December 2010 trip options!?

Hi again

I'm looking already for where my wife and I are to go next December/January as the best flights usually come out in January February time.

I'm off to Manado this year and last 4 years we've been to the Maldives. I've done Red Sea, Thailand, Cozumel, Tobago, Barbados and Cancun in the past (willing to offer any advice on these if needed)

2010 I am looking for something on par or better than them, but I really have to try and keep the price way down as we have Maldives booked again for August 2010, I'd love Raja Ampat but I think its way above our budget, maybe Komodo but not sure whereabouts, it needs to be somewhere also to keep my wife happy reading a book on a sunny beach with average facilities ....also thought of Djibouti, anyone been there? also Yap, or a nice liveaboard perhaps!

I also looked at Bonaire last year but flights from the UK for Christmas seem very high due to the popularity for the Dutch at this time of year

If anyone has got some pointers that would be most apppreciated. Big Palegics and intertesting macro make it more appealing Doesnt it always!

Cheers

Woody

oh! the wifes just told me we havent been over the equator yet, damn eh! the things we have to do to please the wife!

I thought this may be the best forum in the world for advice to book underwater camera friendly trips at certain times of the year. I would prefer people's opinions rather than a salesmans'

Could anyone direct me to a place where mutual people may help me with this sort of thing? Or maybe a calendar with recommended places to go for underwater photographers?

Cheers

Woody

Hi Woody,

I like the idea of a calendar with recomended places as well, think that would be very usefull! I too am looking for somewhere to go next year, not sure when yet mind I need to find someone to go with first. Fancying Red Sea again especially as thats nice and cheap but always open to suggestions!

Cheers,

I have just booked an awesome New Years charter for 2010 into 2011. We booked the Misool Eco Resort for 8 days in Raja Empat. Our group will have its own entire island and the entire resort. Following the resort, we will be picked up by the new Indonesian Schooner from Worldwide Dive and Sail for an additional 7 nights through Raja and Fak Fak. Its a full custom itinerary, with both facilities catering to our group of photographers and videographers.

Limited load, pristine conditions, new boat and fairly new eco resort with over water bungalows!

Dec is usually pretty good in the Philippines, especially the Visayas.

Also, a great time of year for the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia (Fakarava and Rangiroa)

Palau?

Tim

Hi Woody,

 

I like the idea of a calendar with recomended places as well, think that would be very usefull! I too am looking for somewhere to go next year, not sure when yet mind I need to find someone to go with first. Fancying Red Sea again especially as thats nice and cheap but always open to suggestions!

 

Cheers,

Hi Mark, thanks for the agreement! I just looked at the present calendar but it wouldn't work as we need one without a year on it so it would be dateless. If it was kept simple divers could, just add details to a particular month stating destination, hotel, dive operator, then fields for marks out of ten for weather, underwater conditions, macro, wide angle, accommodation, journey there, value for money, optional comments...maybe a few more?

Fields could be pre-written and divers could just tick a button on each category, the easier it is to do, the more it would be used.

ANy comments on this?

I have just booked an awesome New Years charter for 2010 into 2011. We booked the Misool Eco Resort for 8 days in Raja Empat. Our group will have its own entire island and the entire resort. Following the resort, we will be picked up by the new Indonesian Schooner from Worldwide Dive and Sail for an additional 7 nights through Raja and Fak Fak. Its a full custom itinerary, with both facilities catering to our group of photographers and videographers.

 

Limited load, pristine conditions, new boat and fairly new eco resort with over water bungalows!

Hi Mike, That would be prefect to be honest!!! But I drooled at Misool and priced it up, way above my budget I'm afraid £7500 roughly we looked at another spot in Raja too to coincide with our Manado trip next month but it was still too much and you had to share your shack with a bamboo partition between another room, and there was no rest rooms in the room either, this was affordable but the conditions didn't suit my wife

Dec is usually pretty good in the Philippines, especially the Visayas.

 

Also, a great time of year for the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia (Fakarava and Rangiroa)

Hi Mike thanks for that, we could consider Philippines again we looked into it for last March but it never happened, what place would you recommend, last time we looked at places on Cebu such as Exotic Malapascua and Kasai Village and Apo Reef...are there others that beat these much?

The pics of French Polynesia look awesome, is that a massively expensive place to go or is it fairly reasonable (maybe comparing it to the Maldives?)? It looks a fair hike to get to too, I guess flights from Singapore would be possible?

Palau?

 

Tim

 

Possible Tim!?

Have you been there over the similar time, any more advice on it? such as liveaboard or resort etc?

I will say the Tuamotus are my favorite place in the world. The South Pass of Fakarava is untouched and is a trek and an experience all on its own. The diving is fantastic, but can be challenging to some. The main thing is, French Polynesia is EXPENSIVE to say the least!! I did a trip last November for 2 weeks to Tahiti, Moorea, Rangiroa, North and South Passes of Fakarava...and WOOOWWW was food outrageous!! Plus the cost of the interisland flights, and the hotels.

Needless to say, it is well worth it, but Indonesia or the Philippines are definitely a cheaper trip!

Thanks Mike, After trying to narrow it down by looking at the weather for this time of year (Dec/Jan) at several destinations, the weather in Bali seems to be the nicest, so I was thinking Komodo liveaboard combined with a few days on land would be good.

Has anyone "been there, done that" at this time of year?

Actually Dec and Jan is the high point of the rainy season in Bali... can rain for days on end. Or.. it doesn't. Is a bit of a luck based thing.

Doesn't rain as much over Komodo way, would be better to get a boat that starts and ends in Labuan Bajo as opposed to one that starts and ends in Bali.

Actually Dec and Jan is the high point of the rainy season in Bali... can rain for days on end. Or.. it doesn't. Is a bit of a luck based thing.

 

Doesn't rain as much over Komodo way, would be better to get a boat that starts and ends in Labuan Bajo as opposed to one that starts and ends in Bali.

Hey thanks Mike, I'll take a proper look at that later, it seems well worth looking into tho

I see you're in Lembeh, I might bump into you next month!!! I'm at Tasik Ria for 17 nights from the 25th, come by and say hello!

hehe, I hardly ever make it to Bitung, never mind Tasik Ria... that's quite a long way from here.

However, you never know, lots of my friends like to get drunk there.. hahaha

I'll disagree with Mike on leaving from Bali. Yes if you know Komodo and want to dive the best sites, Labuan Bajo departures are the best. However, for newbies in the area, the trip to and back along Sangeang, Sumba etc have interesting places to dive and a nice contrast to the pelagic sites of Komodo (although there are plenty of macro sites in the area too). Then there's the wonderful views of several volcanos and such along the way. If the wife is a non-diver, then a liveaboard would not be fun.

If you want to go over the equator then your best bet is Raja Empat or the Togian islands.

As

I've stuck a lot of these locations in my iPhone weather app, it seems a good quick referrence coincidentally at this time of tthe year for a good idea of the weathers. West Flores seems the best, Mataram was the closest town I could use to get a forecast

Doesn't rain as much over Komodo way, would be better to get a boat that starts and ends in Labuan Bajo as opposed to one that starts and ends in Bali.

Thanks Mike,

Would the main dive sites be fairly accessible from a day dive on a boat from hotel in Labuan Bajo, would I get to the sites with the Mantas on (I love my Mantas too...who doesn't mid you I've seen a lot in the past, sharks (maybe hammerheads) or dolphins would be good for a change?!)?

I found these

I'll disagree with Mike on leaving from Bali. Yes if you know Komodo and want to dive the best sites, Labuan Bajo departures are the best. However, for newbies in the area, the trip to and back along Sangeang, Sumba etc have interesting places to dive and a nice contrast to the pelagic sites of Komodo (although there are plenty of macro sites in the area too). Then there's the wonderful views of several volcanos and such along the way. If the wife is a non-diver, then a liveaboard would not be fun.

If you want to go over the equator then your best bet is Raja Empat or the Togian islands.

Hi Drew, I'll have to google the place names you refer to to understnd it a bit better! Lisa (the wife!) came on The Junk to the Similans a year last Easter and absolutely loved it! So as long as its a fancy looking liveaboard I dont think she would mind, but the prices of a lot of these liveaboards are pretty high, plus the fact they usually only knock off 10% for a non diver Raja would be awesome but I think it may be a little over budget, I'll check the Togian Islands out too, cheers, read another thread of yours about a "secret" spot on top ten sites.... Wheres that!?

Manta Alley is in the south and while the viz is generally better during those months, it can be pretty windy and choppy, esp during the SW monsoon. I DO NOT RECOMMEND diving from Labuan Bajo resorts to save money. It's usually AT LEAST 2 hours to the sites and they are forced to dive NO MATTER what the currents are doing. You will not be able to get a decent dive. Leave it for the backpacker/holiday makers who dive 3-4 dives a week. It's not only futile but sometimes dangerous. If you google Komodo lost divers, you'll find that famous story of divers get washed out by the currents. In previous years, another dive shop owner went missing after trying to dive the big sites at the wrong time.

As for other pelagics, spots like Tatawa Kechil and Batu Bolong when done at the right tide and the right way, is good for pelagics but nothing you could shoot with. The only sharks in the area are black tip, whitetip and grey reef sharks. Small guys and not in real big numbers (well nothing like Tahiti, Palau or Bahamas). Also remember this year is an El Nino year so all those weather patterns don't mean squat.

Oh that spot?... well it's at... this place in that country

Thanks fot that Drew, back to the drawing board then...(literally!... lunch times over!) I've just stumbled on Simon Rogerson's article in Nov (UK) Dive magazine all about Indonesia dive spots, have to give that a good read and look up all these options you gave me as well. as well as the others!

Cheers

I think I'm drawing towards the Philippines lately for this trip...not sure whereabouts tho!?

Can anyone help me narrow it down?

Maybe one of these....

Malapascua

Moalboal

Dumaguete

Puerto Galera