When you travel to dive do you do anything else?

[Damselfish]

It really depends where we're going and what we're in the mood for.

As far as liveaboards, we like to spend at least a few days on land after one, whether it's to sightsee or just hang out and relax.

 

[aceupmysleeve777]

When I first started diving, trips were 100% diving. Now diving trips are at most 75% diving and the rest seeing the towns and cultures. I still enjoy liveaboards and do a day before the trip on land and maybe a couple after on land. Otherwise your missing so much.

 

[koozemani]

We always include non diving activities. On a recent lob trip we planned a couple of days on either end to see local sites. We're glad we did. Although the main purpose of our trips is diving, it would be a shame not to see what else the locale has to offer. Some of our bucket list locations have been put on hold until we can dedicate an appropriate amount of time to "do it right".

 

[Wingy]

Both. Of course the diving is the reason for the trip, but I cant be underwater 24/7 so I will do a bit of research and find out what else there is to see and do and throw in some land based activities. The further I travel the more land stuff comes into it. From Perth to Rangiroa is 10,000km plus so I made the best of the trip and added in bora bora, moorea and tahiti and a quick stop for a few days in NZ. I quite like hiking and doing a bit of climbing of volcanos and searching for wildlife in Sumatra and Sulawesi. Id be wasting a lot of good time sitting in a hotel room waiting for the next dive so in between dives I will go exploring..obviously that choice is taken away on LOBs.

 

[Griffo]

It depends. On my last trip to Thailand for instance, I didn't do much except dive, eat, and drink.
Normally though, diving will be only part of the holiday, with other time spent doing nothing, day trips etc to break it up.

 

[chillyinCanada]

For my trips that include diving, invariably, diving is the driver. However, still take the time to check things out, depending on locale.

Have other longer trips, for example, to SE Asia, that will include land touring and a dedicated portion to a week of diving. Even so, depending on the locale, may be able to include other activities/sightseeing during the dive period.

How far does your question extend? For example, a dive trip to Koh Tao necessarily included a little time on Koh Samui, a ferry trip from Koh Samui to Koh Tao, and once on Koh Tao for dive portion, still lots of time to enjoy the island. Wouldn't have gone though if it hadn't been a dive trip.

 

[ntmainstrm]

Have you ever noticed that you don't remember the difference between the sixth or seventh dive on a trip but you always remember the odd surface thing you did? Like the cooking class or trip to Tulum?
Lee

 

[koozemani]

We always include non diving activities. On a recent lob trip we planned a couple of days on either end to see local sites. We're glad we did. Although the main purpose of our trips is diving, it would be a shame not to see what else the locale has to offer. Some of our bucket list locations have been put on hold until we can dedicate an appropriate amount of time to "do it right".

As a side note, on our recent lob, we were the only ones that had planned land based activities. Several people jumped on short jaunts on the final day. Of those, only one couple did anything that I would consider culturally significant.

 

[Griffo]

If you ever have the opportunity of diving the SS President Coolidge, you absolutely must do the Millenium cave tour on your day off (medium level of fitness required however). How often do you get to climb down a cliff on a set of bamboo ladders, float down a canyon, the climb your way back up a waterfall.

 

[diverrex]

Whenever we think of taking a dive trip we always consider what else there is to do there in addition to diving, and the more the better. If we go somewhere with really interesting topside activities, like the rain forests of Dominica or Belize we will go for more than a week and add non diving days to explore, hike, etc. Whenever I hear about people taking trips to say CoCo View in Roatan and they never even left the resort I find that very odd, and not at all interesting to me. As much as I like diving I enjoy lots of other things also.