I have an obsession with clownfish and am looking at taking a week long dive trip in the next 3 months. Are there any places that someone can recommend for this that doesn't break the bank?
I love them too but didn't see my first one until a few years ago!
Here's a little video I did of them:
http://www.vimeo.com/1258534
These are anemone fish, not the little orange Nemo fish.
No, there is no place to see clownfish and anemonefish are, outside of an aquarium, that won't be expensive. Sorry! They are pretty common in Fiji, Palau, Philippines, Indonesia, Great Barrier Reef: all of the south pacific area.
The least expensive place might be Fiji, but that is still a bit more $$$ than you may want to spend and all travel will be at least a day to get there if not more.
check out
Caradonna Dive Adventures - Dive Travel and Vacations for trips to that area of the world.
Hawaii does NOT have any type of clownfish BUT they do have lots and lots of cool fish. So if you can wait to go on one of those bigger, more expensive trips, go to Hawaii where diving is easy and you can get some dive time under your belt. You are probably too new to diving to worry about doing more than that for now. The Caribbean is much cheaper, depending where you are flying from, but no clownfish.
If you haven't already, go out and buy some Fish ID books. The series by Paul Humann are excellent. YOu can start to familiarize yourself with all the amazing creatures in the ocean all over the world. One of the first things I did when I got certified was to buy some of these books. I love them and refer to them often, trying to pick out new fish I have never seen.
Just my 2 cents.
robin