Where would you go for a 3 month stay?

[Bearkeley]

Hi all - we will have an opportunity to travel for 3 - 6 months next year and would love your opinions on where (warm weather!) we should consider.

We would like to stay in one location to get to know the culture / people so ideally, a place where there is also other things to do in addition to diving. We plan to rent a condo or similar (just hubby and me) and can swing 2 -3 $100/day boat dives a week within our budget so options for shore or less expensive destinations would be great too!

We like great viz (spioled by cozumel) and corals and walls - wrecks with lots of life are good too. Muck is ok too as optional dives (ie between boat dives to see cool critters) but not our primary interests. Large stuff are cool but only if it's pretty.

Thanks!




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[Oldbear]

I would spend some time in both Roatan and Utila, Honduras. Both have there cultures and dive community sub-cultures...

 

[RJP]

OP - I think what you've "specified" is so vague as to preclude meaningful recommendations.

Corals, walls, wrecks, big stuff, and/or little stuff... boat and shore diving.

Also, you've only given budget for boat dives... what about overall budget level? There's a huge range of cost options available.

 

[drrich2]

I'd go somewhere I haven't been before, probably one that takes awhile to get to. My current trip requirements are:

1.) Arrive & return within a day.
2.) No plane ride over 4 hours.
3.) Total trip 7 days. At least 5 days diving.
4.) Not too expensive.
5.) At least 2 dives/day.
6.) English prevalent.
7.) I don't have to mess with foreign currency, preferably. The magic plastic works.

If I had your situation, and pretty good money to back it up, I'd consider...

1.) Philippines. Ought to be a range of types of diving, I would think some topside things to do, and the culture would be different for me. I'm told going to the Philippines is kind of like going to the Caribbean; a very large, diverse region with many islands.

2.) People talk up Bali a lot, topside and the diving. Wonder what renting a cheap place would cost there? I don't know if this is feasible, but it would make for a memorable 3 months, based on what I read! People really talk up the diving in Indonesia. Just how much of a different culture are you looking for?

3.) Dominica, maybe, if you're looking for naturalist topside activities.

4.) Belize - preferably a week live-aboard (which I'm scheduled to do later this year), plus some time doing Mayan ruin rain forest tours and so forth.

5.) Back to Bonaire and 'dive my brains out' shore diving. I've been 8 times, but I know the lay of the land, English is prevalent, and I could settle in and maybe soak up a little local culture instead of just the diving. Curacao is said to have similar diving but more to do topside, and is bigger. In fact, from Curacao, you could take 'puddle jumper' flights pretty cheap to go visit Aruba and Bonaire for brief getaways, no small thing if you plan a 3 to 6 month stay.

6.) Puerto Rico could be interesting, especially if you speak Spanish. Here's a thread on Puerto Rico; scroll down and read what Ginovega had to say.

Normally, I pick my destinations for the diving, but if I were looking at 3 months somewhere, I'd have to give serious thought to the topside. And maybe think about preferring a large destination over a little one.

Richard.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Caribbean only? Or worldwide? Budget for lodging and food? Is the diving budget of $100/day two or three times a week for both of you together? If so, that sounds like you need a more economical destination than the usual suspects mentioned on SB. It will be challenging to find a $50/person dive day. As you know, most dive outfits want to take you out for a 2-tank dive, and I can't recall the last time I saw anyone charging less than $100 for a 2-tank boat dive. In the Caribbean, I would guess Roatan or Utila would be best bets for economical diving--and since many dive sites are close to shore, you could likely find a 1-tank dive there and for less than $50. Utila doesn't have much going for it in the way of topside activities and culture--it's all about diving, and the people you meet will be other divers.

 

[KathyV]

If you can afford it then you might like Grand Cayman, but find a place away from Georgetown and the seven mile beach. Lots of great snorkeling and both shore and reef dives and you can easily travel to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman for a different cultural experience and even better diving. Cayman is a first world country that still retains many of the charms of a small Caribbean island. Where else can you stroll along the street with the harbor on one side, and pass shops with Rodeo Drive names, while chickens are scurrying by your feet? But stay away from the tourist spots on days when cruise ships are in port and avoid town during rush hours.

The water and food are safe, you won't need immunizations or malaria medication, they have a high standard of medical care and a low crime rate, and cultural events are regularly available. But it's not just like home, the water and island are "Caribbean beautiful' and the people are very friendly but conservative, no nude or topless swimming in the Caymans! And most of the stores are closed on Sunday. But everything about Cayman is expensive because your American dollar is only worth 0.75 cents.

But if you are looking for a place with interesting topography and then you might consider Bonaire. Living in Bonaire is not cheap but the diving is excellent and inexpensive. It's such an unusual place, there are deserts with catus, and areas of mangrove swamps, and salt flats, and hordes of pink flamingoes. You will see hills made of salt against the blue sky. There's not much beach, although there are some sandy spots, but that's because the reef starts right off-shore.

You can snorkel, boat dive and shore dive quite cheaply. The island has an unusual culture because it is all about diving freedom. Since you have so much time, it's a lot of fun to load up the truck with tanks and head out down the road, looking for yellow-painted rocks that signal shore dive sites. The water and food are also safe on Bonaire and it is below the hurricane belt so you have a lower chance of being hit with a bad tropical storm. The medical care is good too, but there are persistent issues with crime on Bonaire. It's mostly just thievery but it is real -so you have to be careful not to leave phones and cameras and other expensive items in your vehicle. And you should rent a house or apartment in a well-lighted location with other residents around. You can also wind-surf on the other side of the island, away from the diving and they have a national park that is kind of like a jungle in areas. They also have a donkey rescue park.

Bonaire is only 50 miles from Venezuela so you could also travel into South America fairly easily if you wish.

On the other hand, you might also want to think about Curacao; it is much larger and more developed than Bonaire, but there are lots of quieter communities away from the city and good shore and boat diving available, and it is also below the hurricane belt.

It's a big world out there and it sounds like a wonderful opportunity, have fun!

 

[RJP]

Anyplace is going to get OLD in three months. I'd shoot myself in Bonaire after a week. (Been twice. Loved it, but can't imagine ever going back.)

For three months I'd do an Indo-Pacific tour. Start and finish in Hawaii, hitting Philippines, Truk, Kosrae, Palau, Yap, Maldives, Solomon Islands, and a few others. If that was too much moving around... I'd suffer in Hawaii for three months.

 

[Damselfish]

with the time you have I'd be looking at places that are far away but reasonable (and varied) once you get there. If I was going to plant myself one place I think I'd look into Bali for the topside interest, or someplace in Indonesia. I'd also be considering the Philippines for the value and diving. Maybe Micronesia (FSM), but I think you'd want to do some island hopping there. Closer to home, maybe Costa Rica would be an interesting option.

If you're staying in one place that long, you're going to have to look into the visa requirements and permitted length of stays.

 

[RJP]

But if you are looking for a place with interesting topography then you might consider Bonaire.

"Interesting topography?" Bonaire? At about 5 mi at the widest point, 20mi or so top to bottom, ~100 square miles, a max elevation of around 700ft, and very little diversity... I'd say the topgraphy would be interesting for a half-day tour. Maybe.

If you want interesting topography, give Hawaii a try. With >10,000 square miles over 8 islands, a max elevation of nearly 14,000 ft and a diversity that literally includes 11 of the 13 climate zones on the planet...

 

[KathyV]

"Interesting topography?" Bonaire? At about 5 mi at the widest point, 20mi or so top to bottom, ~100 square miles, a max elevation of around 700ft, and very little diversity... I'd say the topgraphy would be interesting for a half-day tour. Maybe. If you want interesting topography, give Hawaii a try. With >10,000 square miles over 8 islands, a max elevation of nearly 14,000 ft and a diversity that literally includes 11 of the 13 climate zones on the planet...

I meant interesting for a Caribbean island! A lot of them are just flat sandy and have some palm trees. I thought that she was looking for someplace outside of the country. Hawaii is spectacular of course and the diving is very good.