Three week trip in April

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Pyro_

Contributor
Messages
263
Reaction score
44
Location
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
# of dives
100 - 199
So I have been able to take advantage of the cheap airfare ticket sales that have been happening out of Toronto to Hong Kong and have booked myself a 3.5 week trip in April leaving Easter weekend. Will have three weeks of that to use once the flights back and forth between here and Hong Kong are taken into account

I am looking around trying to decide where to go for those three weeks, currently considering doing budget liveaboards in Thailand/Burma or Komodo but am wondering if there are other places I should maybe look at as well

I have my OW with just over 50 dives all in the Caribbean (Cozumel, Belize, Cuba,Bahamas). Budget for the trip is around 3k$CND though I might be able to stretch that to 3.5-4k if needed, that would include everything except the flight from here to Hong Kong. Don't need high priced places to stay just a decent bed, much prefer to put the money into seeing interesting things or diving instead.
 
The cheapest flight out from HKG to any diving destination is Cebu Pacific to either Manila or Cebu City.
If I were you I will check its web site(www.cebupacificair.com) everyday for its promtion fare.
You will need AOW for some of the deep sites from liveaboard.
The Visayas region in Philippines is great for 3 wks of solid diving(entry port is Cebu city).
Moalboal, Dumaguete(Apo Island), Bohol and Malapascua would be perfect. Public transport is readily available to link up all these places as long as you don't mind about the speed.
Komodo is very good but the flight alone can easily consume C$5-600.00 from HK.
Tubattaha in Philippines is also very good but one week liveaboard can eat up a large chunk of your budget. Besides, there is domestic flight to pay as well.
 
The Philippines and Indonesia are far better and cheaper than Thailand. Komodo is awesome but if you toe it in with Sulawesi and or Bali , it will be more expensive than three weeks in the areas of the Philippines recommended above.
 
Thailand can be cheap, you can find decent rooms for around 1,000 THB - 1,500 THB (36-50 CAD)/ night, food can be in expensive as well and you can find a wide range of cuisines to fit your tastes. Each area in Thailand will vary a little here and there but not too much so you will need to hone in on specific areas first. The time you are looking at for your trip will also be Songkran Thai New Year water festival which can offer some good fun when not diving. Once you are here you will find it can be quite cheap to travel within Thailand and see other areas.

Diving will also vary from location to location in terms of cost, in Phuket the average cost is about 4,000 THB (115 CAD) per day 3 tank dives and equipment rental is around 500 THB (18 CAD) if needed. Phuket has alot to offer for one who only has an O/W cert as you will be able to dive all the local sites with the exception to one wreck -King Cruiser which you will need an AOW cert. Of course if you do multiple days with 1 shop you may be able to get a discount of some kind.

If you are looking at the live-aboard route you have quite a few operators for the Similan which can run from 16,000 THB (450-833 CAD) this of course depends on the trip route, length and boat. The Similan for O/W divers also offers alot of great sites, if you have your AOW you will of course be able to see alot more. The Similan can still prove to be difficult for those with less dive experience due to various currents that can be present.

Myanmar this is usually a bit more expensive than the Similan and you should have an AOW cert along with a bit of dive experience as this area is prone to strong currents along with deep dives.
 
Hi Pyro

Looks like you have an exciting trip to plan and enjoy!

How about a combination of Bali and Komodo? You could spend some time in Bali taking advantage of the cheap but usually nice accommodation and do some local dives and then head for Komodo, the season will be just starting and there's some good deals to be had!

If you want to get in touch please feel free to contact me privately if you want to discuss in greater detail, we can help you with internal flights, accommodation and diving.

:diver:
 
I agree that the Philippines and Indonesia are better than Thailand! Don't get me wrong, Thailand is nice but we like the diving better in Indo or the phillippines! Have a great trip!
 
Yes it should be a fun trip. Lots of good places to go, now to just narrow them down. Will take all comments under advisement as I am going through picking what I end up doing
 
Make sure you post a trip report when you return! They tend to offer a wealth of information to others!
Yes it should be a fun trip. Lots of good places to go, now to just narrow them down. Will take all comments under advisement as I am going through picking what I end up doing
 
I agree. Head down to the Visayas area of the Philippines. Fly into Cebu and then you are close. Very reasonable prices for room, board, travel in Philippines and diving. Plus the diving is freaking awesome!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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