# Recommend a resort for SCUBA?



## glypnirsgirl (May 11, 2011)

Hi - I am getting ready to set up a request first on II for the Carribbean or Atlantic islands. 

My primary goal for this trip is to go scuba diving. I have no idea where to start looking. When I did a search by activity, I came up with only one resort that I had ever heard of, Captain Morgan's. Captain Morgan's is in Belize and I really do not want to go much further west than Florida. I would prefer to not go to Jamaica, Cayman, Mexico or Belize. (I have been to each and love them all, I just want something new).

Has anyone had an awesome scuba diving experience in the eastern Carribbean or Atlantic islands?


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## dchilds (May 11, 2011)

Go to the Cayman Islands.


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## brother coony (May 11, 2011)

Try the Turks and caicos, They Have great protected reefs great for scuba


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## nickis (May 11, 2011)

Curacao or Bonarie are 2 really good islands and the shore diving on both is great. Another great place to look is shorediving.com it list all the islands and most off the dives on the islands with great feed back from other divers and doesnt push for any one island as it just post what it recieves from divers. A wealth off knowledge for bubble makers.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

I started vetting all of the recommendations. 

I started with the shorediving.com website - which is a real treasure for any diver. And my husband and I both love shore diving, so extra-special for us.

I originally had marked Cayman off as a possibility. That was as a result of what one of my friends had said about diving in Cayman. She said that it was twice as expensive and the diving was half as good as Cozumel. After hearing that, I was not that interested. Plus, I had been to Cayman about 15 years ago and did not enjoy myself. I got sick while I was there and spent the whole week in my room. I don't even remember the name. It was a TS rental. After reading the shorediving.com recommendations, Cayman went back on the list of possibilities.

It is amazing to me the difference in the cost of flights depending on the island chosen. 

Bahamas and Curacao were both reasonable to get to (about $500 round trip). Aruba, almost as reasonable.

Could not find an AA flight to Bonaire. What is up with that? The easiest way to get there was to go to Curacao first, then fly to Bonaire which doubled the cost of the flight. So Bonaire got stricken due to $$ for flights.

Cayman is EXPENSIVE to fly to from DFW (about $700RT) but really reasonable for my son and daughter in law who would be flying from Norfolk (about $400 RT). So it averages out to about $200 more than Bahamas.

In searching for dive sites, it looks like both Cayman and Bonaire have terrific diving with lots of different types of dives. But the cost of the flights for Bonaire were an excluding factor. 

That leaves Bahamas, Curacao and Cayman as possibilities. Has anyone been diving while on a timeshare vacation on any of these three islands? 

elaine


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

brother coony said:


> Try the Turks and caicos, They Have great protected reefs great for scuba



Ian and I dove Turks and Caicos for a full week about 4 years ago. We were on a liveaboard. Fantastic experience. The diving was pristine. 

Spanish Anchor is probably my all time favorite dive - absolutely fantastic.

elaine


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## nickis (May 12, 2011)

We spend 2wks EOY on Curacao the diving is fantastic and have yet to go out on a boat and do not think we have missed much. If cost is a concern this really takes it to a new range as we dive an average of 2times a day for 2 at a cost off $8 dollars per person as we only pay for air fills. 
Sure we know some secret places and have even been asked in the dive store by members off the boat how we new the location of the dive site they were at at the same time as us. PS they also said not to tell lol. 
Average boat dive $80 .
We have been to the Caymans 1st time when we first learnt 25yrs ago and went to Brac 2nd time about 8yrs ago and wouldn't even compair it to Curacao , Dead coral and to many cruise ships the east end was a little better but not much. But this is just our opinion.
Curacao has walls to dive right from the beach, an  abundance off juvi and adult fish so seeing a juvi spotted drum a few yrds from a adult is not uncommon and so on with many others, an abundance of Morey,Rays and great corals in good health.
Easy to see were we like but opinions are like butts we all have one lol this is just ours. 
Look up the Royal Sea Aquarium this is our hm but there are many other time shares on the island.


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## wilma (May 12, 2011)

We go to Kura Hulanda Resort in Westpunt every year and the scuba diving is great. We mostly shore dive right in front of the resort using the onsite dive shop, Ocean Encounters-- a quality dive operation. Occasionally we will do a boat diving trip to Watamula and you often will see dolphins while motoring to the dive site. Kura Hulanda is perfectly set up for shore diving and it's an easy walk out to their dock for a quick jump into the water. We also go to more exotic places for diving-Palau, Indonesia, etc, but Curacao is an easier trip with dependably good diving.


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## suzanne (May 12, 2011)

We have spent week at Westwind II in Nassua. Its right on Cable Beach. We had a 2 bedroom exchange thru RCI. Not fancy but very clean, well maintained and very helpful staff. Plus its right next to the Cable Beach resort/casino so you have access to their bars, restaurants and beach. The resort has small pool, no hot tub and a small poolside snack bar, no onsite restaurant. We dove with Stuarts Cove. Great Dive Operators. They pick you up and return you to your resort. We never needed a rental car as they have a very good, reasonable bus system with a bus stop right outside the resort on the main street.

Stuart's Cove does different types of diving, reef, wreck and shark. 

Hope this helps. Have a great time wherever you decide to go.

Suzanne


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

wilma said:


> Kura Hulanda is perfectly set up for shore diving and it's an easy walk out to their dock for a quick jump into the water. We also go to more exotic places for diving-Palau, Indonesia, etc, but Curacao is an easier trip with dependably good diving.



Wilma - could you please expand on what you mean by "perfectly set up for shore diving" - I ask because I love to shore dive. I love that you don't have to be on anyone else's schedule. No long boat rides to get to where you are diving. But ease of shore diving is the key to it being enjoyable. 

I had read your review of Kura Hulanda and your response to someone else's recent thread on Sea Aquarium. Both TS had made it on to my short list. For me, the first consideration would be ease of shore diving. If my sister comes, she would be attracted by the dolphins at Sea Aquarium.

When I think of ease of shore diving it includes having dive lockers close to entry point, easy fills, availability of Nitrox (what a huge difference this makes in my stamina), fresh water availability for rinsing gear, some place to dry out wetsuite and booties, etc. 

Not time share related, but I have been looking at a liveaboard in Indonesia for the next BIG dive trip. It will be about 2 years before that trip happens ... and I need to get my gills wet pretty soon. It has been over a year since our last dive trip ... and that's too long!

elaine


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## rifleman69 (May 12, 2011)

Have heard that some of the best diving is on the island of SABA, just a quick 15-20 minute flight from St Maarten.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

nickis said:


> We spend 2wks EOY on Curacao the diving is fantastic and have yet to go out on a boat and do not think we have missed much. If cost is a concern this really takes it to a new range as we dive an average of 2times a day for 2 at a cost off $8 dollars per person as we only pay for air fills.
> Sure we know some secret places and have even been asked in the dive store by members off the boat how we new the location of the dive site they were at at the same time as us. PS they also said not to tell lol.
> Average boat dive $80 .
> We have been to the Caymans 1st time when we first learnt 25yrs ago and went to Brac 2nd time about 8yrs ago and wouldn't even compair it to Curacao , Dead coral and to many cruise ships the east end was a little better but not much. But this is just our opinion.
> ...



Curacao has been interesting to me for years. My friend that made the pithy remark about the Caymans has over 1000+ dives and Curacao is her favorite "near" dive spot. I did not know that Curacao had timeshares on it until I started looking for this trip.

So, are you willing to share where the great dive spots are? Or at least how you found them?

elaine


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

rifleman69 said:


> Have heard that some of the best diving is on the island of SABA, just a quick 15-20 minute flight from St Maarten.



I had heard this too. However, the flight to SXM is $1200+ from DFW so it is out of our budget for this trip. 

I can get to Bali for that price!

elaine


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

suzanne said:


> We have spent week at Westwind II in Nassua. Its right on Cable Beach. We had a 2 bedroom exchange thru RCI. Not fancy but very clean, well maintained and very helpful staff. Plus its right next to the Cable Beach resort/casino so you have access to their bars, restaurants and beach. The resort has small pool, no hot tub and a small poolside snack bar, no onsite restaurant. We dove with Stuarts Cove. Great Dive Operators. They pick you up and return you to your resort. We never needed a rental car as they have a very good, reasonable bus system with a bus stop right outside the resort on the main street.
> 
> Stuart's Cove does different types of diving, reef, wreck and shark.
> 
> ...



Were the boat dives expensive? Did Stuarts Cove pick you up by boat or by bus/van?

elaine


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## wilma (May 12, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> Wilma - could you please expand on what you mean by "perfectly set up for shore diving" - I ask because I love to shore dive. I love that you don't have to be on anyone else's schedule. No long boat rides to get to where you are diving. But ease of shore diving is the key to it being enjoyable.
> 
> I had read your review of Kura Hulanda and your response to someone else's recent thread on Sea Aquarium. Both TS had made it on to my short list. For me, the first consideration would be ease of shore diving. If my sister comes, she would be attracted by the dolphins at Sea Aquarium.
> 
> ...



The dive shop is connected to a dock, so you pick up a tank, suit up, walk down the dock and jump in the water, easy! Around here if you want to beach dive, you often have to haul all your gear over a beach and it can be a chore, so having such an easy setup for shore diving is great. The house reef/shore dive at Kura Hulanda (Alice in wonderland) is one of the best dives on the island and many people come to dive there from all around the island, so why not just stay there?


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## nickis (May 12, 2011)

Most off the beaches are pay to enter a small fee and all these have parking restraunts, some also have dive shacks right were your diving. So we get to the beach grab a chair set the kids up get our gear set up and dive,comein mess with the kids let the older one practice with the BC in the shallow water  have lunch set our gear up and dive again. 
And yes if you choose Curacao i will let you in on some really good spots. We found one just wandering and started to snorkle only to find a great wall next day we were diving it . We are not resort people our timeshare is just a place to sleep we are a diffrent beach everyday. Porta Marie is great Casa Abou is another both with dive shacks.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

nickis said:


> Most off the beaches are pay to enter a small fee and all these have parking restraunts, some also have dive shacks right were your diving. So we get to the beach grab a chair set the kids up get our gear set up and dive,comein mess with the kids let the older one practice with the BC in the shallow water  have lunch set our gear up and dive again.
> And yes if you choose Curacao i will let you in on some really good spots. We found one just wandering and started to snorkle only to find a great wall next day we were diving it . We are not resort people our timeshare is just a place to sleep we are a diffrent beach everyday. Porta Marie is great Casa Abou is another both with dive shacks.



When I am diving, I prefer a place that is really laid back and that caters to divers or at least is set up in a way that diving is easy. My husband calls the places that we like to stay "dive dives" - not fancy, just easy. 

I am looking at Sea Aquarium as well as the resort that Wilma suggested. 

I have a question about how far the resort is from the good diving - will we need a car? can we get a taxi? if we can get a taxi, will someone be willing to pick us up coming out of the water?

In Cozumel, we just walk across the street and pick up our dive gear out of our dive lockers, pick up a tank and dive. Except for the walk across the street, this is ideal for us. The walk from the dive shop to entry is about 30 yards. 

elaine


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## nickis (May 12, 2011)

For Curacao you will need a car not a giant island but you can get one for around 270 for the wk. Dive shop is 200yrds from the Sea Aquarium and there is a resonable dive right outside your door. 10mins in car and your on a great wall dive 1/2 hr and your on a nice beach with great diving and the list goes on. We love to load up the car drive the island and just jump in were we feel like no stress just fun stuff.
The dive store rent lockers for your equipment i think it was 8to 12bucks for the wk. Rinse tanks are at some sites and are in front off the dive store.
The Sea Aquerium is very laid back not your usall time share quiet and relaxing only 40 units on its own island. If you go to Royal Sea Aquerium web site you will find the cameras and can see your view and the grounds.


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## rifleman69 (May 12, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> I had heard this too. However, the flight to SXM is $1200+ from DFW so it is out of our budget for this trip.
> 
> I can get to Bali for that price!
> 
> elaine




Interesting, I'm flying from PDX through DFW for $615 June 1st.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 12, 2011)

rifleman69 said:


> Interesting, I'm flying from PDX through DFW for $615 June 1st.



Funny how that works sometimes. I wonder if it is a factor of what airline. Being at DFW, almost all of our travel is on American, so that was the only pricing that I checked. 

 In order to keep things constant, I used the second week in November to test the airfares. I wonder if something special was going on in St. Maarten at that time. Turks and Caicos had really high airfare, also.

elaine


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## Judy (May 14, 2011)

I’ll tell you about the dive destinations I’ve been to with II in the Atlantic and Caribbean. (not including Belize)
*Casa del Mar Beach Resort, Aruba*:  We liked the resort, especially because we had a beachfront unit, but the diving was not the greatest.
*Divi Famingo Beach Resort, Bonaire*:  Bonaire is my favorite dive destination in the world (so far). At the Divi, you can keep your gear in the lock-up by the dock.  They put the tanks out on the end of the dock.  You just gear up and jump into the water.  For variety, rent a truck and visit the many shore diving sites around the island.
*Plantation Village Beach Resort, Grand Cayman*:  Grand Cayman has some of the best diving in the Caribbean.  This resort is located near 7-mile beach and town, but the reef on this side of the island is not as good as the East End and the North Side.  The Reef Resort RYG/CTY has a better location for diving.
*The Royal Sea Aquarium in Curaçao* is located right next to the Sea Aquarium, has its own beach, and there’s a dive shop within easy walking distance.  We didn’t use that dive operation because we were only doing shore diving.  Some of the sites were very good,  but we prefer Bonaire for shore diving. 
*Alexandra Resort, Turks and Caicos*:  This resort is very hard to get an exchange into.  We ended up renting.  It’s on one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.  But it doesn’t have a dive operation.  We dove all week with Caicos Adventures who picked us up at the resort and transported us to the marina.  It was always a long boat ride to the dive sites, but well worth it.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 14, 2011)

Hi Judy!

First, off topic, what kind of fish is your avatar? It looks like it might be a spotted trunkfish, but I have never seen one up close enough to see their mouth.

What a great list of places. Marcy loved Sea Aquarium, also. 

Did you find Bonaire welcoming? I have heard for years that they have the best shore diving in the world. I had friends complain about how resentful the locals were. They actually felt afraid. That would put a real wet blanket on a vacation. At the same time, that is just one opinion. I would like to hear your opinion about the safety there.

I am all about the diving for this trip. Up until the last 2 years, Ian and I would do 4-6 dive trips per year. Year before last, we went to WDW. Last year I had 2 surgeries --- boy does that put a damper on diving.

It is time to get our gills wet!

elaine


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## DVB42 (May 14, 2011)

I have heard that Saba is really good as well. Last year we dived while in St. Maarten. I would not rate it real high so if you go through SXM, I would go the additional distance to Saba.


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## MuranoJo (May 14, 2011)

Wilma or Elaine,

Where is Kura Hulanda?  Is this a t/s on Curacao?

We're both very interested in this thread.  Have 2 weeks at Belize planned for the first time next Spring.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 15, 2011)

muranojo said:


> Wilma or Elaine,
> 
> Where is Kura Hulanda?  Is this a t/s on Curacao?
> 
> We're both very interested in this thread.  Have 2 weeks at Belize planned for the first time next Spring.



Kura Hulanda is in Curacao. It is in the area called "Westpunt"  --- I believe. The resort is stunningly beautiful.

2 WEEKS IN BELIZE - how thrilling. It is a place that I have always wanted to go. Where will you be staying?

elaine


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## dchilds (May 15, 2011)

DVB42 said:


> I have heard that Saba is really good as well. Last year we dived while in St. Maarten. I would not rate it real high so if you go through SXM, I would go the additional distance to Saba.



Saba is much better than any we've done on St Maarten, but it isn't as good as the Caymans.  Our favorite dive experiences from best to worst, Cayman, Great Barrier Reef, Belize, Saba, Maui, BVI, St Maarten, Bahamas, off the coast of Akumal.

We have timeshares on St Maarten, and only bring our gear 1/2 the time.  Going to Saba adds a lot of cost.


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## Judy (May 15, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> Hi Judy!
> 
> First, off topic, what kind of fish is your avatar? It looks like it might be a spotted trunkfish, but I have never seen one up close enough to see their mouth.


  It's a Smooth Trunkfish.  DH took the photo in bonaire.



> Did you find Bonaire welcoming? I have heard for years that they have the best shore diving in the world. I had friends complain about how resentful the locals were. They actually felt afraid. That would put a real wet blanket on a vacation. At the same time, that is just one opinion. I would like to hear your opinion about the safety there.


 I find Bonaire very welcoming.  We often go to the local festivals where we're the only tourists and sometimes eat in restaurants that cater to locals.  I've never felt threatened in any way.  Theft can be a problem in Bonaire as there are some people who'll steal the craziest things out of cars (like our lunch) But they don't steal dive tanks which means you can take along enough for two dives and leave the second set in the back of your truck while you're in the water.



> I am all about the diving for this trip. Up until the last 2 years, Ian and I would do 4-6 dive trips per year. Year before last, we went to WDW. Last year I had 2 surgeries --- boy does that put a damper on diving.


 I feel your pain.  DH just had his second surgery in two years. But we're counting on a complete recovery before our annual trip to Bonaire in September.


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## MuranoJo (May 15, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> Kura Hulanda is in Curacao. It is in the area called "Westpunt"  --- I believe. The resort is stunningly beautiful.
> 
> 2 WEEKS IN BELIZE - how thrilling. It is a place that I have always wanted to go. Where will you be staying?
> 
> elaine



We'll be staying at The Villas at Banyan Bay.  I posted about it on TUG some time back, but no responses, so maybe not many here have been there.  Also, as I recall, I don't believe there were any reviews, or if there were, they were old.  Trip Advisor had a lot of postitive feedback from return visitors, so I went with that.

I got the two weeks this Jan., so about 16 mos. ahead of time, and they quickly disappeared, so someone grabbed them.

We're really looking forward to it as we've always wanted to go to Belize, but before, all I could find were some negative reviews on some 'huts.'  That's why I grabbed the two weeks.


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## glypnirsgirl (May 16, 2011)

muranojo said:


> We'll be staying at The Villas at Banyan Bay.  I posted about it on TUG some time back, but no responses, so maybe not many here have been there.  Also, as I recall, I don't believe there were any reviews, or if there were, they were old.  Trip Advisor had a lot of postitive feedback from return visitors, so I went with that.
> 
> I got the two weeks this Jan., so about 16 mos. ahead of time, and they quickly disappeared, so someone grabbed them.
> 
> We're really looking forward to it as we've always wanted to go to Belize, but before, all I could find were some negative reviews on some 'huts.'  That's why I grabbed the two weeks.



Sounds like a terrific trip! I can't wait to hear about it. Are you planning on diving?

elaine


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## glypnirsgirl (May 16, 2011)

> It's a Smooth Trunkfish. DH took the photo in bonaire.



What a terrific photo!!! I am really impressed. I thought that it was from website.

I have taken underwater photography classes. Obviously have not learned very much because I can't get the fist to "pose" like this. I am usually lucky if I get the rear end of a fish --- so often I get no fish at all. 

elaine


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## MuranoJo (May 16, 2011)

glypnirsgirl said:


> Sounds like a terrific trip! I can't wait to hear about it. Are you planning on diving?
> 
> elaine


I don't personally dive, but hubby and friends will.  Tried it once in St. Thomas and sucked most the air out in 30', LOL.  I'm just not comfy with it, but may try it again.  Love snorkeling though.

We'll also be seeing the culture/ruins and vegging just a bit.


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## mitchy (May 16, 2011)

Try to book during off season and you would definitely get lower rates. It's always best to book your travel at least 21 days prior your departure.
[spam link removed - Makai Guy, BBS Administrator]


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## nickis (May 17, 2011)

We stayed near Banyon Bay it looked really nice , for tours to the jungle we used Tanisha tours and for bikes we used johns bikes in town good price and all that you need. 
Walk to water tower in the afternoon and you will see the young guys tempting saltcrocs to shore no charge just tips ,was fun. 
We zipped in the jungle and caved tubed it was really cool and the ruins are outta this world very cool, you can also get a flight right in town to Tikal in Gautamala is ment to be one off the best to visit.
Fun place no stress walk in in flip flops or get dressed up all seemed to be okay and dont forget to put money on the chicken dance you might even win.


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## Sandy VDH (May 17, 2011)

Having been diving in the following Caribbean locations:  Aruba, Antigua,  Bahamas (Nassau, Grand Bahamas, Bimini, Chub Key, Berry Islands), Belize, British Virgin Islands (off of nearly every island), Grand Cayman, Cuba, Dominica, Mexico (Cozumel), Roatan, St Barts, St Eustatius, St Kitts, St Martin, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines (Mustique, Union, Tobago Cayes), Trinidad (Tobago),  Turks & Caicos (Provo, West Caicos), US Virgin Island (St John).

BVI, St Vincent, Dominica, Turks are amoung my favorites. For their diversity, creatures critter and fish, along with water clarity, number of divers, reef health etc.  Some of the out islands of the Bahamas are good.  Belize is good for big fish and very easy diving. 

Was not overly impressed with Antigua. Cozumel which used to be good, I fear has suffered from too many inexperienced divers and a few hurricanes.

I only have a few island left to visit in the caribbean.   I have been to a few more islands than I have NOT been diving at (Barbados, Anguilla, Dominican Republic, Jamacia, Puerto Rico).  I am missing a few (Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Grenada, Martinique, Monserrat.  We are going to Guadaloupe in less than two weeks time.


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## MuranoJo (May 18, 2011)

nickis said:


> We stayed near Banyon Bay it looked really nice , for tours to the jungle we used Tanisha tours and for bikes we used johns bikes in town good price and all that you need.
> Walk to water tower in the afternoon and you will see the young guys tempting saltcrocs to shore no charge just tips ,was fun.
> We zipped in the jungle and caved tubed it was really cool and the ruins are outta this world very cool, you can also get a flight right in town to Tikal in Gautamala is ment to be one off the best to visit.
> Fun place no stress walk in in flip flops or get dressed up all seemed to be okay and dont forget to put money on the chicken dance you might even win.



Nicki, how nice of you to post your experiences in this area!  Thanks for the tips.  Yes, we are definitely doing Tikal and didn't know you could do a flight.  Will check this out.


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## MuranoJo (May 18, 2011)

Sandy Lovell said:


> Having been diving in the following Caribbean locations:  Aruba, Antigua,  Bahamas (Nassau, Grand Bahamas, Bimini, Chub Key, Berry Islands), Belize, British Virgin Islands (off of nearly every island), Grand Cayman, Cuba, Dominica, Mexico (Cozumel), Roatan, St Barts, St Eustatius, St Kitts, St Martin, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines (Mustique, Union, Tobago Cayes), Trinidad (Tobago),  Turks & Caicos (Provo, West Caicos), US Virgin Island (St John).
> 
> BVI, St Vincent, Dominica, Turks are amoung my favorites. For their diversity, creatures critter and fish, along with water clarity, number of divers, reef health etc.  Some of the out islands of the Bahamas are good.  Belize is good for big fish and very easy diving.
> 
> ...



Amazing experience!  Well, glad Belize offered some positives.    I had almost forgotten you were a diver.


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## RIMike (May 18, 2011)

*The Best Scuba*

The Best Scuba in the Caribbean are:
Belize is probably the very best site in the Western Hemisphere followed by these:
Saba (near St. Martin) has a large underwater diving site National Park
Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire.  

The Bahamas are nice, but not specially good for diving.  Grand Cayman is good too.

Resorts: Belize: AquaMarina Suites or Captain Morgan's both on Ambergris Caye
            Saba: there are no TS resorts on Saba to my knowledge, however close to the Ferry to Saba is Pelican Marina Residences, St Maarten/St Martin, which a beautiful and new TS by Royal Resorts.
            Curacao: The Royal Sea Aquarium Resort
            Aruba: has a lot of TS. I would stick with the Marriott properties if I could-either Marriott's Surf Club or Ocean Club
            Bonaire: There are no TS on this island that I know of either and flights here are more difficult to arrange than the other of the "ABC islands".

RIMike (Iam certified)


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## Keep Traveling (May 18, 2011)

I will be heading to both Curacao and Bonaire this summer.

Both in Timeshare.  I look forward to hearing more about where to dive.

KT


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## MuranoJo (May 18, 2011)

RIMike said:


> Bonaire: There are no TS on this island that I know of either and flights here are more difficult to arrange than the other of the "ABC islands".
> 
> RIMike (Iam certified)


Hi, Mike,

There are two RCI resorts on Bonaire (unless this has recently changed):  Divi Flamingo (5305) and Buddy Dive (2322).  I remember a handful of us interested in dive sites used to always be on the lookout, but, unfortunately, we'd often see the rare weeks for rent.


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## Judy (May 19, 2011)

muranojo said:


> Hi, Mike,
> 
> There are two RCI resorts on Bonaire (unless this has recently changed):  Divi Flamingo (5305) and Buddy Dive (2322).  I remember a handful of us interested in dive sites used to always be on the lookout, but, unfortunately, we'd often see the rare weeks for rent.


The Divi Flamingo is also in II


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## Larry (May 19, 2011)

*Another Vote for Turks Caicos*



brother coony said:


> Try the Turks and caicos, They Have great protected reefs great for scuba



I agree with Turks and Caicos. Although I don't dive friends of mine are avid divers and I booked them to Beaches Resort Turks Caicos which is a great AI family resort where everything is included and I mean everything including diving for no extra charge. Beaches is not for everyone as it is the part of Sandal's that has an extensive children's program as well.

My friends loved the diving but were not crazy about all the kid's at the resort so I would stay away from school holiday periods unless you  are looking for the kid's programs as well as the diving.


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## Judy (May 20, 2011)

muranojo said:


> There are two RCI resorts on Bonaire (unless this has recently changed):  Divi Flamingo (5305) and Buddy Dive (2322).  I remember a handful of us interested in dive sites used to always be on the lookout, but, unfortunately, we'd often see the rare weeks for rent.



Look on the sightings forum


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## Judy (May 20, 2011)

Keep Traveling said:


> I will be heading to both Curacao and Bonaire this summer.
> Both in Timeshare.  I look forward to hearing more about where to dive.
> KT



Where are you staying in Bonaire?

What's great about Bonaire is the Shore Diving.  Boat diving is fine, but nothing special.  Get a copy of _Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy_ by Susan Porter, rent a pick-up, buy an unlimited air or nitrox package and you're set to go.  If you need more specific info, just ask.


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## scooter (Sep 21, 2011)

muranojo said:


> Wilma or Elaine,
> 
> Where is Kura Hulanda?  Is this a t/s on Curacao?
> 
> We're both very interested in this thread.  Have 2 weeks at Belize planned for the first time next Spring.



Kura Hulanda is on the far end of the island...very remote but great diving. Royal Seaquarium is much closer to the capital.

T and C Alexandra Resort..Jojo the wild dolphin!

Bonaire, I think the largest unit is a one bedroom.

Bahamas, either Atlantis, or Gin sur Mere. Great skark diving. If anyone is traveling with children, Atlantis is the Bomb.

Sint Maarten...VERY unimpressed with the diving.

Grand Cayman Grand Caymanian, just renovated and expanded. New Golf Course, too.


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