Recommendations for warm-water diving

tim · January 24th, 2007, 06:38 PM

Hullo,

I'm asking (alas) on behalf of a friend here, looking for some recommendations for nice places to go for a week's diving in warm water in the middle of the UK winter. He's recently been to the Red Sea so that's not an option in this case. The search parameters are that it needs to be somewhere with a good level of infrastructure, good safe diving practises, day boats with nice hotel or other accomodation that can cope with specific dietary allergies, and nitrox-depth diving ideally with marine mammals or if not with some big pelagics. It's an advantage if there are easy flights from London to the destination!

I'd thought perhaps somewhere Carribbean (Cayman?), somewhere in Florida, or possibly somewhere in the Indian Ocean (Maldives?). He's DIR-interested but not DIR, so whilst safe and well organised is necessary, catering for stringent DIR isn't.

Finally, it needs to be somewhere where there's a chance of booking on a few weeks' notice as opposed to somewhere that's so madly popular that you have to book many months or a year in advance.

Please enthuse about anywhere you've been which you reckon would suit the above (yes, this is an excuse to talk about going diving as opposed to getting tied up with kit and procedural stuff :-) ).

Thanks in advance for suggestions,

Tim

LCF · January 24th, 2007, 06:46 PM

Wow . . . What a question!

So far, the best warm water diving I've done was off Australia, which is a pretty easy place for the British to get to. We dove three days at Byron Bay
and it was fantastic for the profusion and variety of fish and sharks.

We did a week in the BVI last April, and the corals and sponges and gorgonians were spectacular in color and density, but there were not quite so many fish. Very easy diving, for the most part, and some small wrecks to putter around on, as well.

In September, we spent ten days in Sulawesi, Indonesia; five days at Tasik Ria diving the Bunaken park (huge walls, strong currents) and five days at KBR, diving the Lembeh Straits (muck diving, the weird and the wonderful). Both resorts were very nice (KBR is spectacular) with excellent food and terribly pampering service, and good dive ops. Bunaken is corals and crinoids and reef fish, and Lembeh is sea moths and Rhinopia and frogfish and tons of macro photography.

Any of those three would be great destinations for your friend.

DRE · January 24th, 2007, 06:57 PM

www.horizondivers.com in Key Largo

Rubis · January 24th, 2007, 08:56 PM

Hi,

the season should be good for the Maldives. There are tons of resorts or cruises possibles. I think it should not be too bad to find Shark Whales at this season. The service is much better than in Egypt. We found the food very tasty (lots of fish). I think you can find quite a lot of resorts with German managed facilities that offer nitrox and that are very strict on safety.

As mentioned before, diving the Great Barrier Reef is also a good option for seeing big fishes. We felt very welcome down under. It was 6 years ago ... we used Taka : Scuba diving and Liveaboard dive trips to Great Barrier Reef and were very happy with it. I don't know if things changed or not since. I would recommend the Osprey reef tour. The crossing to Osprey can be rough but the conditions at the reef are OK.

In all the warm water diving I have done, those were the two destinations with better sea conditions. In any case much mellower than Egypt.

Hope this helps

Cris

newdiver · January 24th, 2007, 10:03 PM

How'bout Capo Verde: water is between 22°c and 27°c. LOTS of pelagic, GREAT wall dives... Infrastructure is good.
Best
Philippe

Cynthia · January 24th, 2007, 10:39 PM

Hello,

I've never been there but I heard enthusiastic divers talking of South Africa and Mozambique... I was trying to plan a trip over there and I found almost complete info on adventuredivingsafaris.co.za.

Honestly I havo no idea of the organization... it is just another suggestion...

Enjoy youself

Cynthia

Hybrid · January 25th, 2007, 02:48 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Cynthia)

Hello,

I've never been there but I heard enthusiastic divers talking of South Africa and Mozambique... I was trying to plan a trip over there and I found almost complete info on adventuredivingsafaris.co.za.

Honestly I havo no idea of the organization... it is just another suggestion...

Enjoy youself

Cynthia

SA ain't 'warm' water, its drysuit diving.

Go diving on the Wreck of the Coolidge in Santo, Vanuatu. Not DIR, but the water is warm and clear, with little current. twinsets, and nitrox and helium is avalaible. I went there and had a great time.

*Clare Gledhill* · January 25th, 2007, 05:10 AM

I went to the Maldives last year - Fraser went to the same resort a few weeks ago. My report is here

The dive centre is not DIR but is sound, responsible and good fun. make sure you have your DAN insurance up to date or be prepared to get some grief though I hear

Phil O · January 25th, 2007, 07:46 AM

Try Cayman and dive with Oceanfrontiers

Its the on the east of the island and is nice and quiet. You will only see a max of 3 diveboats on about 10 miles of coast line. Beautiful wall diving and there should see sharks and Eagle Rays in the colder winter months. Fish life is not as abundant as th Red Sea but the walls and coral are spectacular

OF are a great dive outfit with a GUE instructor on site - see Ocean Frontiers - Grand Cayman Islands, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Vacation Packages

Accommodation at OF is really good but all self catering, however there are plenty of good supermarkets in town.

I might have a timeshare to rent in September on Cayman if thats of interest

tim · January 26th, 2007, 09:27 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by LCF)

We did a week in the BVI last April, and the corals and sponges and gorgonians were spectacular in color and density, but there were not quite so many fish. Very easy diving, for the most part, and some small wrecks to putter around on, as well.

That sounds beautiful, thanks for the recommendations! I don't suppose you have any specific recommendations for diving companies you used in the BVI or in Sulawesi? You're not the first person to mention the Lembeh Straits to me - friend of mine was there doing some work and raved about it :-) I think at some point I should go there myself, let alone recommending it for consideration to my friend!

Thanks,

Tim

January 24th, 2007, 06:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
tim(Offline) Big Grin Syndrome Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oxford Posts: 455	Recommendations for warm-water diving Hullo, I'm asking (alas) on behalf of a friend here, looking for some recommendations for nice places to go for a week's diving in warm water in the middle of the UK winter. He's recently been to the Red Sea so that's not an option in this case. The search parameters are that it needs to be somewhere with a good level of infrastructure, good safe diving practises, day boats with nice hotel or other accomodation that can cope with specific dietary allergies, and nitrox-depth diving ideally with marine mammals or if not with some big pelagics. It's an advantage if there are easy flights from London to the destination! I'd thought perhaps somewhere Carribbean (Cayman?), somewhere in Florida, or possibly somewhere in the Indian Ocean (Maldives?). He's DIR-interested but not DIR, so whilst safe and well organised is necessary, catering for stringent DIR isn't. Finally, it needs to be somewhere where there's a chance of booking on a few weeks' notice as opposed to somewhere that's so madly popular that you have to book many months or a year in advance. Please enthuse about anywhere you've been which you reckon would suit the above (yes, this is an excuse to talk about going diving as opposed to getting tied up with kit and procedural stuff :-) ). Thanks in advance for suggestions, Tim

January 24th, 2007, 06:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
DRE(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Mineola, NY Posts: 163	www.horizondivers.com in Key Largo __________________ www.dirtydiving.com - DIR is not a 4-letter word!

January 24th, 2007, 08:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
Rubis(Offline) cave deprived and Kissed Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Broadway, (lost in Central NC, USA far far way from Caves SIGH !!!) Posts: 275	Hi, the season should be good for the Maldives. There are tons of resorts or cruises possibles. I think it should not be too bad to find Shark Whales at this season. The service is much better than in Egypt. We found the food very tasty (lots of fish). I think you can find quite a lot of resorts with German managed facilities that offer nitrox and that are very strict on safety. As mentioned before, diving the Great Barrier Reef is also a good option for seeing big fishes. We felt very welcome down under. It was 6 years ago ... we used Taka : Scuba diving and Liveaboard dive trips to Great Barrier Reef and were very happy with it. I don't know if things changed or not since. I would recommend the Osprey reef tour. The crossing to Osprey can be rough but the conditions at the reef are OK. In all the warm water diving I have done, those were the two destinations with better sea conditions. In any case much mellower than Egypt. Hope this helps Cris __________________ Petition against M26 Last edited by Rubis; January 24th, 2007 at 09:02 PM.

January 25th, 2007, 05:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
Clare Gledhill(Offline) GUE Instructor Site Admin Pacman Champion! Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,547	I went to the Maldives last year - Fraser went to the same resort a few weeks ago. My report is here The dive centre is not DIR but is sound, responsible and good fun. make sure you have your DAN insurance up to date or be prepared to get some grief though I hear __________________ Clare . "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions....Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great." Interested in DIR dive training? Always happy to chat/answer questions so get in touch via PM or visit www.dirdiver.co.uk

January 25th, 2007, 07:46 AM	#9 (permalink)
Phil O(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Milton Keynes Posts: 340	Try Cayman and dive with Oceanfrontiers Its the on the east of the island and is nice and quiet. You will only see a max of 3 diveboats on about 10 miles of coast line. Beautiful wall diving and there should see sharks and Eagle Rays in the colder winter months. Fish life is not as abundant as th Red Sea but the walls and coral are spectacular OF are a great dive outfit with a GUE instructor on site - see Ocean Frontiers - Grand Cayman Islands, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Vacation Packages Accommodation at OF is really good but all self catering, however there are plenty of good supermarkets in town. I might have a timeshare to rent in September on Cayman if thats of interest __________________ Phil

January 24th, 2007, 06:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
LCF(Offline) New Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 623	Wow . . . What a question! So far, the best warm water diving I've done was off Australia, which is a pretty easy place for the British to get to. We dove three days at Byron Bay and it was fantastic for the profusion and variety of fish and sharks. We did a week in the BVI last April, and the corals and sponges and gorgonians were spectacular in color and density, but there were not quite so many fish. Very easy diving, for the most part, and some small wrecks to putter around on, as well. In September, we spent ten days in Sulawesi, Indonesia; five days at Tasik Ria diving the Bunaken park (huge walls, strong currents) and five days at KBR, diving the Lembeh Straits (muck diving, the weird and the wonderful). Both resorts were very nice (KBR is spectacular) with excellent food and terribly pampering service, and good dive ops. Bunaken is corals and crinoids and reef fish, and Lembeh is sea moths and Rhinopia and frogfish and tons of macro photography. Any of those three would be great destinations for your friend.

January 24th, 2007, 10:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
newdiver(Offline) New Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 44	How'bout Capo Verde: water is between 22°c and 27°c. LOTS of pelagic, GREAT wall dives... Infrastructure is good. Best Philippe

January 24th, 2007, 10:39 PM	#6 (permalink)
Cynthia(Offline) New Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Italy Posts: 10	Hello, I've never been there but I heard enthusiastic divers talking of South Africa and Mozambique... I was trying to plan a trip over there and I found almost complete info on adventuredivingsafaris.co.za. Honestly I havo no idea of the organization... it is just another suggestion... Enjoy youself Cynthia

January 25th, 2007, 02:48 AM	#7 (permalink)
Hybrid(Offline) New Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Zealand Posts: 54	Quote: (Originally Posted by Cynthia) Hello, I've never been there but I heard enthusiastic divers talking of South Africa and Mozambique... I was trying to plan a trip over there and I found almost complete info on adventuredivingsafaris.co.za. Honestly I havo no idea of the organization... it is just another suggestion... Enjoy youself Cynthia SA ain't 'warm' water, its drysuit diving. Go diving on the Wreck of the Coolidge in Santo, Vanuatu. Not DIR, but the water is warm and clear, with little current. twinsets, and nitrox and helium is avalaible. I went there and had a great time.

January 26th, 2007, 09:27 AM	#10 (permalink)
tim(Offline) Big Grin Syndrome Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Oxford Posts: 455	Quote: (Originally Posted by LCF) We did a week in the BVI last April, and the corals and sponges and gorgonians were spectacular in color and density, but there were not quite so many fish. Very easy diving, for the most part, and some small wrecks to putter around on, as well. That sounds beautiful, thanks for the recommendations! I don't suppose you have any specific recommendations for diving companies you used in the BVI or in Sulawesi? You're not the first person to mention the Lembeh Straits to me - friend of mine was there doing some work and raved about it :-) I think at some point I should go there myself, let alone recommending it for consideration to my friend! Thanks, Tim