someplace new each year. Having been to many of the better documented dive destinations around the Caribbean, I have found it increasingly difficult to identify areas for my next adventure. This past summer I took a chance on something easy and went to St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. I had an absolute blast, and it turned out to be one of the best trips I have ever been on. I found it to be a beautiful place with great shore diving and an unexpectedly diverse topside experience. The cruise ship pier dive in Frederiksted is awesome! I'm not aware of any AI options, but I tend to find those artificially restrictive anyway.

http://carambolabeach.com/

I guess it just really all depends on the types of things you're looking for. If AI diving is important, the usual Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Turks & Caicos, or Caymans all have plenty of great experiences on offer within your budget. August always seems to be the best travel month for me, with plenty of good deals, fewer people, and great weather.

Best of luck!

 

[robint]

You will be very happy with either Cocoview Resort or Scuba Club Cozumel. Neither resort is plush, they are dive resorts full of divers, small in size but huge in service and communing with other divers. Summer is a great time to do either place but CCV is very small, only 26 rooms, so it books up fast. Check with reservations before booking your airfare.

They are two very different places, we love them both for different reasons. CCV is my "happy place", meaning it is the resort that I compare every other place to. They set a high standard of what I personally want for a dive vacation. CCV you are able to dive 24/7 all for the same price, and meals are buffet but well done, so you can eat dive eat dive eat dive all day long. My kind of vacation. I need nothing else but a clean bed and shower. The staff there is amazing, too.

robin

 

[farsidefan1]

A lot of it depends on how "aggressive" a diver you and your companion are. The one resort I return to on an annual basis is Cocoview. That is in part because my wife loves the laid back easy diving. Minimal currents, lots to see in shallow water, easy shore dive with tons of different stuff to see and on the shore dives you can just poke around without a divemaster rushing you. The chain from the resort to the wreck out front makes it a no brainer for even a first timer to be confident in navigating to and from the resort. Yeah, it is a great place to dive your brains out and build confidence. Perhaps the best part is the design of the boats. They have a hole built in the center of them so if water is a bit rough (rare on the south side of the island) you can come up a ladder through the hole and you don't have the issues of timing when to grab a rocking ladder off the back of the boat.
On the other hand if you don't mind some current look to Cozumel. Virtually all dives are drift dives. It must be one of the swim through capitals of the world, lots of cool structure and probably at least a dozen dive ops with fiercely loyal clients that are convinced that ther favorite dive operation is the "best in the world".
I go about 3 times a year on dive vacations. One of those is Cocoview, the others are anywhere. This yr it is Cocoview, Palau (2 weeks, one on the Aggressor and one with Sam's - I'm checking our both live aboard and land based to determine which one my wife will prefer next yr. gotta love research!) and Hawaii (we did the Big Island including the night dive with mantas and also saw the largest turtles I've ever seen).
Comparing Scuba club on Coz, and Cocoview I don't see how you can lose. I would lean a bit toward Cocoview just because the shore diving is better and more diverse but the same could be said about the night life of Coz. I have seen more "big stuff" at Coz but it is harder to stop and study things due to the current. Like choosing between chocolate or vanilla shakes, you are about to have a fun experience, either way.

 

[stcroixscuba]

10 Reasons to dive St. Croix:

1). The largest living reef of any Caribbean island
2). The "ultimate wall" which drops 13,200' all along the northshore
3.) The second longest barrier reef in the Caribbean.
4). A Pier dive that is awesome anytime but absolutely fantastic at night and never crowded
5). Under the U.S. Flag (USCG certificated boats and Captains, and no passport required)
6). Six great dive operators (and even though I'm one of them I can recommend them all)
7). A LOT of topside things to do for non-divers or for you when you're not diving
8). An excellent assortment of restaurants that range from world class Wine Spectator Award winning restaurants to McDonald's and everything in between.
9). Duty free shopping
10). Not overrun by cruise ships
And the bonus 11th reason......
11). Lots and lots of rum (Cruzan Rum and Captain Morgan are from St. Croix)

 

[oreocookie]

Well, it looks like Deep Blue in Utila is the winner. Nothing is set is stone, as no reservations have been made yet, but we're excited anyway.

Diversteve, do you have any pics from your trip there posted anyhere so I can take a look? I've seen some on Trip Advisor, but they're all very similar.