Surprise Scuba excursion in Caribbean

[Yumagal]

I'm in charge of planning a family cruise to the Caribbean and would like to surprise my brother with a scuba excursion. He's certified for deep water dives and is very experienced. I on the other hand know nothing about it. I'm asking all you divers what are the best dives and what time of year is best. We haven't booked the cruise so I'm opened to all suggestion.

[ardie42]

My favorite dive in the Caribbean so far is in Belize! We are going to dive Grand Turk in February and I hear that is fantastic. But that is a great surprise and very thoughtful of you!!!

[suzski]

I'm with ardie42....Belize was amazing! We dove in Grand Turk also, but the diving is closer to the ship so you don't get that 'detached from the world' feeling like you do in Belize. Otherwise, Grand Turk was great. You really can't go wrong with either dive site.

 

BTW, what a thoughtful sister you are!:D

[gmcrow]

Can I be your sister? Belize, Cozumel & Roatan are great on Western trips. Curacao, Bonaire, St. Lucia are spectacular in the South. If I could choose, I'd go south.

http://www.cruisedivers.blogspot.com

[scubadiver888]

I'm in charge of planning a family cruise to the Caribbean and would like to surprise my brother with a scuba excursion. He's certified for deep water dives and is very experienced. I on the other hand know nothing about it. I'm asking all you divers what are the best dives and what time of year is best. We haven't booked the cruise so I'm opened to all suggestion.

I have dove mostly the eastern and southern Caribbean. Hurricane season is the worst time because the water is churned up and visibility is reduced. Even as late as December there is a strong chance of reduced visibility. For me, I'm enjoyed going down in the April-June time frame. It is not boiling hot (so waiting around in a wetsuit between dives is bearable) but it is not cold either plus the water visibility is pretty good.

 

I really enjoy St. Lucia or Dominica. I enjoyed Bonaire as well. Curacao is pretty good but a little lower down on my list.

 

Avoid Barbados. It is not really in the Caribbean Sea. You have a strong chance of booking a mediocre dive for an experienced diver.

[3boyzmom]

I haven't been a lot of places, but we did just go to Tortola and dove the Wreck of the Rhone. It was an absolutely wonderful dive, and a well-known site. Supposedly it's one of the best dives in the Caribbean, and I can see why. So, the way it sounds is you'll do just fine booking an Eastern, Southern, or Western Caribbean cruise- lucky you!

 

I hear wonderful things about Roatan and Belize both.

 

Good luck.

[satxdiver]

I am surprised that no one had mentioned Cozumel. The vis there is well over 100 feet. The only problem with Coz is the number of divers but it is a big place and I never really have felt crowded. Pick a dive operator with a small boat.

 

It is best that you do not book a scuba dive through the cruise ship (read cattle call). Find a private SCUBA shop to book your trip.

 

I have dived Grand Turk several times and will be diving Provo in August. All times on a live-aboard. GT is wall diving as there is a very deep trench that runs between Provo and GT. Last time we saw a large group of eagle rays come up from the deep over the wall and above us. It was an impressive sight.

 

Belize is nice but it is a looonnnnng boat ride out to the dive site. I did it on a live-aboard (Aggressor and Peter Hughes). I enjoyed the dive. A lot of cruise ships call on Grand Cayman and the diving there is fairly nice (again on the Aggressor for me). The good part is that there is decent dives not far from where the ships drop anchor.

 

I am not sure where you are going but hope this helps. Need an extra brother? I am available!

[Yumagal]

Thanks all. I hadn't thought about hurricane season so that makes the "when" to go easier now I just have to figure out the "where" with all your good suggestions.