Next dive vacation?

[BUDMANOK]

Looking for some 411 on destinations that have great diving and topside activities for the wives. Anywhere in the world is open to discussion except caymans, Curaçao , Mexico , Jamaica (been there done that)

i I know this is pretty wide open but I would like to hear what there is out there

thanks

 

[drrich2]

What do you consider great diving? I ask because what I read of California diving suggests it's loved by some, but it's chilly and requires more exposure protection than some are used to. If you operate out of Long Beach, for example, I imagine they could find things to do. How far are they willing to drive? Are these mainly excursions they'll go on during the day while you're off diving, or are the topside activities mainly things you'll be going on, too?

What topside activities do they prefer? Shopping, rainforest tours, what?

Richard.

 

[LiquidDivingAdventure]

I might suggest the Atlantis Resorts in either Puerto Galera or Dumaguete, Philippines. They often run good promo deals and flights are fairly easy to Manila. As you said, there is a lot of ocean out there. I guess my first question would be your budget as some flights can be as expensive as the resort. Belize and Bonaire might be good options.

 

[robint]

Looking for some 411 on destinations that have great diving and topside activities for the wives. Anywhere in the world is open to discussion except caymans, Curaçao , Mexico , Jamaica (been there done that)

i I know this is pretty wide open but I would like to hear what there is out there

thanks

Budget?
Time of year?
Good diving is so relative.... what do you want specifically?
Just you or another diver?
How many dives per day?

 

[diversteve]

Maui..

 

[lamarpaulski]

Well, if you head West to the tropical Pacific you will see a whole new and 99% different group of fish, coral, sponges etc...in much greater variety. Hawaii is a great tourist/sightseeing destination with very good diving. Fiji Airways is having a sale. Fiji has some of the best diving and nicest people and has lots to do topside. Bali is amazing, exotic, above and below water and close to even better diving in Komodo.

Some of the dive sites in the Pacific make the Carribean seem practically boring.

I love California diving but it doesn't compare to Caymans or Cozumel except under rare circumstances and it is colder and generally more difficult. This winter and spring we may be impacted in a major way by El Nino storms too. Come in Sept-Oct 2016 and dive the Channel Islands and you may love it.

 

[KathyV]

If you are looking for Caribbean then St. Croix might meet your needs

 

[chillyinCanada]

You really do need to explain what the wives like to do onside before you can be best advised. I'm with Liquid Diving Adventures on the recommendation for Belize. That said, my answer might change depending on what the wives like for t opside (though probably won't change either way)

 

[drrich2]

I love California diving but it doesn't compare to Caymans or Cozumel except under rare circumstances and it is colder and generally more difficult. This winter and spring we may be impacted in a major way by El Nino storms too. Come in Sept-Oct 2016 and dive the Channel Islands and you may love it.

I'm scheduled to come try California Channel Islands in 2016. I've been researching the California dive scene, and when you mentioned it doesn't compare to the Caymans or Cozumel, I agree, but I'd clarify that it's a different kind of diving. From what I understand, on the negative side, California is...

1.) Colder.
2.) Lower viz.
3.) Sea conditions more apt to be rough?
4.) It's not a 'pretty reef' destination with loads of hard corals.

Gee, sounds like crap. Why go? For me, the following were issues:

1.) Haven't been, or dove the Pacific Ocean.
2.) I'd like to dive a kelp forest at least once trip in my life, & kelp only grows in cold water. The unseasonably warm water this year has hurt the kelp badly in places, but it can still be found.
3.) Diving with pinnipeds (seals & sea lions) sounds like a trip, & I've love to. Yeah, you could head farther south than California & do it in warmer water, but California's such a major U.S. dive destination, I'd like to knock if off the bucket list.
4.) Different sea life than I'm used to.

All that said, conditions vary by season & region. It's not like Bonaire or Curacao, where you can go any time, with your only fear that icy conditions will prevent your home flight from leaving to get there! Day boat trips aren't evenly distributed all week, and they may require a minimum # of divers to go. If you're staying on Catalina Island you've got a good shore diving option, & some mainland locations maybe...I'm aiming for a 5 day live-aboard trip, but not bringing non-divers.

Whether California is a good dive destination for you depends on what you've looking for, and what you're open to. It doesn't compare to Cozumel or the Caymans because it's a different kind of diving. If I had to pick what kind of diving I want to do for the rest of my life, it wouldn't be California. But I'd like to try it once!

You could always try offshore wreck diving with sand tigers sharks out of Morehead, North Carolina, for something different. It's not party central/touristy, but it's coastal mainland U.S.A. & there are things to do.

Richard.

 

[lamarpaulski]

California diving takes much more effort than Carribean and quite a bit of its beauty doesnt leap out at you. But it can be sublime when conditions line up. Apples and Oranges but Fall tends to be best.