Quick Trip Suggestions?

[bmorescuba]

Not being in the water is driving me crazy!

I want to get away, but I've only got 4-5 days in early December. I'll be going solo and I'd like to keep it under $1,000 all said and done.

Coming from Baltimore, MD, USA I thought going down to Key Largo or somewhere close to it would be the best deal, but pricing out the flight, car, hotel, and dive fees, it actually seems like it's cheaper to go to Cozumel. Coz seems to have some incredible package deals.

I want to dive more than our once a year trip to the Caribbean. Suggestions for a good 4-5 day package for a beginner/intermediate solo diver???

Thanks

 

[mbs]

Check out the 2 most recent threads in the Bay Islands forum - Bay Islands - ScubaBoard . Fantasy Island resort on Roatan for $700 all inclusive and $363 airfare from DC to Roatan via El Salvador. Not quite under $1000, but its a ton of diving!

 

[Pinto]

Check out the 2 most recent threads in the Bay Islands forum - Bay Islands - ScubaBoard . Fantasy Island resort on Roatan for $700 all inclusive and $363 airfare from DC to Roatan via El Salvador. Not quite under $1000, but its a ton of diving!

Each to there own but here is an idea you may want to explore:

Two weeks ago I headed to Marathon in the Keys with (2) buddies. Our goal was to dive the Thunderbolt and some reefs while one of our buddies did his (4) OW check out dives. We stayed at Crystal Resort for $100 a night and it was a nice place that treated us well. We had made reservations with one of the Dive/Fishing outfits for (6) dives across (3) days, leaving the last day to choose dives as we saw fit.

Wed. Showed up to a Dive Center and proceeded to set gear up on boat. Storm cell rolled through and we were told that the trip would be delayed 1 hr. An hour later we were told the trip was cancelled and that the afternoon trip was full. We packed up, called Silent World in Key Largo, and made (2) nice reef dives. We later heard that the boat in Marathon didn't go out....only one diver.

Thursday- Showed up for (3) dives and (2) of the OW check out dives. No PADI instructor for the AM trip. We were told to return at 3:30PM for a reef and night dive. At this point the wind whipped up and no boats were going out. The weather for Friday looked to be worse so we jumped in the rental car and headed north >400 mile to American Pro Divers in Crystal River.

The Dive shop gave us coupons to stay in a nice hotel for $70 a night.

Friday- Made an AM dive off a pontoon boat on the river. There was a nice cavern and large Mantinee. We made 92) afternoon dives at Blue Grotto and Devils Den. These were great dives.

Saturday- Flight home

American Pro Divers could be the best Dive Shop I've ever been in and the most customer focused. They helped turn a bad trip into a memorible one. The springs are nice because they aren't subject to sea conditions, vis was great, fresh water means after dive equipment clean up is easy, great country setting with showers and nice facilities. If you are an OW diver you will want an Master Diver escort but APD has some good ones that will make your dive interesting.

If your planning to make a trip and want to limit your weather risk, consider the Florida Springs. You'll need bring or rent a suit to keep warm in the 70 degree water.

Hope this helps with your question.

 

[robint]

With such a short amount of time, and being December when weather can be iffy... I would go to Florida. You can fly to Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, or Miami. Rent a car and drive to the location of your choice. Key Largo is nice and you can do some great wrecks there like the Spiegel Grove, but you can get in some really nice diving in Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, Ft. Lauderdale, too. There are tons of nice wrecks off Ft. Lauderdale all in 60-80' water. (My avatar is one of those)
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The price might be the same as Cozumel but the diving would be very different and the best part is no customs, no passports, no language barriers, and no montezuma's revenge.
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robin

 

[jmfitzgerald]

i had the same feelings... quick get away trip for early december and to keep it reasonable. i just booked a trip to key largo, found the ramada inn there in key largo, on hotels.com for $409 (all taxes and everything) for 5 nights. cheaper than the "deals" the dive shops down there are offering. also had a free round trip air fare voucher sitting around, so all in all, looks like it's going to be a pretty cheap trip! i'll be down there the 5th -10th of december, solo.

 

[greylion]

I like trips to Coz for a long weekend, great food and fun at night for a single diver and quick to get there. Mexico is reasonable price wise too.

 

[scubadada]

Hi bmorescuba,

Being from Phildelphia, I can relate to your need to be in the water. Not easy for a diver travelling alone to get in a 4-5 day trip for the budget you suggest, especially if not driving and shore diving.

I have been working on short, quality trips for years now and was recently successful on a trip to Florida. I flew down to West Palm on a Thursday and returned on Tuesday, had a car the whole time, and stayed at the Boynton Beach Holiday Inn Express with breakfast included for 5 nights. I got in 15 great dives (nearly 17 hours of bottom time) by doing the Friday 3 tanker with Jupiter Dive Center and then a 2 tank night dive with Underwater Explorers followed by 4 dives with UE on Saturday and Sunday and 2 dives on Monday. The trip cost just under $2,000 or a bit under $130 per dive.

I could fly to Cozumel, stay at a reasonable hotel such as Hotel Cozumel, and dive with a quality operator such as Aldora Divers for about the same cost but would probably not get in the same number of dives or bottom time. I often dive with my son, lowering the cost per dive whether it's in Florida or Cozumel.

Best of luck to you in your getaway planning.

Good diving, Craig

 

[bmorescuba]

Thanks for all the ideas from everyone.

I ended up deciding on Florida - Boynton Beach in particular. I did some research and reading and chose Splashdown Divers. I was able to get the plane ticket to Miami, Car Rental for 5 days, 4 nights at Super 8 Lantana, and all the diving for a little over my target price. It was a little more because I signed up for 2 PADI courses - Advanced Open Water and Nitrox. I was able to do 8 dives in 3.5 days and get both certifications. Splashdown was great - very competent and good attitude/approach. 7 out of 8 dives were drift dives, which I had not done before, but was wondering about. Lots of fun. The weather wasn't great (4-5 ft chop each day) but once we got under, that didn't really matter. The reef off the Boyton Beach area was surprisingly healthy and full of marine life.