leo
Contributor
I have never dove in Asia (outside of one week on Bali 15 years ago), so I'm looking for some help in picking a location. Here's some background and requirements/needs for the trip - I know it might get long, but I understand it's impossible to offer good advice if one doesn't know enough about the request or person making it
:
Traveling from HKG & NRT:
From the U.S., we'll be visiting Hong Kong for some business I have, and we need to travel through Tokyo on the return to U.S. So, I'm looking for a location that isn't so far from HKG, and even better if served by both Cathay for the trip there and JAL for the return. If not, then best if served by some other airline by at least nonstop from HKG and NRT. If not, then can we at least get a nonstop in one direction while connecting in the other? Just looking at distances on a map, Phillipines and Vietnam appear to be the closest to HKG.
But, probably the biggest decision criteria for us will be ease of travel, specifically number of flights (from HKG and back to NRT) and between destination airport and resort (e.g. driving/bus, boat commute, etc.).
Visa issues:
I'm a U.S. citizen - so no worries there - but my wife is a Colombian citizen with U.S. Green Card (permanent resident). So, best choices are countries that don't require a visa from her. I believe Phillipines don't require a visa for her, but Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam do I believe.
Timing
The trip would be first week of August, and I'm not all that familiar with the Asia storms and weather (as I am with Atlantic hurricane patterns/season).
Diving
I am an experienced diver, somewhere between 500-1000 dives I'll guess (many from my or friends' boats in Miami), with trips all over the Caribbean. I like macro and big life but also everything else... I won't be shooting or diving technical, just breathing "air"... I love drift dives as much as non-drift... I do dislike crowded dive sites and big dive boats and have no problem on a small six-pack or skiff type boat... I don't like cold water diving and prefer tropical diving.
But, my wife doesn't dive, so we'll need a location that has some nice beaches. Somewhere with a day diversion might be good - nothing serious - but if I dive in the morning and then together in afternoon we can hit a desolate beach, sail, kayak, snorkel from shore, etc.
Other
We don't need a ton of nightlife, we won't do any partying.
Obviously, a live-a-board is not going to work
We're not looking to spend a lot, certainly not looking for an expensive luxury experience... but we do want something nicer than the budget dorm type place.
We do love to eat great Asian food, so "American food" choices are not of interest... the only SE Asian food we're not familiar with is Phillipino (although what I've had of it in the Bay Area isn't my favorite) - we love Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, "Chinese", etc.
I hope I didn't forget some key detail...
THANKS!!
:Traveling from HKG & NRT:
From the U.S., we'll be visiting Hong Kong for some business I have, and we need to travel through Tokyo on the return to U.S. So, I'm looking for a location that isn't so far from HKG, and even better if served by both Cathay for the trip there and JAL for the return. If not, then best if served by some other airline by at least nonstop from HKG and NRT. If not, then can we at least get a nonstop in one direction while connecting in the other? Just looking at distances on a map, Phillipines and Vietnam appear to be the closest to HKG.
But, probably the biggest decision criteria for us will be ease of travel, specifically number of flights (from HKG and back to NRT) and between destination airport and resort (e.g. driving/bus, boat commute, etc.).
Visa issues:
I'm a U.S. citizen - so no worries there - but my wife is a Colombian citizen with U.S. Green Card (permanent resident). So, best choices are countries that don't require a visa from her. I believe Phillipines don't require a visa for her, but Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam do I believe.
Timing
The trip would be first week of August, and I'm not all that familiar with the Asia storms and weather (as I am with Atlantic hurricane patterns/season).
Diving
I am an experienced diver, somewhere between 500-1000 dives I'll guess (many from my or friends' boats in Miami), with trips all over the Caribbean. I like macro and big life but also everything else... I won't be shooting or diving technical, just breathing "air"... I love drift dives as much as non-drift... I do dislike crowded dive sites and big dive boats and have no problem on a small six-pack or skiff type boat... I don't like cold water diving and prefer tropical diving.
But, my wife doesn't dive, so we'll need a location that has some nice beaches. Somewhere with a day diversion might be good - nothing serious - but if I dive in the morning and then together in afternoon we can hit a desolate beach, sail, kayak, snorkel from shore, etc.
Other
We don't need a ton of nightlife, we won't do any partying.
Obviously, a live-a-board is not going to work
We're not looking to spend a lot, certainly not looking for an expensive luxury experience... but we do want something nicer than the budget dorm type place.
We do love to eat great Asian food, so "American food" choices are not of interest... the only SE Asian food we're not familiar with is Phillipino (although what I've had of it in the Bay Area isn't my favorite) - we love Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indian, "Chinese", etc.
I hope I didn't forget some key detail...
THANKS!!
