If you had two weeks anywhere in the world where would you go!? SELL ME

[jwarner]

Okay here is the deal, I have been diving for three years doing Discovery Scuba and have been OW certified since April with 40 logged dives since from Key Largo to St. John to Cayman Islands to Turks and Caicos. I live in NY and usually only get an extended weekend to dive so I hang around the Caribbean since the flights are shorter and I can get more dives in. In April I will be able to take two weeks off!!! Here is my big question- if you were given two weeks and could go anywhere in the world to dive, where would you go?? Now that I have the time to take 14+ hour flights I can actually go further places. It would also be cool to be able to experience on land things too- looked into diving in Egypt so day trips could be the pyramids... Just looking for advice! Not sure the next time I will have this much ample time and want to make the most of it. Keep in mind also what I would like to see are sharks (hammerhead, and larger variety, etc) whales, whale shark, giant mantas... Basically bucket list stuff. I have considered liveaboards in Cocos Island Costa Rica or Galapagos Island so I'm not throwing out the idea of that. Just convince me!!!! TIA

Hey @Diver13! As a new diver I don't know if my opinion has too much validity but the company I work for and I are heading to Costa Rica in January for a month as a dive/work-cation. We were looking at a lot of places including some of the ones you mentioned above. Ultimately we decided to stay in the West area of the world in order to avoid the crazy jetlag. Because of the time difference it would be unfortunate to overcome the jet lag for half of your trip. Not saying Egypt or Indonesia and Asia wouldn't be absolutely stunning, but I would recommend going to those places for when you have more then 2 weeks.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but Im guessing that you want the best value. Because of that-- we decided on Costa Rica! The places you can stay are a lot more affordable and nicer then other places (which was a big one for us), theres also incredible diving which meets all your criteria of seeing some whales. Their is tons of national parks -- I personally have always wanted to do a volcano tour (odd I know) but thats something that really excites me. On the other hand their doesn't seem to be a lot of historical sites -- ruins, pyramids and things like that. Although if you know of any activities please let me know! Wishing you luck!

 

[drbill]

I'd go to Palau... best diving I've done in my 56 years on SCUBA. I did love the Philippines too. SE Asia and the South Pacific far exceeds the Caribbean IMHO.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Easy choice, LOB in Raja Ampat or Komodo.

 

[Shasta_man]

There's more to this than you might realize. First suggestion is that most places in the Pacific will have appear to have superior diving to your previous experience. Some places will have land based interests as well for after diving. I love liveaboards and if I want to do land based stuff, that happens after we get off the liveaboard. I wouldn't recommend before the liveaboard because you've paid for that and now you have to avoid sick people until you finish the liveaboard which isn't always easy in the third world and almost nothing sucks worse than being unable to dive on the liveaboard. Next is 40 dives is not a lot of experience, though you could certainly fake it if you follow competent guides. For instance I wouldn't recommend going straight to the Galapagos at least for liveaboards because unless you did most of that diving in NY in cold water, Galapagos would be tough and you spend a good part of that amazing diving clinging to a rock in the currents. Lastly is that you want to be a little careful not to go straight to the top right off because everything else will then be just OK after that.

 

[robint]

If money is not an object, I would go to Indonesia ( 10 day trip with part as muck diving at Lembeh). Still haven't done this, can't get the 2 weeks vacation as well as the $$$. Dream trip though.

OR

Palau liveaboard for week, then stop at Yap for a few days. (We did Palau liveaboard 10 yrs ago and it is still the top dive trip of our 18 yrs diving.)

look at website www.divetrip.com for ideas.

 

[Schwob]

That could be relevant to the OP.

We are fed that misinformation very convincingly by the travel industry via dive mags. They make a continuous but skewed argument for LOB bias.

There are excellent land-based alternatives that offer the trip at up to 50% cost than the LOB option. We've done many LOBs there over the years, and I'm now following in the path of most European visitors...staying in Puerto Ayorra and doing the best of the day dive ops. There's a bunch of advantages, but that's another thread, and very counter-commonly accepted belief.

There are way more expensive places to dive by starting in the US. Topping the list would be Maldives and Seychelles if you were looking at the ones with currently "relatively easy" travelling access. Expedition grade destinations? Sky is the limit.

Sounds promising.
And I may have already gotten pointed in a good direction by what you wrote. But if could you offer any further pointers / links, I'd appreciate.

 

[Doc]

Sounds promising.
And I may have already gotten pointed in a good direction by what you wrote. But if could you offer any further pointers / links, I'd appreciate.

I have my favorite land based operation in the Galapagos, and for many years of reasons....www.scubaiguana.com

 

[Schwob]

I have my favorite land based operation in the Galapagos, and for many years of reasons....www.scubaiguana.com

It’s a big currently somewhat unfathomable trip in my mind, but it got too happen some day... and for that day, I bookmarked scubaiguana. Thanks.

 

[tridacna]

Sardine Run in South Africa. Get dropped in bait ball. Then do Great Whites in Cape Town. Then safari in game parks. See Big Five. Dream trip.

 

[scrane]

To where I am right now: Bangka Island, Indonesia.