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Hello everyone. As my wife and I have gotten a little older, we are really appreciating the conveniences of liveaboard diving. We are considering Anilao Aiyanar as it seems close to liveaboard conveniences and there are non stop flights out of NY. October looks to be the beginning of the...

Are wing manufacturers still using the same bladder in different size wings ? I used to have a Dive Rite Travel Wing and Oxycheq Mach 30. Both had issues with trapped air. Come to find, they used bladders from the wings the next size up, but put them into smaller wings. Air would get...

The cost-value of liveaboards varies greatly depending on the location. I've done liveaboards in the Caribbean, Socorro, Red Sea, Maldives, Indonesia, Galapagos. I generally tip 10%-15% based on quality of service and the value of the liveaboard. A high value experience gets a higher tip %...

Night dives I use a regular flashlight as my dive light and only turn on video lights when recording. Daytime, video lights on only when recording.

If you travel a lot and it is tropical boat diving, a full foot fin is smaller, lighter and inexpensive.

Interesting. Wonder how much research he did when he booked the trip. Some of us like to do a lot of research, but I know many do not. Scubaboarders tend to be the former. Muck diving, low viz, currents, smb usage. All things a US based Caribbean only diver is not familiar with.

As others have said, backwards. You don't even have to sit. Just fall backwards standing.

In my opinion, 2 strobes are needed if you are going to shoot wide angle, especially with a wide angle lens. If you are limited in funds, if anything, I would buy a second strobe before buying a wide angle lens. The 2nd strobe will help with medium angle shots.

I believe the south itineraries are a lot of channel dives where you hook in and wait/watch for sharks and other pelagics. Since you've done the classic route, how about north ? It is supposed to have more variety than the south, but maybe less exciting if you mainly want to see sharks.

OK, my mistake on the terminology. Where I wrote direct flight, I meant non-stop.

Direct flight means non-stop. I have flown direct non-stop from NYC to Hong Kong and NYC to Toykyo. 14 hr flights. I have no problems sleeping on a plane, so it was not a big problem. Sleep 8 hours, eat 2 meals, watch some movies, read a book, listen to music, snacks, take a nap. Not that...

This is very true and you cannot always trust travel agents as they may just be focused on booking a sale vs. taking the time and energy to find what is really best for you. What is best for diver "A" might be different than diver "B". I actually like the research on destinations, when is the...

I did. Great report. Anilao is definitely in my future. As long as there are direct flights from NYC to Manila, Puerto Galera, Tubattaha and Palawan also are on the radar.

I have not been to Philippines or Thailand yet, but reports are the diving there is also way better than Caribbean. Philippines is in my future since I found there are direct flights from NYC to Manila. My own experience on dive quality in order: Galapagos, Indonesia, Maldives, Red Sea...

Yes, Red Sea, Maldives, Indonesia, Galapagos, ARE that much better. If you have been diving 10 yrs. in the Caribbean, other Caribbean destinations will be more similar than different from what you have already seen. If you do not have the time to travel to Asian or Pacific locations, maybe...

Living in the US, with limited vacation time, most of my dive vacations have been to the Caribbean. While cost is always a major factor, travel time is almost as important. Direct flights are best when possible as multiple flights and connections can eat into vacation time making far...

A good thing about vacationing Thanksgiving week is you only use 3 vaca days since most companies are closed the day after Thanksgiving.

Skipping airfare, the cost of Caribbean liveaboards is higher than many other locations such as Red Sea, Thailand, Maldives. You can find quality liveaboards in those 3 areas for under $2k and sometimes close to $1k. The diving and service is better too. Scubaboard has a lot of US members...

I was in Red Sea Sept 2018 and Maldives just 2 weeks ago April 2019. Both liveaboard operators said they are seeing a lot of tourists from China. I flew NYC to Hong Kong to Maldives. The Hong Kong/Maldives flights were mainly people under 50.

Thanks for the info on Casa Escondida. What are the 2 other properties you like ?