Best diving: Belize, Grand Cayman, Isle Rotan, Cozemel

[Sadere]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm hoping to get some advice... I will be on the 7 day western Carr. in late October 2009. We will be porting in Belize, Grand Cayman, Isle Rotan, and Cozumel. I want to dive ALL of them, but I can only devote 2 days to diving. Which two ports should I choose and why? :D I've dove in Coz. b4, but that was yrs ago and before I was cert. so I only did the "discover dive" there.

 

Some backgroun: I have my adv. cert, done shipwrecks, and have been down to around 125 ft, so there "shouldn't" be any dive cites that I would be uncomfortable doing. Except for a "shark" dive... I've seen them, can deal with that, but they still freak me out! :eek: Must have watched JAWS too many times when I was a kid or something :o

 

Thanks so much in advance!

[diverearl]

Opinions should vary greatly on this one as these are all great dive destinations. For me my first choice is Cozumel, then I would do a couple of shore tanks on Grand Cayman at Eden Rock. A CC search on this topic will give you lots of info. There is a lot to do at the other two stops.

 

Roatan - we both really liked the diving at this port but if you need to spend time with a non diving companion this is a beautiful island to hire a driver and tour about, it also has a great zip line.

 

Belize - this island has great dives but it has more travel and time involved to day dive this port. We really liked the river boat ride / ruins tour the only time we went to Belize and didn't dive there. Luck for us we both love to dive and seldom want to do any other excursion in the Caribbean, unless we have extra time before or after the dive.

 

It would be impossible to pick a bad port to dive on this itinerary.

 

At Belize and Roatan if you just walk around town keep your valuables in a safe pocket and stay a little more aware of what is going on. Not dangerous at all (in my opinion), both places just have a little better chance of petty theft than GC or Coz.

[Loves_Dogs]

I loved Grand Cayman because it was so easy to dive and there was so much to see. That would be my first choice.

 

Cozumel was fun and I would definitely dive again if I went back, but drift dives just aren't my favorite thing. Maybe if I was a more experienced diver I would feel different. But, if you do decide to dive Cozumel I highly recommend Scuba With Alison. First class operation, small groups and they will work with your schedule to ensure you will not miss the ship. I cannot say enough good things about them. Here is a link:

http://www.scubawithalison.com/

[researching]

I just booked a cruise on Legend with same itineray. Great info, thanks. I have a question. My husband and I got certified back in 2000 but haven't done a dive since 2002. Is there any sort of recert requirement or are we ok to go ahead and book a couple 2 tank dives? It sounds like maybe Cayman is a better choice for 'rusty' divers?

 

Reason for lack of diving aside from moves away from water are 2 kids. on that note, does anyone know if the kids club will care for the kids for dive trips? I've heard they do if you book through Carnival but no idea if you book through an independent operator.

[Loves_Dogs]

I just booked a cruise on Legend with same itineray. Great info, thanks. I have a question. My husband and I got certified back in 2000 but haven't done a dive since 2002. Is there any sort of recert requirement or are we ok to go ahead and book a couple 2 tank dives? It sounds like maybe Cayman is a better choice for 'rusty' divers?

 

Reason for lack of diving aside from moves away from water are 2 kids. on that note, does anyone know if the kids club will care for the kids for dive trips? I've heard they do if you book through Carnival but no idea if you book through an independent operator.

 

I would think you will need to take a scuba refresher course. I went to Carnival website and looked at shore excursions. If you book your dives through the ship, in Cozumel you have to have logged a dive within the past 3 years, in Grand Cayman within the past 2 years. Roatan and Belize do not specify. With the exception of Jamaica, I have booked all my dives outside the ship. I would imagine the independent operators have their own rules regarding the time between logged dives as it does present a safety issue.

 

Can't help you with kids club, my 'kid' is my dive buddy :-) ...

Safe diving and have a GREAT cruise!

[satxdiver]

Coz has the best reefs and viz in the Caribbean but it is drift diving and generally is deep (80+ feet), which I love to do. The dive sites are close to shore and the ship ports so you can be on the dive site in minutes.

 

GC has excellent diving in usually 60' or so and you will see more sea creatures than just reef fish. There is excellent diving close to shore and the cruise ship ports. Another excellent choice. Eden is a good dive shop that you can walk to from the cruise ship tender dock.

 

Roatan has good diving close to shore but a distance from the ship port. It will take more time to get to the dive shop. Belize is great diving but the dive site on the reef is a long way offshore and requires a 30+ minute ride out to the dive site. Belize is best dived from a liveaboard which I will be boarding this Saturday for the second time. It solves the 30+ minute ride out and 30+ minute ride back from the dive site.

 

Most shops require at least a dive in the last two years. Some require that you have logged a dive in the last year. You will need a refresher course which I highly recommend. Do it at a local dive shop, perhaps at the shop that certified you in the first place. It is easy and you will not be under any pressure due to other activities. They will give you written verification that you did the refresher course.

 

Sharks that you will see in the Caribbean are pretty harmless as long as you leave them alone. Usually when you get close they will take off. Don't corner one though just like all wild animals. Maybe you did watch jaws too many times! You will not see any sharks in Coz and only a few in GC.

 

If you are going on a dive trip, consider getting DAN (Divers Alert Network) insurance. It is well worth the low cost. You can find out all the details at dan.org.

 

Do not forget your C card. No C card = no diving.

[researching]

I've been looking at dive possibilities at GC. Any recommendations on whether to do boat dives on west or south side or do shore dive to Devil's Grotto and Eden Rock?

 

And why is the shore dive more expensive? I would have thought it would be the other way around.

 

Thanks all for the great info. We're set up for a refresher here at home and can't wait to get out there...or rather under there!

[cyberdyver]

When in Belize it ia always recommended you take the shore excursion. Indy operators sell cruise ship dives to the Barrier Reef over the net but it's really a hit or miss due to weather conditions. Turneffe Atoll is the best bet regardless of which operation the ship uses.

[Sadere]

I'm pretty sure I'll do a dive in Coz. and am leaving the rest up to my husband... he has to pick the two ports he wants to do someting with me, not diving and I will go from there.

 

How strict are the dive shops on "logged" dives? I dove a few weeks ago in the Bahamas, but as it was unplanned I didnt have my gear, including my log book... so I don't have "proof" of the dives. My last "logged dive" would be over a year old by the time I take this crusie, but just by a few weeks. While I'm hoping to get another dive in before then, I'm not sure if I will be able to... :(

 

Any recomended independent dive shops in Coz?? I don't remember who I used for my discover dive... maybe I my BNL will.... will have to ask him...

 

Thanks again for all the helpful information!

[researching]

You will need your cert card or they will not let you dive. Normally, if you have logged a dive within the past 2 years, you're good to go. Just double check once you reserve. I took above recommend and have reserved with Scuba With Allison in Coz. She's been very helpful and has set up a 60ft reef dive and has very reasonable rates.

[satxdiver]

<snip>

 

How strict are the dive shops on "logged" dives? I dove a few weeks ago in the Bahamas, but as it was unplanned I didnt have my gear, including my log book... so I don't have "proof" of the dives. My last "logged dive" would be over a year old by the time I take this crusie, but just by a few weeks. While I'm hoping to get another dive in before then, I'm not sure if I will be able to... :(

 

(snip>

 

It has been my experience that they simply ask you when and where was your last dive. I have never been asked for my log book which is a good thing since I never kept one. I have done over 300 dives in most of the good Caribbean locations as well as many in the Pacific. Just tell them when and where your last dive was completed and the depth.

 

Just remember - No C card = no diving even in Mexico!

[biziasabee]

I have never kept a log after my certifications. We have been to Cozumel twice, just make sure you have your certifiction card with you and let them know when your last dive was. We have used a couple different dive ops but we like http://www.bluextseadiving.com/index.php . We have not been to Coz for two years now but when we go back we will dive with them, Pedro is the best DM.

[FloridaScubaDiver]

We are scheduled for the 6/21 Carnival Legend. We stop at Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Belize and Roatan. We did the same exact cruise last year and went diving at each port with the cruise line. This year we are diving Belize and Roatan with the cruise ship. Both Hugh Parker and Anthony Keys Resort were great and we didn't have to worry about missing the ship. If I had to only dive one or two ports, it would definitely be one or both of these. The marine life and visibility was absolutely incredible....over 100'. The diving was so good that we tried to book a week at either place, but the flights were really high.

 

We are going to shore dive at Cozumel from Chankanaab Park. There are four dive operators and the taxi is about $10 one-way. The cruise ship offers an excursion to the park also.

 

We are still trying to figure out the plan for Grand Cayman. I really would love to dive (not snorkel) Stingray City. If anyone has suggestions, please let us know.

[JOHN-CRUISE-AHOLIC]

Great Shark dive in Roatan, 70 ft 25-30 reef sharks vis 100+

Great for photo ect. they sell dvd. Seems very safe for all.

Requires advanced cert. thrills for days

[Roatanfans]

A few years back we did this itinerary- we ended up diving Grand Cayman and Cozumal (we go to Roatan often to dive but we had other things to do there this time out). In Grand Cayman our ship came in at about 9am and was out in the early afternoon- we had a very hard time finding someone who would take us to Stingray City (Absolute divers did a great job, but it was a very small outfit, like a private charter). We did the 2 dives and got back to the tender on time, but we didn't have time to do anything else in Cayman. You might want to check your ships excursions if you have a similarly shortened port time. We were on NCL and at that time there was no dive with the stingrays offered- hopefully that has changed, it remains one of my favorite dives ever (great for photos!). All your choices are great for diving so I think I would base it on other activities you may want to do at the other ports. Have fun!