Best Dives of the Caribbean

Rating:
Summary: RAVE REVIEWS!

Review: "... the bible of Caribbean dive-travel. I highly recommend it." -- Chris Lofting, Host, The Travel Show, WOR Network Radio

" A terrific guide." -- John Clayton, Host, The Travel Show, KABC Radio, Los Angeles

"A must have... for divers, snorkelers or those who just love to float in liquid turquoise." -- Brenda Fine, Travel Editor, New York Law Journal

"Great dive spots." -- Suzanne Durant, Caribbean Travel & Life

"Good travel planner from a diver's point of view." -- Jill Schensul, Travel Editor, The Record

"A great guide.." -- Nancy Cross, American Express On-Line Travel Sho

Rating:
Summary: author's comments
Review: Best Dives of the Caribbean details hundreds of dive and snorkeling sites with tips on where to stay with prices and details on the resorts, good restaurants, topside activities, travel tips and when to go.

Rating:
Summary: Very Outdated!
Review: I feel that the publication date on this book should have been listed prominently. Travel guides that are ELEVEN years old aren't very useful. A lot can change in over a decade--and a lot has. Caveat emptor and all that, I suppose.

Furthermore, almost all the photos are a grainy black & white. So this book isn't even nice to look at. Save your money and get a more up-to-date guide--there must be one available.




Rating:
Summary: Best dioves of the Caribbean
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: A superb source of information
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Best dioves of the Caribbean
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Don't pack your fins until you read this!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Good overview, Poor Detail
Review: This book is good for orientation in the Caribbean and giving you a rough idea of which islands you might want to dive, and maybe which general areas of an island--but that's all. I looked at it with the intention of planning St. Lucia non-guided diving for which this book is basically worthless in terms of the amount of information it provides. There are no indications of moorings/buoy/or other divesite markers, no above or below-water maps, no depths, and only very,very short descriptions of the dive sites. I didnt buy the book (I went to the book shop to buy it and felt it not worth the money). I looked up spectacular dives I did in Mexico near Playa del Carmen in freshwater caves (Dos Ojos), and there was NO description! I strongly recommend you look elesewhere (but i dont know where yet) A very good dive book is, for example, Diving British Virgin Islands by Jim Scheiner which comes close to a perfect dive book (needs more maps, not just on most famous sites in BVI)