Cozumel

Wow, what a year this has been.  An unplanned trip to Cozumel with a close friend (Dale Christianson of Georgetown Honda) in January proved to be one of the best trips ever.  The reefs have really bounced back after the hurricane several years ago.  We saw turtles and sharks on almost every dive.  

Then I was off again in May with some of the best dive buddies anywhere.  Rich Carver, Corrie Kennedy (alias scooter girl) and Darin Linford, all from Wyoming, met my number one divemaster, Todd Huoni, and myself for a week of "gorilla" diving (i.e. we dove every day till we were exhausted).  Through much research I have found one of the best lodging secrets on the island.  A private four-bedroom, beach front condo with its own pier, hot tub, and pool (and meal service if you chose to be "totally lazy")  Every morning a long-time friend and local divemaster met us right outside our front door and off we went.  I can't say enough about the location and accommodations for this house.  As you can tell I'm keeping this somewhat of a secret.  It's just that good.  But if you're interested in this deluxe, beach front, four bedroom home, contact me for a referral.  I guarantee you won't be disappointed.  Diving was spectular that week.  We even saw hammerheads off Punta Sur.  Everyone was so pleased we decided to return again in July. 

So the Wyoming folks and I found ourselves back in the beach house the latter part of July.  And now we've decided to make this an annual affair.  As most divers know when traveling you meet the nicest people.  This is exactly what I did.  I met Joyce Mustin of Blue Magic Scuba.  We arranged a private boat with her and dove totally on our own schedule.  Joyce proved to be an excellent host and I highly recommend her dive operation.  Every morning she met us right on time at the house pier, dropped us off for lunch, picked us up again for the afternoon dives and then returned in the evening after the day was done.  For those of you that want to try a dive operation where you are made to feel special visit her at www.bluemagicscuba.com. 

Bonaire  

Did I say this has been a year?  After returning on Thursday from Cozumel I took flight for Bonaire with my long time friend and trusted dive buddy, Matt Zurek.  It had been over 20 years since I had been to Bonaire so I really did not know what to expect.  For those that want total dive freedom Bonaire is the place.  We got up when we wanted, dove when we wanted, and had no schedules to keep.  The reefs are as amazing as I remembered.  If you plan a trip there, I highly recommend Belmar Oceanfront Apartments.  All rooms face the ocean and one of the best dive sites is right out their front door.  The folks that run the dive shop and manage the property are some of the nicest you'll find.  For those of you that are not familar with Bonaire most all the diving is from shore.  Many of the lodges provide a truck as part of the dive package and many offer unlimited nitrox.  I'm a wall diver so Karpata was my favorite site.  The Lake, Hilma Hooker, Angel City, and Alice in Wonderland form an area of double reef system.  All are spectacular and have easy entries.  Since you probably don't care to hear how great my diving was let me pass along some tips should you chose to head to this dive destination.  Food can be expensive so go to the mega store for your weeks groceries first thing.  If you do decide, however, to eat out I highly recommend One Stop Pizza.  Great food, excellent service, and it won't break your budget.  On the day before you leave be sure to try a day of wind surfing at Lac Bay or caving at one of Bonaire's many cave systems.  The Belmar can set these up for you.  Oh, and don't forget your camera.   

Guanaja

I took my second trip to Guanaja in February 2008. I’m not big on trying new dive destinations. I find a place I like and get comfortable. I love the Bay Islands and have been diving Roatan for over 20 years. It’s quick and easy to get to—I can board the plane in Houston in the morning and be in the water that afternoon. But with this ease of accessibility has come more crowds and reefs that are starting to show it. Unfortunately, it just isn’t the Roatan of 20 years ago.

The previous fall, I took a day trip from Roatan to Guanaja, one of the lesser known of the Bay Islands. I couldn’t wait to get back for a full week. In February I made my return visit and, despite my love for Roatan, I think I’ve found my favorite Caribbean dive spot.

Located east of Roatan, the island of Guanaja was first discovered by Columbus during his fourth and last voyage to the Americas. It has the highest elevation of the Bay Islands and is mostly covered by Caribbean pine. It still has that pristine quality that makes it a diamond in the rough for a vacation. You may recall that Hurricane Mitch did a number on this island a few years ago, but little evidence remains and the island and its surrounding waters are amazing.

So much for history and geography, let’s talk diving.

As it often happens in the dive community, I met Coral Bay dive operations owner and sales manager Bill Blakey through a random sequence of events. And, man, I’m glad I did. Bill is a “diver’s diver”—easy-going, been diving and teaching forever, and happens to run a 5-Star dive operation in one of the least likely places you’d expect to find one.

Guanaja boasts numerous unique features. It has a canal running through the middle of the island, so if it’s rough on one side of the island you just motor through to the other side where the water is calm. Since the diving on both sides is excellent, the only sacrifice you make is a few minutes in the boat to get to calmer waters.

The Dives

On the first morning our group of four boarded the resort boat to find that we had the whole thing to ourselves. The boat is large enough to easily handle 12–14 without anyone feeling cramped. Our gear had been set up on steel tanks (hardcore divers will appreciate diving with steel) which were always filled to 3000 psi. The added bonus of diving with steel tanks was that after the first dive everyone was dropping weight and diving without hauling lead. There’s a fresh water rinse hose on the boat so you can rinse gear—and yourself—right on the boat between dives. Travel time to the dive sites was minimal. While we got to choose when and where we wanted to go, the normal diving schedule is two dives in the morning, return to the resort for lunch, followed by an afternoon dive. There’s also a mid-week night dive and an option to take a day trip to island of Barbareta.

We visited, in no particular order: Tito’s Labrynth and Black Rock (massive swim through type sites)
Bayman Bay
Paradise
Pinnacles
Wonderful Reef
Jim Silver Lode
Alderson’s
and, Diane’s Reef, just to name a few.

Even though I thought I knew what to expect, I was completely surprised at the diversity and overall health of the reefs. The sites are numerous, diverse, pristine, secluded and teeming with life. You’ll find swim-throughs, coral heads, caverns and wrecks all in such close proximity you could get spoiled by so many choices.

The Resort

The rooms at Coral Bay are situated on a hillside with spectacular ocean views. The accommodations are basic: one or two double beds, TV, small refrigerator, fans and air conditioner. I turned off the AC the first night and ended up not having to use it the rest of the week. All the rooms have large decks where you can relax with your coffee in the morning or read in the afternoon. The restaurant is located a short distance from the rooms and is just above the bar and pool. When I first saw the resort I admit I wasn’t overly impressed by the pool. After all, why would you need or want a pool after a day of diving? I was so wrong. We ended the day with a cannon ball competition from jumping off the overhang just above the deep end. Then it was time to relax, rinse off, and share an adult beverage while we talked about the day’s diving.

Getting There

Guanaja is remote. There are several options to get there from the mainland. Initially I was worried about transfers from Roatan to Guanaja, but it worked perfectly. We took a Continental flight out of Houston to Roatan and Bill arranged for us to be met at the airport to take us to Oak Ridge port. We boarded the resort dive boat there and set off for Guanaja. This route treated us to scenic views of Roatan, the island shore of Barbareta, and the approach to Guanaja.

If you’re one of those who want to travel off the beaten path and experience one of the last remaining unspoiled islands of the Caribbean, head to Guanaja. It’s still removed from the confines of civilization with no cars and all travel by boat. The island offers white sand beaches, cascading waterfalls, and diving virgin coral reefs.

Experience a new and yet undiscovered dive destination—Coral Bay Resort, Guanaja, Bay Islands.