Where To Go Next?

[diveborg]

You haven't been to Cozumel yet? Go there next.

 

[jc2]

I just got back from Taveuni, Fiji. Great place to dive. Most colorful, healthy reefs I've ever seen. First time I dove in my swim trunks and a swim shirt (I'm warm blooded) - as water temp was 85! Underwater photographer's dream destination. Aquatrek ran a pretty good operation. Only thing that didn't meet my expectations was visibility. Dove both morning and afternoon all week long as visability was maybe 80 ft max on one or two dives but most other dives, about 50-60 ft. Max 10 minute boat ride to all dive sites though! Best of all, the Fijian people are the friendliest you'll meet in the world from my experience and other traveler's who have been around the world.

Anyway, need to start thinking about where to go next. My buddies and I all agreed the travel time (even though we came from the west coast of the US) was too long/exhausting. About 28 hours door to door and the local Pacific Sun airlines runs a very shabby operation (flights not on time, down for maintenance, Nadi airport hot and muggy with poor selection of services/restaurants) - we were completely exhausted by the time we finally got to the Garden Island resort. Don't want to repeat that.

We've already done Bonaire, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Maui, and now Fiji. We really liked Grand Cayman as it was easy to get to, diving superb, restaurant selection superb, and we got a good deal on a decent condo. We thought the Island was ugly though, the people were sort of indifferent (neither rude nor overly friendly), things were of course overpriced (can't imagine what they are now with the dollar down), and the beaches were eroding. (Aruba had FANTASTIC beaches and restaurants but not quite as good of diving.)

My group would be described as intermediate divers (Adv OW, Nitrox certified, with on average each with 75-125 dives under their belt)

Obviously the quality of diving is the main criteria but we only do 2 dives a day so what else the destination has to offer is a major consideration. Budget is 'medium' - can't afford 5-star accomodations but want good value if we are going 3-star. So we're looking for a destination that's got some good accomodation options (hotel or more preferred, condo) that are in the 3+ to 4 star category. We realize for us Americans most anywhere is going to be 'overpriced' to us, but Fiji was still relatively cheap even with the dollar down compared to Maui, Caymans, and Aruba. Destination has to have at least one decent golf course. Decent beach at the place we are staying. Decent restaurant selection on Island. Has to be under 20 hours door to door travel time of say, San Francisco, that's including getting to/from airport, layover times between flights (minimum 1 hr each plane change), customs, and getting to/from resort. City/towns should be safe (no large crime problems) and people shouldn't be hostile/rude to Americans. Water drinkable. Most importantly, must be one or more non-"cattle boat" dive operators with good service/facilities.

How about Grand Turk? Or maybe going back to one of the smaller Cayman Islands such as Cayman Brac?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[jc2]

I should mention, we might make an exception on the 'water drinkable' requirement if the place is a great value. Just from previous (non SCUBA) trips, when the tap water isn't drinkable, it's typically not a good sign.

 

[Doc]

You haven't been to Cozumel yet? Go there next.

I don't like Mexican food.

 

[MartinNorway78]

I would go to Asia and forget the "water must be drinkable" criterium. Asia is cheap, the food, service and diving is excellent, you meet travelers from all over the world, and as long as you dont dont wera cowboy boots and t-shirts with G.W:Bush on them other travelers will treat you friendly and warm.

A liveaboard at the similan islands for a 4 day trip with 10 dives will only set you back 7-800 bucks all inclusive (except 30 bucks on some beers and tip for the crew)...

 

[robint]

I would go to Little Cayman (go to Caradonna Dive Adventures - Dive Travel and Vacations for deals) for a land-based destination.....

or do a liveaboard like:
Explorer Ventures: Adventures in Live-Aboard Diving
or
Nekton Diving Cruises - Comfort, Stability, Worldclass Diving
or
Aggressor Fleet | The ultimate in live-aboards since 1984

once you do a liveaboard you are hooked forever...eat, sleep, dive! .

 

[jc2]

I definitely will try a live-aboard at one point in my life, but they key here is diving is just like one of many 'hobbies' (golf, mountain biking, skiing) to me. We're not 'dive nuts'. Plus on some trips, I'll have a 6-yo and 8-yo in tow (although usually not on a trip focused around diving). The other people I dive with have already been to Cozumel, so we sort of ruled that out. Based on what I've read about it anyway, although the diving sounds good, I get the feel it may be a bit too frequented of a destination for travelers (divers and otherwise) which usually means crowds everywhere from the boat, to dive spots, to the pool at the resort, airport, etc. But I'll keep it in mind.

My gut is we're leaning towards Little Cayman or Cayman Brac at this point (after that last 28 hour trip - we're longing to stay closer.) But if there's a direct flight from LAX or San Fran to some awesome Asian/Indonesian area destination with a flight say under 13 hours with no connecting flights when we get there, we might brave the long distance travel again. Palau kept coming up in discussions when we were in Fiji and Micronesia sounds great but not sure how hard/long it is to get to a decent resort there with good diver operators?

Only problem with Cayman and Micronesia, is some of us like variety, so we like to explore totally different areas of the world. Maybe British Columbia cold water diving could be an option?

I just can't imagine living on a boat for 5-7 days. A cruise ship? No problem. But I like to do other things than dive, eat, and sleep.

Is the Aggressor fleet really the way to go for first time live-aboard experience if your leary about being stuck on a boat?

 

[booth22]

Why not try the Bay Islands? Flights aren't too long, diving is really good, Roatan has topside activities and you could pair it with a side trip to the mainland/ Copan if you didn't want to only dive.

 

[caymaniac]

Of course I've been to LC and the Brac numerous times and prefer them over Grand Cayman for diving. They are of course very quiet...which I like.
A farther trip for good diving might take you to Turks and Caicos as diving is about par with the Caymans and on Provo there is perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches in the world at Grace Bay.

Fifi's boat is a nice size and at two dives a day your itinerary would fit in very well. It's about a 40 min. ride to West Caicos where great diving is to be found.

 

[robint]

I definitely will try a live-aboard at one point in my life, but they key here is diving is just like one of many 'hobbies' (golf, mountain biking, skiing) to me. We're not 'dive nuts'. Plus on some trips, I'll have a 6-yo and 8-yo in tow (although usually not on a trip focused around diving). The other people I dive with have already been to Cozumel, so we sort of ruled that out. Based on what I've read about it anyway, although the diving sounds good, I get the feel it may be a bit too frequented of a destination for travelers (divers and otherwise) which usually means crowds everywhere from the boat, to dive spots, to the pool at the resort, airport, etc. But I'll keep it in mind.

My gut is we're leaning towards Little Cayman or Cayman Brac at this point (after that last 28 hour trip - we're longing to stay closer.) But if there's a direct flight from LAX or San Fran to some awesome Asian/Indonesian area destination with a flight say under 13 hours with no connecting flights when we get there, we might brave the long distance travel again. Palau kept coming up in discussions when we were in Fiji and Micronesia sounds great but not sure how hard/long it is to get to a decent resort there with good diver operators?

Only problem with Cayman and Micronesia, is some of us like variety, so we like to explore totally different areas of the world. Maybe British Columbia cold water diving could be an option?

I just can't imagine living on a boat for 5-7 days. A cruise ship? No problem. But I like to do other things than dive, eat, and sleep.

Is the Aggressor fleet really the way to go for first time live-aboard experience if your leary about being stuck on a boat?

Living on a boat for a week is much easier and more fun that you think. #1...no effort - no carrying gear, rinsing gear, looking for a restaurant, waiting for food, #2....divers tend to be more outgoing, friendly, and skills are better, #3....quiet, calm, relaxing.
Check out my trip reports for
Palau on the Eco Explorer here:
Palau on the Eco Explorer - Dec 2007

Bahamas on the Nekton Pilot here:
http://www.rnrscuba.net/NektonCaySal.html

both were fabulous experiences, and we are doing another liveaboard trip on the Nekton in April.

As far as whether the Aggressor is a better experience for a first time liveaboard --- sure, if you don't have concerns about seasickness AND if you don't mind paying more than most other boats. If you are concerned about seasickness, the Nekton boats are waaaaaay more stable. As far as the money - you have to weigh the cost difference. Nekton Belize is about $400-500pp less than the Belize Aggresssor (same goes for the Turks & Caicos Explorer vs the Turks & Caicos Aggressor). Decor and food are fancier on the Aggressor boats but the dive sites are exactly the same - it is all a matter of personal preference. Some dive destinations you may not have a choice of dive ops as there is only one liveaboard there, other places you have multiple choices.

You can also read this trip report by another diver for the Turks & Caicos Explorer last month: Saudio's Trip Reports
it gives a good idea what life for a week on a liveaboard is all about.

robin
4 weeks from today on the Nekton Rorqual!