How Do You Know Where To Go Diving And Whom To Book With?

[jason.elias]

My wife and I have been researching where we want to go for an epic Dive trip next year. And after much research - internet, books, magazines, travel agencies, and even filtering through hundreds of forum postings - I think we have figured out where we are going.. But it took so long and was so difficult to figure out which info was reliable, it made me wonder,

WHERE DO MOST PEOPLE FIND THEIR DIVE DESTINATION INFO?

How do you know where in the world to go? And how do you decide which local Dive Operator at your destination to book with? I ask, because in addition to being a Diver myself, I am contemplating opening a small Dive business here in California. And I am unsure of which resources I would recommend to people, asking me where in the world to go Diving and whom they can trust when they get there..

Do most Divers rely on friends recommendations? Local DiveMasters? Poeple who have been there before? The magazines? Or Dive Books? Maybe even these forums? It is just so hard to figure what info is relevant and what is chaff. How do people decide? Looking forward to getting some insight on this... Thanks!

-jason

 

[Pearldiver07]

I won't go into *where* to book, that'll be between you and them.

But as to where to go, don't bother with the magazines beyond deciding the general information of the place. Except for Undercurrents every magazine you pick up will tell you that every resort is the perfect place for everyone.

I used to like Rodale's reader input, but apparently the new management thought that they might lose a buck from a bad resort with $$ to spend on advertising.

As people who share your taste in room requirements, diving environment, and the topside stuff, to talk over some trips they've been on. If you like luxury but your friend has no problem sleeping in a hammock on the deck you might get a bad surprise when he tells you a live-aboard is fantastic.

Hope that this helps.

 

[DeputyDan]

Basically for my first trip to Bonaire - I asked a member of this board if my family could tag along with his group. It was Herman and he said yes - our gain - his ordeal

Roatan I went with my dive club - Twice as a matter of fact - Gypsy Divers in Raleigh NC

Hawaii - I based my trip on trip reports in the Hawaii section of this board - mostly Capybara's reports

First liveaboard - I used this board to narrow down to three choices and then went with the best price for the complete trip. chose Nekton - Caymans trip since I found a great airfare

 

[all4scuba05]

Definitely make scubaboard one of the places to get info from. If out of 20 replies, you get the majority pointing you to one specific place or Dive Op, then it's worth trusting. But you have to be specific on what is important to you. It's like Cruise Critic but much better.

 

[pir8]

have you tried your LDS?

 

[RICHinNC]

Go where your heart wants to go. Go on line and Google where ever that may be. Read up and then come on here and do a search. Once the search is done, then put out a thread asking for more info from those that have been there.

As for travel agents, I have always made my own reservations on everything.

Dont think things will always go smoothly or great. Sometimes a dive ops someone loves and recommends has a bad day and that was the day you dove with them. It happens.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Your LDS is a good option assuming you like them and you understand that their opinion and price is only one option. Still, you could be very happy that way and that's what it really is all about.

I personally get online and ask. I have no interest in traveling with most of the people I barely know at any of the LDS's here in NYC where "local" takes on a different meaning. There is no local in NYC. Of course it helps that my wife is a diver and so are some old friends so...

I come here and ask. I go to other pages and ask. Some destinations (like Bonaire) actually have their own dedicated fan/web page that can be an excellent source of several opinions on dining, hotels, and dive ops all at once. Reading trip reports on the many scuba dedicated pages is a great way to get opinions.

Also, take note when reading the reports. Is the writer like you? Did they want hardcore diving or not? Do they care if the hotel is a rats nest or not? Their negative opinion about something might be a positive for you.

Happy hunting!

scubaboard.com
scubadiving.com
shorediving.com
bonairetalk.com
google.com

 

[Buoyant1]

LDS is a good start...but if you have an IDEA of where you want to go, start trolling the boards and look for places...SEARCH is a great function for a start, then if you have a general idea, maybe start a new thread or PM someone...most are pretty helpful!

I started in the Keys because I had a friend that lived there for a few years, and that's where I did a discover scuba course....But if I wanted to know about any other places, I'd mess around here for a while...a lot of people have been somewhere appealing!

Word of mouth is the best recommendation IMHO!

Good luck, and have fun!!!

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I talk to friends then Scubaboard then Google and local boards. Yes it is difficult to search through all of the marketing garbage and get to some real opinions.

 

[jason.elias]

Definitely make scubaboard one of the places to get info from. If out of 20 replies, you get the majority pointing you to one specific place or Dive Op, then it's worth trusting.

Well ScubaBoard seems to be the consensus here. And though I tend to trust the "long tail", I guess you still need a well-honed sense of whom or what to trust..