Bucket List Diving

[Kevrumbo]

My remaining Bucket List -places haven't seen yet:

Komodo/Flores/Wakatobi (Middle Indonesia);
Coral Sea Australia;
Solomon Islands;
Red Sea;
Pemba Island (Tanzania);
Antarctica?

 

[bowlofpetunias]

The other things that need to be considered of course are security and safety. PNG was an eye opener for me. Armed security guards patrolling the airport. Our hotel was 100M from the airport but sent a van to pick us up because it wasn't safe to walk it. The chain link fences topped with barbed wire around most places and all but the poorest homes (homes is an exaggeration).

Research research research folks. I never felt unsafe because we were going somewhere I knew a friend had been before. We were dealing with a top level resort catering in particular to American dive tourism. They had security covering us everywhere. Sad reality is you just don't want to strike out on your own in some of those third world countries. Check how many tourists are kidnapped and held for ransom in some of those places.

We went into a pizza place under our Hotel in Port Moresby and when we came out a fellow coming towards us stopped to say HI. Two security guards moved in to our sides to ask if he was bothering us. We had some untouched pizza which we gave to the security guards as we left. Likely the only meal they got that day the wages were so bad!

At Tawalli resort the staff was excellent, the service great but it took two days to be able to get anything in from town. There was a generator failure one evening. I opened the door to our cabin to get the shoes I left outside and immediately a security guard was there to reassure me... "You safe.. you go inside... you safe" Really is a different world out there. It was 5 years ago so I don't know if is better worse or the same.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

The other things that need to be considered of course are security and safety. PNG was an eye opener for me. Armed security guards patrolling the airport. Our hotel was 100M from the airport but sent a van to pick us up because it wasn't safe to walk it. The chain link fences topped with barbed wire around most places and all but the poorest homes (homes is an exaggeration).

Research research research folks. I never felt unsafe because we were going somewhere I knew a friend had been before. We were dealing with a top level resort catering in particular to American dive tourism. They had security covering us everywhere. Sad reality is you just don't want to strike out on your own in some of those third world countries. Check how many tourists are kidnapped and held for ransom in some of those places.

We went into a pizza place under our Hotel in Port Moresby and when we came out a fellow coming towards us stopped to say HI. Two security guards moved in to our sides to ask if he was bothering us. We had some untouched pizza which we gave to the security guards as we left. Likely the only meal they got that day the wages were so bad!

.

Port Moresby was ranked as the worlds most dangerous city before ISIS and civil war in Syria erupted. It is tragic but it gives you a glimpse into what a lot of people int his world have to live through in life.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

For sure .. when we go to the poorer places we bring a lot of stuff we plan to leave behind. What are old tshirts or gear to us are treasures to them. I always bring a lot of first aid supplies.. back to my AMBO days and knowing help is a long way away. My plan is to leave anything I don't use behind. It is so appreciated.

I had some dive boots that were rubbing my feet giving me blisters. Gave them to one of the dive crew and he was so happy. Isaid well it will keep your feet warm when you dive .. he said "No these my good shoes now!" We left toys for kids, colouring supplies pencils and so on. All got left at Tawalli and Jas Aben.

That is one thing I want to say about Lembeh Resort and Siladin Resort. They provide their staff with proper top of the line good quality gear and uniforms. They fund and support a school for the locals to give them a better chance in life. They support environmental protection. I will support those types of operations with my dollars where I can. It is one thing to line the pocket of the investors behind resorts ... quite another to help the locals lives be improved. When I can see they value and treat the staff well I am happier with spending my money there. I would go to a Resort with slightly poorer diving that imporves the lives of the locals over one that may have better diving but focuses mostly on profit.

Our expendable income can do more than give us good memories.. it can give people better lives

 

[drrich2]

PNG was an eye opener for me.

As much as PNG gets mentioned on ScubaBoard & elsewhere, I think that's the 1st time I've heard this side of it. Wow. I suspect dive destination reports tend to focus on the positive & omit the negative. Not good.

Now there's an idea for another thread; what popular dive destinations are hazardous to your health? Guarded armed compounds, etc...?

Richard.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

What a great idea why don't you start it and post the link here. I kinda felt like I was being naughty and doing a bit of a hijack there :blush:

 

[mikeycanuk]

There are some good reports/articles on Undercurrent about PNG. We loved our time in the Solomon Islands, very similar from what I gather. Much easier to get to as well. We spent a few days in Brisbane before a quick 3.5 hour flight to The Solomons

One article on PNG the author witnessed a shooting in PM airport when he went through. A reader got his glasses stolen when he was staying at Walindi resort. He cAme face to face with a warrior with a bow and arrow. And all he wanted was his glasses.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[drrich2]

Done. Which Scuba Destinations Do You Consider Rather Dangerous?

I tried to frame it in such a way as to avoid mud-slinging & setting off point-of-view wars, but if the thread 'takes off' with some interest, it's almost inevitable somebody is going to diss somebody else's favored destination, so we'll see how it goes. If people can be moderate & fair, willing to discuss with some give & take, it could be informative.

I tried to aim for dangerousness, not just crime. Bonaire's petty theft from rental trucks parked at dive sites is not what I've got in mind.

Richard.

 

[robint]

Same feelings about Australia. Great diving but the cost to value ratio does not match for us living on East Coast USA. Some of the highly recognized destinations that I have chosen to remove from my bucket list are:

Australia: The cost of travel and diving make this one a bit impractical. If I was going to spend over 5K to travel and dive a place then I could do so many other places that are so much higher end than this one that Australia does not give a good cost to value ratio. If I was on the West Coast and there was a cheaper flight then things would be different.

Cayman Islands: The cost for diving the "Bloody Bay Wall" is pretty much the in the same range as a Red Sea trip or even a cheap Asia Pacific trip like Thailand. I would skip this for the better places available in the same cost.

Belize: The seasonal whale shark factor makes this a bit hard to ignore but travel lodging and diving here in the far well known sites still makes it a bit in the same category as Cayman Islands. Better diving can be done in the same $$$

Palau: Flight prices are freaking expensive!!! This place has gotten praise from a lot of folks so I am sure that it must be something but you can dive Philippines, Maldives and Komodo for less money than this one. The question then becomes after doing all these cheaper more accessible places, would it make sense to spend extra money for Palau? Would it really be that much better than all these? Perhaps more experiences divers who have done all these places could offer a cost vs value comparison.

Fiji: As an ethnographic film-maker I am interested in visiting this place for culture and since this is also a great diving destination, I will probably visit this place someday. Had it been purely for diving then I ask the same question. When Philippines, Maldives, Komodo etc can be done in less money then does Fiji deserve to be on a "bucket list?" Does it really beat all these places with significant enough of a margin to be worthy of the extra money? I don't know.

PNG: Diving this place is easily in the 7K USD range. I totally understand the remoteness factor associated to this place and to be honest, I am driven to this place for the same reason as Fiji. It gives a chance to study and film a native and indigenous culture that has evolved with relatively little contact to the outside world but for purely diving reasons, it would have to beat Raja Ampat by a huge margin to justify the price and inconvenience associated with it. I would have to do far more research into this location before I can say that it is in my REALISTIC bucket list.

Truuk and Bikini Atoll: I hate to take these off of my list but I live next to the Great Lakes and they can feed my lust for historic wrecks for many life times. Had the travel and diving costs not been so high then I would definitely have done these two but in terms of cost vs value Scapa Flow seems more do-able. This attitude of mine can change because I intend to do a wreck penetration course and then all these places that I am keeping off of my list may make their way back in. Till then Id like to limit my wreck diving interests to historic wrecks closer to home.

Okay.... Fiji replacement of Palau... that is like saying I would like to substitute the steak for the cheesecake. Both are great for their own thing, but one is not the same as the other. Same ocean, different reefs and fishlife.

Airfare.... you need to understand that you only fly in and out on certain days, and on certain airlines. Getting to both should be figured from the west coast of USA, price from LAX. Fly into LA, spend the night, flight is next morning.
I think Fiji is Friday night or Saturday morning flight out but they do it direct so no stops if you use the Fiji airlines.
Palau is a real bugger... you fly from LAX to Hawaii, to Guam then to islands. My trip there was loooooong both ways, but it does work. I think it was all day Friday flights, you cross the international date line and arrive late on Saturday night. Return flight is at midnight Saturday night, going back over taking forever... really feels that way.

Both are worth doing... but DIFFERENT.

 

[z00ropa]

Diving in Belize is amazing. Spent a week on a an Aggressor boat this past September. The reefs are in much better shape than the Bahamas. The blue hole is just that a hole. Nothing much to see except cave formations at 130 feet. Everyone got excited because we saw one lionfish and one lobster, meanwhile 100-feet up on the reef there are way too many lionfish and tons of lobsters. Don't go to Belize for the blue hole, just go for the reefs, the walls, and beauty of the ocean from above.