Best and worst reef snorkling/scuba sites

Saltz Creep · #1 04/30/2006, 04:38 PM

Just got back from a 7-day western Caribbean cruise.
Here is my rating of reefs I've visited so far from best to worst:

Key West/Dry Tortugas---taller reefs, more life, best overall
Belize---smaller than Key West reefs, but still excellent
Cozumel---overrated, not much diversity
Grand Cayman---parrot fish-devastated reef, barren, worst one

KaBoOm · #2 05/01/2006, 06:56 AM

It's really tough to get a feel for the diving when on a cruise because of the limited time frame. Did you do the dives with the ship or did you arrange them yourself?

We dove in Cozumel when on a cruise and I wasn't impressed. However, when we decided that there must be more to offer than what we saw, we went back for a week and all I can say is WOW! When you get out to some of the walls further up the island, they are simply amazing.

What sites did you dive in Coz?

GMAX · #3 05/01/2006, 08:44 AM

Cedral Wall off Cozumel is breathtaking. And it is float or drift diving, no using up your air swimming against the current. More bottom time to observe another world.

Saltz Creep · #4 05/01/2006, 10:04 AM

Never went to the wall. Went on a diving excursion 15 minutes from Bienevidos(sp?) beach.

KaBoOm · #5 05/01/2006, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Saltz Creep
Never went to the wall. Went on a diving excursion 15 minutes from Bienevidos(sp?) beach.

Yeah, that's the problem with diving when cruising...

They don't take you to the really good sites like Palincar and Santa Rosa.

I do a quite a bit of cruising as well and have found that I get much better results if I book the trip with a local operator rather than with the ship. You have to be careful of the timing, but you are usually in places like Cozumel for quite a while.

I didn't even attempt to dive in Belize when I was on a cruise there because I had read that most of the good stuff was too far away from the port.

GMAX · #6 05/01/2006, 10:28 AM

Isnt Santa Rosa the one with the swim thru arch? Kinda like a two opening cave. Real cool.

KaBoOm · #7 05/01/2006, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by GMAX
Isnt Santa Rosa the one with the swim thru arch? Kinda like a two opening cave. Real cool.

Yup! That's one of the features. You swim off the reef through a swimthrough/arch and then you're on the wall looking down hundreds of feet! Very cool! That was my first post-certification dive!

GMAX · #8 05/01/2006, 02:49 PM

Probably my second post cert dive. I remember looking down off that wall in nothingness hundreds of feet down with WHOA! Kinda makes you feel pretty insignificant in the overall scheme of things.

Anyone ( certifed and experienced divers please ) think that Key West is real high on amazing reefs. The specialty mags seem to rave about Surabaya, Turks and Caicao and Cozumel - usually in that order.

TPS-Dive · #9 05/02/2006, 05:51 AM

I did a Black Beard cruise back in 2000 and had a great time. We sailed about the Bahamas diving every day and traveling at night. It was the first real ocean diving I did. Black Beard is kind of like camping on water. There aren't a lot of frills (sleeping in bunks and salt water showers) but they give you some great diving at a great price.

Scuba_Dave · #10 05/02/2006, 06:01 PM

I dive Cozumel with a local instructor who has been going there approx 12 years. He has been using the same Divemaster - now Instructor since the beginning
We dive our computers...once he knows your capabilities he just goes along as a guide. We have been in areas that most dive shops will not take people.
One of my favorites that people go to is Devil's throat.
My normal dive time is 60 minutes on deep dives - the longest dive I've had is about 90 minutes
Going with someone who knows you, and diving with a crew that allows you to dive your computer - is awesome!!