Bonairetrip
Contributor
And to answer the trip question, I go once a year for as long as I can. I have not visited places I would love to go (Micronesia, etc.) because of cost and a had a great wherever I went (including locally).
I wonder....
- Thread starter Capt.JimDavis
- Start date
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One thing you might consider, is if you happen to be traveling for other reasons, ie: a business trip, etc. you can also work some diving in where you happen to be going. Hopefully that place will be someplace nice. Otherwise, you dive and enjoy locally. Generally speaking, you can dive the same boring local site 20 times, and it can be dramatically different from one dive to the next, which makes it interesting, and not boring. The upside, is you can become the local authority on specific sites.
If you look at my profile, you will assume I am one of those guys you are wondering about in your second question. I am by no means wealthy, but I have been around. A lot of it really is technique--how you plan your trips makes a big difference.
First of all, my wife and I buy just about everything in our daily lives on credit cards that provide FF miles. We use very little cash. However, we stay in budget and pay off everything every month so that we don't accrue debt. We do, however, accrue a lot of FF miles.
Quite a few years ago we were planning our annual (off season and cheaper) vacation, and we decided to do it on Cozumel. We had been there once before and loved it. I am not a beach kind of guy, so I got certified in preparation for the trip. Diving there got me hooked, so from then on almost all of our annual vacations were planned to locations that are great for diving. My wife is not a diver, but she is an avid snorkeler and loves that kind of location, and I am mindful not to just spend the entire time diving by myself. Two tanks a day for most days is usually considered a good balance.
We are also very mindful of ways to make the most of our travel expenses. Flying is the big financial deal, so we start with figuring out what we can get for FF miles. We then make the most of a (usually) 2 week vacation. For example, we went for a week to Fiji and a week to Australia. It was an extremely economical trip because everything is so much less expensive in those countries. In another two week trip we did the ABC's in order: Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. On another trip, we spent a week on Cayman Brac (with an excursion to Little Cayman) and a week on Grand Cayman. Trust me, those trips were marvelous dive excursions that probably cost us a lot less than the typical vacations a lot of people take every year.
We have relatives in Florida, so I have mixed in dives when we visit them. With FF miles, it doesn't cost us much more than staying at home.
Some of my biggest trips, however, I have to admit were expensive, hit our budget hard, and took a lot of discussion. They had to be "trip of a lifetime" sorts of thing. (I've had several trips of a lifetime, so I am not sure of that definition.)
As a contract instructor associated with an LDS, I am sometimes asked to lead shop trips. That's a very nice and economical way to get to some of these locations.
Now that my wife and I are primarily retired, we have much more freedom. For example, my wife had to be away for a week earlier this spring, with only a week or so notice. It was the depths of the economic downturn, and prices were plunging. I got online and found an incredibly cheap last minute package to Cozumel.
Hope this is helpful.
First of all, my wife and I buy just about everything in our daily lives on credit cards that provide FF miles. We use very little cash. However, we stay in budget and pay off everything every month so that we don't accrue debt. We do, however, accrue a lot of FF miles.
Quite a few years ago we were planning our annual (off season and cheaper) vacation, and we decided to do it on Cozumel. We had been there once before and loved it. I am not a beach kind of guy, so I got certified in preparation for the trip. Diving there got me hooked, so from then on almost all of our annual vacations were planned to locations that are great for diving. My wife is not a diver, but she is an avid snorkeler and loves that kind of location, and I am mindful not to just spend the entire time diving by myself. Two tanks a day for most days is usually considered a good balance.
We are also very mindful of ways to make the most of our travel expenses. Flying is the big financial deal, so we start with figuring out what we can get for FF miles. We then make the most of a (usually) 2 week vacation. For example, we went for a week to Fiji and a week to Australia. It was an extremely economical trip because everything is so much less expensive in those countries. In another two week trip we did the ABC's in order: Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao. On another trip, we spent a week on Cayman Brac (with an excursion to Little Cayman) and a week on Grand Cayman. Trust me, those trips were marvelous dive excursions that probably cost us a lot less than the typical vacations a lot of people take every year.
We have relatives in Florida, so I have mixed in dives when we visit them. With FF miles, it doesn't cost us much more than staying at home.
Some of my biggest trips, however, I have to admit were expensive, hit our budget hard, and took a lot of discussion. They had to be "trip of a lifetime" sorts of thing. (I've had several trips of a lifetime, so I am not sure of that definition.)
As a contract instructor associated with an LDS, I am sometimes asked to lead shop trips. That's a very nice and economical way to get to some of these locations.
Now that my wife and I are primarily retired, we have much more freedom. For example, my wife had to be away for a week earlier this spring, with only a week or so notice. It was the depths of the economic downturn, and prices were plunging. I got online and found an incredibly cheap last minute package to Cozumel.
Hope this is helpful.
DeputyDan
Contributor
boulderjohn is right.
Inexpensive dive travel requires alot of up front planning.
I did Bonaire this year (7n 8d) for less that $1,400 per person door to door - but it was planned out accordingly.
Inexpensive dive travel requires alot of up front planning.
I did Bonaire this year (7n 8d) for less that $1,400 per person door to door - but it was planned out accordingly.
DeputyDan
Contributor
In dive planning - I will usually have three trips on the drawing board so to speak and book the one that best falls in to the price category.
So what that I didn't get to Little Cayman Beach Resort - it will never ever be the least expensive and COCO View has all the diving one can do.
One day I will bite the bullet on LCBR.
So what that I didn't get to Little Cayman Beach Resort - it will never ever be the least expensive and COCO View has all the diving one can do.
One day I will bite the bullet on LCBR.
OP
Capt.JimDavis
Contributor
jridg
Contributor
In response to "first"
Liability - the shop won't be in business after the injured or survivors of the guy they sent out with a full tank who wasn't certified get through with them (with some assistance from lawyers who will take their 30%). If the shop adheres to the industry standard of only renting to certified divers, and only filling for certified divers, then they can get insurance so that when the injured or survivors sue, they have an appropriate defense and will continue to function. That's it, bottom line, no more, no less. IMHO.
Liability - the shop won't be in business after the injured or survivors of the guy they sent out with a full tank who wasn't certified get through with them (with some assistance from lawyers who will take their 30%). If the shop adheres to the industry standard of only renting to certified divers, and only filling for certified divers, then they can get insurance so that when the injured or survivors sue, they have an appropriate defense and will continue to function. That's it, bottom line, no more, no less. IMHO.
I too just started diving. My wife and I made a trip to Cozumel last november, GREAT FUN. Early this year when the financial crisis hit the industry that I work in, we decided to start planning a trip to Roatan, just so we would have something to lift the spirits. We haven't done it yet, (December 26th, 2009) but as things have gone so far we still plan on making the trip. If we make it (I am pretty sure at this point) things will be great. If not..............The plans are still there and we can continue to "look forward" to the trip. We will be able to do it sometime! Set a goal and do everything you can to make it happen and it will! Think positive and plan your escape.
diver 85
Contributor
Well, everything in life begins with wondering first... (sort of)
I wondered how it must be to breathe under water and ten days ago certified at age 51. So, wondering isn't that bad my friend.
Now I wonder if you're wondering enough?
Just going by what I read my friend.....& I wonder also, about important things...
...............lol...............
Certifying agencies and insurance companies. After all, if there were no controls on air-fills and gear sales (pre-internet), why would anyone bother to get certified? (Other than to have a desire to be a good and safe diver.)
The insurance companies enforce the issue so they can side step any litigation if a non-certified diver gets a fill from their client and has a serious problem,
If more people bought new cars, I'd be able to answer that better.
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