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

[divecanuck]

I'm putting together a group trip to Cozumel in April (15th-22nd) for $1270 not including airfare. Included is hotel, all meals, transfers, 5 days of 3 tank diving, margaritas and beer, and even DM tip!

There's a total of 30 of us going from Seattle. I'm responsible for 10 and the other two Instructors are recruiting the other 20. We'll have discounted specialties both before and during the week if you're interested in finishing up your Nitrox for example, while in warm water.

Check out more on my FaceBook site - Cozumel Group Trip

 

[cooldives]

Want a challenge - try British Columbia

 

[princessaprilia]

One more vote for Port Hardy. It was AMAZING.

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.

 

[Woodiver]

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.

I also would recommend going to the Pacific, so much more to see! Thailand is a wonderful trip but it is a long haul. You should also look at Bali, you can either dive Bali or do a Komodo liveaboard. Bali can be a real bargain. EVA flies out of Seattle to Taipei and from Taipei you can fly to either Bali or Bangkok. Most other airlines either fly out of Los Angeles, San Francisco or Vancouver. If you have a choice, fly out of Vancouver. It will save you the time to fly to LA and cuts down on the flights to Asia by a couple of hours since the flights from LA come back up the west coast and over the Gulf of Alaska.
Have you considered the Philippines? Many options to choose from in the Philippines, we’ve been to Dumaguete and Puerto Galera. We stayed at the Atlantis resorts in both places which I recommend. Dumaguete is very laid back and is mainly muck diving but they do run trips to Apo Island which has nice coral gardens. Puerto Galera is in the middle of Sabang beach which is a town of clubs and dive resorts. Puerto Galera has a mix of muck and coral gardens. Be sure to take the optional trip to Verde Island, it’s very good. Below are links to Atlantis and photos from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to give you an idea why you will be spoiled!
Flickr: woodiver15's Photostream

Diving Philippines - Atlantis Dive Resorts, Dumaguete and Puerto Galera, Philippines

 

[arturo alvarez]

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!

THERE IS NO COMPARSION BETWEEN DIVING IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN AND DIVING IN COZUMEL WHATSOEVER...!! PLAYA IS JUST A BUNCH OF SUNNY BEACHES WUT WITH A FANTASTIC ENVIRONMENT FULL OF CAVE/CAVERN SISTEMS..COZUMEL IS A REAL DIVE DESTINATION WITH SO MANY OPTIONS THAT IT WILL ALLOW YOU TO DIVE WHATEVER DIVE STYLE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR, YOU WILL FIND SOME OF THE BEST WALLS IN THE WORLD, AS WELL AS THE BEST REEF SYSTEMS CAVES, AND WATER VISIBILITY. BESIDES COZUMEL HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AS THE Nº 1 DIVE-DOLLAR DESTINATION VALUE FOR THE u.s. DIVERS..

 

[caymaniac]

I would suggest you doing the Thailand liveaboard, go as far as you can now and latter do the cheap. If you have the money go as far as possible.

 

[theorikle1968]

try cocoview resort in roatan honduras from seattle to roatan air and all inclusive resort less then 2000 cocoviewresort.com check it out

 

[Leejnd]

Here's another vote for either Belize or Bali - two completely different destinations, but both with the advantage of outstanding diving and great prices (once you get there, anyway). The flight to Bali is...yeah...not fun, but TOTALLY worth it! Bali is just the most incredible island, completely exotic and different from anything you've ever seen. You'll enjoy the land-based activities at least as much as the diving.

The flight to Belize is much less traumatic (and cheaper), and the diving is just as amazing (albeit different - Caribbean, instead of Asian-Pacific), but it's just a really cool, laid-back place. I prefer Caye Caulker over the more popular (and more touristy/crowded Ambergris Caye).

 

[vladimir]

Great idea and good post, Lee. It's a good comparison, Bali and Belize, because they both have a lot to offer above the surface, as well as below. This, however:

and the diving is just as amazing

is overstating the case, in my opinion. I agree though, that Belize could be considered the Bali of the Caribbean.

 

[Leejnd]

^^^ Yeah, I'd have to say you're right...Bali does edge out Belize in terms of the "amazingness" of the diving. But Belize does have that huge barrier reef, second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The diving in Belize can be a bit spotty - some sites were a disappointment. But others were pretty awesome, with a plethora of colorful reefs, sponges and fish. And then there's the Blue Hole, if you like that kinda thing. Belize doesn't have as much to offer on land as Bali either...it's just a really hip, unspoiled Caribbean island vibe. Unless you want to do a surf-n-turf trip like we did, and do half the trip on a caye for diving, and the other half in the rainforest, for the Mayan ruins, spelunking and river-rafting - which is totally worth it!

Bali has lots more exotic stuff. Underwater you've got lionfish all OVER the place, and all manner of creepy creatures. Plus, we visited Manta Point and got up close and friendly with about a half-dozen enormous manta rays...magical. And on shore it's just SO different, with incredible food, friendly peaceful people, stunning natural beauty...it's a really rich vacation destination.

The big drawback for Bali is the trip there...it's just a long slog. And the flight is probably twice as expensive as Belize. But if all things were equal, I'd choose Bali over Belize.