Difficulty nailing down an APAC destination

[amw5g]

We are trying to figure out where to go for a December 2014 (~20th-30th) dive trip. We're focusing on the warm Southeast Asia and Pacific, but that's about as far as we've gotten. I have an estimated budget pulled together, if that's relevant.

Primary goals include someplace off the beaten path, diver-centric, eco-friendly. You know, something really indicative of the people and their culture . Preferably land-based because one of us gets sea-sick and we're unsure how well alive-a-board would play out. We're open to being convinced that a live-a-board is workable. We don't really go in for nightlife or drinking, so that kind of topside activity isn't a priority. While we have about a hundred dives under our belts, we're not looking for negative entries or super fast current. Backrolls and drift dives are fine, however. Short boat rides would be a plus (<1hr), again due to the sea-sickness. Our preference is shallower dives for the enhanced color and longer bottom time, but are AOW/EAN certified with experience down to 30m. Big animals would be great- particularly mantas and sharks. Small dive groups (6-8) suit us well, however we always make use of any guides/DMs that are provided.

We've been looking at:
Yap- mantas and mandarin fish! But all the videos I've seen make the coral look in poor health; is that the case? Is the ETG casino/hotel moving forward- we won't go if construction will be underway. Really hard to get there from our location in Florida, but we could make it work with some teeth gritting.
Palau- not sure what to think of Palau, other than it does get many good recommendations. Travel could be just as touchy as Yap.
Andamans- the missus is big on this one and the prices are very compelling. No commercial fishing and unspoilt by human hands suggests pristine conditions. Coral bleaching sounds pretty grim down to 15m. Boat rides could be long, but if it the reward is great, could be worth it. What is the opportunity for big animals here during December?
Fiji- I like the sound of Raviravi; sharks seem likely but not much else big-animal-wise.

We visited the Maldives a few years back (Vilamendhoo) and really enjoyed that. The remoteness, the beauty, the food, the excitement of a seaplane. Vila had a great house reef, but if we did it again, we'd probably opt for more boat dives. No whale sharks on our visit , but one manta that we got to snorkel with serendipitously during a surface interval. We'd like to recreate some of that excitement and awesome beauty on our next trip.

Your thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated as we continue to research.

 

[Manuel Sam]

General comments:

Can't go wrong with Palau. It has a little of everything: some big stuff (sharks and mantas), little stuff including mandarinfish, big schools of fish, nice corals, great viz. Topside, the Rock Islands are incredibly beautiful. And as long as you're going there, and as long as the budget holds up, might as well combine it with Yap. Continental flies to both (I think they're about 3-4 hrs apart), and if they still offer it, Honolulu would make a good intermediate stop to break up the long flights.

Don't know about construction in Yap. Not sure what videos you saw but corals on outer walls are nice. Maybe if the videos were shot at the manta cleaning stations in the channels, yes, the corals might be a bit more beaten up.

Fiji to me has some of the best soft corals anywhere, pretty reefs, and small stuff as well. If you go there, combine it with a stay in Pacific Harbour (south coast) to do the Shark Dives - bulls, silvertips, grey reefs, black tip reef sharks, white tips, nurse and sometimes lemons. At one time they had tigers too.

I would throw in the Philippines for your consideration. I like Malapascua Island for the threshers and sometimes mantas and for the macro stuff, including mandarinfish. You have to fly into Cebu in order to get to Malapascua anyway, and somewhere around the southern end of Cebu is Oslob, where you can snorkel with whalesharks. Don't know if you can scuba there anymore. If Oslob is of interest, you may want to post in the Asian forum and ask. And from Cebu City, you can catch a ferry to go to Dumaguete for some more outstanding macro.

 

[Mossman]

I thought the corals in Yap were very nice, but it's been over 10 years since I was there. Very "off the beaten track". Palau is my favorite, though it's not as off-the-grid as Yap. The Palau Aggressor usually anchors somewhere very calm and you ride to the actual dive site in a fast skiff. It's definitely a more comfortable platform for traveling to Peleliu than a day boat. On the other hand, there are several good day boat ops and the daily ride through the rock islands isn't exactly ugly. I doubt Palau and Yap are much harder to get to than the Andamans. Florida to Houston to Honolulu to Guam to Yap/Palau.

Rangiroa and the other Tuamotus are great for big animals and are relatively easier to get to than Micronesia, but you have strong currents through the passes (all drift diving).

 

[TSandM]

What's your budget? We just got home from diving Sabang Bay and Dumaguete in the Philippines, and it sounds like either place would fit your requirements to a T. Sabang had a bit of current, but the only really noticeable water was on Verde Island. Dumaguete had virtually none. Both had loads of fascinating critters and great photo ops. We dove with Atlantis, which might not fit your "authentic local flavor" criterion, but Sabang Bay has a TON of dive resorts, and they're all different.

 

[Doc]

....Primary goals include someplace off the beaten path, diver-centric, eco-friendly. You know, something really indicative of the people and their culture .

Once diving arrives, that has gone out the window. What remains is illusionary. Remember the Maldives? Very natural, yes? (no)

.... which might not fit your "authentic local flavor" criterion,

Maybe biased, but I haven't seen "local flavor" in the SoPac since they began to discourage headhunting by handing out Rice-A-Roni.

I do heartily agree with TSandM if you tried to force me to go to Atlantis Philippines (esp Sabang), I'll go. (again)

 

[amw5g]

I'd like to stay under $10k, all in. Our accommodation needs are comfortable, but not luxury. our food needs are probably a bit more strict with one of us a pescatarian; however we're not flying halfway around the world to try pizza, fish sandwiches, and burgers. That tends to put upward pressure on what we're willing to budget for food.

The 'something indicative of the people and their culture' was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Naked Gun movie. Again, point being the diving being equal, I'd take a less-developed place over formulaic resort.

Travel from Florida to these locales isn't inherently more or less difficult between the different destinations. But some places have flights in/out only once or twice a week. With a long layover that could be the difference between a 1.5 day transit time and 3 days, especially if a connection is missed or there is a weather interruption. we are willing to risk it for the right destination, it's just all part of the calculus.

We appreciate the suggestions and look forward to more.