Palau, Indo, Australia, Hawaii???

[sjukich]

I've got a lot of great information out of here that have helped me plan 3 or 4 great trips so I'm back again for more help.Hey everyone. First off here's a little background on myself and my wife so you guys can better help us decide. I'm 28, she's 27 and we have done our fair share of traveling in the past few years, Mexico, Hawaii, Belize, Fiji, Costa Rica and parts of the US. We did 3 weeks in Belize in 2012 and it was amazing. We love to scuba dive, eat good food, hike, and do pretty much anything outdoors. We found Belize great because it wasn't too touristy, there were lots of things to do off the beaten path, we got to explore lots of different parts of the country and there was awesome culture.....oh yeah and great diving!!! We did a trip to Fiji and the rainbow reef last year and were blown away by the reefs and sharks there. Hands down the best diving I have ever done. Then there was the trip to Costa Rica this year. We had big plans while we were there.....but they were cut short when I broke my ankle while rafting and had to fly home early for surgery. In fact I write this with the cast still on my ankle. So I'm allowing myself a redo for this years big trip. We will most likely be traveling with another couple and are looking to go in late August. We are trying to decide between Palau, Indo, Australia and a trip back to Oahu/Kauai. This trip might be a bit shorter than some of the others but will still be 10-14 days. We like places that aren't too touristy but do like to stay in nice hotels with great amenities. Outdoor activities and things to do are key, we do like to lounge but not all day. I have my reservations about each of the places on that list above. First off is the cost, 3/4 will cost us about $4000-$5000 just to get there, while Hawaii would be about $1500. I mentioned earlier that I like to have other activities to do besides dive. We love a good dive but I'm not totally sold on going to a place to dive 100% and not do anything else. I know Hawaii is touristy but we have been there numerous times and there are things to do outside diving like hiking and try different eateries and bars. My concern is that if I go to Palau or Indo is that I may miss out on great dives if I don't do a livaboard but if I do a livaboard then I may miss out on other things. Australia sounds cool but it's a huge country and I'm not sure we could swing it in a 10-14 trip. I just want to get this damn cast off and get into some board shorts and swim! Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Bali has some great diving and is cheap. You do not need to do a liveaboard to get very good dives. You should be able to get relatively cheap flights there via Asia.

Palau is great, you can do day trips and will not miss anything that a liveaboard would do. Probably the easiest place to get to from California, fly to Guam and then onto Palau (do a couple of days diving in Guam).

 

[Acetechnology]

Ocean Hunter III Liveaboard in Palau is by far my greatest experience. (Land based Palau dive sites take an hour to get to). I have lived in Costa Rica and Australia and by far Palau is top of my list. I completed all 29 dives and every one was uniquely amazing. The crew, food, and accommodation is 5 stars. I used star alliance points to fly from Guam to Palau on United. Korea and the Phillipines also fly to Palau. If you have any time in Guam, the snorkeling is fantastic. See Mattdivers Palau videos on SB and it is true.

You need more time for Australia and i would combine it with New Zealand. In Australia, I have experienced Hamilton Island and a 3day Liveaboard with Pro Dive in Cairns. Melbourne is delightful (you can see penguins at night on the nearby beaches); from Sydney take a bus to Coogee and walk 1 1/2 hours along the coast to Bondi Beach.

Fly from AU to see the spectacular town of Queenstown, NZ then fly to Auckland rent a car and dive with Yukon to scuba the Poor Knights. After your dive, stay somewhere north along the coast then spend the night on 90 mile beach (visit the Kauri Museum for a quick look), get up early and drive to Cape Reinga (where the Tazman Sea and the Pacific collide). After the cape, go to see the "Big Tree" Tane Mahuta then back to Auckland. AND, if you still have time and Money, fly to Rarotonga, Cook Islands, then back to the States.

i use a United Presidential Card to rack up points and one year my "round trip" with miles was to fly to Perth Au (with a 10 day stop over in Beijing and a side visit to Xi'an). And my return to USA was from Rarotonga. It was 75000 miles and $103. I bought my flights from Perth to Sydney to Cairns to Queenstown, NZ to Auckland to Rarotonga. The airline will let you stay in a connection city for as long as you want when using points.

 

[Diverspoint]

Save Indo for a longer trip. For a quick trip go Hawaii, less travel time. When going to Indo go slow, maybe a liveaboard and Eastern parts. Personally I like off beaten path

 

[Scubagirl62]

Some of my favourites/recommendations are:
- liveaboard in Palau (or stay in town but it is a 1hour boat ride each way, which is gorgeous but means you spend the entire day to get 2 dives)
- scuba safari or island hopping with Sea-Explorers in the Philippines
- shore diving in Bonaire makes a great vacation spot with lots else to do
- Maui has it all too (shore and boat diving, relaxed, great beaches, good food, easy to get around). Go visit Ed Robinson's dive shop to get oriented.
- Cozumel for really good diving at a reasonable cost. Lots else to do there but those cruise ships are frequent.