Best trips to log dives?

[willo]

Hey folks,
I'm looking for suggestions on great trips to log lots of dives! I've been diving since 2003 but I need to rebuild my logbook if I'm going to move forward in my cert plans. I'm living in Colorado these days, so I expect to travel a bit. (I know, bad time to travel now but not bad for planning!) Also, you know, more diving is clearly required.

So far, it seems like the best value is in the live aboard trips. 25+ dives in a week would rack them up quickly.

Any suggestions for other options? Currently pondering going back to hawaii, belize or BVI since I'm familiar with the areas.

 

[Damselfish]

Not sure what you mean by rebuild your logbook. If people lose their log and really want it sometimes they will attempt to recreate from memory as best they can.

I’m guessing you want 60 logged dives to do DM or something like that? Are you looking for just numbers, or varied experience? Going to a tropical destination you’ve already been and are familiar with won’t enhance your experience much.

You could also log lots of dives inexpensively by going someplace where it’s easy to do lots of shore diving like Bonaire, Curacao, or someplace like Cocoview on Roatan.

 

[Steve_C]

Spend a week near a warm water quarry or a florida spring. Make 10 20 minute 20 ft dives a day for 6 days. There you go. Cheapest and quickest way to log 60 dives. Amost zero experience but hey you get to log them.

 

[drrich2]

My Research Notes for Bonaire - My Research Note For Bonaire

 

[TMHeimer]

If you are looking to do DM course and eventually work as a DM my advice would be to do as much diving where you plan to work/take the course. Varied experience is of course great, but better IMO to get lots of experienced where you'll work.

 

[USdiver1]

Not really sure why you are interested in the process of logging as many dives as possible in a week's time. but rather than go the live aboard route, I would suggest going to a place like CocoView resort on Roatan. There are morning and afternoon boat dives [2 x each trip] plus unlimited shore diving. I have personally done 6 dives a day there, so you can "log" 30+ in a week, if you are really into that sort of thing.

 

[Lorenzoid]

My advice would be to choose a liveaboard based on what destination you are most interested in, or seems like a good deal, or fits your calendar, or pretty much any criteria other than simply racking up the most dives. Experience is what makes you a good diver, not how many certifications you earned or how many dives. If you need a certain number for a prerequisite of a course you want to take, that’s understandable—but why not get there, albeit more slowly, by gaining experience doing the dives you REALLY want to do?

 

[Doctorfish]

If you want quantity and quality, go to Bonaire and shore dive your brains out. Easy to do 5-6 good quality dives daily and enjoy an island with plenty of ambiance.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Liveaboard in Thailand or Red Sea for a week is the least expensive way while offering great diving if you want to do a liveaboard. You can also try land based at a place like Philippines (Puerto Galera). It feels like a liveaboard as you come back between dives and sites are only 5-10 min out. El Galleon and Asia Divers is excellent. Everything within 200 yards - food, bed, dive boat. You can get all meals and accommodations, 4-5 guided boat dives a day with nitrox for a week for $1,500. The diving is great in all the places I’ve mentioned. Flying to Thailand and Philippines has always been cheaper or same price as flying to the Caribbean for me. Easy decision there for me.

 

[willo]

For now, I'd like to maximize my dives per trip..I. but definitely prefer quality diving over only seeking to check the # of logged dives box.
One interesting suggestion I got from an instructor was to visit Bonaire where it's really easy to rack up shore dives.

Right now I'm thinking of doing a liveaboard to get at least 20 in a trip and maybe something like roatan with my wife in the spring.

I've been bad at keeping my history logged(moving a few times made it worse), but as I've determined to move forward I need the counts. More experience is never a bad thing either.
As for counts, I need 60 for padi or even 100 if I use naui. Having the logs over time was never a huge priority for me, but to pursue new certs its a requirement I need to meet.

And hey, now I have a great reason to plan dive trips with wife permission. My goal is to hit divemaster in the year and instructor in two.