Seeking Recommendations for 1st Big Dive Trip Anywhere in the World (10 Days+)

[ewaiea]

Greetings!

I have not been to Palau but am heading there on the Dancer Fleet's Tropic Dancer in mid-October (10/16-10/23). Gotta get back to work so don't have time for land attractions or stopovers in Truk or Yap :-( I'm sure it'll be an awesome trip and I also am a solo traveler so if you need a dive buddy.....I'm just sayin' ;-)

I do have first hand knowledge of the diving from Star Dancer, Papua New Guinea - check out some of my old posts and you'll see some extensive posts on that trip. You'll also see my trip report from the Kona Aggressor II off of the Big Island of Hawaii - also an awesome trip. But if we're talking about "knock your socks off diving" - the south Pacific is where the show is at.

I've still yet to do a liveaboard in the Caribbean, one day in the next couple years I will but I have a feeling it'll just be considered an awesome trip with relaxing diving - but still not Indonesia, PNG, Palau, etc.

Next year I'm thinking the Alor Islands on the Komodo Dancer - I have seen a few posts and some youtube videos of those trips - looks pretty inviting. Cocos Island is also on the hook for next year - but can only do one.....Cocos would be cool but I'm not a diver who lives and dies by how many sharks he sees.....so I'm thinking Alor is going to win out. Knowing me - I'll wind up picking someplace off the list completely!

Good luck in your trip pick!

 

[vladimir]

Galapagos would be tops on my list, but I haven't been there yet. Of the places I've been, and with your priorities in mind:

Cocos on the Undersea Hunter is the clear winner, in my opinion. We saw dozens of hammerheads on almost every dive; a bait ball that attracted dolphins, tuna, Galapagos sharks, blacktip sharks, and hundreds of silky sharks; a whaleshark; a black marlin; and so many whitetip sharks you stopped photographing them halfway through the week. They have 10- and 14-day itineraries and are roughly equivalent in accomodations to an Aggressor. They also offer rides in a deep-sea submersible (for extra cost, and not cheap). The submersible was not available on my trip because National Geographic hogged it, so check in advance.

My second choice would be the Palau Aggressor. Another of the few destinations that can guarantee you sharks and pelagics. What Palau has that the Galapagos and Cocos do not is rich coral reefs. And plenty of drift diving. (Cocos has plenty of current, but a typical plan is to descend, cling to the rocks and watch hammerheads buzz by, and then do a drifting ascent.) The Palau Aggressor will also include a trip to Jellyfish Lake, which is almost unique (there's a poor man's version in Kakaban), and a cavern dive, so it's a diverse experience. The usual itinerary is a week long, however, but a few days of land-based diving from the Palau Pacific Resort is a nice transition back to real life.

Third choice would be a PNG cruise. I did a ten-day itinerary around Milne Bay. We had frequent shark and pelagic sightings, but it's mostly muck diving, similar to Sulawesi, say, and much of the Indonesian archipelago. Look for northern itineraries (Kimbe, New Britain Island) for more of the big animals, I think.

Tied for third: a Komodo trip. I flew to Labuan Solo (or was it Bimi?) and cruised back to Bali. An amazingly diverse trip. There are a lot of fabulous dive spots where one dive starts to look a lot like the last--fabulous, but similar. A Komodo cruise can serve up dives that are so distinct from the prior dive that you feel like a flight should have intervened--from a lush tropical reef to a bubbling slope of sulfurous volcanic sand. You won't see any hammerheads, and not many other sharks or mantas either, but if seahorses excite you, you can find plenty of them, including pygmy seahorses. Also, leaf fish, ribbon eels, ghost pipefish, etc. And the land tour to see the dragons is pretty cool.

Fifth: Coral Sea on Mike Ball. Great reefs, decent shark action, and the Yongala wreck.

 

[photog]

I'm wondering if the suggestions others have offered aren't a bit ambitious for a fairly new diver with under 50 dives. All the locations offered up are great ones. However it might be best to start out with an easier trip? I think Raja Ampat, Komodo, etc. are a bit too much for most beginning divers. Plus if one starts with the best spots, what is there to look forward to in the future??

 

[vladimir]

I'm wondering if the suggestions others have offered aren't a bit ambitious for a fairly new diver with under 50 dives. All the locations offered up are great ones. However it might be best to start out with an easier trip? I think Raja Ampat, Komodo, etc. are a bit too much for most beginning divers.

I did consider that, and Cocos, for example, might be a little ambitious. For the others, the OP has been in some current, been on a liveaboard, and has been diving regularly in somewhat similar conditions. I'd be more concerned if she were planning on shore diving in Northern California, for example.

Plus if one starts with the best spots, what is there to look forward to in the future??

She's already done some of the mediocre spots; if she waits too long the best spots will be bereft of life.

 

[Shasta_man]

IMHO, the best preparation for doing any of the suggested places is fitness. You have to have your head on, but the most likely problem you would encounter is current.

Don't let the certs make you complacent about the basics. Listen to the guides and stay with them. Always do full gear check for every single dive.

 

[photog]

I did consider that, and Cocos, for example, might be a little ambitious. For the others, the OP has been in some current, been on a liveaboard, and has been diving regularly in somewhat similar conditions. I'd be more concerned if she were planning on shore diving in Northern California, for example.
She's already done some of the mediocre spots; if she waits too long the best spots will be bereft of life.

I run a lot of trips and do find that divers with even 500 dives here and there around the world and an instructor certification sometimes require extra assistance, especially in current. Over the years I've met quite a few "experienced" divers who come on a trip and then are very upset about the conditions and sit out dives or get angry. It certainly depends on the person.

Most of the divers on my trips are very experienced and have no problem. I rarely accept anyone with 50 dives for less and when I do, we have enough guides that I can usually put a guide one-on-one with that person to train them a bit. And, if people don't like current we can always put them on the site out of the current, but then that isn't the best diving. Just better if people consider their diving skills before they book an expensive trip.

Also.. for a single women traveling alone, I would rule out PNG and Egypt. I've traveled alone quite a lot and those 2 are places a single women needs to be extremely cautious... and even that may not help.

 

[vladimir]

Also.. for a single women traveling alone, I would rule out PNG and Egypt. I've traveled alone quite a lot and those 2 are places a single women needs to be extremely cautious... and even that may not help.

Good point.

 

[tndiver1]

Shark and Dolphin Expedition
August 15 – August 22, 2011

Join Steven Anderson and Jim Abernethy for a Shark and Dolphin Expedition to the world famous Tiger Beach and the outer reefs along the Little Bahamas Banks. The cost of the trip is 2805.00 USD and includes diving for Tiger, Great Hammerhead, Lemon and Caribbean Reef Sharks for 5 days. We will spend 7 nights aboard the M/V Shear Water with all food, beverages, tanks, weights and air fills included. Nitrox is available for $100.00 if you want it. The boat will depart and return to West Palm Beach, Florida where there are hassle free flights available in and out. The airport is 20 minutes to the boat. This trip is planned for underwater photographers and experienced divers who have an interest in sharks and close - up action. There will be no cage and you will be underwater with several large sharks that are baited to provide the safest interaction you might ever experience. This trip provides some of the most exciting, extreme, and rewarding diving you might ever do. I can guarantee that you will return with a new appreciation of sharks and if you are a photographer, you will return with great images.

We will spend some time taking images of Tiger Sharks and Lemon sharks topside with cameras trying to get bite shots as the sharks chase after bait on the surface, as well as a chance to swim with dolphins, and baby turtles.

The M/V Shear Water is owned and operated by Jim Abernethy. Jim and his professional crew have been diving the Bahaman waters for the past 15 years and taking divers on these adventures for almost as many years. Jim and his crew are some of the most skilled and experienced shark operators in the world and have an excellent record for getting divers close up with sharks. All food and drink is provided along with snacks throughout the day. If you are serious about some shark diving, please contact : Steven Anderson – (615)336-4667
steven@stevenandersonphotography.com for.further information

Not included :
*Liquor – No alcoholic beverages provided other than wine with dinner
*Additional fees for Bahamas taxes – $ 110.00 US per person, payable by cash or credit card.
* A fuel surcharge will be added and determined at the time of the tri
*Crew gratuities – 15% of charter price is standard

 

[electrix]

Don't overlook French Polynesia wish I was there now. There have been some really good deals lately on air fare and Tahiti Nui is the best airline I have flown on.

 

[vladimir]

Join Steven Anderson and Jim Abernethy for a Shark and Dolphin Expedition to the world famous Tiger Beach and the outer reefs along the Little Bahamas Banks.

Apropos of photog's concerns,

I'm wondering if the suggestions others have offered aren't a bit ambitious for a fairly new diver with under 50 dives.

from Jim Abernethy's website:

Shark diving is a potentially dangerous sport and since there can be strong currents, divers should be fairly experienced. The depths that we anchor in are between 10 and 100 feet. For this reason we ask that all divers be Advanced Open Water certified (or equivalent) and have deep and drift diving experience or have have the basic Open Water certification with a logbook showing the necessary experience. We will screen or question each potential guest as to their experience level.