At no point in this thread was it about whether people could afford to dive a particular "exotic" place or not. It was a thread asking what each of
our own plans and preferences were.
The original question was targeted at vacation divers with specific reference to international travel and what alternatives we would consider, if any. Given the context of this thread, I'm now also responsible for the potential hurt feelings of people who can't afford to travel internationally because they are participating in a thread about international travel?
I started replying in the thread by answering
@Marie13 's question honestly.
Someone apparently thought my answer was incredulous, stated that there was great diving near me so I offered some honest thoughts on what diving I thought was great, which clearly differed from their idea (and others) of great. Am I supposed to apologize for that? That's ridiculous. It's not for me, but have at it if it's for you. I didn't put down anyone for their decision to dive it or their lifelong dream to dive it, or if they love it and regularly dive it, I didn't in any way suggest that they were wrong or challenge their opinions and experiences, which is what it feels like people have been trying to communicate to me. I didn't even reference anyone else's post about what they like or don't like. In fact, if you have dived the coral triangle and hated it and stated this, that's your prerogative. It's no skin off my back. I answered the question as I read the OP's post and then responded to a few replies directed at me. It's one thing if I made a statement about not liking my local or California diving or even the Caribbean if I haven't dived it at all or have barely dived it to get a good representation of what it's like. That is not the case. My filter set is
relative to other places that I have dived and I have developed a personal preference.
Someone else then said that I haven't been looking in the right places.
Even better...Are you saying you haven’t dived either Indo/coral triangle or the local diving/CA diving I’m referencing and are telling me my experiences and opinions of both after having dived these regions are invalid/wrong or can’t be shared only if I feel a particular way?
Clearly, these people disagree. Fine.
There are clearly people who can't grasp and understand that there are other people that do not enjoying the same type of diving that they themselves enjoy so much and are taking it personally. Should I apologize and just say that I like a place based on what the majority opinion and experience of a place is? When did this thread only allow posts that only express love for local/CA or even Caribbean diving and shunned anything else but?
While I have my own thoughts on local/CA and Caribbean diving, I've not dived Florida and
@Trailboss123 suggested I try it and I'm willing to do this, especially if he says it's better than the Caribbean. I'm open to his suggestion because I know we have both dived in the same place overseas and we both liked it so I at least have that as a litmus test. He understands my filter set from a "relative" standpoint. I'm not going to write Florida off and develop an opinion of a dive destination until I have had the chance to dive it. I'm also not going to scoff at someone for saying they prefer FL diving to CA/local diving if I did happen to love local/CA diving but have never dived FL myself. "I don't know what I don't know."
I'm not sure how much a trip to FL would cost as it hasn't been on my radar. Does anyone have any estimates on what it would be for guided boat dives and how many days would you suggest in order to see the highlights? I think
@Dan has a trip there soon. What months are best?
When it comes to affording something for myself, it doesn't come down to how much I make but at the end of the day, it's how much I spend and save. My "vice" is dive travel. I budget most other aspects of my life in favor of it (mostly by accident) as I value experiences more. I hardly go out to eat, I don't go out drinking or partying, I don't spend much at all on typical "girl" things like jewelry, clothing, cosmetics, hair/skin/nails. I always brew coffee at home. It isn't a burden or a painful task for me to do; it comes natural to me because I don't feel like any of those things that many other people spend their money on are really sacrifices to me when I don't have the strong desire to spend it in that way anyway.
For what it's worth, I'm also not sure what you would deem exotic but in the context of the original post and vacation diving...A week long jaunt to dive Cozumel costs me more than flying somewhere over the Pacific that is "exotic" and I even get way more dives in for the same price or less assuming the resorts are similar. (Controversial opinion coming: Plus, I find the diving better and I enjoy it more.) The flight costs are pretty much the same from California ($650-$700) and once I land, food + lodging + diving is cheaper, especially when broken down on a per-tank basis. As an example, a week of diving in the Philippines that is considered on the higher end/expensive side ran me $1,200 with private transfers, 3 really good meals per day, lodging, nitrox, and guided boat dives (4 divers to 1 guide ratio) 5 times a day (4 day, 1 night). Less than $2K...On a per tank cost basis with all costs considered, that's really darn good.