Mid December - Where to go?

Hello all,

I’ve just secured babysitters for 10 days mid December or early January and am planning our next trip.

Requirements are simply for warm water

Where would you recommend we go for some world class underwater action in December/Jan?

Thanks!

South Africa/Mozambique?

I'm a big fan of Coco View resort on Roatan, but that might be too tame for you. They'll let you have as much diving as you can handle, though.

Well i would go in December to:

Oman (again) or the Red Sea (southern Egypt or Sudan), southern Phillipines, Cocos, Malpelo or Galapagos, San Fernando de Noronha (Brazil)

Chris

Fiji on the Nai'a

Alex, the choice is massive. Tell me what sort of diving you want to do and I'll make a suggestion. Truk for wrecks? Maldives for mantas? Bahamas for sharks? Philippines? 10 days should get you six days diving at any of them. (I've left for the Maldives on a Monday and been back by Friday night!)

I assume you are leaving from the UK. If so, Wakatobi in Indonesia would be my choice as Fiji on the Naia or Magic Island in the Phlippines would cost you a travel day. For example KLM gets you there on the 11th (8:10PM) leaving the 10th @5:50PM. Dive the 11 (afternoon) thru 19th (morning) Pretty efficient. You need to coordinate with the flights to Wakatobi but I think you could squeeze 7 1/2 diving days. You could get in 30 dives if you are an animal. They have 100 tanks so a 70min dive is the norm. Mostly small stuff and unbelievable reefs.

I have been there both December and January and weather was fine.

Tom

Well i would go in December to:

Oman (again) or the Red Sea (southern Egypt or Sudan), southern Phillipines, Cocos, Malpelo or Galapagos, San Fernando de Noronha (Brazil)

Chris

Fernando de Noronha (no San ) is great in December, I second that! It is high season in Brazil though, so might be a bit on the expensive side.

Raja Ampat, Komodo

Raja Ampat, you won't be disappointed for sure, otherwise Ambon is great.

Good season for the Phils, Anilao, Duma, Panglao or Malapascua.

Sipadan is always fine too.

Maldives... great weather, Mantas,Sharks, macro and lovely clear warm water. What more could you want.

Raja Ampat - peak of the season. If you need to do UK door to door in 10 days then stay at MER, if you can afford 10 days there - then liveaboard.

alex

Would recommend Lembeh in Indonesia for warm water and easy dives with lots of critters that are not common in other dive locations

December full moon means schooling eagle rays and hunting hammerheads in Rangiroa..

but.. you Stoney Cove types might not be able to handle the current

If January then Maldives but don't go in December, we went twice in December and it rained a lot every single day. We enjoyed diving in Bali and Komodo (but some of Bali and Komodo is not warm water ! Nusa penida was 17 degrees. Great variety of diving and nice island life too. I would go back in a flash. Ten days would also get you a trip to tiger beach without too much travelling

So where did you decide on Alex ?

What everyone else said, although a 10 day turnaround would be very difficult to do on a liveaboard anywhere too exotic. With flight connections Fiji, Socorro and Cocos all recently took us at least 12 days by the time we were back in Blighty!

You could always try something a bit different - how about Socotra Island. It lies between Yemen and Somalia, stunning scenery and pretty much virgin diving. They do flights there from Dubai now, or you could fly into Yemen and then get a connecting flight. Planning on going once the Monsoon is over in September/October.