Where to go in the world ?

[Scarletpig]

It depends on what you want to see.

If you want to see sharks, that is one list.... Jupiter, FL, the Bahamas, FIJI, And so on.

For wrecks, there is another list... Key Largo, east coast of FL, Scapa Flow, the Great Lakes...

Muck diving is the Blue Hero Bridge, the Lembah Straits.

Diverse coral reefs would be the coral triangle... Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea and the Solomons. Rajat Ampat is a prime example but Komodo is good and the right sites of the Philippines.

There are some dive sites where manta rays come in at cleaning stations. Hawaii has a good manta ray dive sites.

The Red Sea is interesting because it has a considerable number of endemic species.

Belize is good. I have dived Turneffe. Lighthouse reef the atoll that is farther out has really good diving and it has a couple of eco resorts which seems to mean no AC and more basic accommodations. If that is not an issue, the diving is really good there.

Like I wrote on the original post, I don’t care so much about big animals like sharks or manya Rey. I go to Hawaii all the time but I don’t go to manta Rey night dive( just because I’ve seen them so much in Okinawa). natural encounter is more exciting and I like to swim with dolphins thou.

I also don’t care so much about wreck diving though I saw the corals coming out of a ship in Red Sea and found that beautiful. As I wrote, I’m more into colors and scenery. Palau sounds good too.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Thank you for your input. While I’m not necessarily looking to do a budget travel, I’m more with you on the boat choice. Do you have recommendation for the operators in Raja Amoat besides Dewi among the ones you’ve been to or heard of ?

Seahorse boat
By Wallacea

MSY SEAHORSE luxury Liveaboard - Official | Wallacea Dive Cruise

 

[ScubaHankNYC]

I'm chartering Dolphin Dream to dive with Tiger Sharks in Tiger Beach, Bahamas for $2100 / diver ($800 off) if anyone is interested too.

Tiger Shark Expedition 31 Oct - 6 Nov, 2020

The Dolphin Dream is a well run boat. The captain and crew are very nice. During a surface interval, the captain spotted a group of dolphins and stopped the boat so we could snorkel with them -

 

[O-ring]

Subscribed for ideas. Currently considering Raja Ampat, Maldives and Palau but the Arenui just jumped to the top of my list after looking at Chris' link.

 

[GF99/99]

Since you are traveling solo that opens up so many destination. But it depends on what you’re looking for and what your budget is. I would say stay away from the Caribbean, very generic and the diving is just mehhh. Get out see the world different cultures and amazing documentary worthy diving. If I could pick one country I would pick Indonesia but there are a lot of close second place winners as well it’s really hard to narrow it down to one destination. If you have not done Raja Ampat yet then that is MUST! If you a wreck diver then you have to do Chuck Lagoon. I was not very impressed with the marine life in Chuck also there is absolutely nothing to do there except dive but it still one of my most favorite places aside for Indo and Red Sea! Next on my list is Bikini. But you still can’t beat Indonesia having lived there for several years and I still spend about 4 month of holiday a year there diving I can’t say enough good things about the diving there. I just love it! Love the people, culture, food, diving, etc. The problem is there is way way to many amazing dive destinations in Indonesia. If you don’t want to spend the money for Raja them do some research on Indonesia and pick a spot that interest you. You really can’t go wrong with any of them. They are all amazing!


I have dived in a lot of places around the world but one that I have not done and is next on my list is Myanmar. Maybe check that out too. Supposed to be very untouched and beautiful.

 

[O-ring]

Subscribed for ideas. Currently considering Raja Ampat, Maldives and Palau but the Arenui just jumped to the top of my list after looking at Chris' link.

Ended up booking Turks & Caicos Aggressor. I may end up in close(er) proximity to Raja and Palau in a year or two so decided to do something easier to get to this summer.

 

[Scarletpig]

It depends on what you want to see.

If you want to see sharks, that is one list.... Jupiter, FL, the Bahamas, FIJI, And so on.

For wrecks, there is another list... Key Largo, east coast of FL, Scapa Flow, the Great Lakes...

Muck diving is the Blue Hero Bridge, the Lembah Straits.

Diverse coral reefs would be the coral triangle... Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea and the Solomons. Rajat Ampat is a prime example but Komodo is good and the right sites of the Philippines.

There are some dive sites where manta rays come in at cleaning stations. Hawaii has a good manta ray dive sites.

The Red Sea is interesting because it has a considerable number of endemic species.

Belize is good. I have dived Turneffe. Lighthouse reef the atoll that is farther out has really good diving and it has a couple of eco resorts which seems to mean no AC and more basic accommodations. If that is not an issue, the diving is really good there.

Very late reply. After much consideration, I’m taking the big trip to Raja Ampat. So many people have told me Caribbean is good but not as impressive as south east Asia. I will see. I’m just a little concerned about this virus going on right now.

 

[Dan]

I've been to Raja Ampat 7x. The 8th time will be in 2 months: Raja Ampat 14-25 Jan 2020 with Amira $837 off

I think there is one spot left to share a cabin with a female, if you are interested.

That was a fantastic trip. I’m putting together the trip report. Still editing some of the video clips. There are just too many to sort out. At least I got 1 finished editing:

 

[Dan]

So, I am considering
-Belize
-Indonesia
-Red sea (but maybe I’ll wait till summer)

Red Sea is a good choice too. I was on Red Sea Aggressor BDE route 2 weeks before going to Raja Ampat. So both trips are still fresh in my mind.

BDE Trip Report, 21-28 December, 2019

 

[Scarletpig]

Red Sea sounds good, too but that’s another big trip! One bird at a time Looking through different liveaboard trips, Komodo looks as nice, too, and Bali is much easier to access. Your video looks beautiful, preview of my trip!

Red Sea is a good choice too. I was on Red Sea Aggressor BDE route 2 weeks before going to Raja Ampat. So both trips are still fresh in my mind.

BDE Trip Report, 21-28 December, 2019