What would you do with 3 weeks and $15,000??

[Scuba Duffer]

My wife and I are in the early stages of planning a trip to the South Pacific. We haven't decided on the location yet. We hear good thinks about the Cook Islands and PNG, YAP and the Mantas are enticing and Tahiti, Fiji and Bora Bora all sound great. We are even thinking of spending a week on a live aboard while there. Diving will be the main purpose of the trip - but some down time on a nice beach is always welcome!

So - if you had 3 weeks and a reasonable budget -say $10000 - $15000 - where would you go. Also, what time of year would you visit.

[wackodacko]

i have no idea..
but the question is.. could you even finish 10-15K in 3 weeks? ;)

[Tavi]

Maybe start with YAP for a week, Then 2 weeks in Bikini Atoll!!:)

[vodolaz]

wackodacko once bubbled...
i have no idea..
but the question is.. could you even finish 10-15K in 3 weeks? ;) Depends on what a Cdn dollar is worth, doesn't it?

[Scuba Duffer]

I checked Continental Airlines (Seems to be the choice to get to Micronesia) and return from Toronto to Yap is $3900 p.p. - so $7800 for 2 of us ($5200 in U.S. denaros). I was quoting U.S. dollars when I said $10,000 - $15,000 - We figure it will cost us at least that much with airfare and everything else factored in.

Figure this - all U.S. dollar prices:

Continental quotes airfare @ $5200
A week on a live aboard @ $4000 - for 2
A week in somewhere like YAP @ $2000 - including diving

Now your at $11,000 and you haven't factored food and booze in Yap - plus there is still a week to go, maybe on Palau!

Someone must offer packages somewhere - but lord knows I can't find any operators up here in the Great White North that are heading for Micronesia!

[detroit diver]

If you don't mind flying out of Detroit, my LDS does these types of trips fairly often. If you're interested, PM me and I'll get you the number and name of the travel agent there.

[Scuba Duffer]

You've got mail!

[Finesse]

Scuba Duffer ..... It would be a crime to limit your time in Tahiti to just one Island. What makes that area (in south pacific) so great is that there are many, totally unbelievably beautiful islands ... not to mention the diving (Talk to Scuba Jim about the Tahiti Aggressor).... that you can visit (and suggest visiting) ...... Besides Bora Bora......there is Manihi (fantastic manta diving) Rangiroa, Tikehau, Taha’a, Moorea and on and on. It is, IMHO, arguably one of the most beautiful places on this earth......There are many other spots in the South Pacific that we dream to see one day .... but have already discussed going back to these islands....It was sheer PARADISE.....there are some things we would do differently this time ...... but we cant wait to have the opportunity to visit them again.

Time of year ....we went the end of Sept /Beginning of Oct....Weather was great for us .....its was the end of their Winter(April-October/November) mid 70's at night up to mid to high 80's during the day with a nice breeze and little rain ...... Summer starts in November (till April).....bringing with it warmer weather with the potential for more rain.....

Several on this board have recently been there ....Bacchus, Scuba Jim to name but only a few...... WE have all done trip reports that you should peruse ....... If you have any other questions feel free to ask away !!!!!

[Scuba Jim]

Your $10000 will go a long way, and your $15000 will go 50% further.

I love the locations you have listed, but one stands out as a bad choice and one as a good choice.

The bad choice is the Cook Islands - no disrespect to the Cooks, but they are not to the same standard as the others.

While Tahiti as fabulous fish action - some of the best shark diving I have ever done, in fact, far better than Palau, for instance - the reefs are uninteresting and it is hideoulsy expensive compared with other destinations in the region (Fiji, for instance).

Micronesia is expensive because of the cost of getting there, though it can be relatively good value ince you are in situ. Cost of travel is almost doubled by Air Mike's appalling fares and their monopoly on routes through Guam.

The good choice is PNG. The reefs there are, in my opinion, the best in the world, and you will see things there as "normal" that other places will think of as "exceptional". The wrecks are fabulous, the people are unique, the scenery spectacular, and your money will travel much further in PNG, despite it being the furthest location on your list.

I am more than happy to assist you in making a selection!!!! :)

[Scuba Duffer]

My wife and I have no experience what so ever in this part of the world. We are just beginning our research into it and so far - the choices are overwhelming. There was only one real must for us - that was Yap. We have read so much about the Manta experience there that it has become a must do for us. The more we research though - the more we are starting to realize that we may be able to get the Manta experience in with a stop in Hawaii while enroute.

Ideally, we would like to stay at a really nice resort somewhere where there is a great dive operator on site. We love the convenience of being able to walk from our room to the boat, have someone else store the gear at the end of the day and spend the top side hours basking in the sun on a beautiful beach. An all inclusive resort would be great but they seem rare for that part of the world.

Right now our plan is a few days in Hawaii, then onto the South Pacific or Micronesia for a week and then board a live aboard for a week. Maybe a few days in Hawaii on the way back just to break up the travel - it's a long way back to Toronto.

I've read Scuba Jim's Tahiti trip reports and find them very interesting. Jim - did you book that trip from scratch or did you have an agency put it together for you. I'm still having a tough time finding an operator that puts together the kind of trip we want at a reasonable price. Usually whenever we travel, I do all arrangements myself. This one however, I'm having a hard time finding reasonable pricing if I book everything directly myself. There is a lot of info on here and intend to read all the dive reports for the area - you can't beat someones actual experiences.

Hmmmmm....PNG you say..........

[Scuba Jim]

Yap is a great place for mantas, I can vouch for that. But you might find than Manihi is better for them... Steve (Bacchus), Scott (Finesse) and David D have all been off the board and will confirm the quality of manta diving in Manihi.

Another place they have them is in Milne Bay Province in PNG - a dive site called Giants at Home. 20ft sandy bottom, large coral head, lotsa mantas!

I arranged the trip for myself - that is my job! I am in the travel bisiness, specialising in diving holidays. Click "My stuff" below and it will take you there... I can assist you, no problems at all.....

PM me if you want some assistance, but perhaps it is best for you to look at my web site....

Regards
Jim

[frogfish]

My piece of advice would be to try to go in a place where few people dive though you get fantastic comfort... In this category the Pelagian liveaboard is an excellent choice I believe - they are running trips to the Banda sea, Irian Jaya and Komodo in Indonesia (duration 10 to 22 nights !).

http://www.dive-asiapacific.com/boats/palagian.htm

Wherever you go enjoy your trip !

[dsgobie]

WOW! I don't even get paid that much in a year. I am a Corporal in the Marine Corps.... I wouldn't have that much money for a vacation in 4 years pay.

And to hear you try to blow it in 3 weeks.... I'm jelous.. Hummm.... You could move to Thailand and retire on that much... Philippines also.. Just don't buy anything when one of our ships pull in and let the Marines out to play... They jack up all the prices.

[h3o]

15,000?! geez, you can go on a year long trip and visit at least 10 different dive destinations with that much.

[h3o]

you can do a great micronesian island hopper with that much and 3 weeks. Yap, Palau, Truk and maybe even some of the smaller islands...

[Richeod]

Can you give me a little more info on what you are looking to dive. As you already know the flights here are very expensive. Most of the islands in Micronesia have the same thing to offer (hard coral). Truk and Bikini are great for wrecks but not much else. If the only reason you are going to Yap is the Mantas I would recommend Hawaii instead. The big island. It's on the way so will save you money but doesn't offer much else so a day or two would be fine.
Excepting the wrecks, all of Micronesia is similar, pick a location based on other activities offered. To go anywhere outside of Micronesia you will need to go back to Hawaii or Guam for a flight. A trip to Majuro would be cheap (relatively) from Hawaii and there are side trips offered to Arno Atoll which is totall untouched for pennies. Not bad for a week and a good look at Micronesian diving without wasting alot of money. Beware though, as Majuro and most of the FSM and Marshall islands is a slum.
The Phillippines would be a great side trip from Guam. The diving is spectacular. Lots of soft coral. Look up Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro. That is where all the diving is done.
Can't comment of Figi, Bora Bora, or Tahiti.

[raviepoo]

Two words:

cosmetic

surgery

:D

[zboss]

a lot further than three weeks - no matter where you go. I certainly would not be able to dive every day - after about a week of two/three dives a day I get pretty exhausted. Instead I would find a nice campground by the beach at $20 a day and sit back and relax...

[ratherbediving]

My finance and I are also from Canada and planning a 1 month honeymoon trip to French Polynesia. Your budget is right on track when you consider the Canadian dollar. Our 1 month plan has us spending quite a bit....

There are packages out there, but most of them involve staying at the highest end resorts which really jacks up the price. We're looking into booking with Scuba Jim...although he has gone AWOL over the past couple of weeks....hope he's on a trip enjoying himself somewhere! His website is really impressive. You can also choose from high-end to basic accomodations.

Our trip (we hope) is an island hopping tour of French Polynesia....
Bora Bora, Moorea, Nuka Hiva, Manihi (for the mantas), Fakarava, and Rurutu.

If you PM me I will give you the names of some of the travel agents I know of in Canada that do have some packages available for these areas.

[Zeina]

We have just returned from a totally awesome trip to Palau (live-aboard) and Yap (land-based).
I would highly recommend the combo for the diversity of what you will see underwater (including the famous mantas in Yap), and the sheer beauty of the landscape above the water.
Very romantic, and the diving is incredible!! :wacko:
I will be writing a trip report soon.

I have heard lots of good things about French Polynesia (Finesse and First Mate shared some killer pics from their trip that I dream about every day :D ).

I am looking into spending a month there, sometime next year, including 7 day live-aboard, and island hopping including Rangiroa, Moorea, Bora Bora and Huahine. ScubaJim: wanna help? ;)

[Zeina]

Talk to a travel agent, not Continental!!

[Finesse]

Zeina....

Hope you guys got some good pictures !!!!!! ;)

cant wait to read all about it !!!

[ivansie]

you had me dreaming for a while!!!!!!!!!!!!

bye
ivan

[dive_girl]

Hi - I read your posts because my husband & I are trying to plan a trip to the same area, and as you, are overwhelmed by the many choices and lack of good info about them.

I wanted to comment on your search for Mantas -- I was on the same quest and tried the dive in Kona -- no mantas & it was a circus -- a dozen boats in a very small area and a dozen divers for each boat (plus it is only a night dive..). We dove Bora Bora and saw 6 or 7 mantas in the lagoon which we are told are usually always there. We also dove Manihi and saw at least one manta on about 75% of our dives. There is a dive spot called "the circus" where a young manta would stay with us for the entire dive & continually came so close I could have reached out and touched it. The manta encounters there were unforgettable and very personal (they don't take many divers out at a time).

The two drawbacks to French Polynesia are the expense (cost us about 7,500.00us for 2 weeks) and the crappy food. We are considering going again and if we go we will forgo the meal plan everyone tries to sell you and bring some gourmet camping rations -- they are probably better.

In closing let me just say that French Polynesia was the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life & the diving on Manihi was right up there as well..... I am torn between a new adventure elsewhere and returning to try some different French Polynesian Islands.

Good luck in your travel planning...

[jimini]

From Vancouver, Canada $15,000 USD is about exactly what hubby and I spent on a 3 week trip that included overnight at the Holiday Inn in Guam, 1 week in Yap at the Manta Ray Bay Hotel (1-week all inclusive package - meals, oceanview room, 10 dives, 1 mandarin fish dive, 1 macro dives, half-day kayak tour, island tour in a minivan, 3-hour cultural village tour), 4 nights at the Palau Pacific Resort (Leisure package - $240 USD per room per night which included full buffet breakfast for 2), full-day kayak tour of the Rock Islands (Sam's Tour), all our dinners out while we were in Koror, then 7-days on the Palau Aggressor II, plus assorted sundries including a half-hour aerial tour of Palau, a day room at the West Plaza hotel, and about $60 USD in souvenirs. We got more than we expected out of the trip and considered the monies well spent. We left town March 17 and returned April 7. Saw Manta Rays galore and hit all the highlights in Palau on the Aggressor. Hope you have as good a time as we had!

Jo

[ratherbediving]

dive_girl

Can you expand on your comments about the crappy food you experienced in FP? I'm going there in September if all goes well. We're not buying a meal plan, but we were expecting the food we do get to be good! Do you like seafood? I hear that's the main fare over there.

Can you tell me specific restaurants to avoid?

Thanks!

[ratherbediving]

Jimini, this sounds like a great trip that you took. Maybe I should reconsider mine to French Polynesia. May I ask who you booked your trip through?

We're having a tough time trying to get our trip organized.

thanks

[jimini]

ratherbediving,

Even though I went through Freshtracks in Vancouver, Freshtracks actually used the Aggressor people to do the bookings. We booked the kayak tour of the Rock Islands in Palau ourselves with Sam's Tour (upon recommendation from Patricia Acker - wife of Bill Acker - owner of the Manta Ray Bay Hotel - Sam's set up Patricia's kayak operation in Yap).

I forgot to mention in my last post that the price included airfare from Vancouver.

Jo

[wreckchick]

If I had that kind of money, I would adopt a poor girl from Ohio and take her on a fabulous trip to French Polynesia!!

Just kidding!!!! (not really) Sounds fabulous, I hope you have a wonderful time!

R

[Scuba Duffer]

But we are still having a hard time bringing it in on budget. When people say $15,000 will go so much further - I wish I knew who they were talking too. The more we plan - the more this is quickly apporaching $20,000.!

[ratherbediving]

We have spreadsheets out the wazoo to calculate every possible expenditure. Our 1 month FP trip started at about $20, but is going over $30 :wacko:
It makes us stop to think if it's worth it!

Perhaps there is some other place we should be thinking about as Canadians...one where our dollar will go further!

I was reading an article in Budget Traveller about Cook Islands. Expensive to get to, but relatively inexpensive once you get there.

Anyone know....is the diving any good?

I went to Thailand a few years ago. I was able to stay there for about 3 week (by myself) for $6000 including airfare and dive certification. I met a friend there who was teaching ESL and we just went wherever we felt like...
Went door to door and asked for the rates and then picked a spot. The most we spent per night for a room was about $50 CDN. Something to consider....

[dreamin']

In Bora Bora you have to eat in two places. First is Top Dive, very romantic and great food. The presentation was fantastic. We went back a second time with a camera to take pictures of the food! It was the best meal we had. The second place is Bloody Mary's. It is more American in style and taste. Very good and more reasonable.

We went during the Hevia festival. On tikehau we went to the Miss Tikehau pagent. It was like going to a smalltown festival hosted by the local VFD. Everyone on the island was there. Literally. It's pretty small. Other than a lot of fun the food was cheap and for what amounted to 50 cents US you could get the most wonderful beverage. A coconut chilled in a cooler of ice water. The top was sliced off and a straw inserted. Wonderful. The cheapest thing we had the entire trip. The pagent was hugely entertaining. If you are going to FP I would highly recomend July during Hevia. It's fun, the locals are a blast especially if you talk about the festival. It's their playoff/cup/superbowl. They have competitions on every island and the finals on Tahiti. The compete on every aspect of Tahitian culture from dancing to rock throwing. I'm talking big ones here. Small boulders.

If you are planning expenses don't forget souvenirs. Wait till you leave and get them at the Market in Papeete. It cheaper and easier. Whatever you want they have it. Get you blacc pearls in Manihi though.