HELP! I have a week to burn and need advice.

[WarmWaterPursuit]

OK... I'll make this quick. I have a week to burn in early April. I can most likely travel from Friday to Sunday... 10 or so days.

I am a fairly experienced diver and have dove in Playa Del Carmen, Cenotes, Kona, Kauai, Oahu and Puerto Vallarta. So I'm basically a vacation diver.

I want to spend $3000 or less **Really around $2500 or less **

I investigated pricing and locations based off of "best scuba location" lists etc. Based on what I found, I think I've narrowed it down to two locations:

Cozumel - $1750 (Dive Resort)
Thailand (Phuket) - $2500 (Liveabord)

My pros for Cozumel would be closeness (live in Seattle) as well as price. However, I have dove in Playa Del Carmen (in the off season) which would be a con. I wasn't impressed. But it was October.

As for Thailand, I don't want to fly 20 hours, but I also think it would be a once in a lifetime trip (probably!) and I've heard it's beautiful and the diving is awesome. I would spend 4 days and 4 nights on a liveaboard and likely spend a day in Bangkok and a day or two in Phuket.

Which one would you go to? Are these two options the best based on season and cost etc?

I also investigated the pricing for:

Raja Ampat - $2755
Red Sea - $3500
Gallapagos - $6759
Grand Cayman - $2970
Bonaire - $2600
Belize - $2982
Palau - $3260
Tahiti - $3500
Fiji - $4600

I didn't get REAL detailed with pricing but that's my best guess.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[DandyDon]

Well, Cozumel is much better diving that PDC, but there are many places you can go for a long week of diving for that kind of money. $3,000 including air?

With a question that wide, I'd suggest reading trips reports on various forums here, and dive magazine sites, and try to narrow it down.

Edit: Hey I got an email from caribbeandivevacations.com with a huge list of dive destinations and packages. I am not suggesting that they have good deals, my week at FIBR on Roatan was already booked for less, but it gives you a menu to consider. Book air separately at www.Sidestep.com - a great shopping site that lets you book direct with the airlines in most cases.

Have a good trip. ilot:

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

We have been to Thailand many times and even lived and worked there for a a while and would have to say that without a doubt if you are truly choosing between it and Cozumel, Thailand should win. we do not think you will find all that much difference between Playa del Carmen and Cozumel though Cozumel is better diving and more laid back. You will however notice a big difference in going to Thailand and besides great diving you will experience a exotic culture, wonderful food, beautiful beaches and people who will treat you like a guest. As far as the traveling some things are just worth the extra effort and this is one of them, hopefully this will not be a just once in a life time trip we have heard many others say the same thing until they have made the trip and got hooked!
If you truly feel as this is your only chance to go this far afield then you may want to consider Raja Ampat which you also mentioned, it is quite honestly one of the best dive areas in the world and you would also probably fall in love with Indonesia.
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask us.

 

[SandyRobinson]

How about the Florida Keys? There is some great diving there if if want to stay local.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I don't know what airfares are running currently, but the MV Tala, the boat we spent a week on in the Red Sea, was charging $1450 per diver for a week on the boat, including all your food and all your dives on air. We paid $1500 apiece for airfare from Seattle. That was one of the most amazing and fantastic diving experiences I have had yet -- beautiful sites, tons of life, stuff I hadn't seen before, color, and a boat that hands-down has it on knowing how to help divers extract the last drop of fun out of every minute in the water. It would push your budget, but it would be more exciting (in my opinion) than Cozumel.

I don't know if you do any cold water diving at all, but a road trip down the West Coast would be a fabulous way to do some incredible diving on a very small budget. Monterey has color that puts the Caribbean to shame; the Channel Islands have a fantastic spectrum of conditions and sea life, and then you have the oil rigs and the pinnacles off Catalina to boot.

And then there's Canada -- we're going to spend a week in Port Hardy in March, diving walls so packed with life that it ends up planting itself on top of one another.

Lots of options.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Palau: $1551 through Blue Horizons Travel & Tours:
Inclusions:
One (1) night Deluxe Room Best Western Astor Hotel, Manila
Five (5) nights at West Plaza Hotel, Palau
Return international airfare, Manila - Koror (Palau)
All airport collections and transfers
Daily breakfast at hotel and resort
Five (5) days unlimited diving with own equipment or 5 days touring w/ Sam's Tours, Palau
Lunch and refreshments on dives and tours
Notes:
Prices are based on two (2) people sharing in a twin room.
Single occupancy price: on application
For use of rental diving equipment add USD $60.00 per person
Nitrox use: free for EANx certified divers

Seattle to Manila Roundtrip on Asiana Airlines: $837 for April 3 departure
(found on Airline Tickets, Cheap Flights, Cheap Plane Tickets, Cheap Airfare ? CheapOair )

Sams Tours Palau

 

[Kevrumbo]

M/V Mermaid II Liveaboard 6d/7n: $1780

Seattle to Phuket Roundtrip: $954 on Eva/Bangkok Airways
(search again on cheapoair)

 

[Codyjp]

Save the Carribean/Mex for times when the exchange rates and airline prices favor. Now is the time to see the Pacific or maybe the Red sea. I did a honeymoon in Fiji for about 2800 each, I'm sure you can beat the price you stated.

check with worldofdiving.com

 

[robint]

first, let me say that April is the perfect time to be going to the Caribbean as the weather is warming up and prices are going down. However, you need to be aware that most dive destinations expect people to arrive on Saturday and depart on Saturday as that is when the flights come in from US. You may have been searching the wrong dates in getting your prices.
As far as the Caribbean destinations go:
Grand Cayman - one of the most expensive destinations in the Caribbean. Hotel/Dive packages cost the same as those at many destinations that include all meals. You can do better on price elsewhere.
Belize - more reasonable prices plus the option of doing am or pm dives each day or doing both. Lots of smaller hotels and lots of topside activities if you are looking to do other things than dive.
Cozumel - cheapest place in Caribbean, lots of options for dive resorts and dive ops. You can go from bare bones rooms to luxury, depending on your needs. Most dive ops only do 2 am dives though, so if you want to do afternoon dives or night dives every night you will need to work at it.
Bonaire - shore diving Capital of the World. It is some of the best, and easiest diving you will find. You can dive 24/7 there. Get a rental truck with your shore dive package and you just grab a tank and go. It is true diving freedom. There are boat dives and most people only do 1 boat dive per day, then shore dive the rest. You can log 20+ dives in a week very easily. This is a great place to go if you have a dive buddy as you can set your own schedule for the entire week, dive your own profile and just dive dive dive.

other places you should check out:
Roatan - dollar for dollar it is a better deal for me than Cozumel. Stay at one of the all-inclusive resorts (CoCoView, Anthony's Key, Fantasy Island, BIBR, etc) and you are guaranteed 3-4 boat dives per day plus unlimited shore diving, plus all your food. It is very easy to get in 20+ dives there. There are also many smaller hotels on west end and independent dive ops which do the standard 2-3 dives per day if that suites your tastes. Either way, Roatan is a great value with great diving.
Nekton liveaboard - in late spring/all summer they depart from Ft. Lauderdale for a week diving in Bahamas. The Medio Reef and Cay Sal Banks itineraries are very popular for the shark encounters (not feeds, just sharks). You are able to get in 20+ dives in the week and all meals are included.



As far as your Pacific options - I have only been to Palau, on a liveaboard, and I think that is the only way to do Palau to get your money's worth. It is expensive getting there so I want to get in as many dives as I can. Not a cheap trip and definitely out of your price range. The best time to do Palau is Dec-Feb, during shark mating season.

 

[mjh]

As a fellow Seattlelite I say go to the Pacific! The bad part is it will ruin the Carib for you. Thailand and the Similans are wonderful. If you like small stuff Lembeh. If you can swing Raja do it! But Fiji is also wonderful and easy to get to. There are trip reports, multi-media shows for all at our site. Our travel agent Bettina at diversionoz.com is a great resource.