OP
CAPTAIN SINBAD
Contributor
Yes I totally agree with the Galapagos analogy. I also agree that cheap is not always the way to go. My point was that by putting over-all costs next to all the dive destinations of the world, it becomes shockingly apparent that a lot of far away "exotic locations" (that people fantasize about going to all their lives but rarely ever go to) are in fact cheaper to get to and dive than the frequently dived closer ones. Here are a few examples:
1. I wanted to do Tiger shark photography. If done through Stuart Cove in Bahamas, their tiger beach dives would cost me more than 1800 USD for 6 days of diving with 2 tank dives per day. Here is the math:
Flight to Bahamas = 350
Dive and Stay with shark dives 1800 =
Total Cost = 2150 (ball-park figure)
I could not have imagined in my wildest fantasies that the cost of flying to South Africa where Shark week is being filmed and doing a shark week package would be equal to the above and possibly a little less! Here is the math:
Flight to SA = 1200
1 week of shark diving with lodging= 1000 (less if you select lower accommodation options).
Total Cost = 2200
Plus there were additional benefits in SA such as they were also including caged dives with Great Whites in the same money and some places would also refund your money if sharks were not seen. Food prices were so minimal that it was a non-issue.
Example 2: After I posted the list of destinations with numbers and costs, I was contacted by someone who brought Mozambique to my attention. He told me that for whale shark diving it would be cheaper for me to fly to Mozambique than to Honduras or Belize. Here was the math:
Flight to Mozambique 1269
Dive and Stay (Tofu Beach - whale shark location) = 1000
Total Cost = 2269
This is the cost of lower end dive packages to the Caribbean where whale shark sighting probability seems to be less than Tofu beach in Mozambique.
Example 3: Egyptian luxury liveaboard becomes possible in as less money as Bahamas liveaboard even though Bahamas is my backyard and Egypt is far away. Here is the math if you would like to compare:
Flight to Nassau 350
Aqua Cat (shared) - 1500
Total Cost = 1850 plus some port fee etc
Flight to Sharm 1100
Liveaboard Emperor= 700 USD
Total Cost 1800
Do keep in mind that the price I am quoting is the advertised one and because of the recent unrest in Egypt, some places are offering better deals than above but you would have to email them.
As you can see I am not saying that inferior destinations should be selected because they are cheaper. I am saying that better, more exotic ones be selected because they are cheaper! Our US dollar becomes gold when we land in Africa and parts of Asia. In Bahamas / Caribbean the currency conversion does not benefit the American tourist as much regardless of how good or bad the diving is. There is the obvious advantage of quick flights when we travel to Caribbean so if that is the factor in destination selection, then it is understandable.
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