Which Caribbean dive resort has the most spectacular house reef?

[miserkris]

Hi
I live in PA. Which Caribbean dive resort has the most spectacular house reef?
I've dived in bonaire (sand dollar),big island of Hawaii. Logged 30 dives.

I'd love to dive whenever i want , dive shallow and come out and relax!

Thx
Kris

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[Wookie]

I would vote for Coco View resort. A reef and a wreck. And great muck. Hard to beat.

 

[miserkris]

I would vote for Coco View resort. A reef and a wreck. And great muck. Hard to beat.

Wow that's a house reef? Can i see cool stuff at say 30'? How deep is the wreck location.

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[Wookie]

Wow that's a house reef? Can i see cool stuff at say 30'? How deep is the wreck location.

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Amazingly, Google will lead you here:Roatan Resort & Diving | CoCo View Resort which will tell you all about their awards for house reef in 20 feet of water.

 

[Stoo]

The reef at Reef House was pretty nice... fairly deep wall. Easy entry from a concrete step. Mrs. Stoo and I did a night dive there just after we arrived last Christmas after travelling all day. It was a bit tricky navigating through the shallows to get to the wall (since it was dark and we hadn't ever been there...) but once we did, it was very nice.

The resort itself isn't fancy, but a decent option if you're on a snug budget... I have a review here someplace.

Reef House Resort

 

[scubadada]

It's hard to beat Bari Reef off Sand Dollar and Den Laman in Bonaire, day or night

 

[Doc]

I would vote for Coco View resort. A reef and a wreck. And great muck. Hard to beat.

Wow that's a house reef? Can i see cool stuff at say 30'? How deep is the wreck location.

Yes, that's where the cool stuff is. The first bit of turquoise blue you see above represents sand at 15' depth. The placed wreck, an upright intact 140' freighter, lies at the bottom edge of the above image. It noses into sand at 32fsw, the aft is in 65'. The wreck tops out at 22 feet deep. Simple pemnetrations are possible because she has been gutted. But that's not what a wreck "is for". It is best used for what I think you are seeking... creature habitat.

I have spent entire two week periods diving at Coco View and only shore dived, never gotten on a boat. I have seen everything from the shore dive realm including Hammerheads and Whale Sharks. Interesting, unusual and only after hundreds of careful dives. I am much more enthralled with things like Batfish, Sailfin Blennies and the many micro and macro critters. I spend 2 hr BTs here.



I've seen, after many years of travel, a few resort based shore dives that are in the same ball park, but none still existing in the Caribbean.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

CocoView's house reef is very nice ... and you can snorkel the "Front Yard" in 6 to 10 feet of water and find plenty to look at. The wreck is relatively shallow, and easy to reach without scuba if you have moderate freediving skills. For the scuba divers, the two walls give you plenty of grin factor for multiple dives ... particularly at night. The only potential drawback is that at times the vis gets a bit murky, particularly around the wreck. Not sure why.

Lots of places in Bonaire offer great house reefs. My favorite was at the Plaza Resort ... one of the few places in Bonaire that also offers an actual beach. That makes it a nice place to stay if you're traveling with a non-diver, as it's also an easy walk into town. The house reef is what they call a double-reef, as it forks and offers two distinctive dive profiles. Also a fantastic place for a night dive. But much of the reef going up-coast is beautiful and easily accessible from any of the several popular resorts you'll find lining the west side of the island.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Kharon]

Going to CoCo View this Feb/Mar so I'll know better then. My guess is pretty great from Doc's info and videos.

On Bonaire I like Cliff which is the house reef of Hamlet Oasis Resort. Dive Friends is on site and the cost is comparable to what I pay at CoCo Palm Garden. The difference is that CoCo Palm sets up my air package with Dive Friends and takes care of the truck rental. They get the best price. At Hamlet you have to get your own truck and air package. But Dive Friends gives a 10% discount if you are staying at Hamlet. CoCo Palm isn't on the water but I have dove Cliff multiple times and it's one of my favorite Bonaire dives.

 

[scagrotto]

I haven't been everywhere, so I can't say that CocoView is the best, but it's definitely a great place. It's fairly easy to get to, though lately when I check the United website they want me to spend a night in Houston or pay through the nose to take an early flight out of EWR to make the connection at IAH. I haven't checked other airlines or from PHL or PIT, so maybe you'll find a better option.

The boats go out twice a day, offering a wall dive with a DM, and then (if you'd like) dropping you along the wall near the resort when you return. In addition, you can go diving anytime you want, 24/7; just grab a tank and go. My longest dive wasn't there, but CCV is where I set my personal best of 7 dives in a day. You'll also find some interesting life out of the water. We saw plenty of hummingbirds, both at the feeder near the dining room and elsewhere, plus a bunch of these guys: