Looking to be certified by the end of October and then spending a week over New Year's diving somewhere - any suggestions where we should go in the Caribbean?

Hi Amer.<BR>Since you will be newly certified, I'd suggest someplace with relatively shallow reef diving as opposed to wall, wreck or drift dives.<BR>There are a lot of shallow reefs throughout most of the Caribbean, so if you let us know what else you are looking for in a vacation, that might help us help you

Have you considered Bonaire or Curacao?<BR>These islands cater to those who scuba or snorkel. Go to www.maduro.com or go to www.worlddive.com----and you can see what rates and packages they have. Read all you can about these 2 islands. We suggest, if possible, you fly Air Jamaica. That's what we do.

For Amer--<BR> I have a friend who scuba dives and she has taken several trips to Grand Cayman and Cozumel---her two favorites!

Amer<BR><BR>I'm diving in Jamaica end of October.<BR>I'll let you know. I've just completed classes and will do my open water 9/14. So I'm looking for easy diving.

Another diving option is St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies. They have shallow reef dives, as well as deeper wreck dives. There is even an old city wall where you can both dive and snorkel.<BR><BR>Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Amer,<BR><BR>Harbour Island has some of the best dive sites in the Carribean and there are 2 dive operations on island, Valentine's and Ocean Fox.<BR><BR>Valentine's also does instructional programs and resort courses so you could get a little refresher before you dive, just to be really comfortable.<BR><BR>Also they do 2 dives a day shallow and deep and they were even doing nite dives a while ago, not sure if they still do that.<BR><BR>There are several nice places to stay on island and it's easy to get to from Florida or fly into Nassau and take Bahamas Air to Eleuthera or the Fast Ferry.<BR><BR>There are some great wreck sites in the area and a train wreck (civil war train, sunk just after the civil war by a large storm, barge and all, makes for a great dive site 100+ years later)<BR><BR>Hope this helps, have a great trip and let me know if you need any other info on the Bahamas.<BR><BR>tweedy

Amer, go to Habitat in Curacao, period! I have had the privilege of diving in a number of Caribbean destinations and nowhere is it easier to dive than it is there. If you sign up for a minimum of three days of two-tank boat dives the shore diving (which is fantastic) is free! You can dive 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so if you get the craving at 2 AM you just go!