astridwilson

I wear just a rash guard and vest to help keep the core warm. It works good for diving and snorkeling in 78-85 degree water.

The best I was ever on was my very first dive which was inPalm Beach Florida. The Goliath Grouperswere spawning in a small ship wreck and I have never again dove with suchamazing and big fish.

Second best dive was Big Island of Hawaii: We dove the Manta Ray night dive. I must do for ALL divers.

Next is Cozumel as the water color, clarity and coral are beautiful.

Next is Bonaire. Love theability to shore dive on your own. Thisis listed as the number one shore dive destination in the world.

Next is Little Cayman. Grouperswill follow you around. Very cool.

Next is The Virgin Islands. Dove the Rhone while staying in British Virgin Gorda. The water is a little rougher and deeper bluein the Virgin Islands.

Next is Cancun. Has thesame water color as Cozumel.

Dove LaRomana in Dominican Republic. Was fun, diving was Good, Location is easy toget to and cheaper than most islands in the Caribbean.

Jamaica at a Sandals Resort near Montego Bay. Not very good but it was included with theresort. Still bad diving is better thanNO diving.

Next Month we are on a cruise and Plan to Dive, Curacao, Arubaand St Thomas.

Next year we plan on St Lucia Diving. Snorkeling is VERY good there so I have toassume Diving will be great.

Recommendations for a Dive Op for our Cruise day in Aruba. We will be in port from 7AM to 11PM so have lots of time to dive, grab lunch and then hit a beach.

So I need a dive shop and an afternoon beach to maybe snorkel. I can never get enough water and fishies..

We chose Bas Harts Diving

We choose http://www.admiraltydive.com. Ills let you know how it turns out when we return in September.

We are planning to shore Dive there in September. Hope we see turtles.

Is it Cokie Divers?

Here is some information and threads I put together:

http://www.tropicalsnorkeling.com/snorkeling-puerto-chiquito.html

Mangel Halto - The best snorkeling site available on Aruba.

Puerto Chiquito - Great shore snorkeling with a one-way drift option to Mangel Halto.

Do not attempt to snorkel here if the waves are big; it is beston a calm day. You also need to watch out for boats when you are over the outerreef.

As you walk down to the water from the parking area, there areshallow bays to both the right and left. Enter at the corner of the left onefor snorkeling Puerto Chiquito.

Once in the water, swim out to the left a little and through theopening of the bay. After you pass out into unprotected waters you swim right. The current is moving from left to right mostof the time. Do a one-way drift snorkelto Mangel Halto. In this whole area andquite a distance out from shore, you will find healthy corals and a good numberof fish in 10 to 20 feet of water, but near the drop off it gets deeper. Thevisibility is generally good, though may be a bit less close to shore.

Arashi Beach, Boca Catalina and Malmok.

Do not swim to the Antilla wreck, too much current, around .5mile. Take the Arubus to the beach. Both have stops. Taxi back if time is limited.

Fora cheap day of unlimited snorkeling, for $2.60 roundtrip take the bus to Malmokand snorkel Boca Catalina and Catalina Cove to your heart's content. When wesnorkeled the Antilla and Boca Catalina areas in June, the water at BocaCatalina had 100% better visibility than the Antilla.

Where is the

Arriving in Willemstad, Curacao viaFreedom of the Seas Cruise Ship at 8AM and must be back on boat by 6PM. Isee that Royal Caribbean has an excursion for $169 that reads “Jump in and experience diving inthe clear blue waters of Curacao on this two-tank dive trip. You will be takento the famous Sea Aquarium and Mambo Beach for two incredible dives on thehouse reef of our dive center. Look forturtles, eels, colorful angel fish, hidden lobster and little critters likeshrimp on these beautiful dives. ”

Does anyone know who Royal Caribbean uses as a Dive Shop?

Seems high for a diving off the shore at a house reef. Any alternate suggestions

Arriving in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas viaFreedom of the Seas Cruise Ship at 7AM and must be back on boat by 5PM. Last time we were in St Thomas on a cruise was1999 and we took an excursion to St Johnfor snorkeling.

I see that Royal Caribbeanhas an excursion for $129 that reads “Explore a sunken shipwreck and avivid coral reef on a two-tank tour for certified divers in St. Thomas’ crystalwaters. After presenting your "C" card, you'll descend into the warmCaribbean waters to explore a sunken ship and a stunning coral reef alive withsea turtles, stingrays, and tropical fish.”

I also saw where Blue Island Divers www.blueislanddivers.com/index.htm will pick youup from the cruise ship and do a 2 tank dive for $130.

Does anyone know who Royal Caribbean uses as a Dive Shop?

Has anyone used Blue Island Divers from acruise ship?

I figure if we doa morning dive, we still have the afternoon to explore St Thomas a little afterlunch.

You must take a taxi to the airport locations. We got off the ship, grabbed a taxi right away and picked up our car immediately and were an hour early to our Pearl Harbor appointment.

There is a cruise ship terminal rental location, but that was far more expensive then renting from the airport even with the taxi fare to get there. We had to return the car to the airport, so it seemed to make sense.

We used autoslash.com and thrifty was the rental agency for most locations. We signed up for thier blue chip program and had a hassle and basically wait free experience on every island.

So what did you decide to do?

We did 4 days post cruise.

When doing your research, check the rates for renting from the airport also. You will have to taxi to the airport, but the rates are much cheaper and I assume you will have to get a taxi to the airport at some time also.

Check out autoslash.com. AutoSlash offers cheap car rentals, discounts and coupons from top brands like Hertz, Avis, National, Enterprise, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty and others. They keep checking for lower rates. No credit card needed up front.

Hanauma bay is lovely. I actually found the snorkeling better at the bay than at sharks Cove. Sharks Cove is a much longer drive and can also get very crowded with no where to park and the walk down and up is full of tree roots and is a big climb. At the bay, there is a paved road and a shuttle that will take you up. I would stick to your original plan and visit the blow hole and sandy beach after the bay.

The Royal Hawaiian is an amazing hotel. Great location, great beach, easy access within walking distance of many restaurants and usually has an offer for free buffet breakfast.

Honolulu

the Royal parking garage rates are:

4 hours or less is compliments of The Royal Hawaiian, with a $35 minimum purchase at one of the Royals restaurants or bars.

$6 for 4-12 hours

Also after Hanauma bay, stop at Halona Blowhole/lookout for the views before heading back to Waikiki.

Maui:

Park at the airport. One rental is all you need. Shuttles will take you back and forth from the airport to the ship.

For Snorkeling: Kapalua Bay, is a lovely beach on the west side.

Or try the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala “The Dumps. This location is not for beginners as there was a current and a very rocky entry. The beach was not as pretty as the West shore beaches, but the coral was healthy and I loved the isolated feeling to the location. Saw lots of fish and the water clarity was excellent. This location was one of our best snorkeling spots on the trip.

Directions to the dumps:

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala. Follow Wailea Alanui Drive to the south - it will turn into Makena Alanui Drive, and once that comes to an end, it will be Makena Road. Past Big Beach, the road gets a bit narrower. A short ways past a large bend in the road, you'll see the signs welcoming you to Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. You'll pass a popular cove for snorkeling that's maybe 100 yards or so from the signs you just passed. If you're looking for "The Dumps" then keep on driving. After another 100 yards or so, you'll pass a long stone wall on your right, you will go up a hill and the large gravel parking lot will be close to the top with bright yellow gates on your right. THIS is the parking lot you're looking for. It is a rough parking lot, not paved. After parking walk toward the water to the end of the parking lot. You will see a short trail on your left.

Hilo:

Volcano national Park, rainbow falls and the boiling pots. This will fill the day. Do not try to add Akaka Falls or any beach time. Akaka Falls are further to drive and it takes at least 45 minutes to walk thru the rain forest and admire the falls.

Kauai:

There are shuttles from Anchor mall to the ship.

Fridays plan may be tough as the ship may leave at 2PM but you must be back on board at 1:30 and you need to return the car.

It is an hour and 10 minutes drive to Kee Beach, so that is 2.5 hours or driving. That leaves very little time to enjoy beaches. You could swap Thursday and Friday and just do the Canyon on Thursday and maybe add Spouting Horn Blow hole if you leave early.

If you do North Shore on Thursday. Add Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The views are amazing. The refuge is open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. $5 per adult. 45 minutes to 1 hour visit time. Also add Opaekaa Falls – Plunges hundreds of feet- can be viewed from overlook. I thought they were prettier than Wailua Falls.

If you are only in Maui for 2 days, you can rent a car and snorkel many beaches and see much more of Maui if you are not on an excursion.

Kapalua Bay, is a lovely beach on the west side.

If you like to snorkel; try the Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala “The Dumps. This location is not for beginners as there was a current and a very rocky entry. The beach was not as pretty as the West shore beaches, but the coral was healthy and I loved the isolated feeling to the location. Saw lots of fish and the water clarity was excellent. This location was one of our best snorkeling spots on the trip.

Directions to the dumps:

Ahihi Kinau Natural Area/The Dumps/Ma'onakala. Follow Wailea Alanui Drive to the south - it will turn into Makena Alanui Drive, and once that comes to an end, it will be Makena Road. Past Big Beach, the road gets a bit narrower. A short ways past a large bend in the road, you'll see the signs welcoming you to Ahihi Kinau Natural Area Reserve. You'll pass a popular cove for snorkeling that's maybe 100 yards or so from the signs you just passed. If you're looking for "The Dumps" then keep on driving. After another 100 yards or so, you'll pass a long stone wall on your right, you will go up a hill and the large gravel parking lot will be close to the top with bright yellow gates on your right. THIS is the parking lot you're looking for. It is a rough parking lot, not paved. After parking walk toward the water to the end of the parking lot. You will see a short trail on your left.