Help me find the right trip!!!

[diver-rick]

My wife and I dove the Aquacat last summer and really enjoyed our time. It was probably the best dive vacation we have taken. I think I set the bar pretty high and my wife would expect equal or even better. We want to take another liveaboard next summer and I would love suggestions to explore. I have looked at trips all over the world and I think I am just getting confused. Any help would be appreciated!!!

Rick

 

[Teamcasa]

I'd look at these pretty close.
Dive KONA AGGRESSOR, top Hawaii liveaboard -- with U.S. Dive Travel.

Liveaboards Palau Expedition Fleet | Expedition Fleet Liveaboards: Scuba Diving Philippines and Palau!

But then again, I really enjoyed staying on Kauai and diving the local boats including a trip to Niihau. I'd go back in a second, funds permitting.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi Diver-Rick,

Can you give us an idea of what underwater encounters would get you and your wife excited?

Would you consider travelling to Australia as Ribbon Reefs on the Great Barrier Reef have excellent conditons mid-year? Minke whales

 

[ZoSo]

Diver-rick, I'm thinking of doing the AquaCat next summer and would like to hear about your trip (good and bad).

 

[ewaiea]

If you liked the Aqua Cat - I would bet that if you stayed in the Caribbean, go on the Belize, Turks and Caicos, Utila or Cayman Agressor. Utila is a brand new boat apparently as of just a month ago or so. Utila has the possibility of whale sharks, Turks and Caicos is awesome wall diving, Belize is a liveaboard paradise since the sites you'll dive are so far out (definitely liveaboard appropriate), and Cayman puts you on dive sites on Grand Cayman, the Brac, and Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall.

I have done the Aggressor in Kona and plan on next year doing the Palau Aggressor - so I would definitely do the Aggressor.......OR the Dancer Fleet - both just absolutely AWESOME companies with an even MORE awesome owner.

Though it's not conventient to get to - you should check out the Dancer Fleet's Star Dancer in Papua New Guinea - go early summer (May or June) to do the North New Britain charter - I did it this year and it ranks as the greatest diving I've EVER done. I am skeptical that Palau will not quite match it - but we'll see........you'll get pinnacle/bommie diving which is basically like wall diving around huge seamounts - and muck diving which doesn't sound cool but if you have appreciation for little things muck diving in my opinion is the BEST part of the trip - and it's shallow and easy so it's perfect for any type of diver. Just make sure you know this is a "tiny critters" type of trip. You'll see big stuff but it's not a place that's known for big stuff - so be forewarned - plus airfare is expensive to this destination - but if you want to find a destination that will wipe the floor with the Aqua Cat......Star Dancer in PNG would DEFINITELY do that!!! Plus since you'll probably be flying through Australia you could stop and do some cold water diving off Sydney for a day or two - or maybe the GBR off Cairns! I would have but I didn't have enough vacation time at work.

This is not exactly a tropical trip but might not break the bank airfare-wise though...... www.truthaquatics.com (read below)

Not that it would equal the Aqua Cat - but I heard the food and diving that you experience with Truth Aquatics off of southern California (Channel Islands) is awesome but bring an 8-7mm semi-dry since the water in the summer will be in the high 60's and it's kelp diving - PLUS the liveaboards are only 2-4 days on average depending on the one you do. Unlike inshore diving in southern California - the Channel Islands are known for having much better visibility and are definitely high on my list - AND I LIVE IN HAWAII!!! If I don't do Palau next year with the Aggressor - I'm going to California's Channel Islands with Truth Aquatics. In my opinion - I wouldn't use a drysuit unless the water is below 60 degrees, but the water temp in the summer would be anywhere from mid-60's to potentially low 70's in some areas. So a 7mm or an 8-7 semi-dry (which is what I would use) would be perfect for that environment. It's sort of a "tweener" place - not quite drysuit diving but definitely colder than tropical diving.

A little out of left field I know, but you MAY find temperate water diving is more to your liking than you might initially expect. ;-)

 

[drrich2]

I have looked at trips all over the world and I think I am just getting confused. Any help would be appreciated!!!

Well, let's start by eliminating the impractical.

If you have great wealth and scads of free time, then leaving Texas to dive Indonesa, the Philipines, etc..., may be right up your alley. But if spending over, oh, say, $4,000 apiece sounds too rich for your blood, and taking off more than 10 days at a time creates a strain at work, then you can start writing off highly expensive far-distant destinations that take a couple of days travel-time each way. Narrows it down a good bit.

Now, are you reef lovers, big fish/animal lovers or wreck lovers? How important is warm water 'no wetsuit required' diving to you? I ask because a charter trip deep diving the wrecks off North Carolina and meeting the sand tiger sharks up close & personal might be a blast, but not if you're bent on no-wet suit diving in very calm seas. If you'd go gaga over sharks & greatly desire to see some, then a Bahamas trip might be your cup of tea.

Another consideration: topside. Compare 2 extremes; wreck diving by boat in Aruba, vs. pinnacle diving by boat in Saba. Very, very different topside experiences from what I've read.

What I'm saying is, figure out how far you're willing to go, how much you're willing to spend, how much time you've got to kill, what kind of things you want to see (big animals, pretty fish, reefs, wrecks), what kind of conditions you require (e.g.: calm Caribbean vs. the Atlantic off North Carolina; warm water vs. cold), what topside experience you want (it's easy to say none, it's a live-aboard; fine, but think about it) and whether you're happy trying new sites in the Caribbean, or do you want to 'get out there' & hit some very exotic locale (in which case perhaps for a topside diversion you'll meet wild Komodo dragons).

Where did you go on your last live-aboard trip?

Richard.

 

[OEXCharters]

I think drrich2 has the best response. What kind of experience are you looking for both topside and underwater? What level of divers are you? Do you want challenging dives or just some run of the mill diving with some variety?

How long a trip are you looking for and how much money you have to spend are also two key questions.

 

[scuba777]

My wife and I Honeymooned @ Don Foster's in 1991 and are hoping to
go back for our 20th year anniversary next year.
I've looked at Sunset House but not sure its 'deluxe/pampering' enough.
Sandals Grand Bahamian was great a few years back but too restrictive/couldn't roam the island safely/too many honeymooners/etc. (felt like the oldest there!)
and we REALLY want to go back to Cayman. What are some other all-inclusive options on the islands that include all food/diving that have luxury rooms?
I've also looked at a resort in Honduras but seems like there's no 'nightlife', just isolated diving...
Also wanted to mention we'd love it to include shore diving....

Thanks!

 

[Shasta_man]

Go for the $4K each and the MORE than 10 days off because the boat's ten days alone...

you just start having fun when the weeks already over...those "exotic" spots also have the same experience on land

 

[Quero]

diver-rick, I'd love to suggest Thailand for a liveaboard experience. It will spoil you in terms of marine life, underwater landscapes, and customer service! Yes, the airfare to get out here is more than you pay to get to the Caribbean (especially from Texas), but you save a lot of money on the cruise itself (good boats are low prices compared to most LOBs N. Americans have experienced). However, our season is in the winter, not the summer, so if you are only free during the summer months, Thailand isn't really an option.

Having said that, there's a good liveaboard in the Sipadan area (off Borneo) that time of year, and diving there would give you the opportunity to go elsewhere as well, such as doing some land-based touring to see orang-utans, or maybe go to Bali for a culture break.