How You Picked Your Upcoming Trips?

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...Last year we went to the Philippines, for us a 10 flight to manila and then a connection. We also chose a high end LOB Now for use the diving was uninspiring but that's not the fault of the trip. What was our problem was on the flight over we obviously pick up a cold bug. Much as we persevered we both lost the last 1/3 of our trip because we were to ill to dive. While the cabin on our boat was great and we had enough stuff on our laptops to keep us amused - being around people who had been diving while you couldn't and trying to keep your distance so as to not infect them is no fun. Hence our wariness each time with long distance travel - now we generally pick lower end boats so if something goes wrong you don't lose so much...

We've had similar experiences both on liveaboards and land-based trips. We work crazy long hours before leaving town and stay up all night to pack. Then the air travel causes a lot of congestion and exposure to colds and we are susceptible because we are physically run down. So we have spent time at resorts and on liveaboard with colds and ear infections and unable to dive and it is a real bummer.

I think the worst was our trip to St. Croix several years ago. We both came down with colds while we were on the liveaboard and then my husband got an ear infection and we were unable to dive for the last part of the trip. When we got off the boat to spend a week on the island my cold turned into bronchitis and so we still couldn't dive or do as much as we wanted to do.

After that we made some changes. Somehow we still can't seem to avoid working long hours and losing sleep and arriving exhausted - but now we build some cushion time into the beginning of the trip to relax, sleep, and get over the jet lag and sinus congestion. We no longer arrive and immediately rush out to catch the afternoon dive boat or jump on the liveaboard to begin a cruise. We give ourselves some time to rest and get healthy. It's actually nice and a lot of fun!

We also take Allegra D 12 hour each dive day to clear the sinuses. There is a lot of debate about the pros and cons of taking anti-histamines and decongestants before diving and I don't know how you will react to such drugs but it has worked well for us. You should probably try it at home to see how your react.

Finally, and this may seem goofy, but we use netipot rinses every vacation night to clean our sinuses. My ENT doctor kept recommending the netipot but I was a slow believer, but after the St. Croix trip I decided to give it a try. It is not difficult, you add a pre-measured salt packet and fill the pot with distilled water to the line, then gently warm it in the microwave and pour the salt water slowly through your nostrils and it clears a lot of nasty gunk out of your sinuses and makes it harder for germs to breed.

When you are in a resort or on a liveaboard this isn't always easy to do, but I mix the salt with water from a new bottle of drinking water and then set it in the sink in a couple of inches of warm water until it reaches a comfortable warm temperature. My husband was even slower to adapt this process but when he saw me having success he became a believer. And why not give it a try? It is cheap, painless, easy, drug-free, and I really believe it helps.

Even at home when I feel a cold coming on I start using the netipot to avoid or shorten the cold. It doesn't hurt and I think it is beneficial. And it is better than letting a cold ruin your expensive and long-awaited dive vacation IMO.
 
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Good advice.
In 2013 on a couple of trips I couldn't dive several days due to cold/congestion. I set up an appointment with an ENT who recommended the netipot (or a squeeze bottle w/saline). He also recommended drinking lots of water, Nasacort on the flights and each morning before diving, as well as taking probiotics before the trip. I drag out the bleach wipes on the plane and try to pay special attention to what I touch. And...extra vitamin C with our daily vitamin regimen.We usually arrive at our destination a full day early to rest up from long flights before we catch the boat. So far, so good!
 
We just got back from our first trip to Asia, spent 1 week in Raja Ampat (Papua Explorers resort, recommended!) which was wonderful but too short, and a couple of day trips in Komodo (central area, so-so in part because the day boat mostly featured divers even less experienced than me; 2 of the 5 dives were great, the other 3 were merely 'OK'). Very busy 3 weeks, and next time I'd prefer more time in Raja, maybe a liveaboard - the resort was great, and relaxing, but you are in and out of a small boat all day. I'm a little more hardcore than my SO, however, so she'd prefer 2 weeks and fewer dives per day, rather than 2 weeks and just as many. We'd originally planned an insane >36 hour slog from home to Sorong direct, but decided to fly to Bali, acclimate for 3-4 days first, and then head out. Would definitely do it that way again, even though it 'costs' a few days of diving.

The next trip is likely Bonaire (visiting family, so other than airfaire a relatively 'cheap' dive vacation), and I'd really like to go back to Indo eventually, liveaboard in Komodo, maybe liveaboard Raja (or resort again, given the discount given to return visitors), although there are so many other intruiging places in Indo alone to explore underwater. Maldives is on the shortlist for a winter getaway since it's not too far from Europe, trying to get a group together so we can charter a whole boat. Egypt/Red Sea is definitely on the list, but waiting for things to settle down just a little more first.

The bucket list still includes Antarctica (which is one of the most unique places I've ever been, and would love to dive), but I figure some cold water experience might be a good idea first...
 
Simply put, I have a list in my head of places I'd like to go to. Bucket list sort. When an airfare deal pops up for those, that's where I go first. I always try to dive wherever I go! It so happens that the next two places are great dive destinations.....

Indonesia - $369 SFO round trip
Australia - $589 SFO round trip

Great thread! Good questions.
 
Hardly anyone gets to dive every place they'd like to; many of us get one or two 'scuba trips' per year, if that, so we have to discriminate between destinations. You don't just decide 'I want to go to Cozumel.' You decide 'I want to go to Cozumel instead of Bonaire, Belize, the Caymans, the Florida Keys, Turks & Caicos, St. Lucia,' etc...

So what drives your upcoming choices?

Richard.

Lately one of my main motivations is the cost of airfare. I get to fly free this year to Cancun, Los Cabos, Costa Rica, and Minneapolis. I'm not sure if I'm going diving in Minnesota or not, but it might be interesting. I almost went to Bonaire too but my girlfriend, who found $300 RT airfare, lollygagged and did not book the flights :( Another motivation is whether or not my GF can exchange one of her time-shares at a location where there is good diving that our airline flies too (that would be the airline that we have a bunch of miles and a companion pass with). When we went to Hawai'i in March that was driven by the $335 RT airfare offer I received in my email. I figure sooner or later I'll get to many of the places I have on my mental list. Meanwhile, they are all good!!!

If only I could find free dive boats....
 
We are headed to HI in a week HI isn't considered that great by some but as new divers we are pretty easy to impress, plus I think the chance to see big stuff is higher in HI than caribbean. There is also just something about the deep blue color of the Pacific...
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If you make it to Kailua-Kona (Big Island) the manta ray night dive is not to be missed. You want big? Some of the smaller mantas are 10-11 feet wide and they supposedly have one who frequents the night dive that is 18 feet wide! Don't let small numbers of reported mantas deter you--I only saw four when I was there but three of them kept circling for the entire dive. The manta ray night dive is considered one of the top dives in the world (and according to the locals, THE top dive :wink: Since you are new to the sport they may require a day dive with them first. I dove with Big Island Divers but they all seem to get good reviews and they all appear go to the same place at the same time. The mantas do not seem to mind the crowds.

The Black Water Dive is also supposed to be incredible but mine was cancelled do to heavy seas. Next time.
 
Our initial dive trips were picked based on location & expense as we travelled & dove with 3 kids. We did various Caribbean locations & a few trips to Hawaii. We are now focusing on locations we are guaranteed to see sharks as they have become our passion. We can also travel farther as we don't have kid's schedules to consider and we are self employed and have the winters off. This past winter we were in South Africa/Mozambique for 5 weeks and Bimini, Bahamas (Great Hammerheads) for 2 weeks. Within the next 2 1/2 years we have made plans to do Guadalupe (Great Whites), Grand Cayman (booked prior to our new plan), Alaska (Salmon Sharks), Japan (Honshu Sharks Safari), Tiger Beach (Tiger Sharks) & Socorro (Giant Mantas + sharks).
 

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