JulieM
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I second Undercurrent. It is worth the cost for unbiased reviews!
How do you find dive boats/trips when traveling?
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seeker242
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scubaboard, google, trip advisor 
The Chairman
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The search by default is rather narrow. It searches the forum you're in and all child forums. Do your search again, after it seems to have failed, and it will include the entire forum. That or make sure you're as far up in the forum when you do the initial search. New to ScubaBoard and xenForo? Here's NetDoc's user guide...
Wingy
Contributor
Usually google, undercurrent, wannadive - trip advisor as a last look usually. Most Ops have Facebook now so if something pops up on google I may look there.
I've once walked past an op I emailed prior to leaving due to their ringing me 4 times the day I arrived in Thailand asking for a credit card deposit to guarantee a spot on a boat and sat and chatted with a guy opening up a hole in the wall shop. I dived with him, and still do, although his op is far from a hole in the wall now.
I also look at YouTube pre hitting a destination - I've found multiple clips by one op posted that showed good marine life but also well equipped boats. Of course you can only get a glimpse and obviously editing is a big thing but I have dived with an op after watching their clips and been very happy with the service.
So pretty much the usual sources but not the local hustler.
I've once walked past an op I emailed prior to leaving due to their ringing me 4 times the day I arrived in Thailand asking for a credit card deposit to guarantee a spot on a boat and sat and chatted with a guy opening up a hole in the wall shop. I dived with him, and still do, although his op is far from a hole in the wall now.
I also look at YouTube pre hitting a destination - I've found multiple clips by one op posted that showed good marine life but also well equipped boats. Of course you can only get a glimpse and obviously editing is a big thing but I have dived with an op after watching their clips and been very happy with the service.
So pretty much the usual sources but not the local hustler.
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I'm usually, at least casually, aware of new diving locations I'm considering. I augment that with searches of Undercurrent, ScubaBoard, and usually Google for local operators. Personally, I have not found Trip Advisor reliable for information on diving, many inexperienced divers and a lot of fan bias. I do use it for hotels.
I've subscribed to Undercurrent for about 20 years and find the articles and, particularly, the reviews, extremely valuable. I often email the review authors with my questions and find most to be very responsive.
ScubaBoard has a lot of good information for many locations and I frequently send additional personal messages to posters for more information.
There is often valuable information on operator's websites as an initial screen for whether they might meet your objectives and needs (sites you want, size of boat/number of divers, schedule...). I follow up with emails and/or telephone calls. I really have being surprised at the last minute.
Over the years, I have collected a list of good operators and liveaboards that I would recommend to others, I rely on others to share their lists with me
I've subscribed to Undercurrent for about 20 years and find the articles and, particularly, the reviews, extremely valuable. I often email the review authors with my questions and find most to be very responsive.
ScubaBoard has a lot of good information for many locations and I frequently send additional personal messages to posters for more information.
There is often valuable information on operator's websites as an initial screen for whether they might meet your objectives and needs (sites you want, size of boat/number of divers, schedule...). I follow up with emails and/or telephone calls. I really have being surprised at the last minute.
Over the years, I have collected a list of good operators and liveaboards that I would recommend to others, I rely on others to share their lists with me
Damselfish
Contributor
Dive specific sites like ScubaBoard or Undercurrent are a good place to start. One thing about a site like ScubaBoard is there can be a high degree of group-think, where people on it tend to go to places others have recommended already, so some good places can go under the radar. Undercurrent seems to make an effort to check out less common places, but they can only hit so many.
Google, of course. You will find other things this way, but some of it will be junk like any search, with more research required. (I see stuff pop up in search for place that I know closed long ago or is just completely wrong. Stuff lives forever.) A good looking website for an op is promising but no guarantee of anything. A responsive op is also a good sign but also no guarantee. Non-response, while problematic, is not always a reason to skip a place.
Sometimes tourist sites for a country have good listings that can help, but don't always turn up in a search unless you are looking more specifically for them. (I imagine many of the people doing these sites are not well funded, they may not have anyone that knows the tricks to get their sites up higher in search results, never mind anyone staying on top of things and updating them.)
Sometimes dive travel agencies have some good listings to get ideas, I'm probably more inclined to look for that sort of thing in areas I'm unfamiliar with and not coming up with much otherwise. There are also dive travel sites out there that seem to be ghosts, again with listings for places I know are long gone.
I don't bother with general audience sites like TripAdvisor for dive travel. The people that talk about diving on there tend to be looking for something different than I am, or have a very different idea of what is good or bad. Now for an add on to a dive trip, definitely.
I have lots of bookmarks or am on mailing lists for dive shops or others that organize group trips we might be interested in that I check on once in a while.
Over time if you read and look around enough you should develop a pretty good general idea in your head of wha'ts out there anyplace you might consider going. Really that's my main starting point now. One thing is for sure, I have no problem finding candidates for places to go and have a long list...
Google, of course. You will find other things this way, but some of it will be junk like any search, with more research required. (I see stuff pop up in search for place that I know closed long ago or is just completely wrong. Stuff lives forever.) A good looking website for an op is promising but no guarantee of anything. A responsive op is also a good sign but also no guarantee. Non-response, while problematic, is not always a reason to skip a place.
Sometimes tourist sites for a country have good listings that can help, but don't always turn up in a search unless you are looking more specifically for them. (I imagine many of the people doing these sites are not well funded, they may not have anyone that knows the tricks to get their sites up higher in search results, never mind anyone staying on top of things and updating them.)
Sometimes dive travel agencies have some good listings to get ideas, I'm probably more inclined to look for that sort of thing in areas I'm unfamiliar with and not coming up with much otherwise. There are also dive travel sites out there that seem to be ghosts, again with listings for places I know are long gone.
I don't bother with general audience sites like TripAdvisor for dive travel. The people that talk about diving on there tend to be looking for something different than I am, or have a very different idea of what is good or bad. Now for an add on to a dive trip, definitely.
I have lots of bookmarks or am on mailing lists for dive shops or others that organize group trips we might be interested in that I check on once in a while.
Over time if you read and look around enough you should develop a pretty good general idea in your head of wha'ts out there anyplace you might consider going. Really that's my main starting point now. One thing is for sure, I have no problem finding candidates for places to go and have a long list...
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