1st liveaboard + shore destination

[AmongStrangers]

Me and my wife are finally ready to do our first liveaboard. Trying to find best option for us. We are looking to spend a week or a little more on the boat diving and a week on shore exploring\lying on the beach\doing something else. I would like to keep our budget under $4000 pp for liveaboard + airfare. And can go anytime in 2016. We are mostly interested in pelagics, but certainly don't mind muck diving or some nice lively reefs. Red Sea (lliveaboard+week in Cairo, Luxor etc) and Thailand (going to Similans for diving and than to Cambodia to see temples) seem to fit perfectly, but we lived in Europe before and been diving these places many times, so looking for something different and little more exotic. Plus diving quality is the main factor. Also warm water is a big plus.
Our dream destinations are Galapagos, Palau, Cocos and Truk, but all of them do not fit in our price range and don't really have good land based options. We do not really know much about other liveaboard destinations.
We don't want to go to Australia, but other then that open to everything else. We do not have any restrictions on flight times or anything like that and we are not afraid to go to some remote destination.
For land part we just want something exotic to explore with good beach destination, preferably without having to share the beach with huge AI hotels (thinking places similar to Tulum or Phi Phi Don, or places like Phuket and Bali will do also). We don't mind a 2-3 hour flight from liveabord destination to our land destination (if it is not very expensive). Low cost country for land destination is better, we are not interested in luxury resorts anyway.

What should we research? Indonesia (Raja Ampat? Komodo?), Phillipines, somewhere else?

 

[Damselfish]

Philippines gives good value on land with a variety of beach resorts. And there are also a variety of liveaboards. A liveaboard to Tubbataha (season is only April-Juneish) would get you pelagics and much more, but there are many other good options too.

 

[KathyV]

We were in the Turks and Caicos on the T&C Aggressor in 2013 and we saw sharks on just about every dive - along with beautiful walls and reefs. Some of the nicest diving in the Caribbean IMO.

I just looked up the 2016 prices for the T&C Explorer liveaboard and it would be $2615 per person (that includes fuel surcharges and taxes) and I think the Aggressor price are very similar. So figure that is your base price for a liveaboard and then add airfare and divemaster tips and the costs of a week on shore.

We spent a week on Provo before boarding the Aggressor and we had a great time. The T&C islands are very expensive but we rented a 1 bedroom apartment at the Royal West Indies on Grace Bay Beach and we did some of our own meal prep and that cut down the expenses.

Provo is a lot of fun, but the best reefs are far away; that's why we think it is a good idea to spend a week enjoying the sights on shore and then get on a liveaboard and head to the best dive sites.

 

[Damselfish]

meant to ask - where are you starting from?

 

[drrich2]

Perhaps the Sun Dancer 2 (my trip report) out of Belize, or the Belize Aggressor III? Followed by a land stay to see the Mayan ruins (e.g.: I did a boat tour up New River to Lamanai (means submerged crocodile) & visited 3 ruins - Mask Temple, Tall Temple & Jaguar Temple, & climbed across the 1st 2). Belize seems like a good choice. Airfare not real bad from the U.S. Here's a thread on picking a Caribbean Live-aboard.

My experience is diving in Florida & the Caribbean. Farther afield, airfare can really add up, and how long a plane ride do you guys tolerate? Especially if you're trying to keep costs down(e.g.: not flying 1st class?).

Richard.

 

[Hintermann]

We were in the Turks and Caicos on the T&C Aggressor in 2013 and we saw sharks on just about every dive - along with beautiful walls and reefs. Some of the nicest diving in the Caribbean IMO.

.

Another vote for T&C. I went on the Aggressor and saw sharks just about on every dive, including nurse sharks on night dices. T & C has just about the best diving in the Caribbean and choice of 2 liveabaord boats, both of which are good.

You should get some flexibility for $4000 pp but depends on where you are starting from since you want to include flights in that limit.

 

[AmongStrangers]

Thanks!

I am based in Chicago currently.

T&C looks great and I will definitely put it on my list. Although just as a diving destination, land side does not look appealing to me. I guess same goes for most Caribbean destinations since they are close I don't need to spend 2 week vacation to go there.

Is Indonesia completely out of my price range? I guess I can move it up somewhat. I see most trips there are 10 days. Is it worth to go for 7 days?

 

[KathyV]

I am also in Chicago and in my experience airfare to the East can be very expensive. I have never been to Indonesia but I was in Korea last year and I checked out several flight options for possible side trips in the Far East and they were pricey. Do you have air miles or something to help with the airfare?

I know that $4000 per person is a lot of money but it sounds a little low to me for airfare, a 2week vacation, and a liveaboard dive trip. Hopefully others that have dive trip experience with Indonesia will be better able to advise you. Good luck!

 

[AmongStrangers]

I am also in Chicago and in my experience airfare to the East can be very expensive. I have never been to Indonesia but I was in Korea last year and I checked out several flight options for possible side trips in the Far East and they were pricey. Do you have air miles or something to help with the airfare?

I know that $4000 per person is a lot of money but it sounds a little low to me for airfare, a 2week vacation, and a liveaboard dive trip. Hopefully others that have dive trip experience with Indonesia will be better able to advise you. Good luck!

$4k for liveaboard+flight.

Actually, now when we have Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Turkish in ORD prices are not that high at all. Just did a random ticket search for the end of April. Going to Jakarta from ORD is $860 (wow, I might just go and book it right now, no matter if I go to liveaboard or not ). Flight to Roatan is $810 for the same dates.