Where would you move to if ...

[TSandM]

Well, a lot is going to depend on one's priorities. A person who vastly prefers warm water diving is going to make different choices from someone who is equally comfortable in cold. Climate varies, and some people don't like cold, and other don't like heat. Island locations have issues with limited supplies and high prices, as well as the necessity to fly for a change of scenery.

Personally, I prefer a temperate climate, leaving someplace like Florida out as a residence due to heat, humidity, and hurricanes. I don't mind cold water diving (and sometimes wonder if I prefer it), so the West Coast is a good place for me. California has better weather, but higher prices and some really messed up politics and social problems. And Californians have to dive in water that MOVES Washington has lower prices than California (somewhat) but you have to like cooler temps and rain. On the other hand, Puget Sound is diveable darned near 365 days a year, and it's GOOD diving.

In your situation, if I could afford it, I'd think about snowbirding -- living one place during the winter, and another during the summer, both of them near good quality diving.

 

[greylion]

I'd probably move to the Florida Keys, specifically Key Largo. You're close enough to Miami and its airport. Water activities are close enough that if you had a few hours between online conference calls you could go out for a quick dive and cell towers are close enough to dive site that you could be on the water and still 'work'.

I'd rather move to Cozumel, but if I had to stay in the USA then Key Largo would be a good choice. Truth is, if money is no object I'd just have my Gulfstream ready to go where I want at a moments notice and live in Chicago where the family is so I can play with the grandkids.

 

[diversteve]

I've thought about Maui for a long time for something similar. It has enough infrastructure (Home Depot, WalMart etc) in the Kahului area yet the west side is still nice - lots of tourists to deal with though. Maybe live around Kihei - it seemed like more locals did than in the Kaanapali/Lahaina area.

They also have the Maui Supercomputing Center so bandwidth probably isn't an issue...lol. Pricey to live there though. There are direct flights to SoCal and even Phoenix (USAirways hub) for business connections. And you can be working when your state-side clients are asleep. Short, cheap flights on Go to Honolulu also for just about anything you need. Most everytime we flew Hawaiian locally, we saw residents bringing back appliances/electronics etc. as their luggage - there's 2 Best Buys on Oahu.

I've been to Roatan, Utila, Bonaire etc. and always bring a laptop - the problem with all of them was bandwidth - especially Utila - connections were just too slow. On Roatan's West End, we also had no connection several nights when the power failed.

Curacao might work - it's the same good excellent diving as Bonaire but there's a lot more infrastructure - as well as the deep water port for the area - so things are probably more readily available. Might be more crime there as some areas around the port and the refinery were a little grimy looking. And both places we stayed were fenced - one out of town also had bars on all the windows. A friend of mine has a long-term rental there, I believe she gets about $1200/mo. it's a 3br house in town. Nice beaches, good restaurants and even a KFC and a McDonalds (probably more than one). Decent sized hospital with a recompression chamber also - when we needed an ambulance one night for a non-life threatening emergency out in the more remote WestPunt area - one was there within 1/2 hr. I believe I saw a rescue helicopter land at the hospital that night also. And English is widely spoken. Most Curacao residents are tri-lingual, Dutch, English and Papamientu.

I don't have any idea what it costs or know anything about their internet infrastructure, but what about St. John? It seemed quiet the one time we were there and there's some decent diving there and in the nearby Cays. Sawyer Dive recently relocated there from St. Thomas and there's Cruz Bay Watersports and at least one other diveop.

And there's a car ferry that runs all day back to St. Thomas where you can get most anything. And there's pretty good flights out of St. Thomas since it's a major cruise ship origination point. And it's the U.S. so no passport issues. It appeared that crime is an issue on St. Thomas, we stayed at two different resorts in town and the East End and both had security gates and fencing.

 

[scubamama5]

Here I am..livin' in the Keys (mostly) Flat land..Breathtaking views over the water..at sunrise and sunset...Atlantic fish
Sherrif's blotter reports on falling coconut damage, not much else is happening...till a crazy tourist goes drunken driving on the wrong side of the road....local folks are safe ..everybody knows ya..will stop to help..on the road, on the water..not cheap living..not as expensive as Hawaii..

Live on Oahu part of the year....(Oahu is pretty built up, expensive..and crime abounds in the city..we don't go to the city much....(live in Wahiawa) Breathtaking views and Pacific fish..

I've thought about Costa Rica...been thinking too long on it.. should have moved there 20 years ago..before I found "Home" in the Keys.

Lucky You, just get up and go....every location a possibility.

"Home" is where you'ld rather be, when you're not...

 

[cappyjon431]

Is there a job offer in there somewhere Cappy? I don't have the restrictions I had a year ago I'm sorry to say.:depressed: So leaving for someplace warm is not out of the question if the right opportunity came along.:cool2:

Hi Jim, Stacy and I are so sorry for your loss. I would love to have an instructor of your caliber, but unfortunately I could not afford to pay you what you are worth. At this point I have to be content with my local (Panamanian) DMs and instructors who work for Panamanian wages. If you ever decide you want to get away for a warm weather vacation and warm water diving, you are always welcome as my guest. Diving will be on the house.

 

[muddiver]

What about Guam? It is an unincorporated territory of the US.

My understanding from most of teh engineers I know who have been there is that is it a small, flat lump of sand with one to two palm trees in the vast middle of no where, with an American military base on it. Not much else.

 

[H2O 70]

I'd rather move to Cozumel, but if I had to stay in the USA then Key Largo would be a good choice. Truth is, if money is no object I'd just have my Gulfstream ready to go where I want at a moments notice and live in Chicago where the family is so I can play with the grandkids.

If money were no object, I'd have a Lagoon 67 and just sailed where ever I wanted.

 

[divingbuddy]

I have to go with Cappy on this one - I just got back from a couple of weeks in Costa Rica and Panama, and had a very hard time leaving....I could see myself very happy in Bocas del Toro!

Moving to Bocas del Toro, Panama is the best move I have ever made. Hundreds of expats from all over the world have "discovered" this beautiful archipelago. Beautiful reefs, incredibly low cost of living, almost no crime, no traffic, widespread use of English, and friendly locals have all combined to make this paradise for me.

Panama is also very proactive in terms of encouraging investors and retirees. Great tax breaks and incentives for foreigners to live here.

Finally, being in Central America puts me very close to other great dive destinations. I'm only 20 miles from the Costa Rica border, Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua are only short flights away. Its also quite inexpensive for me to fly back to the States to visit friends and family.

 

[Scott L]

There is no diving I like better than Plam Beach County dift diving. Never a dull moment. Born and raised.

 

[keithdiver]

There is no diving I like better than Plam Beach County dift diving. Never a dull moment. Born and raised.

Hi scott, how goes it?