Need help! Best places to scuba dive in Southern Caribbean?

[spingal]

I will be on the Crown Princess doing back to back cruises in November. I am a certified diver but am a recreational diver -- so I am looking for basics dives, nothing fancy!! Love the warm water and the ability to see a lot of fish.

 

What are the best places to dive in the Southern Caribbean? Here are my ports:

 

• St. Thomas
  
• St. Maarten
  
• St. Kitts
  
• St. Lucia
  
• Grenada
  
• Aruba
  
• Barbados
  
• Antigua
  
• Bonaire
  

 

Thanks!! So far someone posted on another board that St. Kitts and Bonaire were great. Looking for information on the other ports too!

 

Jamie

[bearette]

I read that St. Thomas and St. Lucia had better diving then Barbados and Antigua when looking into my own trip. (I don't dive, but my husband does and I research most of his dive trips.) I don't know about the others though.

[techdiver]

My favorite 2 islands are Bonaire and Grenada. I could spend a week diving either of them. First let me cover the others I know of: St. Thomas most of the time repeat dives of an unspectacular nature, same can be said of St. Maarten. Aruba is always the same, but fun the first few times if you can seperate from the group. Barbados could be better, if I could just get on the Stavronikita. Anse Chastenet in St. Lucia has provided good diving, but the divemasters are very rigid and we had to promise to stay together or we wouldn't be allowed to do a 2nd dive. My preferences also relate to being able to do more advanced dives. The Bianca C in Grenada I've done a couple of times is a 600' cruise ship that's 120' to the deck. In Bonaire I hook up with someone who does introductory rebreather courses. My avatar is from my first rebreather dive, did the Hilma Hooker as a 2nd dive with run time of an hour and max depth of 90'. A school of tarpon inside the wreck was pretty cool, but back scatter from my flash kind of ruined my pictures.

[bruce-r]

I'd skip diving in St. Maarten. I thought the diving there was mediocre at best and there is lots more to see on Orient Beach.

 

St. Thomas and Aruba are OK. St. Lucia is supposed to be quite good.

 

Bonaire is the standard by which all other Caribbean diving is measured.

[spingal]

GREAT information!! THANKS to everyone for your help! :D :D

 

Jamie