Short notice dive holiday ideas, please.

[vadiver1]

Hi everyone,

Been trolling many of the posts and surfing the net to find ideas for decent package for 7-8 day trip with 3-4 days diving and 2 days to do something different or dive...we plan to travel during the first week in Dec '09 (I know, not much notice and not many choice deals)

Any info on my short list or other alternatives would be welcome.
My short list includes Bill Beard's Costa Rica, Ocotal 'Resort' (also in CR), or Anthony Key in Honduras.
Three things are important
1. Dive operator reliability, and especially as we'll need to dive with a DM, safety. Reef conservation awareness won't hurt either.
2. Accommodation-until we become dive nuts, comfort is fairly important (doesn't have to be luxury, but not rustic either)
3. Non-dive activities-We're not quite 'live-up the night' types, on the other hand, exploring new locales, hiking, adventuring are more our speed.

I don't have a budget per se, but excluding airfare, I'd like a trip between $1000-1300pp.

Sorry if this was long winded, I would have planned earlier, but work got in the way....

 

[Doc]

.... and especially as we'll need to dive with a DM, safety...

Allow me to address that one single point:

Never assume any standard of care, ability or accreditation from a "DM".

In most world dive locations, there will always be a dive guide in the water with you, but in many situations including the US and the Caribbean, this is not always the case. The people that the dive op puts in the water with you may (or may not) be perfectly qualified to handle any situation, irregardless of whether he has the DM certification card or not.

You may wish to personally hire a DM (or Instructor) to assist you in the water until you feel more comfortable. It doesn't cost all that much.

Any of the ops that you mention have good and reliable guides, but they are simply not in the water to assist you on a one-on-one basis.

You can't go wrong with any of them.