OP
shoelessone
Registered
well, thanks for the advice, however I think you might be missing the picture we have of our trip (btw, the 10,000$ dollar trip is already packed/planned, so we will be going, lunacy or not 
.
we dont need anything fancy, or advanced, etc. It is going to be a family trip - we plan on doing some fishing from the yacht, cooking up the fish at night for dinner, hopping from island to island for air and to "explore" and check out the sites on land, and do some sporadic diving when we feel like it. We might very well decide "hey, lets jump in and see what we see" from time to time, even in 20 feet of water. You dont know my family, but I can assure you we are not some yuppie, unprepared tourists who will just act without thinking/planning... I am just trying to get a feel for good areas. I am sorry, but if this sort of spontaneity is frowned upon, that is just too damn bad
- and hey, we can dream
as far as my family not being experienced enough to dive by ourselves, i sort of disagree, but at the same time understand. Perhaps some of the deeper/more advanced dives might be out of their range, however I am confident that with my research (and help from you and others out there) we'll be able to craft an itinerary that will be both safe and fun for the family. My father has been diving hardcore since he was a young teen (in his early 40s now) and has his open water, advanced open water, medic first aid, nitrox, and rescue diver certs, and also helps teach PADI classes. I have been certified since age 12, and am 20 now, with 8 years of experience, most of the time in water less friendly than the Caribbean (well, at least a lot colder with about a quarter of the vis - less current to worry about though of course, but I have experienced tropical waters as well).
Anyway, my father (and mother) are both very intelligent, and he is a naval architect who spends much time on large boats/navigating/etc (he designs props, and spends lots of time on the water testing/etc). Whats more, we wont be attempting anything that is over out heads. Unless you are of the belief that no dive is safe without a dive guide/etc, in which case I guess we'll just have to take our chances and hope that our families adventurous spirit keeps us alive and enjoying ourselves.
All that being said, if you have any novice/shallow/low(or no) current dives you might be able to recommend, I'd really appreciate it. Even perhaps a good location for shallow diving in a particular area, etc.
I definitely DO agree that IF we do a night dive (which we most likely will) it will need to be both shallow and with zero current - also, we will most likely dive the area in the day as well so we have a feel for it, and stay by the boat. My family will all be thrilled just for the experience of descending in the dark. Thank you for your suggestions.
Sorry for defending myself like I am, I know you are trying to help - I do appreciate it - I understand (and have experienced myself, multiple times!) what you are talking about when you say we wont enjoy ourselves without a guide while worrying about where we are and current/etc. If we dont plan ahead, and make sure the dives we do are doable without getting lost/fighting a current, we will. Hell, worse case we'll do dives that allow us to keep sight of the boat so we never really have to stress too much about getting lost. It will be a treat for my family to be together in such a beautiful place, even if we end up diving in 20 feet of water with a sand bottom the whole time. Hopefully we'll be able to find a couple of interesting reefs/a wreck or 2 that we can enjoy. With your recommendation, i'll also keep in mind the rendezvous idea, and at least mention it to my family. Any idea on prices (my family is NOT rich, and we dont do these things often (like once every 7 years maybe) so money is an issue)?
I could see my father and I perhaps doing 1 or 2 more advanced dives as well (perhaps the Rhone or something). Also we plan on having somebody on the boat at all times in case we do need to get picked up, and my dad and I will both be carrying a safty sausage in case we need to get picked up/do end up getting carried by a current.
Ok, I guess that about covers it knowing perhaps a little more about what we are hoping, if you might have any further ideas (other than not going) please share!
Thanks everybody!
. we dont need anything fancy, or advanced, etc. It is going to be a family trip - we plan on doing some fishing from the yacht, cooking up the fish at night for dinner, hopping from island to island for air and to "explore" and check out the sites on land, and do some sporadic diving when we feel like it. We might very well decide "hey, lets jump in and see what we see" from time to time, even in 20 feet of water. You dont know my family, but I can assure you we are not some yuppie, unprepared tourists who will just act without thinking/planning... I am just trying to get a feel for good areas. I am sorry, but if this sort of spontaneity is frowned upon, that is just too damn bad
- and hey, we can dream as far as my family not being experienced enough to dive by ourselves, i sort of disagree, but at the same time understand. Perhaps some of the deeper/more advanced dives might be out of their range, however I am confident that with my research (and help from you and others out there) we'll be able to craft an itinerary that will be both safe and fun for the family. My father has been diving hardcore since he was a young teen (in his early 40s now) and has his open water, advanced open water, medic first aid, nitrox, and rescue diver certs, and also helps teach PADI classes. I have been certified since age 12, and am 20 now, with 8 years of experience, most of the time in water less friendly than the Caribbean (well, at least a lot colder
with about a quarter of the vis - less current to worry about though of course, but I have experienced tropical waters as well). Anyway, my father (and mother) are both very intelligent, and he is a naval architect who spends much time on large boats/navigating/etc (he designs props, and spends lots of time on the water testing/etc). Whats more, we wont be attempting anything that is over out heads. Unless you are of the belief that no dive is safe without a dive guide/etc, in which case I guess we'll just have to take our chances and hope that our families adventurous spirit keeps us alive and enjoying ourselves.
All that being said, if you have any novice/shallow/low(or no) current dives you might be able to recommend, I'd really appreciate it. Even perhaps a good location for shallow diving in a particular area, etc.
I definitely DO agree that IF we do a night dive (which we most likely will) it will need to be both shallow and with zero current - also, we will most likely dive the area in the day as well so we have a feel for it, and stay by the boat. My family will all be thrilled just for the experience of descending in the dark. Thank you for your suggestions.
Sorry for defending myself like I am, I know you are trying to help - I do appreciate it - I understand (and have experienced myself, multiple times!) what you are talking about when you say we wont enjoy ourselves without a guide while worrying about where we are and current/etc. If we dont plan ahead, and make sure the dives we do are doable without getting lost/fighting a current, we will. Hell, worse case we'll do dives that allow us to keep sight of the boat so we never really have to stress too much about getting lost. It will be a treat for my family to be together in such a beautiful place, even if we end up diving in 20 feet of water with a sand bottom the whole time
. Hopefully we'll be able to find a couple of interesting reefs/a wreck or 2 that we can enjoy. With your recommendation, i'll also keep in mind the rendezvous idea, and at least mention it to my family. Any idea on prices (my family is NOT rich, and we dont do these things often (like once every 7 years maybe) so money is an issue)? I could see my father and I perhaps doing 1 or 2 more advanced dives as well (perhaps the Rhone or something). Also we plan on having somebody on the boat at all times in case we do need to get picked up, and my dad and I will both be carrying a safty sausage in case we need to get picked up/do end up getting carried by a current.
Ok, I guess that about covers it knowing perhaps a little more about what we are hoping, if you might have any further ideas (other than not going
) please share!Thanks everybody!
