Need vacation help

[carldarl]

Darn! Just found out we have to go to the Bahamas in January for a wedding. However, due to this unplanned HAVE TO GO trip, we do need to conserve our extra cash planned for our August trip. Hawaii and Cozumel are now out due to flight cost. Florida Keys are in the heart of hurricane season and my wife grew up in Lousiana. (Says she moved away for a reason) I'm just glad we went to Roatan in February. This could work out well.

SO... CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME!

My wife (10 dives) my 16 yr old son (Certified in January) and me, the old man at 52. Dates are August 6th - 14th and we can get to LAX and/or San Diego for next to nothing. But coming from Idaho, where do we go from there? Planning 3-4 days of 2-tank dives. Maybe shore dives if appropriate and a night dive or 2 might be fun. We'll bring all our wn gear (less tanks and wts) so no rentals needed.

We don't need fancy but definately want confortable and safe. We'd like to keep the total around $3000 +/- and flights eat up around $700-$800. Any suggestions? Pretty simple people needing a pretty simple trip with pretty simple diving. We will work at getting in around 10 or so more local dives before we come so everyone will be up to snuff. Just waiting for the water to get above 40 degrees...

Also, what weight suits will we need? I have a full 7mil, 3/2mil and a 3mil farmer john. My wife and son both have full 3mil's. Will they be warm enough or will they need more?

Thanks for any help. Maybe with a little luck my daughter can get off work and come too.

Carl

 

[kelpmermaid]

First, for thermal protection, I'd go for 7 mil w/hood and gloves, particularly for multiple dives/days.

It's not cheap at that time of year, but you might want to check out Catalina. In fact, take a look at the Catalina thread stickied above. That might give you some ideas and the most flexibility. Trip packages (ferry, hotel, and dives) are available through both shops in Avalon, and may not be too bad for "weekdays."