62 replies to this topic

[WreckWench]

SingleDivers.com will be doing something different for 2009...it will start doing the 2009 schedule as soon as 2008 is completed which will be as soon as I get the aftermath of the broken water main dealt with this week. In the meantime I just spoke with several vendors about some early 2009 planning and wanted to share that with you.

Planning for 2009:

1. If you want us to do a trip to YOUR favorite destination in 2009 please let us know in this thread and we'll open up a new thread for discussion of that trip only. Please include WHY you want to do that destination, some of the really cool things it is known for, if you want to do it land based or via liveaboard and for how long...3-5 days, 7 days, 10 days or 11+ days.

2. When we start a PLANNING THREAD: Destination Thailand or Maldives for example, please share what you know including best time to go there so that we can plan the best trip possible to that location! And please share vendors you know have done a great job! That will help us too!


Trips for 2009:

1. Once we finalize 2008 trips we will start working on 2009 trips. This will allow you plenty of advance planning, time to save money and schedule vacation. It will also allow us to see if a trip is going to fly or not thereby helping SD as well.

2. We will open trips up for deposits and bookings as soon as they are finalized. We'll even offer discounts for signing up early or give you 'first dibs' on really cool destinations that will sell out quickly.

[WreckWench]

Tech trip! We want to FINALLY do that tech trip we've been talking about in 2009! We are starting a planning thread here to give you some options and to solicit feedback so we can better plan it.

[weescot]

2. When we start a PLANNING THREAD: Destination Thailand or Maldives for example, please share what you know including best time to go there so that we can plan the best trip possible to that location! And please share vendors you know have done a great job! That will help us too!

Kamala - just to let you know buried in your e-mail inbox (16 feb) there is some information about a well connected dive travel fixer (personal contact) for most decent Far East and Indian ocean diving destinations. Maldives is best visited Jan - Mar, although as with most places, it is seasonal depends what you want to see


Hope your fresh water issues are resloved.

[drbill]

My two immediate (1-2 year) "dream" destinations still remain South America and Africa. Yep, I know... them are big chunks of land. Possible destinations I've considered include (in no particular order):

SOUTH AMERICA: Los Roques (Venezuela), Fernando de Noronha (Brazil), Abrolhas (Brazil), Chilean kelp forests

AFRICA: Red Sea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Tanzania, kelp forests of South Africa, Sondwana Bay, Aliwal Shoal

You asked for something different... and I'm just the right kind of "different" guy to give it to you...

[secretsea18]

AFRICA: Red Sea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Tanzania, kelp forests of South Africa, Sondwana Bay, Aliwal Shoal

You asked for something different... and I'm just the right kind of "different" guy to give it to you...

Bill, How surprising that you do not list "The Sardine Run"....

[georoc01]

At some point I want to make a trip out to Hawaii. I was thinking of Maui, which looks to have some decent dive ops for day trips. I know there are some liveaboard options, like the Kona Agressor too if that is a preference over a land based trip.

[drbill]

Bill, How surprising that you do not list "The Sardine Run"....

We get some pretty good sardine and other baitfish runs here, although nothing like that. It would be interesting diving, but not one of my highest priorities since when I travel I go to film the basic ecology of a region. To do so I have to get as much film of as many of the common species as possible. The sardine runs are more of a monoculture situation and, besides... I might become part of the food chain by mistake!

Edited by drbill, 28 February 2008 - 10:25 AM.

[netmage]

Howabout more domestic trips...?

I'm thinking a weeklong run out hosted by Dr. Bill would be a hoot!

[WreckWench]

Howabout more domestic trips...?

I'm thinking a weeklong run out hosted by Dr. Bill would be a hoot!

Hee! Hee! Domestic trips are good. California has always been one that we've wanted to do....

[georoc01]

One of the other trips we talked about was a return to Australia.

One option would be a Northern trip, which the dive masters on our boat in December said were better dive sites than what we had on the Cairns trip. The downside is that where you have to catch the boat is pretty remote and requires a beach entry to a tender after a 4wd trip from an airfield in northern australia.

THey also run a trip that is RT from Cairns that I found interesting and wouldn't involve the flight.

Here is a link

http://www.explorerv...tineraries.html

The northern itineraries are 11 & 12. The RT Cairns trip is #3.

[running_diver]

Just to throw out some ideas, how about one of Cape Verde, Madeira, or the Azores. I spotted them on a map and thought the diving might be interesting.

Ross

[WreckWench]

Just to throw out some ideas, how about one of Cape Verde, Madeira, or the Azores. I spotted them on a map and thought the diving might be interesting.

Ross

Hey Ross can you do some checking to see what the scoop is on them? They are new to me and being in Utila right now I won't be able to look at new destinations for awhile.

[WreckWench]

One of the other trips we talked about was a return to Australia.

One option would be a Northern trip, which the dive masters on our boat in December said were better dive sites than what we had on the Cairns trip. The downside is that where you have to catch the boat is pretty remote and requires a beach entry to a tender after a 4wd trip from an airfield in northern australia.

THey also run a trip that is RT from Cairns that I found interesting and wouldn't involve the flight.

Here is a link

http://www.explorerv...tineraries.html

The northern itineraries are 11 & 12. The RT Cairns trip is #3.

YES! Our trip to Australia was extraordinary...but they say this is like NO OTHER DIVING in the world! Very limited window and definately THE BEST DIVING IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD!!!

Anyone else interested???

[WreckWench]

Howabout more domestic trips...?

I'm thinking a weeklong run out hosted by Dr. Bill would be a hoot!

2008 Domestic Trips:

In 2008 we are doing NC wreck and sharkdiving (but it will be our last trip here for awhile), doing Texas Flower Gardens, the Cooper River for megs and artifacts, the Dry Tortugas off Key West Florida, PNW Diving and Tradeshow so far.

For 2009 we are planning so far:

1. Flower Gardens (Coral Spawning)
2. Dry Tortugas
3. Domestic Tech Trip either Flower Gardens or Dry Tortugas
4. Cooer River for megs and artifacts
5. PNW Diving and Tradeshow

And somewhere whether its this year or next we want to do...

1. Oriskini
2. NE wreck trip
3. St Lawrence River wreck trip
4. CA diving trip

[running_diver]

Just to throw out some ideas, how about one of Cape Verde, Madeira, or the Azores. I spotted them on a map and thought the diving might be interesting.

Ross

Hey Ross can you do some checking to see what the scoop is on them? They are new to me and being in Utila right now I won't be able to look at new destinations for awhile.

Cape Verde:

It looks like it will be expensive to get to. I think all the inbound flights are from Europe, either Portugal or the UK. Hotels and diving look reasonable, but they are priced in euros, so if the dollar continues to weaken, prices could go up.

On to the important stuff. Good information on the diving is hard to come by. I did find one set of pictures at http://www.africanis..._extra_pics.htm. It looks like there is a little bit of everything: wrecks, caves, coral, and pelagics. I saw mention of sharks, whales, whale sharks, mantas, barracuda, turtles, and manta rays. The turtles are apparently ubiquitous. There are also several types of eels and the standard reef fish. My impression is that it's got a bit of everything, but excels at nothing except maybe turtles. The only posting that I found that I think was unbiased was negative. All the other postings I saw looked like they were written by someone that had a vested interest in the diving business on Cape Verde. The best diving is apparently between April and November.

I'll look up the others later.

Ross


Update 3/9:

There is a direct flight from Boston, but it's not everyday. That's why I missed it. It appears much of the diving is shore diving. I found a description of some of the dive sites at http://www.umassd.ed...rde/diving.html. The water temperature appears to be between 68-78.

You gotta love youtube: http://www.youtube.c...feature=related I'll guess vis is about 50' or maybe a little less.

Edited by running_diver, 09 March 2008 - 05:22 PM.