I'm planning my first dive trip (recently AOW certified) - any recommendations? Scubamau seems to be pretty good choice...I'm only looking to bring my own mask/snorkel/fins so hoping for good rental equipment provided by the dive shop....
Now if I can find a way to avoid the single supplement....
I think it all depends on where you are staying and what you really want to do.
There are divers that live for diving and others who seem to like to dive then go out and drink and party. To each their own.
We are part of the first group. Our sole purpose there is to dive as much as possible. That means we only break to eat. If we cant find a boat to go out for night dives we grab tanks and do our own. Its no fun if you arent underwater!
When we travel without the kids we stay at Casa Del Mar and dive with Del Mar Aquatics. After we started bringing the kids, we kept using Del Mar and would just have them pick us up in the morning.
Their service and attitudes are what have kept us diving with them.
For those more advanced divers out there, like others, they will let you use all your air if you like. Even if it takes you a long long time! One trip all of us were on the boat except for 2 women (one was my wife the other was a old grandmother type!!) and 5 dive masters, some going for their instructor certs. They didnt seem to use much air at all.
So.. I say look at packages since they often save you the most $. We have found that Casa Del Mar has decent packages and is relatively close to the town square without being in town and is not way out in the boonies like the resorts.. (where we usually stay now. But we always rent a car.. something if you are going alone, you should not have to do.)
When are you planning on going?