On Jan 25, 5:36 pm, Ecnerwal
Post by Ecnerwallate-August is hurricane season to a greater extent than the other two
(even though mid-June is technically in the season.) Often cheaper or
less booked up as a result, but it's rolling the dice.
It's also hotter in late August, which can make your land experience
less pleasant. On the other hand, as long as there is no hurricane or
tropical storm affecting conditions, the water can be the calmest at
that time of year and it's oh so warm.
Post by EcnerwalIf going to T&C, might as well go liveaboard, as the islands are priced
on the "oh, you must be here to visit your offshore money" basis.
Enjoyed the diving around provo a few years back, the land experience
made me want to never go back unless I was going from the airport to a
boat, and from a boat to the airport.
That said, the liveaboard diving there is really good after you've
traveled around the bend of West Caicos, especially at French Cay.
The Aggressor there is a great boat. I haven't done the Explorer, but
I've heard mixed reviews.
Post by EcnerwalIf you are looking for a dive-centric place with a totally different
land experience (quite reasonable, and unique, but don't look for any
big-city nightlife type stuff) consider Saba & Sea Saba - can't cost too
much more to get there as opposed to T&C from where you are.
You have to add in the cost and hassle of flying from St. Maarten on a
small plane. The OP can easily get to all of the other locations on
big jets with at most one stop. That's kept me from trying Saba so
far, though I wouldn't rule it out for the future.
Post by EcnerwalMaui - B&B scuba - low key, good. Maui Dive shop - ran screaming, got
thai food, stumbled across B&B scuba. Bubbles Below recommended by
friends, have not been back to try it. ...or go to the Big Island (and
if you go to the big island, even though it's a mockery of natural
behavior, do the manta dive.)
Bubbles Below is actually on Kauai, but it is a good operation,
especially if you can dive with Linda (the owner) who knows the
underwater terrain as well as I know my own backyard. I've heard
great things about B&B but I've always been loyal to Ed Robinson's.
Mike Severn's is another top-rated shop, and Extended Horizons is good
for Lanai trips leaving from Lahaina and very accomodating if you
happen to get bitten by a moray.
My problems with Maui diving are: It's freakishly expensive - I've
only seen more expensive diving in Tahiti. (You can shore dive for
"free", but the shore spots are shallow, it's hard to park close, and
you have to tow a flag.) Also, the boat dives tend to go out very
early so they can get in 2 dives before the tradewinds pick up and
make the water choppy. If you are driving from the Lahaina/Kaanapali
area to catch a boat with Ed's/Mike's/B&B, you have to leave your
hotel by 5:30 a.m. (the benefit is that you get to see some very nice
sunrises on the drive down).
You can't beat the ease of getting there, however. A 5-hour non-stop
from Seattle.
Post by EcnerwalNever been to GC, seems expensive to get to, expensive to dive at,
expensive on land. LC or CB seem like better dive locations if going to
the caymans from my reading, but still on the spendy side.
I've flown to GC several times from the west coast on CO (via Houston)
and it's always cost me about the same as a flight to Cozumel.
Staying and eating there can be almost as expensive as staying and
eating in Maui, but, just like in Maui, there are cheaper options.
Cobalt Coast has great packages with meal options that make a week on
GC much more affordable and there are other dive-dedicated resorts on
the island that offer similar rates/benefits.
Post by EcnerwalCoz has recurring things I hear directly (ie, in person, not from the
internet) that set off my comfort-zone alarm (folks with 12 dives being
guided down 160 ft to swim-thrus, etc...) but lots of folks seem to like
it, and Coz seems to be inexpensive (perhaps even cheap if you can
manage to avoid Montezuma and his revenge.)
There are a lot of dive operations in Cozumel, possibly more per
square mile than any other place on earth (other islands may have
more, total, but not all packed into one tiny town). They range from
beginner hand-holding operations to professional "white glove" service
to crazy fly-by-night ops that do stuff like take discover divers down
to 80 feet. I've been in very strong currents in places like
Galapagos, Cocos, and Komodo, but the scariest down-current I've ever
experienced was in Cozumel. On the other hand, the drift diving is
usually easy and fun, and the water is clearer than any other place in
the Caribbean I've tried, mainly due to that strong current (and lack
of runoff). Prices have come up quite a bit as the island turned into
a giant cruise-ship port, but it's still a better budget choice than
the other 3 alternatives listed.
Other places to consider for a week: Roatan, the low budget hero, I
didn't care for it much but probably would have had a better
experience had I stayed and dove elsewhere. The "sister" Cayman
islands. The other Hawaiian islands. Bonaire (and Curacao, which
offers similar diving but is much less compact), my favorite though
it's a bit trickier to get to. Even Florida offers decent diving in
some areas and is the easiest and cheapest to get to.