gogoasami
Guest
I love to dive, but I need to enjoy my time on dry land as well.
Utila was amazingly cheap (Utila Dive Center - http://www.utiladivecentre.com/) is possibly the cheapest place to dive. $17 per one-tank dive, all equipment included. Also one of the cheapest places to get certified, if your girlfriend is thinking of doing that. I flew down on my own (ORD to Utila via La Ceiba) on American Airlines. BUT, there is absolutely nothing to do on land other than smoke and drink, which is what most people did. It's a backpacker kind of vibe, so a great option for great diving on the cheap.
My friend used to DM on Roatan, and he said that the accommodations are much nicer there. I'm not sure that there's a whole lot more to do, but just much nicer surroundings.
I did a Similan/Surin Islands 4 day liveaboard from Khao Lak via Sea Dragon (http://www.seadragondivecenter.com/) and it was the most amazing diving. We saw everything -- so many fish you can barely see the rocks/coral, Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, mating sea turtles, 4 kinds of sharks, sea horses... I missed the Whale Shark. The boat is pretty basic, but the food was amazing and it was a great bunch (19 divers, 6 DMs, 5 crew members). 4 days, 4 nights, 13 dives, $488. The only thing we had to pay extra was for beer. I didn't dive anywhere else in Thailand, but I hear it's great on both sides of Thailand, and the food/culture/history is amazing. I flew out on my own, Japan Airlines, Chicago O'Hare via Tokyo Narita to Bangkok and back, $830 RT. I spent 3 weeks total in Thailand, flew from Bangkok to Phuket then cabbed from there to Khao Lak. This was last February, and the diving on the Andaman side is awesome.
On land, Thailand has much, much to offer than the Bay Islands, but Honduras will be far cheaper, both for the flights and for accommodations/activities. If you have more time on land in Honduras, you can check out Copan near the Guatemalan border for some amazing Mayan ruins.
Utila was amazingly cheap (Utila Dive Center - http://www.utiladivecentre.com/) is possibly the cheapest place to dive. $17 per one-tank dive, all equipment included. Also one of the cheapest places to get certified, if your girlfriend is thinking of doing that. I flew down on my own (ORD to Utila via La Ceiba) on American Airlines. BUT, there is absolutely nothing to do on land other than smoke and drink, which is what most people did. It's a backpacker kind of vibe, so a great option for great diving on the cheap.
My friend used to DM on Roatan, and he said that the accommodations are much nicer there. I'm not sure that there's a whole lot more to do, but just much nicer surroundings.
I did a Similan/Surin Islands 4 day liveaboard from Khao Lak via Sea Dragon (http://www.seadragondivecenter.com/) and it was the most amazing diving. We saw everything -- so many fish you can barely see the rocks/coral, Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, mating sea turtles, 4 kinds of sharks, sea horses... I missed the Whale Shark. The boat is pretty basic, but the food was amazing and it was a great bunch (19 divers, 6 DMs, 5 crew members). 4 days, 4 nights, 13 dives, $488. The only thing we had to pay extra was for beer. I didn't dive anywhere else in Thailand, but I hear it's great on both sides of Thailand, and the food/culture/history is amazing. I flew out on my own, Japan Airlines, Chicago O'Hare via Tokyo Narita to Bangkok and back, $830 RT. I spent 3 weeks total in Thailand, flew from Bangkok to Phuket then cabbed from there to Khao Lak. This was last February, and the diving on the Andaman side is awesome.
On land, Thailand has much, much to offer than the Bay Islands, but Honduras will be far cheaper, both for the flights and for accommodations/activities. If you have more time on land in Honduras, you can check out Copan near the Guatemalan border for some amazing Mayan ruins.
