Diving on a budget - your tips?

[ScubaJill]

Hello fellow DC diver! I travel on the cheap so I can do more dive trips. Long weekends in the Keys are usually my trips in between long vacations. I usually go on some kind of dive trip every 3 months - week-long vacations twice a year and long weekends two or three times a year. I mostly stay at inexpensive places and eat locally or buy groceries and don't drink. I often make my plans based on airline costs - cheap flight to Cozumel? I'll buy the ticket and build the trip around that. Same with other destinations. I own my gear, so no rental fees. It's doable.

 

[ERRN]

If you are on the east coast near DC you definitely have options but i agree the 4 day trip doesn't leave much free time. Personally I would fly into Cancun and do Yucatan Peninsula like Playa del carmen or Tulum area or Cozumel. Cozumel diving better but ferry rides and logistics take a few more hours out of a short trip and honestly as a newer diver I think the area around Playa/Akumal/Tulum would still impress. Personally once you get to Honduras and bay islands is cheap but you will lose a lot of time and spend money traveling in my experience, ditto Belize. I love the Keys and Florida but unless flights are dirt cheap, like $90 each way, I spend more considering lodging, food, car rental and diving costs, than i save by staying in the US.

Just to give you an idea of my cheap trips (relative)... direct flight from PHL to Cancun $300-350 roundtrip, $260 if the gods smile upon you lol. Bus to Playa del Carmen $7 each way, lodging in chill, safe hostel with breakfast $15 night, food $10-15 a day, diving $69-75 for 2 tank boat, could do package morning and afternoon for cheaper, around $250 for 6 dives over 3 days, including one cenote if i remember right. so the last time my buddy and I dirtbagged it eating street food and drinking cheap beers we managed a 6 day trip for around $750 including everything. Still not cheap but very doable. For myself and my buddy or SO, there is plenty of fun easy diving off the Yucatan Coast, and only do Coz for a few days on longer trips and prefer the vibe of Playa. I love the Caribbean but too damn expensive for me most of the time, though I am going to Curacao this winter for a week. Like the posters above said, airfare costs and time constraints would be my biggest considerations with short trips

 

[Schwob]

If you are on the east coast near DC you definitely have options but i agree the 4 day trip doesn't leave much free time. Personally I would fly into Cancun and do Yucatan Peninsula like Playa del carmen or Tulum area or Cozumel. Cozumel diving better but ferry rides and logistics take a few more hours out of a short trip and honestly as a newer diver I think the area around Playa/Akumal/Tulum would still impress. Personally once you get to Honduras and bay islands is cheap but you will lose a lot of time and spend money traveling in my experience, ditto Belize. I love the Keys and Florida but unless flights are dirt cheap, like $90 each way, I spend more considering lodging, food, car rental and diving costs, than i save by staying in the US.

Just to give you an idea of my cheap trips (relative)... direct flight from PHL to Cancun $300-350 roundtrip, $260 if the gods smile upon you lol. Bus to Playa del Carmen $7 each way, lodging in chill, safe hostel with breakfast $15 night, food $10-15 a day, diving $69-75 for 2 tank boat, could do package morning and afternoon for cheaper, around $250 for 6 dives over 3 days, including one cenote if i remember right. so the last time my buddy and I dirtbagged it eating street food and drinking cheap beers we managed a 6 day trip for around $750 including everything. Still not cheap but very doable. For myself and my buddy or SO, there is plenty of fun easy diving off the Yucatan Coast, and only do Coz for a few days on longer trips and prefer the vibe of Playa. I love the Caribbean but too damn expensive for me most of the time, though I am going to Curacao this winter for a week. Like the posters above said, airfare costs and time constraints would be my biggest considerations with short trips

Hope you don't mind a few questions:

Would you / could you recommend a few dive ops at Playa and at Tulum?
Why those?
Do any of those possibly have bigger tanks for the airhog in the family?
That may not be what you were there for, but maybe you or soneone knows:
We might go as a family (17 & up) and then may need to alternate diving days with "tourist days" for overall family happiness.
Is one location better from that point of view than another?
What not to miss?
What to consider seeing / doing?
What to pretty much not bother with?

 

[billt4sf]

US to Singapore round trip for under $600 !!

From there it's 2 hours to Bali.

Flight Deal: U.S. to Bali from $560 Round-Trip

 

[ERRN]

Would you / could you recommend a few dive ops at Playa and at Tulum?

Honestly everyone has their favorite shop and if you search posts for Playa you will find several recommendations. I personally use The Scuba Tribe since I have known the bilingual owner, Hector, for years and his go to dive master if he can't take you out is a native English speaker named Steve who is a great guy and a highly trained cave diver but relaxed dive master. They certified my SO and their prices are great. The only real issue I have run into is that bigger shops have their own boats, smaller shops basically rent space on those bigger boats, so may have less say on which dive sites you hit in some cases, never bothered me and still had a fair amount of control but it is a valid point to address. I have heard good things about Phantom Divers and Dive Mike as well.
Why those?

Like I said above, for me the fluent English, great prices, and the fact they are not shopping you out to 20 y.o. dive masters who are just turning and burning customers matter to me. Basically for $70 US you get a 2 tank dive with just you guys with your own dedicated dive master. Almost every dive was just myself and friend or SO and maybe 1-2 other people. very relaxed, very well run and very personalized.

Do any of those possibly have bigger tanks for the airhog in the family?

With advanced notice I would think most shops could get you bigger 120? tanks but most dive 80's, i would just shoot whatever shops you are considering an email and ask

That may not be what you were there for, but maybe you or soneone knows:
We might go as a family (17 & up) and then may need to alternate diving days with "tourist days" for overall family happiness.
Is one location better from that point of view than another?

Personally I really like Playa, 5th street is touristy but fun and beautiful in the evenings, easy to get "authentic" a few blocks inland, but can also get the kids gelato or the SO starbucks if they crave that kind of thing lol. Plus, big thing, the kids can go out and roam safely in afternoon or evening, giving you time to do the same or other. Lots of shopping, cenotes, beach clubs ect for tourist days and easy to get to tulum ruins, puerto moralas ect for day trips.

Tulum the beaches are beautiful but without a rental car, need a taxi to get into town. Tulum town has been growing impressively and now has more touristy infrastructure, but need a taxi to get to the beach. But check you tube videos for a feel of each. I would do Tulum for the weekend on the the beach if you wanted a nice resort vacation, Akumal for same, Playa for activities, food, fun and convenience and longer stays. Plus if you want to dive Cozumel only practical option for me would be from Playa or just take a few nights and stay in Cozumel.

What not to miss?

Depends what you like... Cenotes, have to do at least one, for convenience cenote azul, cristalina or EL jardin are all south of playa and easy to reach with taxi or collectivo.
Adventure parks not really my thing but with kids it might be worth coughing up the money, only one I went to was Aktun Chen, cave was awesome and prices were not bad. The ruins are worth getting to if you have any interest, Tulum easiest but very manicured, also gets hot, go early, Coba worth doing as well. Honestly check tripadvisor or google for more

What to consider seeing / doing?

see above, also huge ex pat community and lots of restaurants in Playa so great italian, thai, mexican, mayan, and other on offer, only real thought and this is just me, I will always stay in town due to convenience, activities and wanting to get out and about verses stuck on resort, YMMV. Would recommend at least one trip to Coz, even if not diving, rent a a car and drive around the island, very easy very fun, very beautiful on east side of island, beach clubs on south side if you want pampering or lazy tourist day .

What to pretty much not bother with?

Any restaurant on 5th lol, all pricey, some very good but all overpriced. package tours, easy to do a self guided tour to any of the above places. all inclusives make no sense to me given the alternatives, air b and b ect. Xplor and other westernized disney world like "adventure parks" too sterile and expensive for me personally. Avoid any hotel within a block of 12 street and 5th avenue, will be loud late at night.

Happy to answer any other specific questions but honestly trip advisor or playainfo are your friend here.

Other thoughts- don't need spanish, but even a little bit is appreciated, my SO speaks none and got by fine. Plenty of grocery stores like MEGA and Walmart so easy to self cater, get a kitchen, never had an issue with bank atm's, just take a debit card and withdrawal pesos.