Check out Camel Divers at Sharm rather than a liveaboard.
Just Returned from Another Coz Trip, Looking for New Dive Destinations
- Thread starter Guitarcrazy
- Start date
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OP
Guitarcrazy
Contributor
I checked out Camel Divers, looks like a great op. Definitely affordable prices in Egypt. I thought Cozumel was reasonable, but this is really affordable. If only it weren't a 30 hour flight!
mcohen1021
Contributor
The sites accessible by the day boats are nothing to write home about. If that's what you are willing to do @ red sea, I suggest saving your time and money and staying in the Caribbean.
I know some professional photographers and other divers that have also been on liveaboards on the Red Sea. They though that was fine but much more appreciate Ras Mohammed and the Thistlegorm.
robint
Contributor
My husband and I were in the same boat as the OP about 15 yrs ago...only place we went for diving was Cozumel and we decided we had to start looking elsewhere. We kept going back to Cozumel because of the price and decided we had to be willing to pay more to go elsewhere.... we bit the bullet and off we went.
We did several 3 day trips out to Calif to kelp dive. We did a couple of trips to Fla to dive. We did a trip to NC coast to dive wrecks and sharks. We did a week in Bonaire, Kona Hawaii and a week in Roatan. So for several years, we went other places.... Cozumel was still the cheapest and dives great, but we started to really enjoy other places. Then we bit the big bullet... liveaboards. WE did 2 in Bahamas on the now defunct Nektons, and then a week in Palau. Wow, those 3 trips were mind blowing.
So bottom line... we learned to go elsewhere, still go back to Cozumel every now and then, it is cheap and great diving is guaranteed....but other destinations can be just as great, just a bit more $$. Liveaboards are by far the biggest expense, but in some ways the biggest rewards if you both love to dive dive dive.
If you want land and diving... so many options.
I would recommend looking at Bonaire. Buddy Dive offers a nice package deal. We have been there twice and loved it. Gotta bite the bullet on airfare, and you gotta get a room with kitchen and fix your own lunches and some dinners, as food is expensive there, but that is what most people do. Great easy diving, shore diving 24/7. Tons of fish, more than Cozumel, but less big stuff.. except at night when the tarpons follow you around. LOL
We did several 3 day trips out to Calif to kelp dive. We did a couple of trips to Fla to dive. We did a trip to NC coast to dive wrecks and sharks. We did a week in Bonaire, Kona Hawaii and a week in Roatan. So for several years, we went other places.... Cozumel was still the cheapest and dives great, but we started to really enjoy other places. Then we bit the big bullet... liveaboards. WE did 2 in Bahamas on the now defunct Nektons, and then a week in Palau. Wow, those 3 trips were mind blowing.
So bottom line... we learned to go elsewhere, still go back to Cozumel every now and then, it is cheap and great diving is guaranteed....but other destinations can be just as great, just a bit more $$. Liveaboards are by far the biggest expense, but in some ways the biggest rewards if you both love to dive dive dive.
If you want land and diving... so many options.
I would recommend looking at Bonaire. Buddy Dive offers a nice package deal. We have been there twice and loved it. Gotta bite the bullet on airfare, and you gotta get a room with kitchen and fix your own lunches and some dinners, as food is expensive there, but that is what most people do. Great easy diving, shore diving 24/7. Tons of fish, more than Cozumel, but less big stuff.. except at night when the tarpons follow you around. LOL
mcohen1021
Contributor
And I wasn’t even referring to any of the wreck dives. Personally, I find wrecks boring. What I am referring to are the big animals at the brothers islands in the blue water… and the soft corals were amazing… But like I said, once back to where dayboats were around, the diving quality plummeted.
I keep debating Bonaire and I keep killing the idea of it. The sound of purely shore diving just seems to make it more effort than I want to put into it.
OP
Guitarcrazy
Contributor
Thanks Robint, I appreciate the insights. My wife and I didn't really enjoy the cruise we took and we had a decent size balcony cabin, so she feels there is no way she would be comfortable on a smaller liveaboard. I would definitely do one as I like to get 4 or 5 dives in a day. That was the best part about going to Anthony's Key, we got to do almost as many dives as on a liveaboard.
mcohen1021
Contributor
You can do 4 dives land based in roatan and its SSDD.... 4 dives on a LOB in roatan won't be - you never know what you'll see. The quality of our LOB dives have far surpassed the land based.
So if you are ok with seeing the same old reef fish and reefs over and over and over again, have fun with it. Personally, I would prefer to go off the beaten path to more remote sites less traveled.
OP
Guitarcrazy
Contributor
As I mentioned, I would love to do a liveaboard. Alas, my wife would not.
mcohen1021
Contributor
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