Need advice on a budget dive outside Caribbean and Hawaii!

[miserkris]

Hello everyone.

I have 70 Dives so far .I have been diving in Hawaii & Caribbean.. Aqua cat bahamas,Bonaire, Cozumel .... e.t.c. I just got back from Cozumel it was amazing..
I like diving in warm waters.

Next year, I want to see some totally different lifeforms.....so can you please recommend what could be the next trip for me and when to do ? I'm thinking some place in Indonesia like lembeh Strait. what is a good time to visit lembeh to get a super discount? Sep-oct?

My budget is $1.5 - 2k.... approx. I would rather go when there is a possibility of a discount sale e.t.c !

I basically want to dive somewhere really different this time but that is easy on the wallet I live in Philly...

Pls suggest!

Thx... kris

 

[chillyinCanada]

Does your budget include airfare?

 

[miserkris]

Does your budget include airfare?

Ummm... if i can include airfare great!. But i dunno how much it'd cost to fly to indo from a nice hub like JFK or Newark.
They're 1.5 hr drive from philly area.

I flew to India couple times from jfk for $700 to $900 to visit family.
So maybe jfk could be the best!

Are there deals that include air to exotic places like indo, Maldives, micronesia, truk lagoon e.t.c?

 

[KathyV]

When you travel on LOBs do you have a dive buddy, or are you paying a single supplement, or are you open to sharing with another passenger? It will impact the budget.

You might take a look at the Red Sea, beautiful diving, many new lifeforms, exotic location, and there are a lot of liveaboards available. And it should be easier to fly there from the Eastern US than to some of the places you've mentioned. The Aggressor has LOB specials right now that start at $1450.

Save on Liveaboard Scuba Diving Vacations | Aggressor Adventures®

 

[dirtfarmer]

The Phillipines can be really affordable, look into Anilao (macro focused like Lembeh) and Puerto Galera. Both require no additional in country flights.

In Indonesia yes that time of year is low season for Lembeh, it does require an additional flight from either Jakarta or Bali. Bali itself has great diving and can be really easy on the budget. Look into Nusa Penida with mantas, mola-mola and drift diving over beutiful coral, and Tulamben with The Liberty Wreck and great macro.

 

[miserkris]

Yes kathy, on aqua cat bahamas i got lucky and got a single occupancy in a bunker bed cabin. Though i paid for double...Loved it!

I don't mind sharing with another diver if it's a spacious cabin i guess.

For indo, Philippines and red sea... does time of year matter for what you see and water temp ?

 

[Trailboss123]

Trip Report-Philippines-Puerto Galera-El Galleon/Asia Divers-April 1-14, 2019

 

[KathyV]

Yes kathy, on aqua cat bahamas i got lucky and got a single occupancy in a bunker bed cabin. Though i paid for double...Loved it!

I don't mind sharing with another diver if it's a spacious cabin i guess.

For indo, Philippines and red sea... does time of year matter for what you see and water temp ?

We did a LOB trip to the Red Sea during October and the weather was lovely. The water was clear and warm and we saw many wonderful corals, sponges, anemones, mollusks, turtles, eels, rays and many fish of different types, sizes, colors. We also dived some excellent wrecks including the famous Thistlegorm.

But there are 2 itineraries available in the Red Sea - the Northern and the Southern. We did the Northern route out of Sharm el Sheik, so you should research SB to find out more about the diving and lifeforms available via both routes. I am sure that the folks that have been to the RS more recently can give you better information.

 

[drrich2]

You can get different life forms in warm water without leaving the U.S. - such as North Carolina and Jupiter, Florida (goliath grouper aggregation, lemon shark aggregation, or shark feed diving). Accept cold water and California diving opens up.

Outside the U.S. but not extreme distances, I'd see what trip costs were for Mexico's Pacific coast or Costa Rica. See Trevor JC's guide at
Diving the Baja Sur Cabo San Lucas - San Jose Del Cabo - Cabo Pulmo- La Paz - La Ventana - Diving the Baja Sur Cabo San Lucas – San Jose Del Cabo – Cabo Pulmo – La Paz - La Ventana

When you compare destinations on a budget, factor in airfare and other costs. For example, if I were flying somewhere far distant to catch a live-aboard, I'd want to arrive at least a day early. Which would mean a hotel and eating out another day. If it takes 2 days to fly somewhere, I'm thinking airport food (at least U.S.) is somewhat expensive. And will I just pay baggage once and done when I first board, or will I have to pay again at another airline? If you have to use vacation time, is that an issue?

I'm not saying don't go far, just factor in the true costs it might entail.

Richard.

 

[miserkris]

Trip Report-Philippines-Puerto Galera-El Galleon/Asia Divers-April 1-14, 2019

Thx....i read some today will read all soon.
Btw your suggestion on suites colonial in cozumel was perfect, what a cozy hotel!

I also agree cozumel had great cheap local food that was amazing. I ate big Mexican meals for $5 u.s. i ate where the locals ate.

I love ethnic food. So next year looking forward to Filipino or Indonesian food.

I wish there was a single website that had the latest discounted scuba pkg deals... from all over the world

Anyway i have time to research. So lemme read thru posts here in SB .