SCUBA!!

[doch]

We're booking our honeymoon in the next couple of day, and want to go somewhere that we can do some really nice reef scuba... any suggestions? We're thinking the Mayan Riviera...

[sphelps]

Diving isn't that good in the Mayan except for maybe Cosmel, I would consider Cuba, Jamaica or La Romana in Dominican for similar priced Caribbean vacations. Cuba was really good as you see some stuff there you won't see other places in the Caribbean and you'll have a lot of freedom with where you want to go and whatnot but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're pretty experienced as the dive masters will not look after you like they do other places and the equipment isn't ideal, I remember having a few leaks and running out of air but that never bothered me that much. Make sure you go somewhere with a dive shop on site, my best diving experience in the Caribbean so far was at the Dreams in La Romana.

[doch]

Thanks for the reply. I should also mention that we are both first time divers. We need somewhere that we can learn to dive, and hopefully get certified. Also, we are shooting for early april if that makes a difference.

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by doch

Thanks for the reply. I should also mention that we are both first time divers. We need somewhere that we can learn to dive, and hopefully get certified. Also, we are shooting for early april if that makes a difference.

Avoid Cuba then as they don't have PADI dive shops. Anywhere with a PADI dive shop on site will be a good choice. The Gran Bahia Principe in Runaway Bay, Jamaica had probably the best and most professional dive shop I've ever been too. The resort is absolutely stunning as well and beach snorkeling is good too and they have good dive sites.

You could also consider taking the classes here and doing the certification dives at the resort. You can even do the classes online now (I think). This way you won't waist too much vacation in a class room.

[xnmuller]

Cozumel is great, people sometimes liek to say you can plunge your face into a puddle on the street and see maine fish. I saw my first wild seahorses here. A little further south there are some great sites in Belize. We swam with a turtle longer than six feet for a good ten minutes (unbelizable). There is also the natural occuring Blue Hole, which isn't much for coral or fish even, but really deep open water in the middle of the reef. But by far my favorite is East Africa off the coast of Zanzibar. I have never seen more diverse coral reefs anywhere. All three of these p laces had some PADI certified shops and all we dove with were fantastic people. Also Thailand and the Andaman sea was great.

The way I see it your worst day under water is better then any day at work. Go, dive, have fun and don't worry too much about finding the best dive site. Once you go once you'll most likely o again.

[ScubaSteve]

For a good place to go and get certified I'd recommend Koh Tao, Thailand (provided a storm isn't muckin' up the water). The nice thing about being in that area is that it is a) cheap and b) there's a lot of islands you can go to. In about a day, you can travel from Koh Tao to the penninsula and over to the Adaman Sea, which is killer diving. I spent over a month diving there on my last trip, so I can give you some tips on good areas.

I've never been but I have a friend who swears Indo has the best diving in the world. You can PM him (BlazingArrow) for some tips.

The place I really like in the Caribbean is Monserrat. It is the perfect place for a honeymoon (I'd call it Honeymoon Island if I could) and has some killer diving. It's a nice place because it's off the beaten path with few tourists.

[frizzo1983]

+1 for Cozumel me and my wife did 2 weeks there and got our open water down there. We stayed at the Iberostar but dove with Martin not the Dressels cattle boats!!! smaller boats and great staff. Cozumel is great for 1st time divers because it is drift diving and lots to see. I would get your certification at home it will be cheaper. Have fun you will love diving.