Inexpensive dive locations

Steve has suggested that now isn't a particularly good time to dive in Mexico, not directly because of the flu, but because of the effects on dive operators, restaurants, etc.

What are my alternatives? I chose Cozumel because I haven't been there, the airfare is reasonable from Boston, and prices aren't too high. I've done a lot of live aboard diving, but the $2000-$2500 per person plus airfare that most seem to want now is more than I'm comfortable spending right now.

I've got about 90 dives at this point, but much more limited experience (1 trip) with photography. Like most here, I've been thoroughly bitten by the photography bug, and thus photography is my prime concern. Which means, among other things, I'd prefer operations where get a dive briefing and go in pairs where you want at your own pace, rather than being tied to a group with the dive master.

Assuming 7 nights / 5 diving days, what's doable for $3,000 or less for two people, including airfare? Cozumel looked like $600 airfare (including those new baggage fees), $600 or so for food and lodging, and about $1000 for diving. Preferably at least 3 dives / day. I've done 5 dives / day on the live-aboards, though my wife has a bit less stamina than that. At 2 dives / day I tend to find myself bored for the rest of the day.

- Gus

Have you looked at Bonaire, I havent been personally but for your budget I am sure ut would be doable. I have read some good reviews from WP members who have dived from the shores there.

Stew

I second Bonaire.

I would pass on paying for the boat dives. Just rent a car and do beach dives.

Great diving and not expensive.

Todd

Gus:

I can't really 'recommend' it yet as we haven't gone, but I've booked the wife and I for a 7 day (5 dive day) liveaboard trip on the Juliet leaving Puerto Rico's west coast and doing a Mona Passage route, for July. They still had some openings in August when I spoke to them last. Juliet takes only 12 passengers, 5 crew, and our cost was $430 airfare direct from DFW to San Juan, then $1500 for the week diving (includes all food and lodging onboard of course). We added another $300 each for hotel and will stay 3 extra days on PR after the trip to drive around and see some topside scenery, but that really wasn't necessary...there was also an overnight on the way in just to be safe with connections getting to the port from the airport. Rental car gets you from San Juan to Mayaguez (where the Juliet ports) for about $45 one-way rental (return at Mayaguez airport).

Although we'll have some additional spending for taxi, (after dropping off car), food on PR, and maybe sundries (translation: I bring as much rum back as I can from San Juan, as there's some inexpensive local brands they don't sell in the states and no import duties as you're already in the "U.S." for all practical purposes), but my total budget was $5k for the two of us.

Juliet's site is www.divejuliet.com, although you'd probably have to email them to find out any remaining availability for this summer. This is the first season they've done the Mona itinerary, and I couldn't find out a lot about it aside from the rare trip report from some of the Nektons which do Mona in the winter.

I'm with you - 2 dives/day is too little, but doesn't really leave enough time to do something good with the remainder of the day. 5 might be 'too much' for more than 2-3 days (we also do the Flower Gardens 3 day trips when we can, and those itineraries are usually 5/4/2 dives per day...but I'd like the opportunity to be there at least. I've also got right around 90 dives and just one real 'photography diving' trip under my belt. And I'll be equally interested in the other responses you get. Seems to me that I'd love to do the S Pacific or Indonesian sites, but the airfare and time change means I need to subsidize that over at least a 2 week trip to make it worthwhile, and that gets pricey both in terms of coordinating time off and overall cost. But 'cheaper' trips usually equate to 2-dive dayboat sorts of things which makes me feel like I'm wasting the hassle of all the gear packing and transporting.

One other liveaboard option I can think of off the top of my head that's cheaper than you mention in your OP is the Spree, which now dives the Dry Tortugas in Florida. I think they run like $1500 for a 5 day trip, with like 4-5 dives a day available. So your airfare stays domestic, with a taxi ride to the dock. Captain Frank and DM Melanie are great folk, highly recommended. I got to dive with them a couple times while they were in the Flower Gardens market before moving to FL this year. www.spreeexpeditions.com

Neither idea meets a $3k / pair for a week including airfare though. I don't know where you'll find that - with Boston as an origination point - unless somehow frequent flier miles are involved!! (That's the way I afforded Dominica )

You can do Cozumel for a lot less than what you've outlined by getting a package. I don't think it's that big a problem to go there, may even be a lot less crowded.

Bonaire can seem cheap, but food costs are pretty high. I agree to pass on most of the boat dives, a few are fun, but for the most part tend to be crowded dives in a place that's all about doing your own thing.

Jack

If you aren't concerned about the flu virus, now might be a good time to support the cozumel economy, and they probably really need it. You will probably also be able to find better then normal deals. If you are concerned about restaurants, stay at a place that has a reputation for good food. I stayed at Scuba Club Cozumel a few years back, and the food was certainly good enough to eat there every meal if there aren't other options. It might not be the best food in Mexico, but you certainly won't starve either.

The pinned thread on Puerto Rico camera thefts makes me a little leery.

Spree in florida and Bonaire both sound appealing. Right now I'm leaning more toward Bonaire. I've never been there, and from what I've read this morning, you're not going to have more freedom to choose dive sites and times anyplace else. I haven't done a lot of shore diving, just the training dives in Catalina when I got my Open Water and Advanced certifications, so that will be a change of pace.

I found a few menus for Bonaire restaurants online. It looks like that will add about $20-$30 / person per day. So for two people, I'm looking at ~$900 for airfare, ~$1600 for lodging and unlimited shore dives, ~$400 for food, total about $2,900. Plus any boat dives added ala carte. Recommendations seem to be book the shore diving and truck rental as a block, and then find out when you're there how much boat diving you really want to do.

- Gus

If you aren't concerned about the flu virus, now might be a good time to support the cozumel economy, and they probably really need it.

No, I'm not at all concerned about the swine flu. Aside from Steve's points in the Cozumel thread, mainly what bugs me is the requirement to dive as a group rather than as pairs, and strong currents which make macro photography difficult. As I said in that thread, currents don't bother me as a diver, but as a photographer I'm concerned. And I really prefer more freedom to go at my own pace than I experienced in Belize.

- Gus

I haven't done Bonaire but heading there in July. Boston, right now, has the cheapest airfare to and from so its worth taking advantage of. If you've never dived the Keys its nice as well but I've rarely gotten out of Florida with my family as cheap as going to Mexico...for what its worth. Hotels, Car, food, tourist stuff, expensive dive packages usually add up over a week.

Bonaire is the shore diving capital with many frog fish and sea horses. You just drive down the road and where there is a yellow stone marker is a dive site. Most shore dive entries a pretty easy. I dive there usually twice a year, but to find the frog fishes and sea horses you will need a local dive guide. For this reason I do a two tank morning boat dive with Toucan Divers at the Plaza Resort followed by shore dives in the afternoon and evenings. Last month I flew from Philadelphia to Bonaire for $640 round trip. A word of caution, don't lock your rental or leave anything of value in it. Rental break-ins are common.

Elmer

Isla Marisol on Glover's Atoll in Belize will probably meet your budget parameters. Good Carribean diving, good visibilty, good food, basic ammenities, and nice staff. We spent a week diving there and enjoyed it. Many morays, groupers, french and grey angelfish, turtles, etc. Check out the link below:

http://www.islamarisolresort.com/index.php

The pinned thread on Puerto Rico camera thefts makes me a little leery.

As well it should!! But remember that an awful lot of Caribbean travel goes thru SJU, even if you don't stay there...certainly not Coz or other Playa destinations but a lot of the islands. So that threat is a pretty generalized one.

I took the thread as indication I should do everything in my power to carry on my gear - only the 8" dome port and tray/handle assembly goes in checked luggage with the dive gear (cheap plastic sport reg and standard recreational BC, so nothing too 'inviting'. Housing, lenses, strobes, camera bodies, laptop, and dive computer are all carry-on. And with the longer distance direct flights e.g. from DFW or Boston, the equipment is a 757 (with American) so the carry-on police aren't as (ahem) vicious as they can be on those little MD-80s.

Hope the Spree idea helps out, if not this trip, then some other in the future. Cant be certain as I've not done their Dry Tortugas trips, but the way they ran the FG trips it was kind of a rough schedule with the dive gate opening and closing in a 45 minute window to get in the water. Buddy teams ran their own nav from the mooring to wherever they wanted to go (and hopefully back, else they rode the Dinghy of Shame) with no time limits aside from those mandated by air and deco obligations. Just had to hit the deck again with a usable breath in the reg, no blown deco on the computer, and obey the general boat depth rules (130fsw first dive, 100 fsw thereafter). They did ask that air sippers or those on big tanks tend to hit the water early so as to not push back the next dive gate opening time for everyone else (they held minimum 2 hr surface interval first day, 2.5 hrs thereafter), but dives were most definitely NOT guided or grouped. The rig dive was a bit more organized, but that's a live boat situation so the differences were obvious. Anyway, my impression is that in general the DT sites are a bit shallower than the FG (for regular recreational trips) so the rules might if anything be a bit more vs less lenient. I'm sure their FAQ covers it in detail on their website.

Think about the Bay Islands of Honduras: Utila, Roatán, and Guanaja. I did the solo, backpacker-like trip to Utila in '04 and got my divemaster certification as well as my first taste of u/w photography there without spending very much money at all. Whale sharks, dolphins, frogfishes, clear water, easy diving. A year later, I went with my girlfriend (now my wife) to Roatán for two weeks, and had a pretty decent time diving with Native Sons... when I wasn't suffering from a bad case of the runs. Utila was the better experience in virtually every way, though I had way more time there and maybe it's not a fair comparison. Check out Utila Dive Centre and Cross Creek to get some idea of prices. The north side of the island is often cited as the home of the better sites, but there are nice sites on or near the south side, too, such as Black Hills, a mini-seamount site that gets visits from pelagics and serves as a cleaning station. I think you can get to a few sites from shore, but for the most part you'll be on a boat and paying $20-25 per tank., I think.

As well it should!! But remember that an awful lot of Caribbean travel goes thru SJU, even if you don't stay there...certainly not Coz or other Playa destinations but a lot of the islands. So that threat is a pretty generalized one.

Kids Fly and Dive for free !!

One place that seems to be joining in with all the special deals is http://www.sunsethouse.com/specials_home.php

But there are lots of ways to do Cayman on a budget too. Mostlyit depends on where you are flying from and what price flight you can get. The island has a reputation for being expensive, it isn't that bad, but if you don't specnd carefully and play like you are on a budget it will definitely cost a bit more than expected.

Don't think small, think big.

Think of places where the dollar goes far... once you get there.

I bought my ticket to Bali for approx $1k about a month ago (Cathay Pac). It's quite easy to live on $500 for a week... easier still for two people to live on $1000.

Bali will blow Coz or Bonaire out of the water in terms of biodiversity and photographic subjects.

Thailand is another good option to consider, where you can live like a king for very cheap, but the diving is a little more expensive because Phuket is mostly about boat diving, which adds up quick.

Getting to these places is expensive, but once you arrive, the cost of living is dirt cheap. If you can find a place with good shore diving options (like Bali, for instance), and a strong dollar, you can live like a king and still come in on budget.

I've wanted to dive Coz and Bonaire for a long time, and probably will some day, but until the economy turns around and I have cash to spare again, believe it or not, Bali is going to be a "budget" vacation. The simple trick is to keep an eye on airfare, which fluctuates greatly, and jump on the deals when they turn up. As long as you can keep airfare in the $1k range (I've seen it a bit lower), it's going to be hard to beat.

All that said, it's possible to shore dive your way through Coz and come in a bit cheaper, but I somehow I doubt the experience will compare to Bali. Spend the extra couple hundred, and you can have the trip of a lifetime.

I bought my ticket to Bali for approx $1k about a month ago (Cathay Pac).

It's more like $1200 now. I'm sure rates vary, but are you checking the price every week or something?

It's quite easy to live on $500 for a week... easier still for two people to live on $1000.

And what about dive costs?

- Gus

It's more like $1200 now. I'm sure rates vary, but are you checking the price every week or something?

 

 

And what about dive costs?

 

- Gus

No, that's just what they were when I was ready to buy. A week prior they were $950, so I figured I should jump on it once a paycheck came in. If you're planning to make a big trip, of course, it does make sense to start checking prices regularly. Play with options... the day you leave and return can make a big difference in trip cost. For instance, I'm leaving on a Thursday morning. Same duration trip, leaving Friday evening, was approx $300 more. Go figure. Airline pricing structures are byzantine.

Yes, including dive costs. Shore diving in Bali is outstanding, and dirt cheap, when all you're renting is tanks and weights. If you feel the need to hire a DM or participate in organized dives from a shop, your costs will be a bit higher.

My trip is at the end of May. I'll be sure to post a report in mid-June when I've had time to reacclimate and organize my pix.

If you do decide to go to Bali, check out Scuba Seraya in Tulamben. I had a fantastic experience there last fall. The ambience was great, the food excellent and the extremely inexpensive massages add a lot to a dive vacation. Plus you can hire Jeff Mullins for a private uw photo workshop for a very reasonable price. He'll help you to improve your uw photography skills enormously. Highly recommended. And, if you're going to go to Bali, definitely take Singapore Airlines. The experience flying on Singapore Airlines is unlike any other airline you've ever flown before. It's much, much better.

Ellen

How about staying in the States? Key Largo, Fla has some excellent diving, especially for fish photography. If you want deep wreck dives, there's several to choose from, the Duane is probably the best. There's many shallow reefs in the 25 to 30-foot range, perfect for an hour's worth of photography per dive. You can book morning and afternoon trips on the same day, so you can get 4 dives in a day. And while I'm at it, let me put a plug in for Quiescence Dive Center.

Key Largo is having a bad spring. The winds have been bad. I was just there last month. In fact we were getting a lot of green water instead of the nice blue water due to the high winds.