My wife has a two-week window of opportunity to dive over Christmas and New Years and I was thinking of heading to a Caribbean dive location. We've been to Coco View twice and Utila once. However, I have my own stock photo business and topside scenery is paramount - blue blue waters, white sand beaches, palms, etc. Roatan wasn't that scenic topside, so I thought I'd reach out to the people here who have traveled all over the Caribbean for advice. We really want the laid back style, beach diving like at Coco View, and not the hotel style diving. So I guess I am asking for advice on a place like Coco View but with more scenery. We will be going to the Scuba Show in Long Beach but wanted to take a list of 2-3 options so that we can and vett them further there.
Again, if it makes any difference in where you recommend we go, the plan is to depart the week before Christmas and come back the weekend after New Years.
Any ideas?
Joe
Bonaire would be ideal for that. There are several good resorts and if you rent your own truck to dive from you can solo dive to your hearts content. Though there are sandy beaches on Bonaire there are not that many but photo opportunities are around every corner.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the heads up. Any particular place you can point me to? I have a lot of friends who have been to Bonaire many times, like Bonnie Cardone & Eric Hanauer and I simply have never gone there due to my lust for third world travel. I am calming down a bit, and being more open to the wife's needs for "satisfaction".
Bonaire is a sand-blasted desert,not very good for topside pictures. What about Grenada or the BVI? They'll give you the white sand, the turqoiise sea and the palm fronds gently rustling in the breeze.
Sand blasted desert? Really? True it is a desert island but I disagree about topside photos. The last place we stayed was Den Laman apartments and purchased their Dive and Drive package. Very clean room, nice view, Good house reef and free nitrox. If you stay here I recommend calling them on the phone to book rather then online.My slideshow from February,
Another great place to go would be Little Cayman at Little Cayman Beach Resort, good diving and a Bird sanctuary walking distance away.
I love little cayman. Although I believe Granada is more lush top side
Have you thought of St Lucia? Haven't done much diving, but the mountains/pitons are wonderful. Very lush, and has beaches. Only did 5 dives there on the honeymoon. But I recently talked with someone who said the diving was spectacular, with frogfish and seahorses "all over the place".
Dustin
Some pics
Grenada
St Lucia
Just came back from Grenada was in St Lucia last year
Few videos as well
Grenada
St Lucia
St Lucia is a more scenic island diving wise there is near to no fish though we had a seahorse there to entertain us
Grenada has better diving and plenty of wrecks and better beaches less interesting as an island
I have been to Bahamas and Turks that is Atlantic and visibility is better
Also been to Tobago and was OK not amazing
Next trip probably Cayman or Mexico
Another vote for Grenada here - absolutely mindblowing, lush and beautiful both topside and underwater. I believe the wind starts to come up around the end of December, but that won't affect your ability to get to many of the Caribbean-side reefs and wrecks.
