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Hassle-Free Caribbean Diving
by Larry Larsen Traveling to the Caribbean is not much more difficult than journeying to another
state. Just two or three hours will put you in the most remote regions. If you're flying to the Bahams, you'll hardly have time to finish a soft drink before the plane starts descending.
Most places in the islands specialize in a certain type of activity. There are few that can meet everyone's needs,
according to M. Timothy O'Keefe, long-time diver and author of the book
"Fish & Dive The Caribbean". He recommends that you match your desires with what can realistically be offered.
"Don't expect people to go out of their way to cater to your whims," he explains. "You'll be only one of many vacationers, and dive charters are geared to satisfying the largest numbers,
not the single few." If underwater photography is your primary interest, obviously you'll need to select a spot with good visibility and abundant
sea life. If wrecks are your thing, you're more apt to end up in an area swept by winds and turbulent waters, and where photography will be more difficult. If spearfishing is foremost on
your agenda, you can just about forget foreign travel and plan on staying at home. Most popular dive destinations ban spearing, since the fish life is one of the primary reasons people visit.
Other points to consider: Do you and other accompanying members of your family have the
experience to be able to dive the different sites a place has to offer? There's no sense in choosing a location where you'll frequently encounter currents and be making deep dives if you or a member
of your family is still a novice. You won't be comfortable and you won't enjoy it. Do you prefer beach or boat diving? Do you want to spend more time snorkeling than scuba
diving? Some sites that are great for scuba are lousy for snorkeling because the reefs start too deep to enjoy them from the surface.
How much do the dives cost? Is it cheaper to buy them as a package in advance or pay on an
individual basis? But if you do sign up for a package in advance, you're limited to the services of one dive operation, which prevents you from striking out on your own unless the operator will give
you a refund for unused dives. Consider, too, the kind of hotel you want to stay at. Should it be one which is exclusively a dive
resort, or would you be happier at a general hotel that offers diving via an arrangement with a dive operation situated off the premises?
If you want to spend your free time with people who have the same interests and who will be
happy to swap tales of their own adventures for yours, you'll probably have a great time at a dive
resort. However, if diving is only one of your reasons for visiting a particular place, you might prefer
a more general hotel where you'll have a wider variety of subjects to talk about with other guests
at breakfast and dinner. But you might also find it more difficult to make friends because of the greater diversity of interests.
Along this same line, would you be happier if you traveled with a group of people you already
knew instead of joining a bunch of strangers? If a large dose of familiarity is what you require in an unknown locale, you'll probably feel most comfortable joining a trip offered by the dive shop you
frequent at home. That way you know in advance who's going to be present and how compatible the group will be.
Naturally, the best way to learn about a place is talk to someone who's been there. If you're unable to find such a person through your local dive club or dive store, write to the resort and ask
them to send some names of previous guests. Then give these former vacationers a call and ask what you need to know. Most people are very helpful as long as your questions are brief and to the point.
Also, read about your destination before departure in order to become thoroughly familiar with an
area. Consult not only dive publications for descriptions of the underwater terrain but invest in general travel guides which will give you detailed points about a place, its people and their
customs. The more you know in advance, the more you know what to plan for. When packing time finally arrives, take all your own gear except for tank and weights, which are
normally provided. Rental equipment is not as likely to be as new or well maintained as your own. Even if it is, it won't provide the same confidence, or psychological advantage, your own familiar
equipment does. Here's what your equipment list should include: regulator with pressure gauge; mask, fins and
snorkel; extra mask and fin straps; buoyancy compensator; wetsuit (which may help you even in the tropics against coral, etc.); knife; dive watch; bottom timer; underwater light for night diving;
gloves; decompression tables; a basic scuba manual for review. The suitcase you use to transport your dive gear should have stout locks and hard sides in order
to withstand abuse. Soft luggage often won't provide the kind of protection required to thwart clumsy baggage handlers.
Next to your dive equipment, the most important items to carry are remedies for various dive and
travel-related ills. For sinus blockage or sticky ears, Sudafeds are widely used since they don't make you drowsy. Also pack some ear wax remover, swimmer's ear medication, sunscreen,
Adolph's meat tenderizer for coral scrapes, diarrhea medicine and a simple first aid kit. It's surprising how often you're forced to serve as your own pharmacy because none of the supplies are available.
Editor's Note: For flight or lodging information, click here. For more infomation,
please review the book, "Fish & Dive the Caribbean"
which covers the northern region from Cancun to the British Virgin Islands. |