Hawai'i advice needed

[Damselfish]

I do agree you want to spend more than a week in Hawaii, especially considering the travel time from the East coast and all you want to do. Even 10 nights would be better. Bermuda would be easy to fly to but the water will be cold, and unless you're into wrecks the diving may not appeal. It's also not known to be a very dive oriented island, while you can dive you don't have dive resorts set up with everything convenient. The Bahamas out islands, I wouldn't expect to find direct flights from NY - you're talking small airstrips in these places and a change to a local carrier.

But there are tons of places in the Carribean that should be easy to get to from NY. Just pop up the route maps for different airlines and at a glance you can see where there are direct flights from NY. Cayman and Turks&Caicos come to mind as good diving destinations that are generally easy to fly to. Or maybe one of the Virgin islands. Or maybe Curacao. Check Newark flights.

 

[kidspot]

also keep in mind that often times you can find good deals on a place to stay at Hawaii Vacation Rentals - VRBO® Vacation Rentals by Owner Hawaii - Hawaii Travel That can help extend your stay. Instead of eating out, go to Safeway or Costco and all of a sudden you can double the length of your stay without much of a cost increase

Wherever you go, have a wonderful vacation!

Aloha, Tim

P.S. Depending on time of year I found several places for $45-60 per night on VRBO

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

There are indeed flights from NY the the Bahamas - jetBlue flies from NY to Nassau daily. That said, I concur there are tons of places in the Carribean that should be easy to get to from NY. The ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) have excellent diving. Honduras' Bay Islands, especially Roatan, are also great destinations, and depending on your certifying agency, it's possible to take your AOW course at dive shops there. However, some of Roatan's south-side dive sites took a battering due to the relatively-recent earthquake that shook Honduras. The West End still looked great, though.

 

[lbillon]

Just came back from a week in Maui. Have been to all the islands over the years. It is by far the best. Check out Maui Dreams Dive Company in Kihei. I certified with them years ago and always go back (not to mention sending friends and colleagues). Their customer service is wonderful and they are able to meet all your needs from advanced certs, to nitrox and scooter dives. They will take you out to great places off the beaten path and old ship wrecks. Nothing beats the turtles and the rays, however, and you will see plenty.

Check them out - Maui Dreams Dive Company in Kihei - you will NOT be disappointed.

lb

 

[weenerdoggs]

Mexico is a good option too! As is Honduras. I think you should be able to fly to most locales from NY.

When you do come to Hawaii you will want to do the Manta dive. Most operators do it, truly amazing, I saw 12 mantas! Jack's Dive Locker is a good choice and I enjoyed diving with Kona Honu as well. The coral on the Big Island is very good (by Hawaiian standards) and I did some great drift dives there.

I wish I could tell you about Maui. I have tried to dive there but so far I haven't found any good local discounts, seems the prices stay high on Maui even for Oahu residents. (BTW any info on that subject would be appreciated from the other readers).

Both Islands are beautiful and you can easily spend a week on either. I found more beaches on Maui in case you are a beach lover.

J

 

[Nikya]

You guys are the best! Thank you again. I will let you know what I end up doing and hopefully soon I'll be able to help out others too...