My husband and I are divers and have been to the Great Barrier Reef and Grand Cayman, and we're looking for a destination that is on the less expensive side.

We're thinking the Florida Keys or Hawaii or even somewhere in Mexico like Cozumel.

Any suggestions?

Have you considered the Caribbean? Here's a list of the best places to dive there, maybe one of these will strike your fancy!

http://www.ruba.com/guide/Connie_Mot..._the_Caribbean

I also used to work as an underwater videographer in Kona, HI and the manta ray night dive there is really great! (the day dives are gorgeous as well, of course)Let us know where you guys decide to go

We'd love to head to the Caribbean—any recommendations on an island or tips for how to get there cheaply?

This is going to sound silly and not what you are looking for, but interesting none the less.

Michigan

Check out this article:

http://tinyurl.com/ld29p7

Obviously it is a summer destination, but the zebra mussels that were brought in from Asia accidently many years ago, while not good for the life forms, have filtered the water of the Great Lakes to astounding clarity.

As for a warm water destination, I think if you've done Grand Cayman, the Keys are going to be a big disappointment. My husband has been spoiled by the Caribbean, especially Grand Cayman, and can't dive Florida.

I don't know where you are coming from, but check out Spirit Airlines. They have occasional cheap Caribbean flights, sometimes even $9 flights.

Oh, and there is a boat that goes from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport, Bahamas. It is nothing fancy, but a less expensive option perhaps.

http://www.discoverycruiseline.com/home/homepage

My husband and I are divers as well. We have also spent several trips in Grand Cayman and stayed at the Westin at very reasonable prices and have only found one other destination after many that compared to the waters of Cayman. We have been spoiled.. That being said, I would recomend the following dive spots that are reasonable with great diving.
Cozumel - stay at the Presidente Hotel/Resort-they dive boat comes right to the dock and picks you up-diving rates a close second to Cayman with good weather.
Big Island-Hawaii-You can stay right in Kona at the Sheraton, decent property, great specials and the night dive with the rays is something spectacular! They loved my shampoo/rinse and came within 2 inches of my head, it was awesome! or stay up the Kohala Coast, each hotel has a special right now, even the super hotel Mauna Kea, our all time favorite.
Tahiti-Not sure it is in your budget but Moorea, Bora Bora and Riatta have good diving and then of course the islands are something spectacular themselves. Our favorite destination-Moorea and then Bora Bora.
On the Carribean side-
We dove in St. John, St.Lucia and well we would skip those, we went to those sights the year after Cayman and well....
Same with Maui and Lani, the waters were grainy...
Hurricanes usually pass Cozumel in October and the best diving is from January through June (best months are Jan-March).
Weather on the Big Island is always good, as is French Polynesia.

You might look at the two dive shops on Harbour Island in the Bahamas. (Valentine's and Fox). There are several wrecks in the area and some great dive sites, including a civil war TRAIN. Story is that it was purchased by a wealthy plantation owner in Cuba and was on a barge that sunk in a hurricane. It makes for an AMAZING dive site 100 or so years later.

Valentine's does two dives a day and also some nite dives depending on weather.

Hope this helps.

@kelliebellie The Michigan article was fascinating, but you're right—it's not quite what we're looking for. And I was worried that we wouldn't be able to dive the Keys after Cayman. And your boat suggestion was *fantastic* and will help us keep costs down—we're looking into it. THANK YOU!

@TahitiGirl We were considering Cozumel—thanks for the hotel recommendation—it'd be nice not to have to drive or walk to get to the dock. Any tips for cheap travel? (We're coming from Salt Lake City.) And besides the diving, how are other activities down there?

@travelbuff I cannot believe there's a train down there. I'm going to have to see that at some point in my life. The Bahamas are on our shortlist. What else would you recommend doing in the Bahamas?

Oh, I just remembered where my husband had diving comparable to Grand Cayman and that was Turks and Caicos. Not cheap though.

And one more thing about the Bahama boat. It gets just terrible tripadvisor reviews, but I really think this has to do with it having the name "cruise" in it. They should just call it a ferry. It has been (yikes!) 16 years since I was on it, so lord knows what it is like now, but I think it is a very disappointing cruise, but a lovely ferry.

You can rent a car, pretty cheap for your stay and drive around the island, you cannot get lost. You might get hounded by the timeshare operators in town, so we got the car from the hotel to avoid the harrasment
Snorkeling off just about anywhere is fantastic, just need to be careful of the current. There are many spots that they use for drift diving, they are times when the current is pretty strong, but the boats see you speeding by and come get you. It is like they know where you are going before you do
There is a golf course if you want to golf, haven't played the course, so not sure what shape it is in.
We go into town for dinner, there are many places to eat and you can decide how much you want to spend. The center of town is alot of fun, very lively, entertainment galore, and you really feel like you are part of Old Mexico.
You can take a day trip over to Playa Del Carmen by ferry for little cost and then go to Xcharet to swin in the lagoon, it is quite nice; the lagoon waters meet up with the ocean, so you get lots of fish and the water is warm on top and cold about 5 feet down. There are also tours of the ruins, Tulum and others which are fascinating.
I use Just Ask Travel, an internet travel site that has great offerings to anywhere you want to go, and it allows you to look at several airline prices, add excursions, etc., go to: www.justasktravel.com
I would recommend you try to fly through Houston, this way you only have one stop
Everyone we send to snorkel or dive in Cozumel have come back thrilled, not just with the waters, but the low cost of the meals in town. They all go back