Where to dive/travel in Asia with a family?

[took-the-red-pill]

Hi there aquanauts.

Our Canadian family-two adults, 2 boys aged 13 and 16 will be doing a 2 week dive holiday, likely in Asia, in mid February 2014. Our boys will be getting their open water before we go, though we may have to complete the OW portion on this trip. My wife and I haven't dived in 20 years, so we'll need to recert. We're looking for some good diving, BUT, the diving is only 50% of it. We want to be able to travel fairly cheaply, find great food, and experience unique things topside as well. Here is a bit on who we are and what we're after in a location:

YES:
Decent to good diving where most or all of the operators are honest and safety conscious.

Reasonably safe from thieves and scam artists. A little risk is okay.

Interesting things to do topside like zip lines, cool local markets, etc.

Great little hole in the wall restaurants to discover.

2-3 locations tops. Being constantly on the road was cool when I was young, but I'm done with that.

An interesting local culture, preferably inhabited by decent people with a decent attitude on life, but not essential.

As a bonus, it would be cool to do one if those once-in-a-lifetime things that expand the boys' world view, like volunteer at an animal sanctuary or orphanage for a week, or do a funky trek or side trip.

NO!!
All inclusive resorts-all we need is a bed, and if it's stinking hot, an AC unit. We're still backpackers at heart, and that's how we travel with our children.

Places too overrun with fat tourists who want it to be exactly like the place they're getting away from and driving prices into the stratosphere. We know there will be tourism, just not into the crazy busy places.

Thanks in advance for your input.
Cheers
keith

 

[ScubaSteve]

Hi there aquanauts.

Our Canadian family-two adults, 2 boys aged 13 and 16 will be doing a 2 week dive holiday, likely in Asia, in mid February 2014. Our boys will be getting their open water before we go, though we may have to complete the OW portion on this trip. My wife and I haven't dived in 20 years, so we'll need to recert. We're looking for some good diving, BUT, the diving is only 50% of it. We want to be able to travel fairly cheaply, find great food, and experience unique things topside as well. Here is a bit on who we are and what we're after in a location:

YES:
Decent to good diving where most or all of the operators are honest and safety conscious.

Reasonably safe from thieves and scam artists. A little risk is okay.

Interesting things to do topside like zip lines, cool local markets, etc.


Great little hole in the wall restaurants to discover.


2-3 locations tops. Being constantly on the road was cool when I was young, but I'm done with that.

An interesting local culture, preferably inhabited by decent people with a decent attitude on life, but not essential.


As a bonus, it would be cool to do one if those once-in-a-lifetime things that expand they boys' work view, like volunteer at an animal sanctuary or orphanage for a week.



NO
All inclusive resorts-all we need is a bed, and if it's stinking hot, an AC unit. We're still backpackers at heart, and that's how we travel with our children.


Places too overrun with fat tourists who want it to be exactly like the place they're getting away from and driving prices into the stratosphere. We know there will be tourism, just not into the crazy busy places.

Thanks in advance for your input.
Cheers
keith

I spent a couple weeks on Koh Lanta in Thailand and believe that it fits your description very well. It was big enough that we were able to get a Tuk Tuk and tour around when we wanted, and also to get to different restaurants all over the island. The diving was pretty nice......we happened to select the most expensive operator on the island but will say we enjoyed every single dive and have no regrets. Food was good. People were great. Our tuk tuk broke down on the other side of the island where nobody speaks English.......it was awesome. We were able to get the bike fixed by a local and he pointed to problems, wrote costs in the dirt.......all in all we left him a $20 tip on an $8 (or so) fix and he was thrilled. It was such a great experience for us.

No place is perfect but I really did enjoy Koh Lanta.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Bali could be a good choice for you, plenty of easy diving around the Tulamben area and good dive centers to get re-certified. There is a volunteer organisation based on Nusa Penida which also has great diving and it's away from the main tourist areas. Most volunteer agencies don't allow minors (under 18) to participate unless they're accompanied by parents or a guardian, so you would have to check with them first. So a decent plan would be 4-5 days in Tulamben to get your diving fix and then head over to Nusa Penida for volunteer work. You can check out the price range for Tulamben here and a link to FNPF volunteers here. Scams in SE Asia are everywhere unfortunately, just do a little research first and this should help you avoid most of these. Your chosen dive center will also be a good source of information for avoiding scams. Enjoy!

 

[took-the-red-pill]

Thanks for the good information guys. If anyone has any other ideas, or wants to +1 on what we have here, much appreciated.

Unfortunately, Bali is $1450(X4) and two days away from us in Canada, so I'm leaning toward the Thailand option.

Cheers
Keith

 

[Centrals]

PAL can fly you from Vancover to Cebu City via Manila. No idea about the fare though.
From Cebu City you can cover Alona Beach(Bohol), Apo Island, Dumaguete, Siquijor without much backtracking. Ferry is the main mean of transport.
Have a nice trip.

 

[Matt Met]

In Feb the weather is decent on both sides of Thailand, you could do Koh Lanta as suggested, Krabi (climbing, kayaking & culture, central market), Koh Tao for diving mostly, bouldering, easy climbing, an animal clinic to work out & Eco project (Koh Tao Exists). Travel between all 3 places is easy, bus connections go daily.

Feb will be a high season, lots of scandinavians escape the winter in Europe.

 

[Kevrumbo]

February 2014 will be the 70th Anniversary of WWII Operation Hailstone, the US Navy's Air Raid on Truk Lagoon: Take the boys diving on the historic Japanese wrecks of Truk Lagoon, many of which are beautifully adorned with seventy years worth of hard & soft coral growth and abundant schooling tropical fish life (Shinkoku Maru Tanker and Fujikawa Maru for example).

Welcome To Truk Stop Hotel and Dive Center's Exclusive Website.

After Truk, go on to Palau for some of the best wall, drift & big fish action diving on the planet; take a family kayak tour of the Rock Islands or a land tour of Babeldaop.

Sam's Tours: Palau Diving Micronesia Island Hopping
Palau Visitors Authority - About Palau

And on the way back home, stopover for a few days in Honolulu -take a surfing lesson with the boys over at Waikiki Beach. . .!

Start your trip with OW referrals/refreshers over a week on the wrecks & warm calm waters of Truk Lagoon (recommend instructors Rob & Cindy McGann at the Truk Stop Hotel/Truk Lagoon Dive Center); then go on to the advanced drift diving of Palau.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Khao Lak could be an option in February, access to great diving in the Similan Islands and Khao Sok National Park. Our Jungle house may be able to help you with local voluntary work.

 

[letsgomaldives]

Hi Keith,
check us Anastasia Luxury Yacht and Lets Go Maldives | Welcome to the official website of Lets Go Maldives, the largest tour operator in Maldives make it in Maldives.
cheers
Mohamed

 

[Wingy]

Another vote for Krabi as a dive destination and topside family destination - lots for teens to enjoy there and a great reef cleanup and other volunteer organisations. Diving the local islands is ok, you can still do the phi phi islands, king cruiser and anenome reef three dive day from there. Beautiful scenery and a safe vibe.