Hello, <BR> <BR>January in Vermont is making me long for a diving vacation someplace warm. While it may be an oxymoron, does anyone know of any good, cheap diving spots? I have some (most) of my own equipment, speak some spanish, and prefer to do things on my own (as opposed to an all-inclusive package resort). Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi Sara. I would highly recommend Cozumel. We have had four dive trips there in the last couple of years. The great thing about it is you can go on any budget. There are a lot of inexpensive places to stay in the town. We have almost always gone all inclusive as it is the best deal as we are in Canada and this way can pay in advance and not have to contend with the exchange rate. There are lots and lots of restaurants in all price ranges. If you go a few blocks away from the water, the prices on food drop substantially. The diving is excellent. There are lots of dive operators so you would not have any trouble finding one.It's a very laid back island and really grows on you. Just avoid the shopping areas when the cruise ships are in. If you can speak some Spanish you will be made to feel very much at home. The people there are wonderful. If you go, make sure to go downtown to the town square on Sunday evening as that is the night that all of the locals have their night out with a live band and dancing. If you go to Cozumel once for diving, you will definitely want to keep going back. They have amazing reefs with great swim throughs and towering pillars of coral heads. There are lots of fish, huge 350 pound groupers, eels etc. You would love it.

Sara, Anne is right on with the exception of the all inclusive idea. There are lots of reasonable(cheap) restaurants in Cozumel. If you are going to dive, you will eat an early breakfast and then grab something on the SI and then a nice dinner. So an All-incusive is not necesarily the best alternative. <BR>Last May, I paid $69 US for a room at the Fiesta Inn, very nice- not posh but clean and the AC worked good- very nice pool. <BR>A resource that helped me a lot was the web site of a cozumel dive shop. Check it out at (www.aldora.com). They were super and I would highly recommend their operation. <BR>Bart <BR>

Me again. Definitely try Aldora Divers. We have logged over 50 dives with them in the last two years. They are absolutely the best and most professional. We love them. They are not the cheapest dollar wise, but if you work it out for amount spent versus bottom time, they are the best deal. We often log dive times of up to one and a half hours.Some of the dive masters are marine biologists and all are extremely patient and really wonderful. <BR>We have also stayed at the Fiesta Inn. It is within walking distance of the town. There are a lot of places in the town that are quite inexpensive and clean. We have to pay about $1.50 for every US dollar so it is a better deal to go from Canada on a package for us.We still go out for some meals there and there are lots and lots of all price ranges to choose from. <BR>If you dive with Aldora they have their break at Playa Sol which has wonderful chicken and lime soup.

Another place to consider is St Croix. The diving is highly rated, and beach dives are what most locals do, as well as many tourists in the know. There are some good dive operations that do boatdives too, but if you're looking to dive for the least amount of money, Cane Bay and Fredrksted are the places to go. E-mail us for ideas of places to stay.