Where would you go?

[sillygrendel]

Hi all,

I'm pretty new to diving. (<20 dives, AOW/Nitrox) I really enjoy it and have been trying to get out as much as I can!

I'm finally leaving Pittsburgh!! My job here has been so miserable :upset: I'm planning on taking a bit of a break before deciding what to do next.

I was thinking that I might like to take a couple of months and dive 24/7. Really get some good experience and learn as much as I can! I think before doing that I'd like to take a rescue course.

So... I've looked into things like divemaster internships and whatnot, but... I'm not so sure that is my best bet for gaining varied experiences. I was also thinking it might be good to find someplace with a lot of very good diving and spend some time just living/diving there. I really don't know anyone outside of Pittsburgh who dives so that is pretty hard. I can certainly afford to support myself for a couple of months (NOT at resort prices) but the questions seem to be -- where should I go and who should I dive with??



Laugh... Ideally there'll be rock climbing too!

Help or suggestions would be great!

Matt

 

[Louie]

At the end of last year, I hated work and was so bored with life, I decided to take a few months off and do some serious diving.

So I bought one of those round-the-world cheapie deals and hit Australia for a few weeks (Queensland mainly and did a liveaboard on the Northern Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea which was immensely enjoyable). I loved it on land as well with all the hiking and island trips. Then it was off to Vanuatu to spend ten days diving the Coolidge (a must if you like wrecks), then Fiji for Manta Rays and finally, a cold dip in British Columbia.

I was impressed with Australia (modern world, no malaria and best of all: everyone speaks English) and now, I'm in the process of packing up for a seriously long sabbatical (planning to do a divemasters course in Cairns and maybe find the occassional work in the South Pacific).

So enjoy researching and deliberating on your destinations and all the best wherever you end up.

Louie

 

[scubagatorgal]

One place you might consider is Utila, Honduras Bay Islands. It is very inexpensive to live and they have several dive schools. The price for DM is 5 - 700.00 and should take about 2 months. I would go down there and dive with the different shops and ask around the island before making a decision about commiting to the DM program. Some have gotten mixed reviews online. Are you thinking about a dive career?

There are other places but Utila certainly has good diving and is very cheap to live. No rock climbing though...

Sigh, wish I could drop out for a couple of months and go with you...have fun!

 

[sillygrendel]

scubagatorgal -- I'll have to look into that! It might give me a good chance to improve my spanish. I honestly haven't heard many people comment on divemaster programs. At one point I was looking at Thailand but from the research I've done it seems the diving there is mediocre at best. But its cheap!

Louie -- I actually did my very first dive off of Cairns! I spent a year studying in Melbourne. Great city, lots of fun. Love Australia. Spent 3 weeks travelling up and down the east coast of Aus. Went on a 3 day trip on the outer reef and did a couple of resort course dives. Later that year my parents came out to visit and took me up to Lizard Island. Did another couple resort dives in "The Cod Hole". It wasn't until 3 years after that I got certified! (just last month in the Keys) I don't think I could afford something like you did but... I wish I could! (Isn't all that island hopping expensive?)

Honestly... I'm not sure what I want to be doing next. I dislike my current job so much I've decided to take a break before even thinking about what else to do. (Afraid I'll make a bad decision - very tempted to burn my CMU CS diploma right now which might be a bad idea!) Diving as a career? Perhaps. I really enjoy teaching people and I have thought about it. I don't feel I have enough diving experience to make that decision though. I've kind of figured if things lean that way on this trip I can always go with the flow...

 

[Red Rover]

Originally posted by sillygrendel
At one point I was looking at Thailand but from the research I've done it seems the diving there is mediocre at best. But its cheap!

Diving in Thailand is fantastic. I've made over a hundred dives there and I rate it better than the Great barrier Reef! (Especially Koh Bon and the Similians)

You are right, its also cheap. As is the great food, great drink and plenty of things to do. The problem is that Thailand has a lot of laws limiting expats and what they can do and how long they can stay. There are plenty of dive shops that offer free "intern" divemaster programs. You work for them for 3 months for free and they get you your Divemaster cert plus tons of diving experience. I met a woman there from Germany who's job it was to play liveaboard dive guide. What a job! All she did was dive all day, eat great food and have a great time escorting us around reefs.


Visit Thailand, talk to a dive shop and I promise you, you will not be sorry!


Good luck and keep us posted! We all may be joining you soon!

RedRover

 

[glamourpuss]

hi there... any idea where i can find more information about these so-called free "intern" divemaster programs.

this is exactly what i'm looking for.

any infor would be great!!! thanks!!!

 

[scorpionfish]

Hi, Grendel!

The world is so big and there are so many wonderful places to dive and "hideout"! However, there is a virtue to staying in the US: you have all the rights of a citzen and you know what they are!

With that in mind, let me suggest one of the Hawaiin Is. My choice would be the Big Island because I like its size, its atmosphere and the diving. Some people think that Kauai has too much "muck" on its corals, but I like Kauai! Maui is a little too touristy for me, but the diving is just excellent. Oahu is a pretty island with a wonderful climate, but it is dominated by a city, a real city, Honolulu. The diving on Oahu is just okay, I think.

Things have slowed down in the islands due to 9/11 and you might be able to find a bargain as far as living quarters. Food is expensive because 95% is brought in by ship. I know several DM's who "work for dives": that is, they love to dive and are willing to work without wages if they can just dive. The dive "shops' that offer such opportunities tend to be 6/8 pack boats. So, if you spent the time and money with such a shop and got your DM rating, they might be willing to take you on in those terms as a sort of "internship".

I cannot give you any names for obvious reasons, but it should not be too hard to do a little research yourself.

One other thing to consider: Hawaii is the jumping off point for a lot of Pacific destinations. If it did not work out, you are closer to another paradise!

I just wanted to plant a seed!

Scorpionfish

 

[sillygrendel]

Thanks for the replies! Turns out going for a longer vacation wasn't quite going to work out for a couple of reason... Money being one of them but I also didn't feel quite ready to do a DM program at the time. (Strange how my ideas on diving have changed quite a bit over the last 5 months!)

Wandering to Bonaire for 10 days instead. (several months somewhere would be nice!)

glamourpuss -- If I can find it in my email archives, I'll PM you what I found out!

Best of luck,
Matt