What else is open for an easy February trip besides Coz?

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However for me I need facts and figures to support that a TA will save me money I cant not just blindly use a TA and assume I am saving money. I want to do a cost comparisons.

Reasonable line of questioning but I think to take best advantage of a dive travel agent, you need to go in with flexibility. If you say I want this live-aboard boat on these dates in 2021, I've figured all the flight arrangements and nailed down a cost...if I contact a dive travel agent, will he get me the exact same thing cheaper, maybe 5 or 10% off?

Maybe not. But that's not always how it works.

Yes I am traveling alone and my dive destination with the exceptions of maybe Dahab and Raja Ampat are a little off the beaten path so maybe TA's are not the best option for these obscure trips.

Those are the kind of trips I like them for. I just went though an exercise like this last month. I used Liveaboard.com to find out what boats were available for a far-flung destination in a region I've never been. Too many to sift through. In effect, I'm using a travel service's resources by using their site (it's a nice, clean site - effective and easy on the eyes).

I've got a dive travel agent with another company. I contacted him and laid out what sort of person and diver I am, and what I wanted. He helped me choose between 2 destination options, and named 3 different boats, each with a different date, and gave me some pro.s and con.s on choosing amongst them. I noticed Liveaboard.com had a 20% off sale on one option; my agent's company price-matched, saving me over a grand. And Lord willing and providing, when we're 9 - 10 months out, he'll book airfare for me and an over-night hotel stay. He'll know which travel routes are preferable, desirable layover times in foreign airports, and a hotel other customers have been happy with. He even told me they have 6 of the larger than average tanks I like, no extra cost, but they sometimes switch them around depending on need - so I might best secure my claim on one if I don't come up with too much gas left too often. Not a likely problem...but if I need to kick up the consumption at the end of a dive, I can do that.

What am I saving? Over a grand in cash, hours of grueling research trying to determine air routes and booking flights (likely with different airlines), the frustrations of going at a less optimal time of year, worry over whether I'm missing something because I 'don't know what I don't know,' and a competent advisor who can tell me about the destination.

Could a person find a boat, maybe even that one and those dates, with that sale? Maybe. Research your own travel arrangements? Yeah. Find a way to shave off a little money maybe? Perhaps.

Could I have provided myself as good or better overall value for money as my dive travel agent did on this far distance, complex trip plan? No.
 
@ReadyTo Dive how about Baja California? Open with no quarantine requirements, easy to reach from TX and you could head to Cabo Pulmo, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto...
Except the water will be cold...
 
70s ain't cold! But I am used to diving in 40s-50s, so YMMV.
Google tells me it can be in the range of 66-73 F in mid-February in Cabo Pulmo. Of course, we are all different, and 15 years ago I was quite happy diving the 68 F waters off NC shores in a shortie, but now I'll go in a 5 mm with a hoodie.
 
Also pondering where to go in February.

What's good and open without a test a few days before entry? I'm not sure I can be sure to schedule a test that precisely in my country, waiting times and all.

I'd usually go to Thailand, but there's a two week quarantine, and I'm not doing that. I'm pretty open to most places. Bonus points for rebreather rental access(got Poseidon VI/Se7en cert), whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, octopuses, and night dives.

/Regards from Sweden.
 
Also pondering where to go in February.

What's good and open without a test a few days before entry? I'm not sure I can be sure to schedule a test that precisely in my country, waiting times and all.

I'd usually go to Thailand, but there's a two week quarantine, and I'm not doing that. I'm pretty open to most places. Bonus points for rebreather rental access(got Poseidon VI/Se7en cert), whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, octopuses, and night dives.

/Regards from Sweden.

Some airlines are starting to offer at home pre-flight testing options for covid, like the American Airlines program at the link below; perhaps some European airlines will also start making it easy for passengers to be tested.

I believe that Bonaire is open for tourism if you travel through certain countries, including direct flights from Amsterdam in the Netherlands - so that might work for you?

• Anyone from Europe who can fly via KLM or TUI from Amsterdam may enter Bonaire with a negative PCR test within 72 hours and a health declaration.​

I know that at least some dive ops on Bonaire support rebreather diving, like Buddy's at the link below, and I am sure that there are others, too. Bonaire certainly offers octopuses, turtles and night dives but not many options for whales, dolphins, or sharks. Good luck with finding the right dive vacation for you!

LetsGetChecked - American Airlines

Tec diving Bonaire - Buddy Dive Resort Bonaire
 
"Killer deals"... did you price that out for a comparison? Bypassing the line in the airport is a purchase. I have not found any deals that I can't do better on by piecing it out myself. I haven't used a TA since my wedding in 1995. Since then, I can find everything I need on the internet. The TAs may get some discounts, but not a lot. And, they have to make a profit (a.k.a. markup). If you have money to spare and don't care about the best deal/location on a budget, it's an option. The friends that have traveled with my want me as their travel agent (when I travel with them).

Completely agree.
 
Thank you to all for the helpful ideas ITT. After considering everything we are just going to do another (#6?) trip to Cozumel.

In addition to being less expensive overall than any of the other options we decided we do not want to chance the timing/etc on the Covid tests to T&C or St. Croix or Roatan. Bonaire canceled us out last month so we are not considering it again at all until it is a full green light option. St.Croix and T&C lodging options were especially expensive for where we were willing/wanting to stay and we would really prefer to do a LOB in T&C or the Bahamas which was a little more than we were looking to spend this time.

We’ve already been to all of these places before too (except T&C) and when we were last in Coz (7-8 weeks or so ago) we were doing 1hr 30min+/- dives and so the combination of everything was just too much for us to pass up again. I am hoping this will be our last trip there for a long time though, too many other good places to dive! Thanks again for all of the helpful suggestions.
Just curious if you are still planning to go to Coz in February, seeing that the new travel restrictions will be in place by then.
 

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