Best tropical summer dive vacation?

[fishsticks]

Hi folks, new to the forum here. Just getting back into diving after many years away from it. I got as far as Rescue Diver, but that was 20 years ago, and now I don't consider myself ready for challenging dives at this point. I'm looking at taking a vacation this summer and was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction. I'm interested in travelling probably late June - early August.

I'm looking for a place which will be a beautiful tropical getaway, but also have great scuba diving, and a fun place to party this summer. All for a reasonable price. Any recommendations? Reef diving interests me the most.

Thanks for your time!

 

[KeithG]

Welcome to SB.

You should get lots of opinions here's, but if you could clarify your dive / party preference then maybe the responders will be able to provide better feedback. Do you want a vacation place with diving (Jamaica) , or a dive vacation place (Roatan)?

For instance:
bonaire is a great place for nice easy dives, but if party means going to the disco each night, then not the right place (it does have a casino that is open late...) If party means Having a group of like minded individuals to chum with after your morning dives, then joining a group dive to Bonaire would fit the bill. Lots of social interaction.

also give us a clue on your location and intended cost. The Caribbean is tropical. So it Papua New Guinea. One may cost much more than the other depending upon your location. Some people think the cost to travel to PNG is reasonable.

Are you dragging non diving family / friends along?


P.s. be prepared for lots of suggestions to do pool sessions and / or refresher course prior to splashing. There have been a few equipment changes in the last 20 years.

 

[victor]

You are not giving us much to work from
Where are you based? USA, Europe, Far East?
Party means what to you?
How long for? 7 days, 2 weeks, a month?
The more info you give the better the recomendations can be.

 

[capper]

Westend Roatan ! Very interesting people hang out there...very social ....lots of pub action at night, cheap dives and great dive companies.

 

[fishsticks]

It doesn't really matter where in the world I go, I was interested in going to Phuket, Cebu, Bali or Dominican Republic, but it looks like I may have missed my window of opportunity as it looks like perhaps summer will be the rainy season? I'm not sure. Is diving still good in any of these places during the summer? I'm open to other locales. But I'm a single guy going by myself, and my idea of a great vacation is a couple weeks of amazing beaches, good diving, and fun nightclubs.

I can spend maybe 2-4K there, not including airfare. I don't need fancy accommodations at all, just something clean with a fan at least and no more than a few miles from the beach. Hoping to do a dive or two a day. I want to see some great reefs, open to going out on a boat and maybe seeing some pelagics too. I will bring my mask, but will need to rent gear wherever I end up. I'm not going to go unprepared, I'm getting my feet wet as much as possible before I go. Thanks so much for the feedback.

 

[Wingy]

Thailand....if you want to do the single guy thing base yourself in phuket....if you want to do a mix of single guy/diving/sight seeing check out Ao Nang in Krabi province...or split time between the two. Your dollar goes a long way in thailand.

 

[victor]

I agree with Wingy on this. Thailand looks like a good choice for you.
Air Asia is a low cost carrier in that part of the world.
Surprise you might find some very cheap flights to Kuala Lumpur on Air Malaysia at the moment.
The north end of Ko Lanta might be another option, slightly quieter but still loads to do.
You can stretch your $ a long way in that part of the world so don't book lots in advance.
I know it's unusual for us westeners but bargain at the door. I have has as much as a 50% discount over the advertised prices.
Have a great trip.

 

[Tigerman]

Thailand has a monsoon season starting in "our summer" so you might want to look into what parts of Thailand has it at the time you go. By "our summer" i mean whats generally called summer in the northern hemisohere - somwhere between may and september...

Depending on where you leave from, the red sea might be an option. I.E. Sharm El Sheikh has pretty good nightlife, loads of beaches and easy access to lots of different very good dive sites, including several that keep popping up on "top 10" lists. Its also cheap to stay there and the diving is pretty cheap compared to the $100 people talk about for a typical 2-dive day in the US or caribbean...