where to go be a dive bum for a year or so?

[bassplayer]

I'm in my mid 40s, just rented my house out and planning to take some time off and go be a dive bum somewhere.

I'm interested to keeping things affordable, say 2-3k a month total living expenses (that doesn't include plane tickets or diving costs).

Accomodations don't have to be luxurious, basic is fine. My goal is to spend time on fitness, do some learning, work on some tech projects related to all the new generative AI developments, and generally take a nice sabbatical.
Don't care about nightlife, medium safety is good but I'm not overly frightful. having some shore diving opportunity would be a plus to manage costs a bit. I'm assuming i would probably need to rotate between a few locations to manage visa issues, not sure if just doing that and staying in monthly furnished rentals is the best idea, or if there are other approaches?

Till now all my diving has been in the US and the carribean, mainly to accomodate my work schedule and timezones. Im very interested in the better diving in Asia but not sure if really the best way to access it is liveaboards, or if there's a good fit for the above idea? Or, should I just go hang out in mexico? Any advice welcome.

 

[arew+4]

Given the opportunity described, I would choose Curacao, nice diving, lots of shore diving. Head out west for low key life style, could make it damn near monastic if you choose. When you want some hustle and bustle, night life, etc. You go into town for a weekend.

 

[mje113]

Sorry, no advice for you but I will say I'm jealous, sounds like an amazing plan. I unfortunately would need to wait 8 years until the kids are off to college but this is a plan to aspire to.

 

[Centrals]

Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.
And if you afford it then add Palau, PNG, Soloman Islands and Truk.
OZ and NZ as well.

 

[bassplayer]

Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.
And if you afford it then add Palau, PNG, Soloman Islands and Truk.
OZ and NZ as well.

Do you have any specific advice for Indonesia and Malaysia? Meaning, is there somewhere to stay in either for a full month that would be a good fit?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

So what is your current certification? Have you considered working through a Divemaster program to augment dive costs.........? And also a "working" visa may give you more time in one place.

 

[bassplayer]

So what is your current certification? Have you considered working through a Divemaster program to augment dive costs.........? And also a "working" visa may give you more time in one place.

highest cert is rescue - that does sound interesting but i've always thought divemasters work really hard every day and that seems like a bit too much of a commitment, would like a bit more balanced schedule. i dont suppose there's a 3 day a week divemaster program

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Have you seen the movie "Into the Blue" ? Ultimate dive bum movie!!!!... All you need is a dumb-ass lawyer friend with rich clients who leave you their villa and kick ass boat for the summer so you, your lawyer buddy, and couple of beautiful women can go and find a sunken plane filled with cocaine and then have an adventure...

 

[Centrals]

Do you have any specific advice for Indonesia and Malaysia? Meaning, is there somewhere to stay in either for a full month that would be a good fit?

I certainly would move around the country if I have a month because there are so much more to experience/see above/below water.

highest cert is rescue - that does sound interesting but i've always thought divemasters work really hard every day and that seems like a bit too much of a commitment, would like a bit more balanced schedule. i dont suppose there's a 3 day a week divemaster program

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[Kensei]

You might want to consider Palau for the following reasons. First, you don't need a visa to live there and their currency is the US dollar. They speak English. Second, I think you can get a nice condo rental for about $800 month but check first. I believe their main bank is Bank of Hawaii. Next, given your IT skills, you can probably get a part-time job teaching at the community college in Palau. I met with the dean there and was offered a position but declined. Palau now has decent internet but look into what it costs. You may also be able to get work doing IT/marketing stuff for the dive shops. It's easy to go from Palau to the Philippines, Truk, Indonesia, etc. As a resident, I believe Sams will give you a discount on boat dives. You can probably get a last minute spot on live-aboards for a big discount. Probably the best reef diving in the world. Don't really need a car but a bicycle would be nice. Palau used to be a US territory but is now an independent country. Still, it has very close ties to the US. For example, a Palauan can move to the US without having to go through the immigration process, so there is reciprocity for US citizens living in Palau. There is (believe it or not) a US Coast Guard base in Palau.