How to get cheap diving at any holiday location

[sierrakilo]

Hi

A while back I tried promoting a website about Malapascua, by publishing a number of articles or articlesbase and such sites. One rather long article was titled "how to get cheap diving at any holiday location" - and I though people (read: divers) were going to be all over it, because of the rather loud title. To date eleven people have read it. Sigh - that's online marketing for you.. - I guess I've got to try something else. Anyway, I didn't want to just wast all the effort, so I thought I'd drop a link here, and see if anyone here would be interested.

Diving on a budget

It's a bit outspoken in places, diveshop owners and resort managers may feel inclined to disagree with what I write. I hope any discussion arising will be kept sober though, and I'd love to hear any feedback.

Best regards, SK

 

[caymaniac]

Hi

A while back I tried promoting a website about Malapascua, by publishing a number of articles or articlesbase and such sites. One rather long article was titled "how to get cheap diving at any holiday location" - and I though people (read: divers) were going to be all over it, because of the rather loud title. To date eleven people have read it. Sigh - that's online marketing for you.. - I guess I've got to try something else. Anyway, I didn't want to just wast all the effort, so I thought I'd drop a link here, and see if anyone here would be interested.

Diving on a budget

It's a bit outspoken in places, diveshop owners and resort managers may feel inclined to disagree with what I write. I hope any discussion arising will be kept sober though, and I'd love to hear any feedback.

Best regards, SK

It might be budget for you, but for me it costs over $1100 each - from my area to MNL (Manilla), so for my wife and I that is already at least $2200 just for airfare. If you think that that is a start to budget diving you're crazy.
For instance I can get to Grand Cayman for less than $400 each, rent a condo for a week for $1200 or on the Brac for less than $800...I still consider this to be expensive but more affordable than using up several days of vacation to get one way to MNL.

 

[Doc]

It's a bit outspoken in places, diveshop owners and resort managers may feel inclined to disagree with what I write. I hope any discussion arising will be kept sober though, and I'd love to hear any feedback.

Your article was more filled with reasons to secure in one's own mind as to why a dive operator might allow a discount- but very little on how to bargain for this discount.

You missed the most obvious and relevant factor: quantity.

If you look at the "menu board", you'll see prices for 1 dive, 5 dives and 10 dives. If I am showing up in the Philippines for a week, I am looking for (gasp) 4+1 dives each day. Yes, I know it's a task due to their standard EurAsian schedules of dive boats, but I want to do all 4 boat dives plus that night dive.

So when you look the operations manager in the eye and say, "How much for 25 dives?", that usually makes them think. After they give you the price, then say, "How much in US Dollars, cash?".

As to the comments by Caymaniac in terms of the airfare, that surely is true, but when you compare the airfare to other similar South Pacific underwater delights, the Philippines is always at the top of the bargain list. You can go to Palau, Yap and wherever else for the same airfares.... and not see anything better, yet be paying one hell of a lot more for your ground/diving.

The Philippines is indeed a bargain.

 

[k374]

After they give you the price, then say, "How much in US Dollars, cash?".

Given the current state and future of the US dollar I would say the price would be higher if you said "in US dollars" I know many places overseas that are refusing to take US Dollars now.

 

[Doc]

Given the current state and future of the US dollar I would say the price would be higher if you said "in US dollars" I know many places overseas that are refusing to take US Dollars now.

Maybe so, but I should have emphasized the CA$H part.

 

[sierrakilo]

Hi guys

RoatanMan - you're absolutely right about quantity! I don't know how I could've missed it - I guess it seemed so obvious, that I just didn't see that it was missing. But of course - it's one the most important things. I'll add to the article later on today or tomorrow - and add the cash bit as well. Cash is always prefered in an industry where the IRS so far haven't figured out how to fix meters on the compressors. =) Thanks for your contribution.

Caymaniac, I didn't mean to imply you'd get cheap diving by coming to the Philippines - that'd of course depend on where you live. That's why the article was titled get cheap diving at any holiday location. Any discount can of course be offset by having to mortgage your home to afford to fly there =)


Best regards, SK