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St. Vincent & The Grenadines

St. Vincent & The Grenadines are a scuba diving destination in the Caribbean. The islands are 24 miles south of St. Lucia and 75 miles north of Grenada. 32 islands form the country and some are privately owned. The islands were formed by volcanic activity. Saint Vincent is the largest of the islands at 18 miles long and 11 miles wide. Moreover, it is home to Mt. Soufriere which rises 4,049ft above sea level and was last active in 1979. Fortunately, due to modern advanced warnings there were no casualties during the last eruption. Now we aren’t experts, but according to our math, the volcano shouldn’t become active again until sometime between 2056- 2120. As far as past history goes, Columbus named this island in 1498 much to the surprise of the indigenous native population.

By 1511 when the slave expeditions were given Spanish royal sanction, escaped and shipwrecked slaves from African known as “Garifuna” joined forces with the local natives. Together, they successfully kept the Spanish from taking over and decimating the local population as they had done on all the other surrounding islands. The French were the First Europeans to control St. Vincent followed by the British, then the French, and then the British again. In 1979 St. Vincent & The Grenadines became independent from the British. Enjoy our blog article: Scuba Diving Specialties: What is MUCK Diving?

Diving St. Vincent & The Grenadines

There are 67 scuba diving sites to visit here. Most of the beaches on St. Vincent have black sand and most of the beaches in the Grenadines have white sand. Because of the multitude of islands, there is almost a niche for every sea creature in the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. St. Vincent & The Grenadines are called the critter capital of the Caribbean. From shrimps, flamingo tongue cowries, to dwarf frog fish, they have them all. Flying gunards, peacock flounder, lizardfish, and garden eels love the sandy area, and pelagics love the walls. So, one of the most popular scuba diving sites is The Cave. Here you enter a cave where bats are sequestered above and come out between a fissure to the reef.

Two locations near Fort Charlotte are The Steps to view a red lipped batfish and Bottle Reef to view rum bottles tossed from the 1806 completed fort. Anchor reef has swim throughs, New Guinea Reef at 100ft has black coral, and Tobago Cays is home to green sea turtles. If you want to discover a deserted island surrounded by sharks, then Mopion Reef will not disappoint you. Moreover, Bequia has a variety of sea life from sharks to seahorses. Drift diving around the coral is all the rage at Mustique. Now, for some dive sites the name says it all: The Wall, The Pinnacle, The Garden, and The Forest. For wreck divers there is The Capital Wrecks; a group of 3 and Mayreau Gardens with the 1918 British gunship called the Puruni.

Accommodations. Attractions, Activities

St. Vincent & The Grenadines have a variety of resorts, hotels, inns, as well as private island rentals. You may wish to visit the Bequia Maritime Museum or the St. Botanical garden. Above all, from 600ft up at Fort Charlotte you get a sweeping view and the Vermont Nature Trail is nearby. Besides scuba diving, you can go snorkeling in the Tabago Cays Marine Park. You might also like to take a guided tour up La Soufriere in search of the endemic Saint Vincent Parrot.  You can also tour the Dark View water falls or the Walliabou Heritage Park. Finally, did we mention that you can see the movie set/beach of The Pirates of the Caribbean movie: Curse of the Black Pearl?

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Costa Rica

The Republic of Costa Rica “Rich Coast” is situated with Nicaragua above them and Panama below them. On the western side they have the Pacific Ocean and on the right side rests the Caribbean Ocean. Most of the scuba diving takes place in the Northwestern region of Guanacaste. However, new sites are opening on the lower east side south of Limón. Some 10,000 years ago hunter-gatherers first entered this tropical rain forested landscape. In 1808 they planted the first crop of coffee. Within 12 years it became the number one export crop. In 1948 they abolished the military and put all the budgeted funds into education and health. So, more than 10% of the local Ticos and Ticas over 18 speak English.

Above all, Costa Rica is where a typical local morning cup of coffee is considered by many to be one of the best cups of coffee in the world.

Diving the Regions of Costa Rica

The Gulf of Papagayo is the hot spot for scuba diving on day boats and/or while staying at resorts. From this region you can go up to the Bat Islands to dive with bull sharks, or go down to the Catalina Islands to see white tips and mantas. There are over 20-40 dive sites in this area. You may see 25 endemic species of fish, five species of sharks including whale sharks, rays turtles, dolphins, orcas, humpbacks, and pilot whales. Moreover, while scuba diving, keep an eye out for frogfish, seahorses, lobsters, and octopus. Costa Rica waters have arches, caves, walls, pinnacles, seamounts, drift dives, and a few wrecks.  Advanced diver certification is required for certain dive sites with swift currents. Farther south there is scuba diving around Cabo Blanco Island and three wrecks near Tortuga Island in the Gulf of Nicoya.

Liveaboard vessels can go out to Cocos Island and Caño Island from the Costa Rica’s mainland. Cocos Island has over 20 dive sites. Dirty Rock is the place to encounter hammerheads and rays. Manuelita has white tips. You may also see Galapagos sharks out here. Caño Island has similar wildlife, but on a smaller scale. This area is a biological Reserve therefore, only 5 dive sites are available to dive. So, the names Shark Cave, Coral Gardens, and Paradise, say it all. Enjoy our blog story: 110,000 Reasons to Go Liveaboard.

On the eastside, The Cahuita National Park has a few scuba diving sites to visit.

Accommodations, Attractions, Activities

Costa Rica’s resorts and hotels with scuba diving charter boat operations are the best way to visit most dive sites. However, to visit Cocos Island and Caño Island you will have to travel by liveaboard. Corcovado National Park is a must visit wildlife park and has all four species of Costa Rican monkeys. You may also like to take a hike and visit a volcano. Trapes through a rain forest to see a red eyed tree frog, or climb up to tree level heights and use a zip line to quickly traverse a forest. Some people prefer to visit a beach and/or go surfing, kayaking, or snorkeling. Finally, many Americans come here for medical treatments or just to retire on their pensions.

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Grand Park Royal Cozumel

Grand Park Royal is a scuba dive destination in Cozumel Mexico. They have 342 rooms and a private beachfront. This is an all-inclusive resort with Deluxe rooms with either a garden or ocean view. The rooms have wifi available, furnished balconies, mini-bars, and hairdryer. Flat screen TVs have cable channels. 24hr room service is also available. Enjoy our blog article on Cozumel Mexico, Always a Top Dive Destination.

Grand Park Royal Diving

Aqua World is the onsite scuba diving center. They also do snorkeling tours and may combine this tour with diving tours. Moreover, they do submarine rides and glass bottom boat tours. Finally, they also work with cruise ships and join them in with the snorkel and dive tours. They have their own jetty/dock and other charter boat operators pay to stop and pick up or drop off passengers. Snorkeling supplies may be limited by demand. It’s best to bring your own gear, as your own gear almost always fits best. Now, one street away, or a short walk away from Grand Park Royal there are more than half a dozen boutique dive shops.

For those dive shops rating between 5-4.8 stars out of 5, you might like to dive with Aldora Divers, Dive Boutique, Dive with Martin Dive Shop, Jungle Divers, Roberta’s Dive Shack, and Living Underwater. You might say, that depending on when and where you want to dive, there is a local dive boat ready to schedule and take you there. Above all, there are some 250 species of fish on or around Palancar Reef.

Attractions and Activities

At Grand Park Royal, they have 2 a la carte evening restaurants: El Mexicano and El Italiano. La Veranda is the onsite buffet restaurant serving breakfast lunch and dinner. El Carbeño is open for lunch and dinner. Café Solé offers pastries and coffee for breakfast. Grad Park Royal is also known for their tacos and other snacks by the poolside at the Bikini Bar, and El Marlín Azul bar. As for drinks, they have five bars including 2-swim up bars, sports bar, and lobby bar. Oh, and don’t forget the nightly entertainment at the open-air amphitheater. A private underpass leads you across the street to the private beach area and Paradise Reef. Here, you can rest in a lounger near two pools, enjoy a hot tub, snorkel, or play volley ball.

Finally, the Royal Village Shopping Center, Atlantis Submarines, and Hard Rock Café are a short walk away down the street.

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Jungle Bay Dominica

Jungle Bay Dominica has 30 ecofriendly luxury villas above the village of Soufriere and near the scuba diving park known as Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Preserve. Villa suites offer king size beds and jungle spa bathrooms with raindrop shower heads. The rooms have a minifridge as well as biodegradable bath products. Spectacular views of the ocean, jungle and tropical gardens surround you. Enjoy our blog article on Dominica The Nature Island.

Jungle Bay Dominica Diving

Nature Island Dives is located next to Soufriere Bay and offer guided boat dives. So, they do 1 tank, 2 tank, and night dives. In addition, they offer open water and specialty classes, as well as an underwater photography class and tours. They also perform Lionfish Control, which might explain why their onsite restaurant Bottom Time Café, offers such savory lionfish sandwiches. The Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve which you can view from Jungle Bay Dominica is located inside an ancient submerged volcanic crater.

There are many dive sites in and around this area. The most interesting dive has to be Champagne Reef with an endless supply of sulfuric bubbles. Swiss Cheese, Scotts Head Pinnacle, and Dangleben’s Pinnacle have swim throughs. Crater’s Edge is a dive site where you can view sea turtle, sea horses, and turtles on the inside perimeter and large pelagics on the outside of the crater rim that descends down some 700ft deep.

Attractions and Activities

Jungle Bay Dominica has an adventure package that includes all meals at the Calabash restaurant and non-alcoholic drinks. The resort has an infinity pool, hot jacuzzi, and loungers. They also have Spa pampering and yoga classes. The resort is a 20-minute walk to Champagne Reef. Jungle Bay Dominica is a great place for corporate retreats, escape weddings, and honeymoons.

More importantly, this is the Nature Island. So, prepare to do some birding to view the endemic Sisserou & Jaco Parrots. Above all, you have to take a guided hike into the old growth rain forests. There are also 365 rivers and 12 waterfalls to see. So, you can also go waterfall repelling and canyoning. More importantly, Boiling lake is the 2nd largest boiling lake in the world. Sea Kayaking is big here too. Finally, there are 20 marine mammal species out here from spotted dolphins to sperm whales, so whale watching is big too.

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West Plaza Hotels

Scuba diving in Palau? West Plaza Hotels is actually 4 separate hotels that make up the West Plaza Hotel Group in Palau. So, 3 of the hotels are on the island of Koror and 1 on the island of Malakal. All are close to the main street that connects the two islands. West Plaza Hotels By the Sea has 36 rooms that overlook the ocean and nearby islands. They have standard class to deluxe rooms with Kitchenettes, to a roof penthouse and large veranda. This is also the site of the Red Rooster Cafe where they offer serve casual Pacific Rim and western dishes. Red Rooster Draft is Palau’s only locally brewed beer and is served nightly during happy hour.

West Plaza Hotels Malakal has 34 1&2 bedroom suites with full kitchens, dining room, living room, and bay view window. On site is the Palm Bay Bistro Restaurant. On this island, Bars, discos, mini-marts, and dive shops are nearby. Back on Koror, West Plaza Hotels Desekel has 30 Standard to Deluxe rooms. West Plaza Hotels Downtown has 20 standard rooms and is even closer to all the shopping and restaurants hot spots. Enjoy our blog article on Palau, Historical World Class Diving.

West Plaza Hotels Diving

There are 1400 different species of fish, and 700 species of coral found on some 200 scuba diving islands. Coral formations, walls, caves, tunnels, and wrecks, just add to the scenic backdrops behind endless schools of fish. Besides sharks, Groupers, and Napoleon wrasse, expect to see enormously large Manta rays. West Plaza Hotels recommends Sam’s Tours for daily scuba diving trips. Sam’s Tours provides a maximum of three tanks a day on selected trips as well as night dives. German Channel is where the mantas routinely stop by the cleaner stations.

Wonder Channel is a wall dive for macro photographers. Ngedebus Coral Gardens and Ngerchong are also quite photogenic. Even better known is Blue Corner for its schools of gray sharks, eagle rays, turtles, and hammerhead sharks. While staying at West Plaza Hotels you might want to dive some wrecks from WWII like the Amatsu Maru, Buoy 6, and Helmet Wreck.

Attractions and Activities

Sam’s Tours offer a great selection of local land tours too. So, enjoy a rock island tour, big island sight-seeing tour, waterfall tour, cultural tour, or WWII History Peleliu tour. You may also select to visit Jellyfish Lake, which is a popular snorkeler destination. Sam’s also has a “around the town” shopping shuttle.

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Palasia Hotel

Palasia Hotel Palau is located in downtown Koror in Palau. The hotel has 165 scuba diving guest rooms. Deluxe City View rooms, Deluxe Bay View rooms, Junior suites with balconies and Rock Islands views, and Executive Suites. Each room may have a minibar, fridgerator, TV, bathroom, and some of the larger units have living rooms/sitting areas. Whether you are coming to go scuba diving as a single traveler or with a large dive group and need business meeting facility space, they have a room to fit your needs. Enjoy our blog article on Palau, Historical World Class Diving

Palasia Hotel Diving

Palasia Hotel is a great place to stay for the week or immediately before or after a liveaboard scuba diving trip in Micronesia. There are 1400 different species of fish, and 700 species of coral found here. As a result, the sea life around these 200 islands is spectacular to view. Coral formations, walls, caves, tunnels, and blue holes just add to the scenic backdrops behind endless schools of fish. Plan on exploring channels, tunnels, holes, walls, and even a cave or wreck. Besides sharks, Groupers, and Napoleon wrasse, expect to see enormously large manta rays. German Channel is where the mantas routinely stop by the cleaner stations. Wonder Channel is a wall dive for macro photographers. Ngedebus Coral Gardens and Ngerchong are also quite photogenic. Even better known is Blue Corner for its schools of gray sharks, eagle rays, turtles, and hammerhead sharks. From Palasia Hotel you can also join a tour to Jellyfish Lake which is a popular snorkeler destination. Shipwrecks and planes were also sunk in Micronesia during WWII. The largest shipwreck is the Amatsu Maru. Buoy 6 is a submarine chaser, and Helmet Wreck is a cargo streamer.

Attractions and Activities

Palasia Hotel is home to the Desomel Restaurant and Weltz Bar. The restaurant has a la cart dishes as well as buffets. The breakfast buffet has both western and Japanese favorites. The hotel has a large fitness center, pool and a duty-free shop for all the international guests. A large “Target” like store is adjacent to the hotel and many other shops and restaurants are just down the street.

Sam’s Tours offer a wonderful selection of exciting tours that include rock island tours, snorkel tours, big island sight-seeing tours, waterfall tours, cultural tours, WWII History Peleliu tours, and “around the town” shopping shuttles. From Palasia Hotel, you may wish to go scuba diving with Fish ‘n Fins Palau and/or Sam’s Tours for local daily dive trips.  Fish ‘n Fins Palau features a mandarin fish dive and local night dives. Sam’s Tours does a maximum of three tanks a day on selected trips as well as black water dives.

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Villablanca Garden Beach Hotel

Villablanca Garden Beach Hotel & Dive Resort is located on Cozumel Island, Mexico. This scuba diving resort is in a quiet area 2 miles from downtown San Miguel and 5 miles from the airport. The resort has 50 rooms and suits. So, the rooms come in Standard or Superior with garden or ocean views and balcony or terrace. Moreover, each room comes with a refrigerator, air conditioning, and ceiling fan. In addition, Villablanca has 2 villas and 1 Penthouse. Enjoy our blog article on Cozumel Mexico, Always a Top Dive Destination.

Villablanca Diving

There are four dive shops either onsite or 100ft from the Resort. Two D’s Diving and Tour Adventures, Phocea Mexico, Hogs Scuba Dive Emporium, Scuba Mau, and Dive Paradise. Dive Paradise has its dive center and operates the pier across the street (Quintana Roo C-1). So many dive shops, means plenty of opportunities to go scuba diving, however, they can all be quite busy when the cruise ships are in port so it’s best to book dives early in the day or later in the day when the cruise ships guests on shore are few and far between.

So, the majority of dives near Villablanca are drift dives. You merely descend underwater using your BC (buoyancy compensator). Next, drift along the reef. When finished drifting, use your BC to ascend. So, the boats follow the bubbles. They pick divers up once they surface. There are over 250 species of fish, and turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays to see. We think Palancar Reef should be on every diver’s bucket list.

Attractions and Activities

Villablanca has two restaurants. Nemo’s is a romantic restaurant with gourmet seafood and Continental cuisine. Las Adas has a bar and casual dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are several restaurants nearby as well. Hog Town Café is very popular for early breakfasts before diving. So, for activities you can go swimming in the pool or step into the Jacuzzi. They have tennis available too. The Mega stores, shopping malls, and other stores are 1 mile north of the resort.

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Occidental Grand Cozumel

Occidental Grand Cozumel is located in Cozumel, Mexico. This scuba diving resort has 247 rooms. So, Deluxe, Deluxe Concierge, Deluxe Romance rooms come with a minibar, cable TV,  and hair dryer. Royal Level Luxury, Royal Level Jr Suite, and Family Suite come with additional benefits. Preferential booking at resort restaurants is one Royal perk. So, they also have 24hr room service, a living room, and free WIFI. Family Suite comes with 2 bathrooms and a home theater system. Enjoy our blog article on Cozumel Mexico, Always a Top Dive Destination.

Occidental Grand Cozumel Diving

Pro Dive International is the onsite scuba diving center. They are located right next to the jetty. Moreover, they teach beginning divers, advanced divers, and a host of specialty classes. They also offer free Nitrox to those enriched air certified. Above all, they have a selection of dive equipment for rent. Furthermore, they have a fleet of dive boats. Nearby dive sites include San Francisco Reef, and Palancar Garden.

So, the majority of dives near Occidental Grand Cozumel are drift dives. You merely descend underwater using your BC (buoyancy compensator). Next, drift along the reef. When finished drifting, use your BC to ascend. So, the boats follow the bubbles. They pick divers up once they surface. There are over 250 species of fish, and turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays to see. We think Palancar Reef should be on every diver’s bucket list.

Attractions and Activities

Occidental Grand Cozumel is an all-inclusive resort. Scuba diving is extra. They have 7 restaurants and 5 bars. Restaurants include La Posada, Beach Club, Sonora, Los Olivos, La Piazza, and Coral. La Carreta is exclusive for Royal level members. Moreover, Bars include the Lobby Bar, Relax Bar, Beach Club Bar, Pool Bar, and La Mision. Activities at Occidental Grand Cozumel include tennis and volleyball. Kayaking and snorkeling are available right on San Francisco beach. Furthermore, they have a fitness center/gym, spa and beauty salon. They also have 3 pools. The adults only pool has a Jacuzzi. Finally, the kids will love the Kids Club.

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Allegro Cozumel

Allegro Cozumel is a scuba diving resort right on San Francisco beach on the Island of Cozumel in Mexico. This all-inclusive resort has 305 accommodations. So, the four styles of rooms range from Superior, Superior Pool View, Superior Premium Level, and Premium Level Suite. Each room has air conditioning, hair dryer, TV, and a private bathroom. Enjoy our blog article on Cozumel Mexico, Always A Top Dive Destination.

Allegro Cozumel Diving

Pro Dive International is the onsite scuba diving center. They are right next to the jetty and minutes from Santa Rosa Wall. Moreover, they teach beginning divers right in one of the resort’s pools. Actually, they have a whole list of regular, and specialty classes that they teach. They also offer free Nitrox to those enriched air certified. Above all, they have a selection of dive equipment for rent. Furthermore, they have a fleet of dive boats. Most dive sites are within 20 minutes away from Allegro Cozumel resort. Within 5 minutes away are La Cieba, San Francisco Reef, Santa Rosa, and Palancar Garden.

Keep in mind, the majority of dives here are drift dives. You merely descend underwater using your BC (buoyancy compensator) and drift along the reef. At the end of your dive, you use your BC to ascend back up to the surface. The boats follow the bubbles, then pick divers up once they surface. With over 250 species of fish, and turtles, nurse sharks, stingrays and more, Allegro Cozumel and Palancar Reef should be on every diver’s bucket list of dive destinations.

Attractions and Activities

First of all, Allegro Cozumel resort has four main restaurants. The Topaz offers breakfast and Dinner buffets. A la carte menu restaurants include O Sole Mio for delicious Italian cuisine, Fuju for sushi and teppanyaki, and Cielito Lindo for Mexican favorites. So, Allegro Cozumel bars include the Sports bar, the Disco Bar, Pool Bar, Wet Bar, and Beach Bar. Did we mention that they have 5 pools? One pool is for kids and a favorite of the Kid’s Club. There is a Game room too, with darts, billiards, and ping pong. So, there is also beach volley ball or beach soccer.

On the inland side of Allegro Cozumel are tennis courts and a basketball court. Finally, perhaps you would like to visit the fitness center or relax in a hot tub or sauna or have a massage at the wellness center.

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Occidental Grand Papagayo

Occidental Grand Papagayo is an all-inclusive adults only scuba diving resort in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. The resort has 163 rooms. So, you can choose between Deluxe, Deluxe Bay View, Deluxe Concierge, Deluxe Romance, and Premium Level Luxury. Air conditioning and free wifi are standard. Some higher end packages come with balconies, terraces and/or mini bars. Scuba diving is not part of the all-inclusive packages, but extra. Enjoy our blog article on Sea Turtle’s; The Godfathers of All Dive Magazines?

Occidental Grand Papagayo Diving

Rocket Frog Divers is the partner scuba diving center. They have a 36ft long ribbed inflatable boat “The Pacific Express”, with twin 300HP Yamaha engines. So, they do 2-3 tank dives out to some 20 dive sites. 16 in the Cat “Catalinas” islands and 4 in the Bat islands “Murcielagos”. The Bat islands are known for their bull sharks and the Cats are known for mantas, white tips, and nurse sharks. The dives start at around 40ft deep. Some of the local dive site names include Monkey Head, Punta Gorda, Whale Point, Virador, Tiburones, Shark Cave, Los Arcos, and El Argentino.

So, while staying at Occidental Grand Papagayo, plan on seeing harlequin shrimp, barracuda, turtles, and butterfly fish. From the surface you may see dolphins and devil rays jumping. So, they also have a 2-day trip where you can stay in a national park overnight. Furthermore, they have “learn to dive” courses and they are bi-lingual. Finally, ask about their new van for pickups and drop offs.

Attractions and Activities

So, for restaurants, Occidental Grand Papagayo has L’Buffet, The Italian, and D’Oriental. You can also enjoy burgers at the Snack Bar near the pool. Moreover, there is a Premium level lounge and club. There is a bar at the beach as well as a Lobby bar. The a la carte restaurants must have reservations made in advance. So, for activities, there is swimming in the two pools, kayaking and snorkeling at the beach. Tennis, volleyball and birding are also popular. Non-resort inclusive Horseback riding and fishing tours can also be arranged. Finally, at the spa they have rejuvenating treatments, mud and mineral wraps, and shiatsu massages.

At Occidental Grand Papagayo, every day is a perfect day for a couple’s retreat, wedding, honeymoon, or just whenever you want to escape from it all.
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