Need advice on a budget dive outside Caribbean and Hawaii!

[KathyV]

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 .

Price is important but it isn't the only factor to consider, there are usually good reasons why places are less crowded and prices are lower at certain times of year. Often it is because it is the rainy season and the diving and vis may be poor. Or it may be the height of hurricane/typhoon season, that can sure ruin your vacation if you get caught by a bad storm. And having an accident can really put the kibosh on your wonderful trip no matter where and when you travel. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't - so you should consider investing in DAN accident insurance and you may also want to look at getting travel insurance.

Experiencing local foods and culture are part of the fun of travel, but again you have to use common sense. You may be traveling to areas where food and water contamination is a genuine risk. Eating street food off a cart in a 3rd world country may not be a wise decision. Nothing ruins a dive trip as fast as violent vomiting or explosive diarrhea and cramps - hard to manage when you are in a wet suit!

You may also need to take precautions in some areas against being bitten by disease-carrying tropical insects. Some of those arthropod-borne diseases can be terrible. Malaria can kill you and there is a reason that the locals call Dengue Fever "Breakbone Fever" - they say that it feels like your bones are breaking!

We always look for good pricing, frequently travel off-season, and we have enjoyed experiencing the culture and food of many exotic places, so I'm not saying "don't do it!" but I suggest that you do some careful advance research and take some minor precautions to help ensure that you have a great trip!

 

[Damselfish]

Complete discount dive packages including air aren't something you generally see, because the volume of dive travel is so much less than general travel. So you may find a discount vacation deal with air from major cities to a popular tropical location with a choice of hotels. But a trip including air to a good dive destination with a choice of accommodations at dive resorts or at the right spot near dive ops and diving - not so much. Especially when you are talking US to SE Asia. It's just too much of a niche.

There are dive travel agents that will have a handle on many of the current deals at good spots, and will of course look for a good airfare for you separately - you can try that. The sorts of places you may be looking for to meet your budget may or may not be on their radar.

As @KathyV says, there are reasons certain places are cheaper certain times of year, so do be aware of any compromises you might be making. There's also reasons some airlines are cheap, so know what you're getting into.

I've seen Philippine Airlines run very good sales sometimes, at least from LAX but maybe other cities. Might be worth following them on social media or getting on the right mailing lists. Might be other foreign carriers with similar deals that you wouldn't hear about otherwise.

 

[outofofficebrb]

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.

Sept/Oct is actually considered high season for Lembeh. It is great diving then.

I agree with @Trailboss123. Philippines, especially Puerto Galera, are low hanging fruit and a great intro to Southeast Asia and the coral triangle . Puerto Galera will run you about $1200 at Asia Divers/El Galleon for a week all inclusive, 4 guided boat dives a day on nitrox and including private transfers round trip from Manila. PG has great macro/wide angle options together and is easy to travel to. You can hit your $2K budget even with airfare if you plan ahead of time. You can go for a lot less than $1200 for a week by staying at your own hotel and eating local then just booking dive packages.

Don’t miss Verde Island while in Puerto Galera.

 

[diversteve]

Roatan can be very cheap except for the flight. You can also easily go over to Utila also. It is similar diving to the Caribbean though - technically it's Central Ameriica.

Skip the AI resorts and stay in the West End. Cheap rooms start at $10 (2 hostels - one waterfront - or sma;; apts with kitchens start ardound $40/nt. Plenty of cheap food/street food available. Boat dives run 10/$350 or so. A cab frpm the airport is $25 and we did not need a car all week - the whole street is mixed diveshops, restaurants and small resorts. Boats are moored across the street. Almost all the nightlife is there also.

Utila is a smaller version of Roatan. There's both a puddle jumper or the ferry over. The gerry leaves from the West End so convenient. Of both islands I thought Utila's north side the best. Virtually uninhabited but boats from town on the south side go there daily.

Lots of biting bus on both islands so bring DEET

 

[miserkris]

I agree with @Trailboss123. Philippines, especially Puerto Galera, are low hanging fruit and a great intro to Southeast Asia and the coral triangle . Puerto Galera will run you about $1200 at Asia Divers/El Galleon for a week all inclusive, 4 guided boat dives a day on nitrox and including private transfers round trip from Manila. PG has great macro/wide angle options together and is easy to travel to. You can hit your $2K budget even with airfare if you plan ahead of time.

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You can go for a lot less than $1200 for a week by staying at your own hotel and eating local then just booking dive packages.
.

Sure thing i might hone in on PG for next year then ! Love that fact on no need for intra island flights, some of them can be scary rides lol.

Plus trailboss's recommendations are awesome anyway

If i can pick my hotel and eat out daily like i did in cozumel that'd be great in PG... but can it be done? Cozumel is safe and buzzing with activity in downtown. Plus with my vzw unlimited plan data and text, calling were included for Mexico.. .i felt like a king in cozumel.

Diver Steve : thx much...I'll reserve roatan for later time, iwant something way different. Plus Honduras treats women like garbage i don't feel like supporting their economy. Their president should be ashamed imo.... unfortunately i saw some bad stuff on YouTube

 

[miserkris]

My research so far tells me getting to the destination port for red sea itineraries is far more complex/ tiring/ time consuming than to the 2 places mentioned, in Philippines. Also i think there are direct flights to Manila from ny...~ $700 RT.

I always rent bc, reg. How are they in Philippines? Well serviced i hope!

I was in cozumel last week and realized going in a slow month (sep after labor day) has advantages and disadvantages.

The pro is crew to diver ratio is high (less customers) so more attention.

Con is i was put in different boats daily, some people were different. Did had to reintroduce.

At least for this reason I'll avoid off seasons lol. (Also for weather, water conditions etc).

Is there site or sub forum in SB , only for scuba pkg deals and discounts, currently and for future trips?

Thanks

 

[Trailboss123]

My research so far tells me getting to the destination port for red sea itineraries is far more complex/ tiring/ time consuming than to the 2 places mentioned, in Philippines. Also i think there are direct flights to Manila from ny...~ $700 RT.

I always rent bc, reg. How are they in Philippines? Well serviced i hope!

I was in cozumel last week and realized going in a slow month (sep after labor day) has advantages and disadvantages.

The pro is crew to diver ratio is high (less customers) so more attention.

Con is i was put in different boats daily, some people were different. Did had to reintroduce.

At least for this reason I'll avoid off seasons lol. (Also for weather, water conditions etc).

Is there site or sub forum in SB , only for scuba pkg deals and discounts, currently and for future trips?

Thanks

Rental equipment with Asia Divers in the Philippines is very well maintained and serviced.
Who did you dive with in Cozumel?

 

[miserkris]

Hey, it was blue xt , and their equipment was new and in great condition. I get scared when i get torn, faded bc and leaking reg. Lol.

Also, for places like PG in Philippines, LOB in red sea e.t.c, do divers get good deals via agents like caradona or by calling op directly?

Thx....

Rental equipment with Asia Divers in the Philippines is very well maintained and serviced.
Who did you dive with in Cozumel?

 

[Trailboss123]

Hey, it was blue xt , and their equipment was new and in great condition. I get scared when i get torn, faded bc and leaking reg. Lol.

Also, for places like PG in Philippines, LOB in red sea e.t.c, do divers get good deals via agents like caradona or by calling op directly?

Thx....

My experience in PG was that the cost was the same going through the agent I used (Bluewater Dive Travel) as booking directly. Actually , it worked out to be cheaper with the travel agent, as the hotel and dive op both charge an extra 3% for using your credit card. I was very happy with Bluewater. They are based in Los Angeles.

 

[outofofficebrb]

My experience in PG was that the cost was the same going through the agent I used (Bluewater Dive Travel) as booking directly. Actually , it worked out to be cheaper with the travel agent, as the hotel and dive op both charge an extra 3% for using your credit card. I was very happy with Bluewater. They are based in Los Angeles.

They were super helpful when I had to make a travel insurance claim. It’s always good to pay credit card for bonus points and chargeback capabilities as well as trip interruption/cancellation benefits.