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

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.

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

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

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

Click to expand...

Depends on what a Cdn dollar is worth, doesn't it?

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!

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.

You've got mail!

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 !!!!!

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!!!!

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..........