overwhelming choice for an uninformed solo diver

[Antmany2k]

Hi all, so my usual dive buddy decided to be selfish and get himself a stupid smelly girlfriend and as such has no money to go diving (I'm not bitter at all haha)

anyway i don't want to stop my diving holidays because he settled down. but looking around for destinations and dive centers and everything else is just so overwhelming, there is so much choice! i know this is a good thing but it does make it hard for the uninformed.

last year i did step out of my comfort zone and dive by myself (as in i dived with a center in a group without anyone i knew which turned out to be a great experience) but i was on a holiday with friends but they don't like the ocean so did their own thing while i did mine and we would meet up in the afternoon which worked out nicely.

now i am looking at going even further out of my comfort zone and travel, stay and dive by myself. the trip i mentioned before was great and gave me the confidence to dive by myself again but the rest of it will be a first.

so i was hoping for advice or recommendations on both destinations and dive centers:

i am advanced qualification, i like wrecks but also like seeing fish and reefs. i don't have my dry suit specialty yet so warm water would be preferred (20 degrees plus) preferably Europe for cheapness (don't mind Egypt with others but i won't travel there alone) i have done both shore and boat dives so either is fine.

any recommendations? thanks in advance

 

[Antmany2k]

p.s i am looking at £300-£400 for flights and accommodation for a week so i have more money for diving (not bothered about slumming it in a 2* hotel as i will only be using it to sleep

 

[tursiops]

There is a reason that Solo diver training requires 100 logged dives as a prerequisite.
Maybe you should find a new buddy. One way to do that is to go on a group trip with some dive shop,

 

[Marie13]

What about joining your local BSAC group? Not sure if any run trips out of the country, but it would be worth checking into.

 

[ToyZuki9615]

I don't believe he's talking about 'solo-diving' but travelling alone to dive with insta-buddies.

Have you looked into liveaboards? Here in the states there are several budget minded liveaboards that work out great for a solo traveler.

 

[sunshower]

I would definitely look into a group trip with an LDS or one of the invasions this forum runs. You can form long-term diving relationships with a bunch of people and almost never be without a known buddy.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Antmany2k

I fully support traveling and diving alone. Though my wife and both my children dive, it turned out I had many opportunities to combine diving with business travel over the years. It would have been a shame to miss those opportunities. For a single person, not only is this a way to pursue one of your favorite activities, but also allows you to expand your travel experience and meet new friends.

I started to travel and dive by myself when I had about 100 dives and had recently done AOW. Probably the hardest part was diving with buddies I met on the spot. Some of those buddies were great, some were really terrible. You don't always have much of a choice, depending upon how many singles are on the boat. I quickly learned to size up my new buddy by engaging in conversation. I learned that I could head off many potential problems by discussing them ahead of time, becoming familiar with each others equipment, and having a solid dive plan, including contingencies.

I'm sorry I can't help you much with dive locations as I am based in the US. With a budget for flights and accommodations of 370-490 USD for a week, you may be limited. There is a current thread on the topic that might help you Closest warm water diving

However, my wife and I returned last summer from living for 2 years in Switzerland. Last April/May, I spent nearly 3 weeks diving in the Red Sea. Two of the weeks were on a liveaboard but I flew into Hurghada, and stayed in Port Ghalib/Marsa Alam and used a day operator there. Both reviews are in the Africa/Middle East, Red Sea section. Personally, I would not hesitate to go to Hurghada or Marsa Alam at this time, the prices in Egypt are currently quite low. Taking accommodations and diving together, perhaps a liveaboard would be within your reach. Many of the boats are currently under $1000 for the week, some, considerably less.

Good luck and good diving, Craig

 

[KenGordon]

Join a club, go diving, network. Swap details with people you end up diving with and arrange to do it again.

Local to you there is Brighton BSAC 007 who ran probably the most famous trip to Malta recently.

Uk clubs often run warm trips. We have a week in Egypt and probably another in the Med this year. In the past 5 years we have had trips to Truk, Mexico, Malta, Gozo, the Maldives, and of course Egypt.

 

[george_austin]

I don't go on dive trips with other divers. I have before and compared to solo traveling, I can't believe I ever paid for that "privilege"
I've solo traveled all over Europe, Mexico and Asia diving - it rules. IMO, dive clubs suck - good luck

 

[James R]

I find myself diving as a solo a lot on trips, usually when my buddy decides she's had enough for the day or maybe wants to take a day off from diving. I just go with the dive guide and my camera. When they say "you need to be buddies with that dude (and point)" (or whatever) I politely decline and dive with their DM (read: do my thing while staying with the group). I avoid using word "instructor" and I don't bring that card on trips - no one cares anyway.