American scuba divers favor Caribbean Dive Resorts for their diving vacations. While liveaboards are also popular and some divers will head to the Middle East or the Indo-Pacific for their diving, the Caribbean is a more logical choice for many. Getting to and from Caribbean dive resorts is generally straightforward and does not need extensive travel. The diving in the Caribbean is outstanding with many great destinations and there are many great resorts. You are also more likely able to find a resort within your own personal budget.
There are many lists of the Best Caribbean Dive Resorts available, the one with the most influence is the Readers Choice Awards from Scuba Diving Magazine. Each year the readers of the magazine are invited to vote for their favorite dive resort (visited in the last two years) in several categories. The Readers Choice Award highlights the resort with the most votes in each category along with other top-voted resorts. In the Best Overall category, they list 15 Caribbean dive resorts from 7 different Caribbean Nations. Using the Readers Choice Award as a starting point, other “Best” lists and personal experience I am presenting a curated list of the five Best Caribbean Dive Resorts and an Honorable Mention.
There are many factors for you to consider when choosing where you will go. Many people start with the destination first while others are more concerned about the price or ease of travel. What is more important to you? Is it the destination? Do you want a luxurious suite or a simple bungalow? Is the food or dive operation the most important to you? Keep your personal views in mind as we discuss a few of the Caribbean’s Best scuba diving resorts.
Five Caribbean Dive Resorts For That Perfect Dive Vacation
Here are a few outstanding dive resorts in the Caribbean to start your journey to select the perfect dive vacation.
Compass Point Grand Cayman: The Grand Caymans is well-known as a tourist destination considered one of the best diving destinations in the world. As well as a leading beach destination, honeymoon destination, and cruise ship port of call. Compass Point is a luxury dive resort that prides itself on being something different. The resort started as a dive operation that expanded to offer integrated Condo-hotel accommodations. They boast 26 one, and two-bedroom condos either ocean side or poolside, and 2 penthouse condos with three rooms each. The location is another matter of pride for the resort, as they are located at the very eastern end of Grand Cayman's East End. The East End is not as developed as other portions of the island, and the area around Compass Point is even less developed than other portions of the East End. While other resorts boast of being near the airport, white sand beaches, and the active nightlife, Compass Point boasts of being the furthest from them. The resort has an outstanding restaurant and the Eagle Ray’s Bar and Grill. In addition to a scuba diving training pool, the resort has a resort-style pool and hot tubs. There are even grills available for your after-dive cookouts. As great as the resort is, diving is what is important to divers and they excel here as well. Not being as developed as the rest of the island there are not as many divers who dive the East End. This means the pressure on the dive sites is less and it is very likely your dive boat will be the only one on site at the time. Compass Point visits about 50 dive sites all close to their resort. Shore diving here is limited, still, there are some shore sites more suitable for adventurist divers
Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire: If you prefer shore dives over boat dives then Bonaire is the destination for you, and Buddy Dive may be your best diver resort in the world. Buddy Dive does have 6 dive boats to take those who want to do a site that is best done by boat. Buddy Dive has been in business for over 40 years, and the resort has grown to 73 units. These range from studio units to 3-bedroom suites either ocean-view or garden-view. Also on site are two restaurants. The resort is within walking distance of other establishments and activities. In addition, Buddy Dive has the Belmar resort with another 22 units. The 2-tank boat dive included unlimited shore diving as well. Most resorts have packages that include accommodations and boat dives. Buddy Dive does as well, however, they also have a Drive, Dive, and Stay package. This package includes your accommodations and unlimited shore diving. So that you can easily get to the dive sites, a rental pickup truck or van is included.
Little Cayman Beach Resort: Little Cayman Island is a lightly developed island with outstanding diving. The Little Cayman Beach Resort has only 40 oceanfront or pool view rooms in a lush tropical setting but offers the guest amenities that rival larger resorts. The resort is situated on a white sand beach for your enjoyment when you are not diving. A short walk away from the resort is the Club at Little Cayman which are three-bedroom villas. The dive center operated 5 custom-built dive boats each designed for up to 20 divers.
Anse Chastanet Resort Saint Lucia: While most of the resorts on this list primarily focus on scuba diving, the Anse Chastanet Resort wins awards for many different styles of vacations. It is a popular wedding and honeymoon selection; it is known for its spa and wellness programs and culinary events. The 49 hillside and beachside rooms and suites sit on a 600-acre lush estate, that includes two sandy beaches. The dive operator side of the resort, Scuba St. Lucia, operates three dive boats and has a house reef right in front of the resort.
CoCo View Resort, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras: The Mesoamerican Reef incorporates the Belize Barrier Reef which is the second largest barrier reef in the world. In Roatan, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras the reef is very close to the shore. While diving in the northern end of the reef is the most popular, it is the southern end of the reef that is said to be the best diving, and that is where Roatan is. Three of the best dive sites in the area are the CoCo View Wall, Newman’s Wall, and the wreck Prince Albert. At the CoCo View Resort, these sites are collectively called “The Front Yard”. Easily accessible from the clubhouse, divers can dive these sites 24 hours a day with tanks always available. Overall, Roatan has over 150 dive sites many within a ten-minute boat ride from the resort. The resort uses four dive boats that are 50 feet long for most of the dive trips. They have a 45-foot speed boat with 900 hp motor for trips to more distant sites. A sixth boat is used for snorkeling groups. The resort has 29 oceanfront or over-the-water rooms. Accommodations fit one of three styles, bungalows, cabanas, or oceanfront. If the resort is fully booked, you can select a waitlist position and alternate accommodations at the Playa Miguel Beach Houses adjacent to the resort.
Honorable Mention Best Caribbean Dive Resort -Sunset House
Sunset House on Grand Cayman made the Readers Choice Awards in several categories but did not make the Overall Best award. It does frequently show on other Best Caribbean Dive resort lists and is one of my favorites. Sunset House sits on a coral ledge that overlooks the Caribbean Sea and is just a short walk south from the George Town Harbor. North of George Town is the famous 7-mile beach one of the best beaches in the world. However, to the south, the shoreline is rocky with the coral reef close to shore. Sunset House has 36 air-conditioned rooms and two outstanding restaurants. The hotel started in 1958 and was the first hotel in the Grand Caymans to cater to scuba divers. Sunset Divers is the dive operation side of the resort. Sunset Divers has 5 custom-designed dive boats to take you to any of the nearly 200 nearby dive sites. Sunset House/Divers has one of the best house reefs anywhere. It even has its own mermaid (statue) and the wreck of the Nicholson. The resort is also a leader in coral restoration, and you can dive their coral nursery. Shore diving costs you only the price of the tanks and is complimentary if you do the 2-tank boat dive they offer.
Over the years, I have dived the house reef here, first doing my first open-water discover dive and returning for other dives over the years. While many items sets Sunset House in a category of its own, one that stands out to me is their association with Cathy Church. Cathy Church is a marine biologist, one of the scuba diving pioneers, and one of the early underwater photographers. She has been inducted into six different Scuba diving Hall of Fames, and she operates out of Sunset House. There is a gallery and photocenter there. She also still teaches underwater photography. Years ago, I took one of her classes and it was incredible.
How Will You Choose Your Best Caribbean Dive Resort?
Lists such as this one and the Scuba Diving Magazine are great places to start your search for a scuba diving resort for your next vacation. Which one to choose will depend on several factors that are relevant to you. Some features or categories may be more important to you than others and this is a personal choice. For myself, I place the dive operations as the most important feature followed by the staff. The accommodations, resort facilities, and food are of lower importance. I had a dive buddy whose preferences were the exact opposite of mine. Set your personal priorities before searching for that perfect Caribbean Dive Resort vacation.
