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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / April 2005Good shore dives
I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a week's worth of varied shore based dives?? > I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed > to be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a > week's worth of varied shore based dives?? Lake Superior. > I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to > be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a > week's worth of varied shore based dives?? bonaire >I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to >be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a >week's worth of varied shore based dives?? Get thee to Bonaire. Of course, getting there is another matter. -HW "Skip" Weldon Columbia, SC Getting there is not that difficult. There are plenty of flights to choose from. The place is great. I would recommend either BonBini divers as an excellent dive outfit with very helpful instructors (currently relocating, according to their website - probably because of their success, since Ivan only damaged their pier slightly), or Captain Don's hotel next door. Bonaire is totally unspoilt - and you can dive from the shore right along the west coast and off Klein Bonaire opposite. Little current, little rain runoff (island is low), clear water, mucho wildlife. You can dive or snorkel in a mangrove swamp and see many juveniles, and not too expensive. HW "Skip" Weldon wrote: >>I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to >>be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > -HW "Skip" Weldon > Columbia, SC Getting there is VERY DIFFICULT if you do not live in a gateway city. From KC, for example, it is a two day trip to get there and a very long flight back. We have been there four times and getting there has always been a chore. Chris > Getting there is not that difficult. There are plenty of flights to choose > from. The place is great. I would recommend either BonBini divers as an [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> -HW "Skip" Weldon >> Columbia, SC > Getting there is not that difficult. Getting to Bonaire can be very difficult. Some of us have visited the island numerous times over the years and know well that there have been years when baggage losses were lengendary, and delayed and cancelled flights were daily occurances. In 20 some years of visiting Bonaire it has never had the continuity of air service that other areas, Cayman and Bahamas in particular, enjoy. From Colorado, Bonaire is a 2 day affair. You gotta get to Miami or Atlanta, and there is no way to get there in time to make any of the Bonaire connections. So you overnight and then leave the next day. Consider this going both way and for some people a week on the island means close to 2 weeks away from home/work. I suspect from the West Coast it can really be a pain in the a.s, unless you can get the direct flights to the Southeast. > There are plenty of flights to choose from. There are flights, but there aren't "plenty". If they cancel a flight or you miss your flight, you are probably only going to make one the next day. It isn't as bad as it was when ALM was the primary carrier, but it hasn't gotten a whole lot better either. Delays in San Juan and mix-ups in Montego Bay, are beginning to become legendary in their own right. These days having some same-day redundancy in air service can be very helpful, but to Bonaire that isn't, in most cases, the reality. > The place is great. I agree, the place is great. > Bonaire is totally unspoilt Unfortunately that is not the case above or below the surface. It was, back in the late 70's and before, but that hasn't been true since. By comparison to some other Caribbean locations it seems "unspoilt", but it is suffering the increased tourism....particulary since KLM began landing the 2 jumbos per day. > and not too expensive. Bonaire is quite expensive for the Caribbean in all ways. These days it is more costly than even the Caymans. Getting there is expensive, decent housing is expensive, and the restaurants are expensive. If one can "brownbag" all those things they can make it less so, but if you want to have decent accomodations and food it will cost a fair amount of money. I have always found Bonaire worth the hassle, but for people with limited time and limited budgets Bonaire isn't easy or inexpensive. Sorry. I was assuming you were in Europe. It's easier from here, though it's further, since all the KLM flights from Amsterdam to Lima and Quito stop over. >>Getting there is not that difficult. > [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > I have always found Bonaire worth the hassle, but for people with limited > time and limited budgets Bonaire isn't easy or inexpensive. "ITMA" <mindyourown@business.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to :be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a :week's worth of varied shore based dives?? Habitat Curacao has a very nice shore dive right on site. While it is the same dive site, each time, you can vary directions and depths. Sand Dollar Condos in Bonaire is similar. Sunset House in Grand Cayman is alright. None of these places beat boat diving though. Especially if the boat is a liveaboard. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to > be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a > week's worth of varied shore based dives?? www.shorediving.com Take your pick. Bryan SNIP > www.shorediving.com > > Take your pick. > > Bryan Great website! Thanks for posting. I just looked over the reviews about sites I know personally, and the info is super. Dave C > SNIP > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Dave C If you don't mind a recommendation, and don't mind cold water, I'd recommend the BC coast (Canada), or the US coast located immediately south of there (Washington state). Some of the most amazing diving you'll ever do. Beats warm waters every time; unless of course you can't stand the cold. . . Bryan If you like the cold,,,,Long Island (NY) is great also  Signaturewww.nydiver.com ONLINE meeting rooms >> SNIP >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Bryan > > SNIP > > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Bryan Happy to have any dive site recommendations, thanks. Those areas are high on my list, as I've read great things about the abundant sea life there. The water's a little warmer out there than here, I think, except in late summer maybe. My Cape Ann, Mass, shore dives last Saturday were in 35 degree water and vis was below average (20'). I limited myself to two dives and 84 minutes total time in the water... because of the low vis. 8^) Dave C > Those areas are high on my list, as I've read great things about the > abundant sea life there. It's pretty amazing. Octopi, wolf eels, seals, sea lions, 6-gill sharks (if your lucky) and all that other jazz. > The water's a little warmer out there than here, I think, except in > late summer maybe. My Cape Ann, Mass, shore dives last Saturday were in > 35 degree water and vis was below average (20'). I'm metricized, so I'm not really sure exactly what 35 degrees is, but if memory serves me that's just above freezing. If your used to that then the west coast should be a breeze - ave temps are 10-12C in the summer, maybe drops to ~8C in the winter. Not exactly sure what that is in Fahrenheit, but I think that's all in the 40's range. 20' vis is (unfortunately) common in this area, although bon good days it ncan open upto 30m (100') or more. 7mil wetsuit, or a dry suit is recommended. Bryan > > Those areas are high on my list, as I've read great things about the > > abundant sea life there. > > It's pretty amazing. Octopi, wolf eels, seals, sea lions, 6-gill sharks > (if your lucky) and all that other jazz. I saw your interesting dive report on the Ogden Breakwater. http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Canada/Vancouver_Island/Ogden_Breakwater/index.htm Apparently, in the Vancouver area, you've got more variety and more large animals than we do around Cape Ann (Mass). Still, we enjoy that area enough to make the 240 mile (400km) round trip almost every weekend in the summer. Only occasionally do we see the bigger critters, but something always turns up to make a dive special, even if it's small stuff. The other nice thing about Cape Ann is that, along ten miles of shoreline, there are about 40 or more dive sites with many rocky features and enough variety to keep us happy, not to mention well-fed from the flounder fillets and/or lobsters (license required for lobsters). I can't think of another place on the east coast with such a concentration of decent sites for shore dives. Plus, if the seas are rough, a sheltered site can almost always be found. > > The water's a little warmer out there than here, I think, except in > > late summer maybe. My Cape Ann, Mass, shore dives last Saturday were in [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Bryan In the summer, our shallower, protected sites will warm up to about 14-16C, but deeper sites (below 15m) will often stay around 7-10C. The divers who dive a lot are almost always in drysuits here, all year long. I was just checking the NDBC buoy off the southern tip of Vancouver and was surprised to see the water is as warm as 9C (48F) right now. We won't see that temp until June, and then, only in the shallow protected areas. Must be nice to have moderate temps all year! 8^) http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46088 Thanks again for the info. We both can feel fortunate in having some decent shore diving nearby. Kindest regards. Dave C > I saw your interesting dive report on the Ogden Breakwater. > > http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/Canada/Vancouver_Island/Ogden_Breakwater/index.htm It's one of my favorite dives in the Victoria area. The biggest advantage of it is that it is good for everyone from frank beginners right through to experts. The life there is amazing - it's big, it's small and it's colorful. But there are better dives in the area. If you do head out that way I'd recommend ten-mile point (high current, but well worth the effort, and the highest density of life I've ever seen) and Henderson Point (no current, but you're guaranteed to see a few octopi every dive, 6-gill sharkes if you're lucky). > Apparently, in the Vancouver area, you've got more variety and more > large animals than we do around Cape Ann (Mass). Still, we enjoy that > area enough to make the 240 mile (400km) round trip almost every > weekend in the summer. Only occasionally do we see the bigger critters, > but something always turns up to make a dive special, even if it's > small stuff. The big draw to the West Coast is the BIG life. It's likely one of the best big animal sites in the world. There is a lot of little life to see, but a lot of the things we have come in one size - huge. Anemones the size of a small adult, 5'+ wolf eels, massive octopi, seal, sea lions, sharks, whales, etc. > The other nice thing about Cape Ann is that, along ten miles of > shoreline, there are about 40 or more dive sites with many rocky > features and enough variety to keep us happy, The Victoria and Vancouver area's are like this - for example, in the area around Vancouver there is over 80 published dive sites (boat and shore) which are within a 30-40 minute drive from downtown. Victoria is much the same. Many of these are highly sheltered dives, so they can done even when there is relatively bad weather on the open seas. >not to mention well-fed > from the flounder fillets and/or lobsters (license required for > lobsters). No lobsters here, but there are crabs, although the good crabbing dives tend to have little else to see. I don't spear fish, but you do see a fir number of sole, ling cod, etc, which would make for good eating. Bryan Bryan Heit <bjheit@nospamucalgary.ca> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: :If you don't mind a recommendation, and don't mind cold water, I'd :recommend the BC coast (Canada), or the US coast located immediately :south of there (Washington state). Some of the most amazing diving :you'll ever do. Beats warm waters every time; unless of course you :can't stand the cold. . . All a matter of opinion. I can handle the cold, have dove near Victoria and Quadra Island, and prefer tropical diving. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. > I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to be > pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a week's worth > of varied shore based dives?? Bonaire is very nice for shore diving. Just be careful not to leave anything valuable in the car. Adam >> I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed >> to be pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do >> a week's worth of varied shore based dives?? > > Bonaire is very nice for shore diving. Just be careful not to leave > anything valuable in the car. Let me guess. Someone stole your weights out of the car. >>> I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to be >>> pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a week's worth [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Let me guess. Someone stole your weights out of the car. Funny. No one stole anything of mine in Bonaire, but this is what I was advised and I read of others' experiences. Adam >> "Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message >>> Bonaire is very nice for shore diving. Just be careful not to leave >>> anything valuable in the car. >> Let me guess. Someone stole your weights out of the car. > Funny. No one stole anything of mine in Bonaire, but this is what I was > advised and I read of others' experiences. Same here. I have dived Bonaire off and on since 1977 and have been there each year for the past 8. I have never had anything stolen from me, my apartment, room, or car, nor have I ever personally met anyone who has experience different than mine. But I have been hearing stories of rampant theft for more than twenty years now. I practice the same care on Bonaire as I do here at home. I pretty much believe the problem is : 1) unknowingly over-inflated by Bonairians themselves, given that their point of comparison is the "old days" when crime was essentially non-existent 2) by the instancy and of the internet and the extrapolation of info distributed over it. YMMV, but personally I haven't seen any of it >>> "Adam Helberg" <sendspamhere@yahoo.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > YMMV, but personally I haven't seen any of it Yes. Greg's joke referred to my incident locally in Laguna, CA when I left a pile of brand new soft weights on the grass off the sidewalk and when I came back with my car several minutes later they were gone. Adam >>>> I'm fed up with feeling like a Navy Seal / Commando on what are supposed to be >>>> pleasure trips - can anyone recommend a dive area where you can do a week's worth [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Adam Actually, that advice applies where ever you are. Signaturedillon "When the French are against it, you know we can't be far wrong." - Adm. Bobbie Ray Inman Depends a bit where you are located! I really go for False Bay here in South Africa. The fish is amazing, divespots are pretty easy to reach and plenty to do in the evenings or during a no-dive day! |
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