Help: Looking for location suggestion for a ~2 month dive trip

[Quero]

Tubbataha may take some effort and expense to dive, and Sipadan isn't what I'd call cheap....

This sounds like fantastic diving - but certainly not cheap !

I think I made that fairly clear But expense is relative to value, and some things are just worth the extra cost. Believe me, I'm saving up for Tubbataha! But it's not actually my paltry income as a scuba instructor that's stopping me. No, it's time. I just can't fit it into my schedule yet. I'd happily find and spend the money if I could afford the time. The OP has the kind of time I don't have.... doesn't hurt a thing to throw it out there for him to consider!

Wisnu is calling me smart .

And I'm sure he's right! Wisnu and his family are among my favorite people who have come to dive with me. You can actually see his daughter's report of her diving with me on my webpage!:giveusahug:

 

[mastakebob]

Quero: Yes, I am American. Here in Kuwait for a year+, figure I'll want to decompress before heading back to the states. Thanks much for the visa information, is one less thing to worry about. Based upon your response, I'm feeling comfortable with the idea of just arriving in region with a rough idea of what locations I wanna hit, and then just moving from location to location on an ad-hoc basis.

Kathy: Wow, I just read that epic thread of yours end to end: very impressive (and pretty and informative). You'll definitely be getting a PM from me attempting to pick your brain cause it seems like what you did is exactly what i'm looking to do. I'll be most interested to hear what your favorite locations were, what locations you wished you had hit, and what locations you could have skipped.

Are DMT programs common in the area? In Roatan they had these deals were you'd 'work' for the shop (carry tanks, wash gear, lead dives once you get acquainted with the area, etc) while you work towards your DM cert, and in return you'd dive for free during your training. I'd be interested in that as long as its in a populous location with stuff to do on shore and such...

Thanks everyone for the inputs! This is still a bit away for me, so I'm really just trying to get a rough idea of whats available and get a skeleton of a plan in place...

Oh, and PS: I only have my AOW and Nitrox cert, so I'm not cert'd for tech and caves and such. So if there are sites that are more tech-oriented, I might not get the full experience from them...

 

[instructor44pi]

I did my Divemaster and IDC with BLUE SEASON BALI. They have options for different amounts of time that you want to dedicate to the course, from 1 month programs to 7 month programs. I personally did the 2 month program that also ofers a free MSD certification. The diving there is spectacular with wrecks, mantas, drifts, macro, currents, Mola Mola and much more!

The small town that the dive center is located in is perfect to live in with nice Bars and restaurants, with the livelier KUTAAA only about 15 minute taxi ride away for a big night out!

have a look at their website at PADI Divemaster Internships | Scuba Diving Internships| PADI IDC to get a better idea of what they can offer you... that's where i started and i have to say it was one the best decisions i've made in a long time!

P

 

[mastakebob]

Thread resurrection!

So, my 2 month vacation got pushed back a bit. Now I'm looking at mid Oct through mid Dec 2011 for my trip to SE Asia.

From the previous responses and massive amounts of forum lurking, my current plan is looking like the following:
mid Oct - mid Nov: Puerto Galera doing a DM internship
late Nov: Subic Bay for wreck dives and a TEC class
early Dec: Pulau Weh
mid Dec: Similans/Phuket/Koh Phi Phi

Am I making any blatant errors here? Like scheduling a location during its monsoon season? or missing a great opportunity that could be remediated with a simple re-ordering of my schedule? I'm still looking for a 50/50 balance of good diving and a lively night life (hence why places like malapascua and raja ampat are not represented here...).

Thanks again!

 

[Quero]

October is still typhoon season in the PI, but that's like saying what the hurricane season is in the US. There may or may not be a typhoon then (as opposed to monsoon season in Thailand in October, when there is an excellent chance of storms, wind and heavy seas).

So I'd say your plan looks reasonable as far as a timetable goes.

There's just one thing... I've read through your earlier posts in the thread, and I'm wondering why you are planning to do a DM internship. Many people think the DM internship is a good way to save money--that they'll get lots of "free" dives in this way, etc. This is, I believe, a misguided reason for doing the training. A good reason for doing it, on the other hand, is that the candidate wants to become a DM for professional purposes. Working as a DM, whether as an intern or as a fully qualified professional, isn't about the DM enjoying dives--it's about the customers enjoying dives. Doing dives as a fun diver and as a working dive professional are very, very different sorts of experiences. So if you want to become a DM in order to work in the industry, that's great; but if you want to become a DM so that you get free dives, think about how you would feel as a paying customer being handed off to an intern who's in the water for his own dive instead of making sure you get the most out of your dive. (Or think how ridiculous it would be to do a nursing internship so that you could have "free" medical checkups instead of doing it so that you could work with patients.)

 

[mastakebob]

Thanks for the schedule review. Do you know of any website/thread where the 'ideal' times to dive certain regions in SE Asia are listed? Or, conversely, the 'worst' time to dive certain regions?

For the DM internship question:
It's an absolutely valid question to ask. I can see where I was mis-leading with my original post. The short answer is "No, i don't view a DM course as a cheap way to get a bunch of fun-dives in". I am fully aware that the course will be tough and there will be responsibilities associated with it that are in no way 'fun'. I phrased that sentence the way I did for brevity's sake, and, unfortunately, it came out incorrectly.

Thanks for bearing with me.

 

[Quero]

Kevin, no sorry, I don't know of any website that compares and lists different areas and when it's best there. I've got a huge book that I refer to, or I just do it piecemeal.

Thanks for answering my question about your motives. It's such a common issue, and sometimes people don't think it through.

 

[Wisnu]

Not SE Asia; the best dive season for Indonesia only can be found here in local diving forum community forumselam.com ~ View topic - Diving Season di Indonesia - Database
mix bahasa and english but you should be able to understand - mostly.

Re. Pulau Weh - practically no lively night live there, except night diving is excelent at gapang house reef.

 

[Centrals]

From the previous responses and massive amounts of forum lurking, my current plan is looking like the following:
mid Oct - mid Nov: Puerto Galera doing a DM internship
late Nov: Subic Bay for wreck dives and a TEC class
early Dec: Pulau Weh
mid Dec: Similans/Phuket/Koh Phi Phi

Am I making any blatant errors here? Like scheduling a location during its monsoon season? or missing a great opportunity that could be remediated with a simple re-ordering of my schedule? I'm still looking for a 50/50 balance of good diving and a lively night life

I wouldn't worry too much on the weather. This is my suggestion:
1. DM internship and tech course in PG.
2. Technical wreck course in Subic so as to admire the inner sanctuary of USS New York. As far as I know you have to be a technical diver first before you can enrol for overhead environment.
3. See above #18.
4. Similan is fine but not Phuket(except for party) and Koh PP.

 

[mastakebob]

(WARNING: LONG POST, FEEL FREE TO SKIM OR COMPLETELY IGNORE)

So, I finished up this trip in late November. For various reasons, it ended up being less than the original 2-3 months I was initially projecting. Below follows a brief rundown of the locations I hit including who I dove with, my thoughts on the diving, how i traveled there, rough pricing, etc. Intent of this post is to provide other folks looking to do this with a rough idea of what to expect in diving and price and travel considerations.

Notes:
- "Overall price" is the sum total of what I paid to get to the location and how much I spent while I was there up to the moment I flew to the next location. It is not limited to the diving-related expenses.
- I mostly traveled solo at the last minute, if you're at sticking to a plan or sharing costs with someone else, it might be cheaper for you.
- I had my own gear, so most of these prices reflect that discount. I tried to state so if otherwise.
- "Diving thoughts": I am an inexperienced diver (<100 dives, most in eastern US, Kuwait and Roatan), so go easy on my thoughts. If I didn't like your most favorite dive site on earth, I'm sorry, it just didn't do it for me.
- Most travel between locations requires a whole day, if not more. Plan accordingly.
- Most of this travel was during "low season", so prices and dive quality were correspondingly lower.


Thailand:

Bangkok:
Dates: 11 Oct to 13 Oct
Travel: International Flight in
Lodging: Backpacker hotel in Khao San
Diving thoughts: No diving, just partying in Khao San with the girlfriend. Got in and out before the flooding hit.
Diving Pricing: N/A

Koh Lanta:
Dates: 13 Oct to 18 Oct
Travel: Thai Air from BKK to Krabi, private taxi to Lanta arranged by our hotel
Lodging: Ancient Realms (http://ancientrealmresort.com). ~2km outside of Saladan port. Bungalow (AC'd bedroom, outdoor bathroom/shower). Nice lodging for a couple, right on beach, friendly owner. Not best location (really need a scooter to get to any tourist activity). Forget the price, but I think it was in the 800BHT/night range.
Diving Thoughts: Wanted to dive Hin Muang and Daeng with Blue Planet Divers (Diving Koh Lanta - Thailand - Daytrips, Courses, Free Diving), but they weren't going to Muang because it was still low season (high season starts 1 Nov) and the water was too choppy. I instead booked a dive to 4 Islands (i believe that's the site name), but came down with a nasty fever (compounded with travellers sickness) the night before, so I scrubbed the dive. Instead spent the week nursing the girlfriend back to health after she took a tumble off a scooter (she was a champ about it), and playing with the monkeys at the Monkey School.
Diving Pricing: I believe it was ~3300BHT for 2 tanks (lunch included).
Overall expenditures: ~$1400 (including Phi Phi)

Koh Phi Phi:
Dates: 18 Oct to 22 Oct
Travel: Ferry from Lanta to Phi Phi. Very easy, tickets sold all over the place, something like 300bht for both of us, runs multiple times a day, included pickup from hotel
Lodging: Chunut cabins (http://www.phiphichunuthouse.com) in the main part of the island (~5 minute walk to both Ton Sai or Dahlum). I liked the location (close enough to bars and beaches to walk, but not so close that you have drunk euro-backpackers stumbling around outside), bungalow (AC bedroom, outdoor shower/bathroom), lots of bugs crawling around.
Diving Thoughts: Phi Phi Scuba Divers (Phi Phi Scuba Diving Center: Welcome). Tried again to get to Muang/Daeng, but no joy. Dove the King Cruiser wreck, Shark point, and Anemone Point. Phi phi diving center is probably the biggest operation on the island which kinda made me wary about a possible cattle boat, but it was early enough in the season that there were only ~8 divers on the boat, and I got paired with 1 other guy + a DM. Can't comment on if they get cattle-y during high season. This was my first dive in SE Asia, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Ended up being pretty great. No huge "wow" moments, but the water was clear and there was lots of life. I liked the cruiser wreck the best and the shark point the least. To me (inexperienced), it was pretty good tropical diving.
Diving Pricing: Hin Muang is 5500 baht, 3-tank Cruiser/Shark/Anenome is 4300 baht, and 2 tank local dives are 2500 baht. Lunch included. 500 baht discount if you have your own gear. These prices are set across the island, so i don't think you'll get much outta price shopping between companies. One final thought: Walking along phi phi streets you will get sales pitches constantly from DMT's trying to get you to 'try diving' with their company. They're not pushy, but it does get annoying. Guess thats where the profit is, giving courses to backpackers.
Pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/Kevin....hiKingCruiserWreck?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Overall Spending: ~$1400 (including Lanta)

Phuket:
Dates: 22 Oct to 30 Oct
Travel: Ferry from Phi Phi to Phuket port, taxi in and around island
Lodging: Hotel in Patong beach, forget the exact one.
Diving thoughts: First 4 days were beach/partying with the girlfriend (thank god I had her to keep the Bangla street workers off my back), then she flew home and I moved to Chalong to do my Rescue Diver. Did my Rescue Diver in Chalong with Gecko Scuba Divers (Gekko Scuba Divers | Phuket Thailand). Marcia is a great instructor who doesn't just 'sell' c-cards, you gotta work to pass her course. Highly recommended if you're looking for private/semi-private instruction in the Phuket area. Did 4 dives at a beach on the south-western tip of the Phuket for my 'practical'.
Diving Pricing: Not sure on how much just dives are, mine were part of the course package.
Overall Spending: ~$2100 (including Similians)

Similans Liveaboard:
Dates: 30 Oct to 3 Nov
Travel: Government bus from Phuket bus terminal to Khao Lak, 90 Baht one/way. Easy to go to, helpful locals. Recommended.
Lodging: Dolphin Queen by Similan Diving Safaris (Similan Diving Safaris | Diving Similan Islands, Khao Lak, Thailand: liveaboard, day trip diving, PADI Courses and snorkeling trips to the Similan Islands in Thailand)
Diving thoughts: 4D/4N, 14 dives. I was really looking forward to this. First liveaboard for me, and in the world famous Similan Islands! Result: Liveaboard was great (acceptable accommodations, good food, good companions, good DMs/guides), but I was underwhelmed by the diving. Don't get me wrong, coming from the east coast, it was good diving, but it wasn't as good as I was expecting. Richelieu Rock was fantastic, but the rest of the Similan dives were pretty mediocre. Looked like someone took a weed whacker to the coral. Vast fields of dead/dying coral. Still lots of fish, however. I was in Roatan in 2010, and I would say that the diving in Roatan was on par if not better than the majority of the Similans (Richelieu excluded).
Diving Pricing: 18000 baht for 4D/4N, 1000 baht discount if you have your own gear
Overall Spending: ~$2100 (including Phuket)
Pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/Kevin.Bobsein/SimilansLiveaboard?authuser=0&feat=directlinkInd

Indonesia:

Pulau Weh:
Dates: 4 Nov to 14 Nov
Travel: Air Asia from Phuket to Medan via Kuala Lumpur, Overnight bus from Medan to Banda Aceh, Fast ferry from Banda Aceh to Sabang (Weh island), taxi from Sabang to Gapang Beach. Recommend flying direct to Banda, that overnight bus from Medan SUCKS.
Lodging: Lumba Lumba divers (Enjoy your diving with Lumba Lumba Diving Centre on Pulau Weh (Weh Island), Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia). 28euro/night for a pretty brand new bungalow with a fan and flushing toilet. Not much in Gapang beach except for the dive shop and about 4 restaurants (generally $5USD for a full dinner). Bring booze with you prior to landing in Banda or Medan (dry area of Indonesia).
Diving thoughts: Lumba Lumba divers. AMAZING DIVING. Best diving I've done (with the possible exception of Richelieu Rock) in my life. Granted, I haven't done much diving, so take that endorsement as you will. They do their flagship dive every other day (name escapes me right now), and I saw more life on that one dive than i did on 3 days of diving in the Similans. 2 sharks, ~4 octopuses, 15+ morays, lots of other stuff. Dives are all 1-tank dives, with a return to shore in between the morning and afternoon dives. There's a nice house reef that you can do anytime including nights. Dive facilities at Lumba Lumba are excellent. I only got 9 dives in, but I had to sit out the last three days due to an ear infection. Final thought: Getting there is a pain, but its completely worth it.
Diving Pricing: ~18 euro/dive if you dive 10+ dives. ~7euro dive for house reef dive. A few euro discount/dive if you have your own gear. Be advised that there are no ATMs in that area, so you have to go back to Sabang (45 minute taxi) port to get more cash.
Pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/Kevin.Bobsein/PulauWeh?authuser=0&feat=directlink
Overall Spending: ~$1000

Lembongan:
Dates: 14 Nov to 17 Nov
Travel: Lion Air from Banda to Bali via Jakarta, Ferry from Bali to Lembongan
Lodging: Bunga Bungalows (Bunga Bungalo (Nusa Lembongan, Indonesia) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor). Not much going on in Lembongan in Mid-November, apparently. Quite boring. Smells like seaweed (the locals farm it). No AC in my particular bungalow. Expensive place. Power kept going out in my bungalow driving the temperature way up (fan stopped working). There is a cliff jumping point on Nusa Pennida (sp) that is worth checking out.
Diving thoughts: Bali Diving Academy (Bali Diving Academy | Diving Bali | Bali Scuba Diving | Bali Diving Adventures) Wasn't overwhelmed. It was off season, so the shops were only doing 1 boat a day (2 tanks). Couldn't shake the feeling that I was wasting valuable time with these all afternoon surface intervals. Plus, the dives that I did do had a lot of colorful coral, but enough current that I couldn't really stop and check out what was going on in the coral. So my impression was of a colorful and quickly moving sea floor. Got word that my vacation was being cut back by 3 weeks, so I decided to pop smoke and bail out. Did one dive, cancelled the rest of my stay, and hopped the next ferry/flight outta there.
Diving Pricing: ~$75/2-tank dive.
Overall Spending: ~$900
Pics: None

Philippines:

Subic Bay:
Dates: 18 Nov to 27 Nov
Travel: Air Asia from Bali to Clark Airbase via KL, Jeepney/public bus to Subic Bay
Lodging: Pista Sa Barrio hotel (can't find a link) and later Mango Valley Hotel (OFFICIAL | WEBPAGE | Subic Bay - Mango Valley Hotel @ low low| Corporate Rates | Direct Reservation), both arranged by Boardwalk Dive Center. Subic bay is an "Americanized" area of the Philippines (used to be a US Navy base), is quite clean, but also kinda sterile feeling. Walk over the river into Olongapo for a more 'local' experience. Pista Sa Barrio is right on the 'beach', but Mango Valley hotel is a much nicer place to stay (more expensive, though).
Diving thoughts: Boardwalk Dive Center (Dive at Boardwalk Dive Center Official Website -). Did pretty much all wreck diving (USS New York, El Capitan, LST, etc). Far cry from previous reef dives. Really enjoyed it. Much more challenging. Tried doubles for the first time, really liked it. Might have to start taking some tech courses now that I'm back in the mid-atlantic (Baltimore). Generally 2-tank dives (one of a deep one like the LST or USS New York, and one of a more shallow one like the El Capitan or the shallow portion of the New York). Did some fun penetrations on the New York (none of the hardcore, engine room ones, but I got to see some of the holds and boiler rooms), Capitan (air bubble), and LST (sleeping quarters). Final Thought: USS New York was amazing. Great intro to doubles and penetration diving.
Diving Pricing: $35/dive
Overall Spending: $1900
Pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/Kevin.Bobsein/SubicBayPhilippines?authuser=0&feat=directlink



Final Thoughts/Figures:
Dates: mid-Oct to late-Nov
Total cost: Probably in the $9k-10k range. Covered flights to and from the region, 2 weeks of supporting the girlfriend, random big ticket items (such as fixing a scooter that we crashed or an accidental double booking on a flight from Bali to KL), all food, booze, dives, courses, in and around transportation (mostly purchased at the last minute), baggage fees for lugging 32kg of clothing and gear around the region, a tune up on my Glacia (musta got jostled too much on a flight cause it free-flowed in Phi Phi), paying Western Unions and Mastercard's exorbitant fees to get cash after I lost my ATM card in Indonesia, souvenirs, medicine and first aid supplies, other leisure activities, and other various and sundry expenditures.
Favorite Dive location: Pulau Weh, Indonesia
Place I would skip if I did it again: Bali/Lembongan, Indonesia (expensive, ho-hum diving)
Place I would hit if I did it again: Komodo/Raja Ampat, Indonesia or Southern PI
Easiest place to be a tourist: Phuket, Thailand
Hardest place to be a tourist: Medan/Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Sum total of dives during the trip: 54
Deepest dive: ~32m on USS New York in Subic
Longest dive: ~1h,5m on a shallow Subic reef trying out doubles
Should you do something similar?:&#8203; ABSOLUTELY


K, thats it. Thanks for reading this far! I'm sure that I probably labelled some of the fish in my pics wrong, so I apologize in advance. If you tell me what I labelled wrong, I'll try to correct it...

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO GAVE ME GUIDANCE IN THIS THREAD OR ALONG THE WAY, I REFERED TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS OFTEN WHEN DECIDING WHERE TO GO NEXT!


-Kevin