My son and I dove from Aqua Cat a couple of weeks after Hurricane Sandy went through the Bahamas. There was considerable silt on some of the reefs, but we still got to see a good bit of Caribbean marine life, which sadly doesn't compare well with South Pacific marine life. (There are five times as many species of critters in the South Pacific, so it's not really a fair contest.) Interesting critters included lettuce nudis and lots of small shrimp. The boat, dive masters and crew were very good. This is the most spacious live-aboard I've ever been on, with almost hotel-size rooms. The chef was excellent--a lot of variety of foods (American, Italian, Bahamian). The shark dive is great--they tie a frozen bait ball to the bow of a wreck, and let the sharks have at it.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip (one week)! The Fijians are the friendliest people you'll meet (Bula Bula!). The resort is spacious with sizable rooms and a lot of variety, including some rooms with plunge pools. It is spread out over a large area, with interconnecting paths. This resort is one where divers, non-divers and kids can all have an enjoyable time. The diving is fantastic. Marine life in Fiji is over the top. Lots of my favorite fish--the clown trigger. Also ribbon eels, soft corals and a large variety of tropical fish. Don't miss the shark dive--big bull sharks and occasionally one or two huge tiger sharks. I got one of my most memorable videos, of a big bull shark with his mouth wide open holding a large fish head, swimming right toward me and almost bumping into my camera lens before veering off. The food was very good, and the resort staff excellent. One evening a group of local kids came to the resort and performed a concert with drumming and singing that was awesome.

I've dived with Stuart Cove every year for the past several years (usually in May). It's a high-volume operation, with all that implies, but the price is very reasonable. Sometimes you get lucky on a boat with only a few divers, most times it's a crowd. The dive master quality is variable--some are just counting heads, others try to find interesting stuff. The dive sites are pretty well hammered on the SW side of New Providence Island, so you don't see much unusual marine life. They do a good job on the shark dives, which are my favorite.

I've dived Cozumel several times, and each time the visibility never ceases to amaze. It may be the best in the world. The dive sites are much-visited, but quite spectacular. Virtually all diving is drift diving, so you have to be comfortable with that. The marine life is quite good for the Caribbean. Up north of town is a wall dive called Cantarel for more advanced divers (85' and strong current) where you can see squadrons of eagle rays up close in Jan/Feb. If you're vigilant, you may get to see a splendid toadfish, which are endemic solely to Cozumel. Go with an operator who has fast boats, so you can get to the best dive sites south of the town before the rest of the boats show up. The town of San Miguel on Cozumel has many good restaurants, virtually all within walking distance of the town square. If you're there on a Sunday night, don't miss the festivities on the square--live band, dancing, all kinds of vendors and artists.