Hi, folks. My girlfriend and I recently went to Bonaire and went snorkeling for the first time. Now we're totally hooked and jonesin' to get back into that warm, beautiful water.
I'm interested in getting SCUBA certified eventually, but for now our budget can't handle both certification and another trip. So we're opting for the trip (warmth) instead. (And anyway, there's still the wonderful world of freediving to explore, which to me sounds awesome... no equipment, just me and the fishes.) We're planning on going back to the Caribbean this February, and want to explore somewhere new other than Bonaire.
So I'm looking for recommendations on a place where we can find good shore snorkeling spots (I don't like the idea of always being stuck with the schedule and limited duration of a boat) and where I can find someone good to introduce me to the basics of freediving.
I'm not interested in spearing or endurance stuff... just hanging out with the fishes, and hunting them with my underwater digital camera (BTW, the Canon S40 with underwater case works wonderfully... just point and click for kickin' photos).
I posted a message like this on scubaboard, and got some suggestions: Belieze, Turks & Caicos, and Tobago. Those sound great, but I'd like to get some more input. Also, those suggestions were mostly from hardcore scubadivers, and I'd like to hear from people who are more accustomed to going into the water unencumbered.
In addition to a good place for shore snorkeling and freediving, we're hoping to find somewhere relatively inexpensive yet somewhat out of the way (i.e., not overrun by tourists). My girlfriend also thinks there's a world above the surface, so maybe somewhere with some nice hiking or something too. Oh, and apart from shore snorkeling, we're also quite open to getting to sites by kayak, assuming we can rent them for a reasonable price. (But I assume kayaking precludes freediving...?)
Thanks so much for any help or suggestions you may be willing to offer!
I'm interested in getting SCUBA certified eventually, but for now our budget can't handle both certification and another trip. So we're opting for the trip (warmth) instead. (And anyway, there's still the wonderful world of freediving to explore, which to me sounds awesome... no equipment, just me and the fishes.) We're planning on going back to the Caribbean this February, and want to explore somewhere new other than Bonaire.
So I'm looking for recommendations on a place where we can find good shore snorkeling spots (I don't like the idea of always being stuck with the schedule and limited duration of a boat) and where I can find someone good to introduce me to the basics of freediving.
I'm not interested in spearing or endurance stuff... just hanging out with the fishes, and hunting them with my underwater digital camera (BTW, the Canon S40 with underwater case works wonderfully... just point and click for kickin' photos).
I posted a message like this on scubaboard, and got some suggestions: Belieze, Turks & Caicos, and Tobago. Those sound great, but I'd like to get some more input. Also, those suggestions were mostly from hardcore scubadivers, and I'd like to hear from people who are more accustomed to going into the water unencumbered.
In addition to a good place for shore snorkeling and freediving, we're hoping to find somewhere relatively inexpensive yet somewhat out of the way (i.e., not overrun by tourists). My girlfriend also thinks there's a world above the surface, so maybe somewhere with some nice hiking or something too. Oh, and apart from shore snorkeling, we're also quite open to getting to sites by kayak, assuming we can rent them for a reasonable price. (But I assume kayaking precludes freediving...?)
Thanks so much for any help or suggestions you may be willing to offer!