SCUBA Travel

HammerDown

HammerDown

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Bamagrad75 said:
Thanks, I'll mention it to her. Not sure if her dive group is going to make the lower Caribbean later this year. Sadly she's not a kid anymore at 34 but still travels on occasion with Mom since I take her to the cool places.

I actually was looking at the mobular ray expedition earlier this year, then we got slammed by the tornado so I guess there was a reason I put it off.

We've both done the shark cage diving at Guadalupe and our liveaboard also does the Socorro trips. Probably better for her as a diver. I'm just a mere snorkeler.

Lol, I was preparing to book French Polynesia when they slammed shut. Back open but Holy Jesus at the prices.

Mozambique has some fine diving and snorkeling, just a PITA to get there. Almost everything has to go thru Johannesburg. Some awesome safaris in Africa. Still want to go back for a migration one.
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{posted from another thread}

My buddy from Mozambique couldn't recommend it enough. That whole region, in fact. Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Tanzania especially. Yes, huge issues going there because of the hideous African diseases.

I just can't justify the cost of French Polynesia when I compare it to practically anything else. While the luxury and world-class beauty would be amazing, I'd honestly rather have six weeks of first-class travel in Cambodia and Vietnam or the Philippines than one week of value class in Tahiti. I'm just not in that bracket.

My buddy who does the liveaboards said they just saw a massive school of mobula rays on their last trip to the Marisla Seamount. Also some massive hammerheads that they were no expecting this early. Also said the warm water is about ten days ahead of schedule for some reason.
 
HammerDown said:
{posted from another thread}

My buddy from Mozambique couldn't recommend it enough. That whole region, in fact. Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Tanzania especially. Yes, huge issues going there because of the hideous African diseases.

I just can't justify the cost of French Polynesia when I compare it to practically anything else. While the luxury and world-class beauty would be amazing, I'd honestly rather have six weeks of first-class travel in Cambodia and Vietnam or the Philippines than one week of value class in Tahiti. I'm just not in that bracket.

My buddy who does the liveaboards said they just saw a massive school of mobula rays on their last trip to the Marisla Seamount. Also some massive hammerheads that they were no expecting this early. Also said the warm water is about ten days ahead of schedule for some reason.
Click to expand...

Zimbabwe was amazing, especially Victoria Falls. Botswana has some great safari locations...Chobe had the river and the park.

Madagascar has some amazing diving/snorkeling, and lemurs. But lord, what a poor country. Worst Capitol city I've ever seen. Wasn't overly impressed with Mauritius.

I agree on the FP cost. The only reason I'm looking at it is that I can't get into Indonesia for who knows how long. I'll be back there as soon as they open. Dying to take the kid to Raja Ampat.

Komodo is a dive/snorkel heaven. Huge mantas in massive numbers. Nudibranchs, even when snorkeling. Macro photography heaven.

Oh she would freak...to see hammerheads is on her major list. They had 2 in Egypt...on the 1 day she didn't dive.

I didn't realize you dived.
 
You two make me want to get back into diving. Should have done it at my last place. Much easier there to get started... not really sure why I didn't do it.
 
Bamagrad75 said:
Zimbabwe was amazing, especially Victoria Falls. Botswana has some great safari locations...Chobe had the river and the park.

Madagascar has some amazing diving/snorkeling, and lemurs. But lord, what a poor country. Worst Capitol city I've ever seen. Wasn't overly impressed with Mauritius.

I agree on the FP cost. The only reason I'm looking at it is that I can't get into Indonesia for who knows how long. I'll be back there as soon as they open. Dying to take the kid to Raja Ampat.

Komodo is a dive/snorkel heaven. Huge mantas in massive numbers. Nudibranchs, even when snorkeling. Macro photography heaven.

Oh she would freak...to see hammerheads is on her major list. They had 2 in Egypt...on the 1 day she didn't dive.

I didn't realize you dived.
Click to expand...
Komodo, wow!

Instagram is packed with Japanese nudibranch macro-photographers from the Ishigaki Islands! It's the first thing I see every time I turn it on. Amazing!

I saw a massive hammerhead on a drift dive in the Bahamas. While tourism on the islands sucks because the people are rude, it's hotter than hades and way too damned expensive, I did a Blackbeard liveaboard there about 15 yrs ago and it was incredible.

When we moved to Menorca and the immigration for EU didn't work out we almost went to the Philippines but man am I glad we didn't. They're just getting punished with natural disasters!
 
HammerDown said:
Komodo, wow!

Instagram is packed with Japanese nudibranch macro-photographers from the Ishigaki Islands! It's the first thing I see every time I turn it on. Amazing!

I saw a massive hammerhead on a drift dive in the Bahamas. While tourism on the islands sucks because the people are rude, it's hotter than hades and way too damned expensive, I did a Blackbeard liveaboard there about 15 yrs ago and it was incredible.

When we moved to Menorca and the immigration for EU didn't work out we almost went to the Philippines but man am I glad we didn't. They're just getting punished with natural disasters!
Click to expand...

Bunaken in Indonesia and Anilao in the Philippines are nudibranch heavens. But you almost couldn't fall in the water at Komodo and Alor and not see one even as a snorkeler.

Daughter was blessed on a walk at Komodo Island when a large male dragon crashed out of the woods, then plopped down right in front of her. She even got to pet him. I felt sure her hand was going to fall off. Lol

I loved Apo Island in the Philippines but wasn't impressed with either Cebu or Palawan. Too touristy. Id go back to Apo and would love to do Anilao. Ha, I rode out an unexpected cyclone at Apo.

I had reservations at Wakatobi and Bunaken in 2019 but covid shut me out.

Honestly, I am a huge fan of Pacific and Indo Pacific snorkeling. Fishes more colorful and bigger. Though many of the fish in Red Sea are monsters compared to their counterpart. But way fewer nudibranch.
 
Bamagrad75 said:
Bunaken in Indonesia and Anilao in the Philippines are nudibranch heavens. But you almost couldn't fall in the water at Komodo and Alor and not see one even as a snorkeler.

Daughter was blessed on a walk at Komodo Island when a large male dragon crashed out of the woods, then plopped down right in front of her. She even got to pet him. I felt sure her hand was going to fall off. Lol

I loved Apo Island in the Philippines but wasn't impressed with either Cebu or Palawan. Too touristy. Id go back to Apo and would love to do Anilao. Ha, I rode out an unexpected cyclone at Apo.

I had reservations at Wakatobi and Bunaken in 2019 but covid shut me out.

Honestly, I am a huge fan of Pacific and Indo Pacific snorkeling. Fishes more colorful and bigger. Though many of the fish in Red Sea are monsters compared to their counterpart. But way fewer nudibranch.
Click to expand...
Cebu and then Palawan went the way of Cozumel, Playa, Tulum. Ruined! We were very seriously considering moving to Davao just because so many people who work remotely like me rate it so highly and from there you can get easy nonstops to so many outlying islands and a dozen flights a day to Manila. It still may happen one day but now we're already thinking seriously about Ho Chi Minh City! In fact, we might be there now if not for the panedemic.

My buddy who goes to the Asian Pacific all the time is telling me about very remote places in the Cambodian Gulf of Thailand that seem to be largely undiscovered and undeveloped. The time to go is now because they won't last long.

Have you been anywhere in the Andaman Sea? I want to go so bad!

My friend Nick did this popular documentary from the Similan Islands. I have fallen asleep watching it so many times. Absolutely incredible.

 
Bamagrad75 said:
Zimbabwe was amazing, especially Victoria Falls. Botswana has some great safari locations...Chobe had the river and the park.

Madagascar has some amazing diving/snorkeling, and lemurs. But lord, what a poor country. Worst Capitol city I've ever seen. Wasn't overly impressed with Mauritius.

I agree on the FP cost. The only reason I'm looking at it is that I can't get into Indonesia for who knows how long. I'll be back there as soon as they open. Dying to take the kid to Raja Ampat.

Komodo is a dive/snorkel heaven. Huge mantas in massive numbers. Nudibranchs, even when snorkeling. Macro photography heaven.

Oh she would freak...to see hammerheads is on her major list. They had 2 in Egypt...on the 1 day she didn't dive.

I didn't realize you dived.
Click to expand...
middle finger GIF
 
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