Need advice on a budget dive outside Caribbean and Hawaii!

[tursiops]

Are you always going to dispute what I post? Just wanted to know b4 I add you to my Ignore list.

LOL. Maybe you should be more careful with what you post!

 

[miserkris]

@miserkris you have asked for people to recommend destinations, but one critical factor is what do you want to see and what type of diving do you like. One person, such as @mcohen1021 might recommend Socorro because of the incredible "big stuff". Others, such as @Centrals might recommend Lembeh because of its world class macro.

Both are totally valid recommendations, but unless we know what you are looking for, then we are simply making a "best guess". FWIW, I tend to like big stuff and I would second the recommendation of @mcohen1021 for Socorro if that is what you like. I did a trip there and saw Hammerheads, Galapagos Sharks, Silkies, White Tip Reef Sharks, a Whale Shark , and some very friendly Mantas.

Need to see something different than Caribbean marine life

After seeing the macro in indo, Philippines in YouTube I'm now looking for the cheap yet quality dive pkg. PG/ El galleon fits the bill after reading a nice trip report here.

Anilao might also work. Need to call some agents. Plus i might visit my home in India next year, Manila is 2-3 hr from Chennai.

So basically looking for great macro that's in shallow waters.

I thought about red sea but no direct flights, travel from airport to boats is hectic from what i read. More expensive with air since LOB. The advantage is that there are flights from New York to Europe easily.... to Red Sea eventually.

But scuba is an expensive thing, so any killer deals would be considered too lol.
I have noticed that even on good discount scuba packages hardly come down more than 10% am I correct?

Still debating! Thx

 

[Hoag]

@miserkris if you are looking for great macro on a budget, have you considered the Blue Heron Bridge in Florida? I have never dove it, but I have heard that it can be amazing. It is also close enough that you can throw your gear in the trunk of a car and drive there in a day (or two if you take it easy).

As far as good flights, if you can get to Toronto, Philippines Airways fly non-stops from YYZ to Manila. That might make the travel manageable.

 

[mcohen1021]

Red Sea Aggressor had a super deal last year... But when I saw how many liveaboards go to the Brothers, I knew why...

1165 pp for boat
~1350 air
~250 hotel stays
~120 xfers

Around 3k - very affordable and the RSAI was really amazing, diving outstanding

==============

You still haven't looked into socorro? That was big animal heaven... hemmerheads, silkies, galapagos silver tips, white tips... 2 diff types of mantas and dolphins.... out of this world

edit: yellowfin tuna and kingfish!

 

[miserkris]

Red Sea Aggressor had a super deal last year... But when I saw how many liveaboards go to the Brothers, I knew why...

1165 pp for boat
~1350 air
~250 hotel stays
~120 xfers

Around 3k - very affordable and the RSAI was really amazing, diving outstanding

==============

You still haven't looked into socorro? That was big animal heaven... hemmerheads, silkies, galapagos silver tips, white tips... 2 diff types of mantas and dolphins.... out of this world

edit: yellowfin tuna and kingfish!

I need to check that out I remember seeing a documentary about Socorro Island it was amazing.

How much does socorro run usually?
I'll check that out....

Next year 2k with Philippines or 3k ~ red sea i guess.

 

[Hoag]

I need to check that out I remember seeing a documentary about Socorro Island it was amazing.

How much does socorro run usually?
I'll check that out....

Next year 2k with Philippines or 3k ~ red sea i guess.

It really depends on the boat that you choose. None of them are what I would really call cheap, but I will say that when I went, it was worth every penny!

I was on the Solmar V, but the Nautilus Fleet runs a few boats out there as well. Keep in mind that it is a full day transit to get there (from Cabo) and a full day to get back to Cabo. Because the archipelago is so remote, there is no easy, quick access to a chamber so operators tend to be very strict about dive time and depth. IIRC, at 99 feet, you were good to go, but if you hit 101 feet, you had to sit out for 24 hours -- and yes, they did look at your computer as you got back on the boat.

 

[Centrals]

I had visited Madras once many many yrs ago and it was really interesting.
If you want to combine a trip to Madras with a diving excursion then SE Asia is an logical choice.

Round trip fare from JFK to MNL(non-stop) by PAL(Philippines Airlines) in Feb 2020 is about US$840.00.

Good luck.

 

[lowlysubaruguy]

Hasn’t been mentioned but its probably semi cheap considering airfare wont be horrible. And its something you should experience if you havent just for comparison if nothing else but a week diving the Peugeot Sound In Washington state could be an interesting change from the waters you’ve been diving. I will assure you you will see things that you have not seen in the tropical waters your used to.

There are many dive shops to rent gear the best dive conditions are often Jan through April before any algae blooms occur you can find 90 foot vis at times while you can also find 5 foot vis but when its clear its clear. Night diving is often very interesting which is something you might not have tried as well. Ive always seen more fish on a night dive here than anyplace ive been tropical to date. You can shore dive or book day trips on a number of dive boats. Spear fishing for long cod is also fun.

There’s a lot of dive clubs to contact for get on a dive with a bunch of divers. One of the things you will find are dive clubs diving out of a certain hotel from shore there is often a lot of fun to be had after the dive or around night diving.

Things are quite different there from the giant invertebrates huge shoals of cold water fish and octopus. A lot of people love it. While I’m a bigger fan of warm water its interesting to do from time to time.

 

[mcohen1021]

How much does socorro run usually?
I'll check that out....

I paid 2621 pp for Socorro Aggressor, but I would probably pick a different boat next time (refer to my review on the safety issues). I have a friend that loves the Solmar V and he waits for specials and pays around that or less.

Another buddy took his family to Palawan and said it was amazing.

I do think many of these places are best experienced via liveaboard, but I have gotten away from hanging out at the beach, so diving without schlepping gear, a hot tub (or hot water showers) have become more important.

it would not be a bad idea for both socorro or red sea to have a light jacket for after each dive.
This is what I have for after diving and waterskiing in chilly weather:

Hyperflex Playa Neoprene Hoodie

 

[Hoag]

I paid 2621 pp for Socorro Aggressor, but I would probably pick a different boat next time (refer to my review on the safety issues). I have a friend that loves the Solmar V and he waits for specials and pays around that or less.

I did my trip to Socorro on the Solmar V. The boat is beautiful! It has mahogany woodwork with frosted glass trim and brass fittings. The cabins, however redefine the word "tiny". Storage space is limited to a couple cubby holes along the side of your bunk and the main part of the cabin is so small that only one person can stand up at a time. The shower is combined with the head so you have to straddle the head to take a shower.

Like I said, it is a gorgeous boat, but be aware of its limitations.