Changing Mexico trip to Hawaii?

[BackstageDiver]

A bit of a weird situation. My girlfriend and I had booked a trip to Mexico (Playa del Carmen and a couple cenotes) this December. Flights and hotels and dives are already booked. Now she can't go because she has been sent to Hawaii for work, and her contract ends in the middle of our Mexico plans.

So she can't do Mexico, but has left the decision to me whether to to do the Mexico trip alone, or go to Hawaii to try to salvage a vacation together. This is not one of those BS relationship tests. We've been together 12 years and don't play those games. Sometimes we just have solo vacations because we can't get work schedules to line up. Obviously being with her in Hawaii sounds more enjoyable, but it's also going to be way more expensive due to lodging (no company housing after contract ends) and airfare. And shifting the dates because of the contract, we would be there over Christmas, missing out on family.

Ignoring the relationship aspect and just looking at the diving/experience vs cost, which trip would you do? Is a Hawaiian vacation worth the extra expense over Mexico? And if so, is it better to concentrate on one location or try to island hop?

 

[rongoodman]

There's nothing in Hawaii like the cenotes.

 

[BackstageDiver]

There's nothing in Hawaii like the cenotes.

I used to do a lot of cave diving in FL. I know the cenotes are a lot more geologically interesting than the FL caves though.

I've seen in Hawaii there are the cathedrals of Lanai and caves/caverns of Maui and Kauai, as well as some lava tube sites in Maui and Kona, all of which greatly interest me and seem broadly comparable. Do they not really compare?

 

[CycleCat]

Having never been in the cenotes or to Hawaii, I am probably the least qualified to answer. But if you can get refunds or credits on the Mexico itinerary, I would reschedule that for later and go to Hawaii. I'm sure Hawaii diving does not suck and you can be together AND still go to Mexico later.

 

[Jcp2]

I wouldn’t go between islands unless I was there for two weeks. Doing Lanai or Molokai requires staying on Maui, which will also get you access to Molokini. There is a chance to dive the Carthaginian and wave to the Atlantis submarine. Mala wharf is a great shore dive for turtles and reef sharks and macro. The Makena “caves” are room sized dents in the side of a wall. Christmas is probably the most expensive topside but you can also whale watch. Maui Mantas on Facebook is a good source of local diving information.

 

[Kimela]

I'm assuming at least PART of her expenses will be covered by her work - part of the travel at least? I think it's a good excuse to go to Hawai'i. We've only been to Kona (twice) and really enjoyed it. The cost will be double - and that's why we don't have plans to return - but what you see topside is pretty incredible. The hiking, volcano and Mauna Kea (if you do the Big Island), the beauty of the landscape, food, culture. It's pretty cool. And Mexico will still be there and will still be affordable later on.

The water will be cold in December - but it was going to be cold in the cenotes too (I haven't been to the cenotes - and that's one of the reasons - the other is we always stay on Cozumel and I don't want to do the ferry ride to/from the mainland).

You can't go wrong either way.

 

[OrcasC205]

Hawaii is great if you are willing to consider it a "vacation with diving" rather than a "diving vacation." The diving in Hawaii is good, but probably not comparable to the Caribbean coast of Mexico, but there is a lot more to do in Hawaii than to just dive.

Which island is she being sent to? The big island has better diving than Oahu in my opinion, especially for more healthy reefs, but there is still good diving on Oahu (I haven't dove on any of the other islands to be able to compare.)

 

[BackstageDiver]

Thanks for the advice all. She will be based on Oahu in Honolulu, so that would probably be our entry/exit point. The big island sounds the most interesting, so maybe we will stay there.

And yes, her airfare should be totally covered, assuming they approve her request to delay the flight, which they usually do.