Dream vacation

[striker]

If you had 3 weeks (last 2 of December and 1st of January), flying from NYC/Newark area, and unlimited funds...where would you go? Prefer natural beauty, few people, good food, and great diving in 80+ temperature. Dive Nitrox and are solid divers, but not into consistent deep diving just for the sake of going deep or penetrating wrecks. Do not require any type of nightlife!

(Not saying that my funds aren't limited...but am looking to make this an awesome trip as I only get in a long range trip every 2-3 years!)

Thanks!

 

[mike_s]

Go far south. Bonaire, Aruba, etc.

 

[Louie]

If you had 3 weeks (last 2 of December and 1st of January), flying from NYC/Newark area, and unlimited funds...where would you go? Prefer natural beauty, few people, good food, and great diving in 80+ temperature. Dive Nitrox and are solid divers, but not into consistent deep diving just for the sake of going deep or penetrating wrecks. Do not require any type of nightlife!

(Not saying that my funds aren't limited...but am looking to make this an awesome trip as I only get in a long range trip every 2-3 years!)

Thanks!

If time and logistics aren't hinderances:

Do a nice liveaboard out of Marsa Alam. I would choose this over land-based for the simple reason of being able to get to the best sites over a limited period of time.

Viz will probably be OK around the sites in January and the water temp will toward the mid-twenties (don't know faranheit).

Fury Shoals, St Johns, etc.: a good variety of marine life, nice corals and maybe the odd hammerhead or two.

You can have as much or as little nightlife as you want to have on a boat!!

Have fun whatever you decide on. Lucky you.

 

[Hank49]

Last night on FUEL tv they were covering a surf contest on Reunion Isle in the Indian Ocean just east of Madagascar....inside the tropics. It'll be summer in Jan so the surf should be small and the diving good. It only has 250,000 people and looked pretty *****in'. Nice reefs, Indian, African, Euro culture so the food must be diverse. Pretty ladies.....

 

[caymaniac]

If you had 3 weeks (last 2 of December and 1st of January), flying from NYC/Newark area, and unlimited funds...where would you go? Prefer natural beauty, few people, good food, and great diving in 80+ temperature. Dive Nitrox and are solid divers, but not into consistent deep diving just for the sake of going deep or penetrating wrecks. Do not require any type of nightlife!

(Not saying that my funds aren't limited...but am looking to make this an awesome trip as I only get in a long range trip every 2-3 years!)

Thanks!

I'd say pick anywhere in the "Coral Triangle". ("Google" this area-delineations)
Pick a liveaboard off northeastern Australia, stay from Lizard Island north, the water will be above 80F. We used "Diversity" out of Port Douglas
Pick PNG- New Britain, the water was consistantly above 85F, the top of the reef reached 90F usaully on every dive. "Star Dancer" provided nitrox, we had 12 divers who never met. Dives were in the 50 to 60 ft. range but you could easily break the 100Ft. depth if you wanted to/with a choice of 5 dives a day a bit shallower was better.
For the Caribbean, Little Cayman will be at about 80F, we used Little Cayman Beach Resort, but any of the ops there are good. Nitrox - yes
Then there's the Atlantic, Turks& Caicos was excellent. We were there in a different time slot (June) so I'm not too sure of the temps in Jan. For landbased we used Caicos Adventures but I think any of the liveaboards would be a great choice. Nitrox - yes
We've also used the Brac (Cayman), dove with Divi Tiara, alittle less expensive, great diving (a touch less as good than Little Cayman), they do take trips to Little Cayman, Nitrox - yes

 

[dvrliz1]

Without a doubt Bonaire! 13,000 people total on island, no stop lights, no traffic, fantastic diving. If staying ocean front I would do either Harbour Village (quiet, nice) or Bellafonte.

 

[vertaqua]

If you had 3 weeks (last 2 of December and 1st of January), flying from NYC/Newark area, and unlimited funds...where would you go? Prefer natural beauty, few people, good food, and great diving in 80+ temperature. Dive Nitrox and are solid divers, but not into consistent deep diving just for the sake of going deep or penetrating wrecks. Do not require any type of nightlife!

(Not saying that my funds aren't limited...but am looking to make this an awesome trip as I only get in a long range trip every 2-3 years!)

Thanks!

If I had unlimited funds for a dive trip I'd book a trip on one of the fathoms expeditions. They ussually go to the most far flung places, there trips ussually last a few weeks since getting to them takes a bit of doing, and almost always come back with amazing stories to tell. We're talking Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Islands, Cocos etc. I've never been since I can't afford the 5k + airfare price tag but from the articles they seem pretty sweet. Check out there website: www.fathomspub.com

 

[abitton]

Red Sea. 'nuff said.

 

[Damselfish]

with those criteria and 3 weeks I'd definitely try to hit a couple places in the Pacific. Micronesia, PNG, Tahiti, Fiji, Australia, or ...

 

[smokey braden]

striker,
welcome to this board.
do some research on the maldives.
regards,