What should I expect to pay?

[LTJbuddy]

Dear all,

I am a student in NYC. I am looking to get out of the cold during my winter vacation 12/20-1/4. I have very little experience in planning a dive vacation and would like some input about approximately how much I should I expect to pay and where you might recommend as a less expensive (not inexpensive) location. I realize that it could be almost anything so let me try to set a few parameters:

4 days of diving in the time frame I wrote. 2 tank per day with an option for a night dive one night.
Does not need to be all-inclusive
Decent accommodations

Other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for your input!

 

[vicdiver656]

Maui...you can live there in a nice place for a fairly good price. If you don't mind cooking for yourself I know of a REALLY nice place that goes for $65 a night.

 

[kathydee]

Hi,

I've been diving for $15-$25 per dive in SE Asia. I am a student too and will try Utilia Honduras for 1 month over christmas. Sounds like decent rooms are $12-$18 per night and dives are about $20. But not sure if you can find a cheap flight this late in the game. I will fly into Roatan then take a boat over to Utilia. Keep in touch if you go with this option - still looking for dive buddies.

 

[Diver Lori]

You didn't give an idea of the price range you had in mind. Given you are a college student, and in NY, something in the Caribbean close would probably work well for you.

Try Bahamas scuba diving liveaboard Blackbeard's Cruises and see if they have an opening that fits your schedule.

It's camping on the water, but it's something the younger set seems to like.

 

[herman]

Considering the time and travel cost, IMO your best bet is the Fla Keys. Easy and quick to get to, relatively inexpensive air fare (or driving is an option), no need for passport and lots of good diving. Water temp in in the low 72, while not super warm it's not bad either. Get a room with a kitchen and you can cut meal cost to pretty much zero over eating at home (gotta eat reguardless of where your at )

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

I just booked a vacation to Playa de Carmen in Mexico for about $650.00 per person. That includes RT air from Rochester, New York to Cancun, transfers from Can**** to Playa, 4 nites at an all-inclusive 3 star resort which includes food, beer and wine. Could not pass that one up. Go to travelzoo.com and sign up for their weekly top 20 deals. This is the third time in three years that I have booked a "too good to be true" package with them that turned out to be a great vacation.

 

[robint]

Dear all,

I am a student in NYC. I am looking to get out of the cold during my winter vacation 12/20-1/4. I have very little experience in planning a dive vacation and would like some input about approximately how much I should I expect to pay and where you might recommend as a less expensive (not inexpensive) location. I realize that it could be almost anything so let me try to set a few parameters:

4 days of diving in the time frame I wrote. 2 tank per day with an option for a night dive one night.
Does not need to be all-inclusive
Decent accommodations

Other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for your input!

#1........ you are looking at the most expensive time of year for anywhere in Caribbean and most Pacific regions. Most places have been booked full already months ago.

#2........ since you really are new to diving, and have no idea where you want to go, I would suggest you do some research on places like Caradonna Dive Adventures - Dive Travel and Vacations and Caribbean Dive Island Vacations at Bay Adventures and Island Dreams Travel scuba diving vacations, cozumel scuba diving, dive travel, dive resorts, diving trips to get ideas of what is out there and the prices. Or you can look at www.expedia.com and get a flight/hotel dive package for Cozumel and book diving separately. Coz has about 100 dive shops and it is easy to book that. Look at Papa Hogs Scuba Emporium of Cozumel - Mexico or Dive Paradise, Cozumel MX or Cozumel Scuba Diving with Aqua Safari or Cozumel Scuba Diving at Scuba Club Cozumel Dive Resort and Scuba Cozumel Dive Shop to get some ideas on cost of diving per day, packages with and without hotel and food, etc.

#3........ probably the cheapest places for diving in Caribbean/East coast US are Cozumel and Florida. Ft Lauderdale area has lots of diving, so does Key Largo. Cozumel has tons of tiny little hotels and dive packages. One of those 3 places would be your best bet for an inexpensive first dive trip during the Xmas holidays. Another website with info on Cozumel is: Cozumel There is more to do in Cozumel topside than at Key Largo if that is important to you.

#4....... another option for you is to find a dive group already going on a trip and go with them. Check with your LDS and see what they can come up with for you, too.

Just my 2 cents.

robin