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Message |
    
E
Citizen
Username: Scubadiver
Post Number: 44
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2005 - 9:44 pm: |     |
Anyone go diving recently? Where? Please share details and recommendations. I'm planning a trip soon and trying to get ideas, although I'm leaning towards Grand Cayman.
Thanks |
ffof
Citizen
Username: Ffof
Post Number: 3443
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 8:39 am: | |
Cozumel or BVI
Cayman is expensive to fly in to. |
David Cataneo
Citizen
Username: Dave_cataneo
Post Number: 69
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 8:47 am: | |
The wall at Grand Cayman is spectacular - our dive guides took us down over 100' - but there's a lot of life (and rays) at very shallow depths. It was probably the clearest water I've dived in my limited experience. OTOH, Grand Cayman is very expensive and I wasn't thrilled with the rest of the island. A couple I dive with pushes Bonair and Mexico, but I've never been. For novice divers, I like the all-inclusives that include diving, but you might be beyond that. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 779
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 10:03 am: | |
Saba, Bonaire. Club Med @ Turks has a great dive program. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 781
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 10:11 am: | |
The Pitons of St. Lucia are pretty cool. |
sullymw
Citizen
Username: Sullymw
Post Number: 500
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 14, 2005 - 12:27 pm: | |
we loved Curacao. At the Habitat Curacao resort you could just jump off the dock 24 hrs a day and experience a fantastic reef a few yards away. |
pauli
Citizen
Username: Pauli
Post Number: 19
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 9:58 am: | |
The most spectacular diving experience I ever had was diving in the Galapagos Islands. It's far, expensive and for very experience divers only. That said, it was an experience of a lifetime and well worth the savings and training to prepare for strong , sometimes cold currents. Beyond words. The country of Equador is also beautiful and we had a great time touring for a few days with an all inclusive package. Mind you, it's liveaboard diving only as the islands are remote, some uninhabited and far from the mainland. |
Duder
Citizen
Username: El_duderino
Post Number: 596
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 10:26 am: | |
If you're looking for a dive vacation, no island tops Bonaire. It's all about the diving there, and it is excellent reef diving. There are a few solid wrecks, too. A night dive under the town pier is one of the great diving experiences in the world.
Unlike some of the bigger islands, there are only a handful of other things to do -- there's a small, quaint town village, nice restaurants, and a bay great for windsurfing. But there's not much nightlife, only one small casino, and the island is decidedly mellow. Also, it's a coral island, which accounts for the great diving, but it also means there are no long sandy beaches, although a bunch of the hotels have created their own.
Right across from Bonaire is a deserted island called Klein Bonaire. The diving there (a 10-30 minute boat ride, depending) is as pristine and lush as it gets in the Caribbean. There are sandy beaches there, and you can access the island by water taxi from town, and if you're looking to play Lost for an afternoon (with snorkling gear, and a cooler of Amstels, of course), it's a great experience.
|
Spare_o
Supporter
Username: Spare_o
Post Number: 207
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 9:05 pm: | |
I agree with Duder in that Bonaire is great for diving but not much else. When I went, about 5 years ago, there weren't many restaurants or places to stay. It's really for people who want to dive all day and don't want to stay in a luxurious, full service spa-type hotel. The place we stayed at had hot water only in the late morning (solar water heater).
That said, Cozumel was great but it's been at least 10 years since I have been there. There ae other things to do besides diving and nice hotels, although you have to drink bottled water. I have great stories to tell about my trip to Cozumel although I'm not sure I would go back (I have a thing about visiting the same place twice when I have so much of the world left to see). |
sullymw
Citizen
Username: Sullymw
Post Number: 508
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 8:29 am: | |
Cozumel is a great bet. Not only is the diving spectacular, but there is much more to do when off-gassing than somewhere like Bonaire or Curacao. It depends on your goals really. The local people in Cozumel couldn't be nicer and more accommodating. |
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