mickeyhereicome Posted May 26, 2018 #1 Share Posted May 26, 2018 We are going on a southern Caribbean cruise in 2020. Plenty of time to plan. We leave from San Juan. Our ports are Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Lucia and St. Kitts. We have been to St. Lucia and St. Kitts before. We are a family of 4. We have two boys, currently 9 and 8. When we cruise they will be 11 and 10. None of us a scuba certified yet. We plan to do it when our youngest turns 10. We really enjoy snorkeling and island tours. Which port would you pick for our first open water dive? We would hope to plan a dive and then an island tour or beach day. We like to take full advantage of each port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omeinv Posted May 26, 2018 #2 Share Posted May 26, 2018 I've dove all of these ports, and in large measure you can't go wrong. You will have a unique circumstance, as your kids will be depth limited at that age. That makes my recommendation Aruba. Aruba isn't known as the best diving of all the islands, but it has amazing diving at moderate depths. This way your kids can enjoy diving there without hearing how they are being shunted off to a site only because it's suitable for their age. The most famous dive there is the Antilla wreck, which has tremendous history, is very visible with no penetration necessary, and is in only 50 feet of water. There are nearby reefs and other wrecks, so a two-tank dive there is fun, simple to organize on a day with other activities, and suitable for the whole family. If you contact Jeffrey at Happy Divers Aruba (info@happydiversaruba.com and www.happydiversaruba.com) he's the guy to go to there. He has a boat that is smaller, so he limits dives to 6 divers max. That is so much better than the "cattle boats". He will also include port pick-up and drop off. Harris Denver, CO www.divessi.com/pro/64612 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie S. Posted May 26, 2018 #3 Share Posted May 26, 2018 Bonaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pallybean Posted May 28, 2018 #4 Share Posted May 28, 2018 Definitely Bonaire and Curacao would be my top votes. Keep in mind that with PADI certification your 10 year old will be limited to a 40ft max depth until he turns 12 when it increases to 60ft so when booking let the dive op know so that they can accommodate your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omeinv Posted May 28, 2018 #5 Share Posted May 28, 2018 The reasons I recommended Aruba over Bonaire or Curacao, is the latter are much more geared toward shore diving. Shore diving with kids is a chore. Harris Denver, CO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinmike Posted May 28, 2018 #6 Share Posted May 28, 2018 You can shore dive from a dive op’s house reef on Bonaire without too much trouble. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sailing12Away Posted June 11, 2018 #7 Share Posted June 11, 2018 I'm on the same 2020 cruise sailing in early January. My hubby doesn't dive, but I'm certified. So I'll be keeping eyes/ears open for something I could do with either him snorkeling up top or a place with something that interests him to do on his own while I dive solo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpluvsdolphins Posted July 7, 2018 #8 Share Posted July 7, 2018 I've dove all of these ports, and in large measure you can't go wrong. You will have a unique circumstance, as your kids will be depth limited at that age. That makes my recommendation Aruba. Aruba isn't known as the best diving of all the islands, but it has amazing diving at moderate depths. This way your kids can enjoy diving there without hearing how they are being shunted off to a site only because it's suitable for their age. The most famous dive there is the Antilla wreck, which has tremendous history, is very visible with no penetration necessary, and is in only 50 feet of water. There are nearby reefs and other wrecks, so a two-tank dive there is fun, simple to organize on a day with other activities, and suitable for the whole family. If you contact Jeffrey at Happy Divers Aruba (info@happydiversaruba.com and www.happydiversaruba.com) he's the guy to go to there. He has a boat that is smaller, so he limits dives to 6 divers max. That is so much better than the "cattle boats". He will also include port pick-up and drop off. Harris Denver, CO www.divessi.com/pro/64612 I disagree. Never Aruba again. Freezing and murky water in January. Boat dive in Bonaire. Shore dive in Curaçao. Very easy swim out. Limit 4 people. Photography free. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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