Which place has the best diving...

[CanadianRed]

My husband is a very active diver, and we are trying to figure out which places of the following would offer the best dive sites (the information we are finding is rather confusing on this matter):

 

- Curaco

- Dominica

- Isla Margarita

- Barbados

- St. Thomas

 

Any thoughs on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

(We are going in December/January if that makes much of a difference):confused:

[johnlcruise]

Any dive is a great dive.:)

BUT i guess it would be Isla Margarita next would be Curaco.

 

I feel the best diving is in Grand Cayman. but to each there own.

[bruce-r]

My husband is a very active diver, and we are trying to figure out which places of the following would offer the best dive sites (the information we are finding is rather confusing on this matter):

I'd rank them in this order:

 

1 - Curacao Look at http://the-dive-bus.com/ or http://www.caribseasports.com/ The diving on Curacao is good enough to make it a dedicated dive vacation. I could easily spend a week there diving.

2 - St. Thomas isn't really a close second, but I don't know from personal experience how the diving is in Dominica or Barbados, but since I haven't read much about the diving on those 2 islands, it can't be all that great. If you don't dive but want to stay with your DH, then http://cokidive.com/ would be a good choice. He could do a shore dive or 2 and you could hang at the beach and/or snorkel. If he wants a better dive, then he should do a boat dive. There are several dive operators to choose from. I've read good things about all of these operators: http://www.sawyerdive.vi/ http://www.admiraltydive.com/ and http://www.blueislanddivers.com/

 

- Dominica ?

- Barbados ?

 

- Isla Margarita - no idea about this one. It is an island off the coast of Venezuela.

 

Hope this helps,

Bruce

[scubaduba]

I would ask what kind of diving your husband likes. Is he a NJ wreck diver who wears double 120's and a dry suit? Or is he in skins in the Keys? A more advanced technical diver would like the more challanging deeper dives in St.Thomas. They also have great inshore reef diving for his shallower second dive. Isla Margarita is nice but the reefs all look the same to me. I would say Curaco would be my choice down there. It's a shame your not stopping in Bonaire they have some of the best diving on earth. Crystal clear waters and pristine reefs. Curaco is very similar. Corals are not as big though. Pick up a couple of those disposable cameras with flash that are rated up to 100' depth. They take great pics and there will be alot of opportunity for pics. I think they are only $14 at Walgreens. I agree with bruce-r, Admiralty is a good shop and they go deep if you want. Coki beach is also a nice crew. Enjoy! Dive safe, and dive often.

P.S. remember the 3-B's, BIMINI with BLACKBEARDS is BEST!:cool:

[CanadianRed]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know that my husband appreciates all of the information that we can get. He too thinks that any dive is a good dive.

 

As far as what type of diver he is...acually he is every type (you should see his dive books). He has training as a commercial diver (he is a metallurgical engineer), but he does cold weather dives (we live in northern Canada afterall), altitude dives (in the Rocky Mountains and Peru), and regular dives in South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. Basically, he lives to and loves to dive!!

 

Right there is the problem. He would dive every minute of our vacations if he could. As a non-diver I get bored of being alone all of the time. (Yes, I know that I could take the sport up, but I have not mustered up the courage. Although I am trying to.) As such, he is trying to limit his diving on our upcoming trip to just two dives. The rest of the time we we snorkel and enjoy the beaches together.

 

So far it seems like Curaco is the way to go.

Any further thoughts are welcome.

[w&k]

CanadianRed- Here's my ranking.

 

1. Dominica http://www.natureislanddive.com (Karen)

2. Curacao http://www.the-dive-bus.com (Suzy & Mark)

3. Barbados http://www.divebarbados.net/ (John & Mary)

4. St. Thomas http://www.blueislanddivers.com/

 

no clue for Isla Margarita - we went swimming with the Dolphins as we had a strange port time.

 

From my cruise/dive trips so far I would give Dominica just a teeny-tiny edge over Curacao, Barbados next, and St. Thomas last.

 

We have been to Dominica once, and dove with Nature Island Divers. Haven't managed to get a ship back there yet. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=121704

 

One trip to Curacao, we're going back next month, and again next spring with Suzy and Mark at The Dive Bus. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=332272

 

Two trips so far to Barbados, and heading back again next spring with John & Mary at Dive Barbados. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=121690 http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=367272

 

We did one trip with Blue Island Divers on St. Thomas - they were right next to the Crown Bay pier and had good service. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=121707

 

Actually, you should be very afraid of diving. It can cause you to dedicate an entire walk-in closet to the collection of dive gear. My last two cars have been Camry station wagons that logged many, many miles to South Florida. Mysteriously, both dive wagons have a bit of 'eau-de-booties' tang that lasts throughout the year. I love the smell of soggy neoprene in the morning... cause that means you went diving the day before ;)

 

Seriously now, there is absolutely nothing to fear. When I met a great guy about 13 years ago, he asked me what I did for fun, and I said diving and fishing. About three months later, I took him on his first dive after certification: an ocean night dive (I created a monster). > 250 dives later, he's still my favorite dive buddy, and my husband of eight years.

 

Give it a try!

 

Wendy

 

dive pix

http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

[cmdchiefthom]

I can only speak to Dominica, Barbados and St. Thomas, but I have to say Dominica for me wins hands down compared to most other Eastern Caribbean dive destinations. The condition of the corals, and the variety remind me of the Caribbean forty years ago. It is indeed pristine. I also love wreck diving, and I've had decent wreck diving in Barbados, but the Hospital Ship in St. Thomas is awesome, and a fantastic cruise ship wreck in Grenada.

 

I have to add St. Kitts and St. Lucia to the list of outstanding destinations for similar reasons to those I mentioned about Dominica.

 

Of course, eveyone has their own idea of what great diving is, me included, so I guess a diver needs keep diving in search of the ultimate experience. I've been searching for over 45 years, and don't know if I've had it yet, so maybe its in Tahiti? I'll find out in three months.:D But just in case, I'm heading back to Dominica, St. Lucia and Barbados again in April.;)

[Loves_Dogs]

I loved St Thomas (Coki Beach Dive Club). Visibility was great and it was BEAUTIFUL. Barbados was good in that we got to do some wreck dives (The Dive Shop Ltd). If I had to choose between the two I would put St Thomas first. We did the rain forest thing in Dominica.

 

We booked outside the ship. Here are the links for the shops we used and they were great.

 

The Dive Shop LTD - They picked us up at the cruise dock and brought us back.

http://www.divebds.com/

 

Coki Beach Dive Club - They picked us up but we had to take a cab back. There were cabs everywhere and it wasnt expensive so was not a big deal.

http://www.cokidive.com/

 

Have a great cruise!

[bruce-r]

.... I love the smell of soggy neoprene in the morning...

yep, you definitely have it bad and I should know, I also like that smell.

[gybuynew]

Bruce

would you use someone in st thomas or go over to st john and dive. we will be in st thomas from 7 till 4

 

chris

[bruce-r]

Bruce

would you use someone in st thomas or go over to st john and dive. we will be in st thomas from 7 till 4

 

chris

I'd stay on St. Thomas and do a 3 tank dive with http://www.admiraltydive.com I don't think you'd have a real time problem if you did go to St John as long as you only did a 2 tank dive. St. John would probably be my choice if I was just going to snorkel and wanted the best snorkeling, but I'd want to dive at least one of the wrecks near St Thomas.