where to go to see big stuff in November?

[sufur]

Hi all,

I have 49 dives now. i did a liveaboard on the Queen Scuba in the similan islands of the coast of thailand last november and it was fantastic, but i didnt see to much large life. other than thailand i have only done dives off the coast of florida. I would like to do some diving this coming october30 -november 15 and im really wanting to dive someplace where i can see some big stuff. Ill be traveling to colombia for a little while and while galapogos comes to mind i dont feel my skill level is high enough and im also hoping to have a video rig before i get there so thats at least another year or 2 away.

im also considering liveaboards but access to steel tanks seems to be a problem. probably every dive ive done since the first 4 have been done using steel. obviously its my preference but in t he end if i have no choice then what can i do.

any recommendations. ill be in south america but im open to traveling just about anywhere.

 

[robint]

Palau in Micronesia you are guaranteed to see sharks and possibly mantas.

An option that is a bit closer to where you are - The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos both have liveaboards that will get you out to see sharks, also. The sharks are there year-round.
Explorer Ventures: Adventures in Live-Aboard Diving
Aggressor Fleet | The ultimate in live-aboards since 1984

Hawaii you might have a chance of seeing big stuff, primarily turtles, during that time. Sharks are there year round but mostly small white tips. Whales are a bit later in the year and you can't dive with them.

robin

 

[sufur]

palau is the place ive been considering. there is an aggressor and a peter hughes dancer boat there. anyone know if there is any chance of getting access to larger steel tanks on either of those?

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

We would suggest going to Soccorro out of Cabo San Lucas Mexico on the nautilus Explorer. It offers Pelagic diving in the form of diving with large pacific Mantas and sharks such as Hammerheads.
It is warm water diving and all guides are guided so you do not need to be a advanced diver to do it, but you should have good bouyancy and be comfortable with close interactions with these large magnificent animals.
The boat also offers steel tanks with advanced notice and the trips start around $3,000 which includes everything except alcohol and tips. We are taking out a trip Dec. 13th if you are interested just go to Home and click on our trvel link for more info.

We would also suggest a newer destination in Panama to dive in Coiba National Park on the Yemaya Liveaboard thru Coiba Expeditions.
Again it is a first class boat and the diving in Coiba is mainly Big fish diving. We dove in schools of hundreds of Barracudas at a time and saw the largest bait ball we have ever seen with what seemed to be thousands of fish in it and you do have the opportunity to see Mantas and sharks.
There trips start around $2,500 for a week of diving and we can help with booing your trip. Also on our travel page are some photos of our last trip there.
If you need any more info. please feel free to ask.

Kevin and Stacey

 

[robint]

palau is the place ive been considering. there is an aggressor and a peter hughes dancer boat there. anyone know if there is any chance of getting access to larger steel tanks on either of those?

I would check their website and see if they have larger tanks but I am guessing you are asking because you are an air hog. If that is true, I would NOT go to Palau. It is all drift diving, done together as a group, boat picks you up when you surface. If your air consumption is low, then you will be going up early on many dives as they are deep. A DM is probably going to have to go up with you and do the safety stop with you too. I don't know how many DMs they put in water on each dive but that might be an issue. Before you go to Palau, you should work on your air consumption rate so you get the most for your money. Also, I don't really recommend Palau for newer divers as the diving there is more advanced due to depth and currents (as well as Socorro and Galapagos).

robin