What would you do with 3 weeks and $15,000??

[Scuba Jim]

Yap is a great place for mantas, I can vouch for that. But you might find than Manihi is better for them... Steve (Bacchus), Scott (Finesse) and David D have all been off the board and will confirm the quality of manta diving in Manihi.

Another place they have them is in Milne Bay Province in PNG - a dive site called Giants at Home. 20ft sandy bottom, large coral head, lotsa mantas!

I arranged the trip for myself - that is my job! I am in the travel bisiness, specialising in diving holidays. Click "My stuff" below and it will take you there... I can assist you, no problems at all.....

PM me if you want some assistance, but perhaps it is best for you to look at my web site....

Regards
Jim

 

[frogfish]

My piece of advice would be to try to go in a place where few people dive though you get fantastic comfort... In this category the Pelagian liveaboard is an excellent choice I believe - they are running trips to the Banda sea, Irian Jaya and Komodo in Indonesia (duration 10 to 22 nights !).

http://www.dive-asiapacific.com/boats/palagian.htm

Wherever you go enjoy your trip !

 

[dsgobie]

WOW! I don't even get paid that much in a year. I am a Corporal in the Marine Corps.... I wouldn't have that much money for a vacation in 4 years pay.

And to hear you try to blow it in 3 weeks.... I'm jelous.. Hummm.... You could move to Thailand and retire on that much... Philippines also.. Just don't buy anything when one of our ships pull in and let the Marines out to play... They jack up all the prices.

 

[h3o]

15,000?! geez, you can go on a year long trip and visit at least 10 different dive destinations with that much.

 

[h3o]

you can do a great micronesian island hopper with that much and 3 weeks. Yap, Palau, Truk and maybe even some of the smaller islands...

 

[Richeod]

Can you give me a little more info on what you are looking to dive. As you already know the flights here are very expensive. Most of the islands in Micronesia have the same thing to offer (hard coral). Truk and Bikini are great for wrecks but not much else. If the only reason you are going to Yap is the Mantas I would recommend Hawaii instead. The big island. It's on the way so will save you money but doesn't offer much else so a day or two would be fine.
Excepting the wrecks, all of Micronesia is similar, pick a location based on other activities offered. To go anywhere outside of Micronesia you will need to go back to Hawaii or Guam for a flight. A trip to Majuro would be cheap (relatively) from Hawaii and there are side trips offered to Arno Atoll which is totall untouched for pennies. Not bad for a week and a good look at Micronesian diving without wasting alot of money. Beware though, as Majuro and most of the FSM and Marshall islands is a slum.
The Phillippines would be a great side trip from Guam. The diving is spectacular. Lots of soft coral. Look up Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro. That is where all the diving is done.
Can't comment of Figi, Bora Bora, or Tahiti.

 

[raviepoo]

Two words:

cosmetic

surgery

 

[zboss]

a lot further than three weeks - no matter where you go. I certainly would not be able to dive every day - after about a week of two/three dives a day I get pretty exhausted. Instead I would find a nice campground by the beach at $20 a day and sit back and relax...

 

[ratherbediving]

My finance and I are also from Canada and planning a 1 month honeymoon trip to French Polynesia. Your budget is right on track when you consider the Canadian dollar. Our 1 month plan has us spending quite a bit....

There are packages out there, but most of them involve staying at the highest end resorts which really jacks up the price. We're looking into booking with Scuba Jim...although he has gone AWOL over the past couple of weeks....hope he's on a trip enjoying himself somewhere! His website is really impressive. You can also choose from high-end to basic accomodations.

Our trip (we hope) is an island hopping tour of French Polynesia....
Bora Bora, Moorea, Nuka Hiva, Manihi (for the mantas), Fakarava, and Rurutu.

If you PM me I will give you the names of some of the travel agents I know of in Canada that do have some packages available for these areas.

 

[Zeina]

We have just returned from a totally awesome trip to Palau (live-aboard) and Yap (land-based).
I would highly recommend the combo for the diversity of what you will see underwater (including the famous mantas in Yap), and the sheer beauty of the landscape above the water.
Very romantic, and the diving is incredible!! :wacko:
I will be writing a trip report soon.

I have heard lots of good things about French Polynesia (Finesse and First Mate shared some killer pics from their trip that I dream about every day ).

I am looking into spending a month there, sometime next year, including 7 day live-aboard, and island hopping including Rangiroa, Moorea, Bora Bora and Huahine. ScubaJim: wanna help?