Destination advice for spectacular diving in april? (worldwide)

[kaerius]

I've been researching and have trouble making up my mind, so I figure I'd get an opinion.

I live in sweden, all flights to warm water dive destinations will be long(with few exceptions), it does not particularly matter to me where in the world they are.

I'm particularly fond of seeing some of the larger and/or curious/bold/friendly sea creatures, such as whales, dolphins, seals, sharks, rays, turtles, sea snakes, etc. Though proper coral reefs teeming with life and small secretive things to find also definitely has its charm.

I intend for a 4 week vacation and spend the majority of my time diving, 4+ dives per day, preferably with some night dives included. I'd be even happier if I get the opportunity to assist or even run some courses while I'm there too(I'm a PADI OWSI, but I've been landlocked for almost two years). Soft goal of about 100 dives. Wouldn't mind liveaboard.

Dive difficulty has little bearing on my choice, though I'd prefer good vis simply because I want to see things.

So far what my research has turned up, and my reservations with them. Many of them are of elevated interest simply for the whale sighting posibility(particularly cape verde).

Cap Verde: Water is somewhat cold(however I do have a 7mm semidry).
Mozambique: Country is somewhat unstable/unsafe.
East Timor: Again the country is somewhat unstable/unsafe, and there may be baggage restriction issues.
Andaman islands: Baggage restriction issues.

Less researched, but promising:
Bali, and other parts of indonesia.
Belize.
Galapagos.
Maldives.

Feel free to make suggestions not listed here.

 

[Doc]

Belize is promising (in that list)? You might want to "research" that a bit more.

The Galapagos is a whole long way to go from Sweden to see precious little.

Of the rest of your list, you yourself have narrowed it down to Cape Verde, Bali/Indonesia, and Maldives.

4x a day, in a 7mm wetsuit? Cape Verde is out, and once you've seen 20 sharks... do that for two weeks, are you?

I'd pick a liveaboard in the Maldives. For us in North America, it is "the other side of the world". I would return for my third visit of but not for the travel time involved. It would essentially be the same kind of journey for you to do the Galapagos, and again, that destination becomes more a thing of the journey for us here in the US. Antipodes Map - Antipodal location for any map point <- check this out for a different perspective.

...Though proper coral reefs teeming with life and small secretive things to find also definitely has its charm....

Now you're talking my language.

Skip Bali. Think South Pacific (Indonesia) . I know that for your British diver neighbors, the air connections are fairly simple.

 

[gekodivebali]

Indonesia is always great.
You are sure to see mantas, sharks, tons of macro and nice coral reefs if you go to Bali. It is "rain season" but sun shines between the showers.
A detour to Komodo at the end of your stay would allow for some of the very best diving in the world.

 

[Wingy]

Totally forget Bali..other than Nusa Lembongan and SD drift dive site, manta point and crystal bay the hassle of the mass tourism isnt worth it and the island is filthy. Why not fly to KL - from there I would work my way from Sipidan (if the political situation is still cool) to Paula Weh and Cubadak on Sumatra, Bunaken, Lembeh and Bangka in Sulawesi and then head to Alor and south to Komodo. Indonesian Archipeligo holds some really awesome dive sites if you look a little further afield.

 

[kaerius]

I'd pick a liveaboard in the Maldives. For us in North America, it is "the other side of the world". I would return for my third visit of but not for the travel time involved. It would essentially be the same kind of journey for you to do the Galapagos, and again, that destination becomes more a thing of the journey for us here in the US. Antipodes Map - Antipodal location for any map point <- check this out for a different perspective.

Closest to an antipode for me is New Zealand(by closest, I mean the antipode is out in the ocean southeast of it about a third of the way to antarctica), but I knew that already.

Maldives has been on my to-do dive list for some time so yeah that does sound good. Guess I'll go whale searching some other time. Maybe next year... the hawaiian humpback season does look promising, but it's too late for me to make it in time this year due to waiting times for visa application or a new passport since my current passport predates chipping(it's not computer readable, no RFID), so I do not qualify for ESTA despite being from a visa waiver list country.

 

[iDreamOfBubbles]

Totally forget Bali..other than Nusa Lembongan and SD drift dive site, manta point and crystal bay the hassle of the mass tourism isnt worth it and the island is filthy.

While agree that Bali isn't the best place to see "big stuff" (none of Indonesia is, for that matter), I completely disagree with your comment about it being "filthy". Did you actually get out of the Southern tourist areas of Kuta and Denpasar? I would would wholeheartedly call those places touristy, westernized, filth holes as well, but drive 45 minutes to the North and it's a completely different story. I thought that Tulamben was one of the most gorgeous, serene places I've ever been, and that Nusa Lembongan wad a magical little island, as well.

The dive sites you named are all of nusa penida, to actually get to dove any of the other parts of the island, like Tulamben or Pemuteran? There's more to Bali than the city in the south.

 

[pughio83]

I also disagree with the sweeping statement that Bali is 1)filthy and 2) only good dive sites are Sd drift, MP and CB.

Bali is very beautiful if you take the time to get away away from the south. I have had spectacular views from volcanoes, stayed in lovely spa resorts and the diving in tulumben is excellent, not just in NL. SD is good but so is toyapakeh, which had some the richest reef I have seen.

Yes Bali has some really ****ty tourist areas, but it also has a lot to offer on land and diving wise. Yes there is always something better elsewhere but as an all in one destination if offers a lot.

And whoever in this thread said Galapagos offers precious little....really?

 

[Doc]

And whoever in this thread said Galapagos offers precious little....really?

That would be me.

I said that from the perspective of starting one's trip from the 0° Meridian, somewhere close to the OP in Sweden, and likely your spot in Nottingham.

From a global perspective, you two divers have so many more interesting dive destinations that are so much easier to get to. I just can't imagine the hassle of getting from Sweden/England all the way to the Galapagos.

It was a comment based only upon cost/benefit ratio in respect to sheer distance, cost of travel, and time gobbling connections. As I said, it would be similar for us North Americans to consider the Maldives... or a step beyond- the Seychelles. Not something undertaken on a whim. Those places are within range of any adventurous traveler from your area... not ours. I have only been to them by flying to London and tagging on to a trip from there- which was stupid long even from there!

Since the polar circle flight routes don't work that well for most dive destinations, location becomes a huge factor in how we view "holy grail" destinations.

 

[pughio83]

Ah I see! Yes well it is a mammoth trip I guess, and very expensive. I find it much more cost effective to dive Asia but am gagging to hit socorro islands, cocos and Galapagos one day! For swedeners I guess it's even harder to get to. probably as far and pricey as say French Polynesia for us too.

 

[Wingy]

While agree that Bali isn't the best place to see "big stuff" (none of Indonesia is, for that matter), I completely disagree with your comment about it being "filthy". Did you actually get out of the Southern tourist areas of Kuta and Denpasar? I would would wholeheartedly call those places touristy, westernized, filth holes as well, but drive 45 minutes to the North and it's a completely different story. I thought that Tulamben was one of the most gorgeous, serene places I've ever been, and that Nusa Lembongan wad a magical little island, as well.

The dive sites you named are all of nusa penida, to actually get to dove any of the other parts of the island, like Tulamben or Pemuteran? There's more to Bali than the city in the south.

Yes, Tulumben with 40 to 50 divers crawling over the wreck doesnt do it for me although the north like Amed and out to the Gillies is a lot better and i never venture into Kuta...Ive been using Bali as a jump off point for other islands for 20 years and especially the last 6 as cheap fares mean its a $99 fair from home in Perth to DPS then I will grab a lion air flight somewhere else. I always end up staying a night with friends (Friend owns 5 bali dive ops in Bali so its not because Ive seen a tiny bit of downtown kuta and base my judgement on that) because Kuta is full of drunken Aussie, Nusa Dua is full of drunken Russians and you cannot compare Bali's scenery even from the Candi Dasi > Lovinia > Tulumben > Amed strip to say..the Togians or North Sulawesi. I know lots of people like Bali, Ive transitted through DPS 6 times last year on my way to other islands in Indo. I dont ''do'' the tourist areas - maybe im just spoiled but give me anywhere else in Indo rather than Bali. I consider it a filthy place, getting up to Tulumben and Pemuteran were about the only areas that werent covered in McDonalds wrappers...just my opinion. And i do have comparative destinations other than Penida on Bali island itself and it is my personal opinion that there is way better diving to be found in Indonesia than on Bali island. Passport is covered with Indo visas but most of those DPS airport stamps are transits to Sumatra or Sulawesi or Flores or Komodo. I guess if you are the sort of person who wants Bubba Gump shrimp and nightlife to go with your dive, then Bali would suit, doesnt suit me. We are all different.