Six Things to lLook for When Planning a Dive Vacation

Of course, divers and non-divers alike will enjoy a Team Manta tropical vacation, with all the details already figured out and the promise of a fun group of divers to hang out with, but what if you are charged with planning your own trip?  Here are six things I think about when researching new destinations.

Number 1

How long will it take to get to destination? If you only have a week to get away from the job, relax and dive, dive, dive, then a destination that will require 2 or more days to reach may not be the best choice.  The need for a couple of days’ travel is understandable when you are traveling from here to, say, the Pacific, but less popular destinations, though they may be closer, may also take extra time to reach.  The airlines will make frequent trips to popular places like Cozumel or Grand Cayman, but the lesser traveled spots, such as Dominica usually will require an overnight somewhere along the way.  I am not saying to rule out these more remote destinations, because if they are hard to reach, they are likely more pristine, but you may want to wrangle a few more vacation days to make it worthwhile.

Number 2

What are the diving conditions? Just because you are headed south, don’t assume the water will be warm. Remember that ocean currents can bring cool water even to places with scorching temperatures on the land. When researching the water temperature, be sure to specify the month that you will be traveling to take into account the seasonal differences.   The water temperature, of course will impact your choice of exposure gear.  Find out if there will be current, whether it is generally a mild current, or if you will be doing drift dives.  If you are drift diving, do not leave home without a surface marker buoy and a whistle or some other device to signal a boat at the surface.  What is the visibility? Visibility can change with the season, and you may not want to take a trip to some distant location only to have the same visibility you can get at a local quarry.  Diver forums can be a helpful resource but the information can be a bit biased. In order to obtain the most reliable information about this stuff, contact a local dive shop in the location and ask the experts.

Number 3

Is it all inclusive? All inclusive packages are nice in that they remove the unknown of how much you will be spending on food.  The down side is that you lose some of the adventure of local dining and rubbing elbows with the locals.  All-inclusives are nice too if you plan to have an aggressive dive schedule that may not allow for long meal breaks.  On the other hand, if you, for example, you would like to only dive in the mornings and explore or relax in the afternoons, then a breakfast only or an all on your own package would be the ticket.

Number 4

Is there shore diving near the resort?  I love to shore dive and feel that availability of shore diving adds value to your dive package, but be sure to get particulars.  It really does you no good if the reef is far from shore or if the shore diving spots are on the other side of the island from your resort, unless, of course, you have a vehicle.  You may want to get information on the relative difficulty of entry and if there are local restrictions as to where or when you shore dive.

Number 5

Are there biting bugs?  The thing with warm, sunny destinations is that bugs like them as well as we do.  If the location has biting bugs, it is not a deal breaker, but you need to prepare.  It is good to know if they have no-see-ems, mosquitoes, or other biting insects so you can plan on delegating some of your luggage space (and weight) to bug spray.  If you are headed to a malarial area, you will definitely want to bring repellent with DEET, but if you are only worried about nuisance bugs, Avon’s Skin So Soft may be do the trick without the stinky smell.

Number 6

Where is the nearest chamber?  No one expects to have a dive accident, but it is prudent to locate the nearest recompression chamber and consider the difficulty and expense that may accompany a trip for treatment.  I really recommend DAN insurance for a fail-safe in case of an accident.  In some countries, you will not even get treatment unless you can come up with the cash to pay for it!  If the chamber is not close by, you may want to hedge your bets by planning your dives a little more conservatively.

These are a few of the things I consider when choosing a dive destination, and I’m sure there are more.  These six are a good start, though.  You need to figure out what your travel priorities are and ask the right questions of informed individuals.  Finally, do not forget that you may have to take into consideration the wants and needs of your traveling companions, especially if they are non-divers.  I hope this helps the next time you plan a dive trip!