Where to go for AOW weekend from NYC?

[Gowanus Diver]

AOW done on a long weekend is a ticket punch kind of thing.

And ‘decent diving’… you’re killin’ me, Smalls Go do the required dives, get the card (and patch), if you see a fish… bonus.

Agreed that this is a bit of a ticket punch. I hope to spend time underwater, learn a few things from an instructor, get feedback on my diving, and open more doors in the future for continuing to learn and dive. I don't see PADI AOW as a particularly important step in my diving journey, but a helpful one. All this is why I was originally intending to just do it low fuss with a LDS in NYC. My wife suggested considering a trip, so I'm exploring to see if that's a good option.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Keep them coming! So far, it looks like the Florida options offers the benefit of moderate prices and many direct flights. Nassau is direct flights but more pricey. Cozumel & Roatan seem like the most interesting, but require a connection which, as Esprise Me mentioned, seems extra risky now right now.

 

[A Bajo]

Well, I am planning to do something similar in September. I'm doing a long weekend up in Alexander Bay Thousand Islands but I'm father north than NYC.

 

[dberry]

There's also Key Largo... fly to Miami, rent a car, drive 1 hour and you're there. Lots of dive ops and potential instructors. Flying to Fort Lauderdale or West Palm and diving around Pompano would also be easy.