Scuba Vacations

Scuba Diving Travel

In my 25 years of scuba diving travel,  I have had the pleasure of taking scuba vacations all over the world.

Destinations

• I have taken scuba trips to many different areas, but my favorites are Hawaii and the Carribean because the water is warm and clear!
• I lived in the Seattle area for many years.  The Puget Sound provides a number of great dive spots for those of you who don’t mind a little cold water.  The giant Pacific Octopus and Wolf Eels are absolutely fabulous!
• The Red Sea makes for a wonderful scuba vacation!  While there, you will see some beautiful Alligator fish (yes - their markings look just like an alligator!), Scorpion fish and Pink Eels.
• There are many locations in Central America that are well worth visiting as well.  They include Belize, Costa Rica (Cocos Island!) and Honduras (Roatan Bay Islands).
• Mexico offers dozens of dive vacation destinations.  Some of my favorites include Cozumel, Cancun and Cabo San Lucas.

Education

One key to a successful vacation is to learn to scuba dive before you go.  I recommend PADI certification because it is universally accepted and the lessons are straight forward.  Because of the worlwide acceptance of the PADI certification, you can take the class and pool lessons in your local town and then perform the checkout dives while on vacation.  This is an especially attractive option for  divers who live in a colder climate and don’t want to invest in a dry suit or other cold water equipment.  To do this, just check with your local dive shop or instructor to see if they can make a recommendation for a warm water instructor (in the area you are vacationing in) who can do your check out dives.

Equipment

Having the right equipment is critical to the enjoyment of your scuba vacation.  The dive operator you go with will be able to provide almost all the gear you need for your dive however, the quality and safety of the gear could be in question.  The gear you rent from the operator may not have been maintained to your standards, and will definately have more hours in the water than your personal gear.  Here are some questions you should ask yourself or the dive operator before diving with the dive operators gear:

• When was the last time the gear was serviced?  If the o-rings on the regulator are defective, it could cause a shortened or aborted dive.
• What time of year are you diving?  If you are at the end of the season for the area you are diving in, definatetely ask the question above
• How well does the gear fit?  Your gear will fit you better than the gear you rent from the dive operator.

Please keep these considerations in mind when planning your dive vacation.  While the cost of taking luggage on an airplane has increased, it may well be worth it to have the proper gear that you know is reliable!

When I go on a scuba vacation, I will take my regulator, BCD, mask, fins, exposure suit and any accessories for the specialty diving I might do.