Customer Reviews

Best Dives of the Caribbean

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have bought both editions of this book, mostly because the first edition got so dog-eared that I wanted a clean one for vacation last year. The book is a marvelous source of information for both the snorkeler and the diver. The authors divide the book into chapters on individual islands, starting out with a brief but interesting history of the island, a topographical description, relative location map, best time to go, weather, and proximity to other islands. They then rate the island's diving locations, awarding from 1 to 5 stars, and provide another larger map visually locating the sites. Each site is described in detail, with info on depth, sea life, currents, visibility, photo ops and difficulty level. As if that weren't enough, they include some (but not enough!) beautiful photos, and end each chapter with yet more info on dive operators (detailed), beaches, other activities, dining, accommodations (with rates, addresses and phone numbers), medical facilities, documentation requirements, currency, driving, local customs, departure taxes, etc. I've been exploring the Caribbean for almost a decade now; I take this compact book with me everywhere. My only complaint: I wish they covered more islands!

love this book. My dive vacations are strickly to take underwater photos and being able to plan ahead makes my life so much easier. It gives me the airlines, the resorts with prices, when I can expect good weather. It's like having a personal travel planner. I would not plan a Caribbean dive trip without consulting this trustworthy book.

A "must have" reference for any Caribbean dive vacationer. I've got the first edition as well and have used it to choose many of our dive trips over the past 5 yrs. It's by no means a compressive guide, and it doesn't pretend to be one. The best feature of this guide is the brief overview of diving and snorkeling and the descriptions of top dive sites at the destination. I prefer to use active internet forums for current reviews of hotels and dive operators, but the listings in Best Dives does help me narrow down to just a few to consider.

The new, 2006, third edition of Best Dives of the Caribbean is packed full of dive-vacation planning information. It tells what time of year to go, the most popular dive sites with details on what to expect, depths, average sea conditions-- I get seasick if it's rough and prefer diving where the sites are ten minutes or less by boat, or better yet accessible from the beach. Indeed, some of the other one-desination guides are more suitable for the coffee table, but they don't tell me anything about the dive resorts, the $$ cost. I would not consider planning a dive-vacation to the Caribbean without consulting this gem of a travel guide. The dive resort write ups are detailed and give rates and package deals. Any, the author gives an email for additional questions.

This is a useful book for some pre-dive trip planning. It gives basic information about the islands such as best time to go, language, etc. It also list places to stay and eat on each island. While that can be useful, I use more up to date information I find online.

However, the dive site information is very good and useful. It rates each dive site with stars, tells you what to expect to see, how deep each site is, etc. So when you get to your destination you will have an idea of what sites you want to dive.

This comes in especially handy when you go to places such as Cozumel when they ask you what sites you want to dive that day. With the info in this book, you'll know what you want to see.

I use it before I go on each of my dive trips and copy the relevant pages to bring with me so I can suggest some sites if noone else has a preference. I've found the descriptions to be accurate and agree with most of the ratings thus far.

As a general guide for hotels, etc., you can find better and more up to date info, but as a dive guide, it is more than worth the price.

I thought this was one of the best books for the travelling diver that I have ever read. A recent trip to Aruba proved it. Recommendations are still right on the mark.

I bought this book as a Christmas gift, and my fella has been carrying it around the house ever since. We are both impressed with the detail and accessibility of the information. I was surprised that Paradise Island (Nassau) is not highlighted, but there are definitely many other must-see locations in the Caribbean.

I loved this book... It helped me choose where I wanted to spend my next dive trip. I chose the Galapagos Islands. We went with Aquatic Encounters. They showed my whole family the time of our lives. I would never have found them if it was not for this book.