Would love some help making a great dive trip

[J.Wal]

Hey, I am looking to do a dive trip with my GF in the timeframe of February 2016. My GF will have less than 25 dives. I should be around 50 by then. So we are looking for a 3 night/ 4 day all inclusive for us to enjoy.

With us both being newish I would like to see 2 tank dives a day via boat and I believe some places offer the ability to shore dive most any time... I would like to have that option as well.

We are on a budget and not sure how well we can get around $1,000 per person for the trip all together. We can float a extra hundred or two if needed here and there per person.

I was thinking FL keys, or Caribbean islands areas, but open to suggestions.


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[diversteve]

February is high season in the Caribbean so that rules a lot of that out on your budget. You probably can't even get to many islands for much under $700 and boat dives typically run 2/$100. And let's not forget the 15-18% island resort tax most charge in addition to their stated rate.

Also there's almost no AI dive resorts that offer 3 night packages - most start at 5. Sunscape on Curacao does but it's $400/couple/day in winter not including diving - or flights.

Places to price that do have shore diving are Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Grand Cayman, St. Croix or Cozumel. Maybe the last one is doable at your price point. Check out Villablanca Garden Hotel since they bundle packages with nearby operators. There's also a shallow shore dive off their property.

It would help if we knew your origin point - some routes can be cheaper - esp. in February when people head to the sunshine.

Otherwise Florida looks like your best option. Afaik the only shore dive in the Keys is at Pennekamp Park on Key Largo which might not be a bad option since around MM 100 is a hotbed for dive activity - there's 3 hotels (Marriott, Hilton Express, one more) on a marina there and 4-5 dive operators keep boats nearby. Pennekamp is a short distance up the road also. The Keyshuttle will drop you both there for $80 - from either FLL or MIA. Price both since FLL is often cheaper to fly into.

Consider Ft. Lauderdale also. You can certainly find any number of boat operators, all sorts of on/near water resort options, obviously food options as well. LBTS and Hollywood Beach are both shore dive options and with a car Blue Heron Bridge is a popular option also - so much that it has it's own thread in the Florida forum. Other options: Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: Florida, USA East

 

[chillyinCanada]

J.Wal, is 3 nights 4 days all the time you have available? Does your budget of $1000/person include airfare? If do, from where?Thanks

 

[KathyV]

I believe that the MV Spree offers 3 day liveaboard dive trips for $1,000 per person; that includes food, diving, and accommodations. They do trips to the Dry Tortugas and around the Keys. I have never dived with them but I know that they are a popular venue, see the link below.

Just one comment, what are your preferences for water temperature? I like really warm water that is 80 F or above, but during the winter the waters around Florida, the Caymans, and Bahamas will probably be in the lower 70s. I know that is not truly cold-water diving, but if you are like me and really prefer warm water, then you may want to look further south in the Caribbean at that time of year. Good luck!

Spree Expeditions Inc. | Dry Tortugas Scuba Diving Liveaboard | M/V Spree Diving the Dry Tortugas | Florida Key Wrecks | Bahamas

 

[RJP]

Bonaire would be the choice for a combo of boat and shore diving, with Curacao a close second. Options available for all budgets... with airfare being the wildcard, of course.

PS - any reason you're looking for such a short trip?

 

[mselenaous]

Cozumel, plenty of AI resorts (I'm partial to Hotel Cozumel) and lots of good diving for newer less experienced divers. At one of these AI's no rental car needed. Check out the Cozumel Forum for more info http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cozumel/

And I'm always partial to Key Largo, my back yard with tons of great shallow diving for new divers. Plenty of direct flights into MIA or FLL, but you will need a rental car. No AI resort's here. Search through the FL forum as the Keys is an often discussed topic http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-diving/
Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

Feb is high season in both areas. Prices are significantly less in the fall after Labor Day.

If you are flexible on dates, join Scubaboard Dec 5-12 for our Curacao trip. Here are the details: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/sc...ubaboard-surge-2015-curacao-package-deal.html includes everything but airfare.

For some comparison pricing, check with Maduro Dive Travel or Bay Adventures (both companies specialize in dive travel only and can help you decide what/where/when works best for you and get you some smoking good deals)...mention Scubaboard.

 

[drrich2]

Since you mentioned the Keys, I'm guessing you can drive or fly there reasonably? I, too, want to know where you guys are coming from. Here's my old trip report from diving Rainbow Reef Dive Center at Key Largo; some cheap diving, with no added charge for the guides. But my big question would be what are the conditions like in February? Water temp.s, reliability of disable conditions, etc...

Richard.

 

[Divebooker.com]

You can also consider Bahamas with it's quiet diverse diving. Please follow these links to learn more: Diving in Bahamas & Dive Centers from Bahamas.
The first one will give you a general idea of diving in the Bahamas, the latter - of the dive enters available for online reservation.