I was a graduate student when I started scuba diving. Needless to say, graduate students are not know for having copious amounts of spare cash. Nevertheless, I managed to take some memorable dive-oriented vacations.

Now, to be completely honest, scuba diving can be an expensive hobby, especially if you don’t live near good dive sites. However, with the appropriate planning there’s no reason why someone on even a modest income can’t enjoy what the world of scuba has to offer.

Prioritize

As with all things budget related, it’s all about priorities. In order to take scuba vacations, you have to want to do so more than other, perhaps more immediate, things.

I don’t eat out a lot. I don’t have cable. I don’t buy many clothes. I don’t purchase tons of toys and gadgets. In my mind, a single dive trip is worth more than a PS3, XBox 360, and big-screen TV put together. I have made diving a priority in my life, and as a result, I get to go diving many times a year, despite living in an area unfriendly to recreational divers.

You may not need to be as drastic as me. Perhaps you just want to dive once a year or so. That’s fine. The point is that you need to know where diving lies in relation to other things in your life that tug at your wallet.

Now that you’ve decided that scuba is something you want to spend money on, we can focus on reducing how much money is required.

Three costs

We can break dive vacations down into three costs:

• Travel expenses. You need to get where you’re going somehow, unless you’re lucky and have good local diving. Usually this will be air fare, but it could be a train ticket, or gas for your car.
• Accommodations. While traveling you need to eat and you need someplace to sleep.
• Scuba expenses. It costs money to actually get in the water. Boat fees, rental fees, and other expenses can add up.

We’ll tackle each of these one by one.

Travel expenses

Probably one of the best ways to reduce travel expenses is to double up. Going to Florida for a family reunion? Stay an extra weekend and make it a dive excursion.

Have a business trip to North Carolina? Rent a car while you’re there and go diving in the Outer Banks.

Keep an eye out for these opportunities. Basically anytime I go anywhere I check if there’s diving nearby.

Aside from this, you need ways to reduce your traveling expenses. There are entire sites dedicated to this, but here are a few ideas:

• Timing. Flying in the summer, especially recently, can be outrageously expensive. However, go in September and easily pay half for the same trip.

  On a finer scale, if you can fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, or even sometimes Saturdays, you can save money. Try to have a flexible schedule, and check a variety of dates.

• Airlines. Check many avenues for getting to your destination. www.kayak.com is an excellent starting point for checking many airlines simultaneously.

  Keep an eye out for budget airlines as well, especially if you are flying in Europe. They’re not luxurious by any means, but they’ll get you from A to B.

• Location. Be flexible in your location. Maybe you have a rough timeframe when you can travel. Instead of getting your heart set on one location, keep a variety of options open, and check fares to all possible locations.

  Dive destinations can be remote, resulting in expensive direct flights. Look on a map for nearby locations you can fly into, and then take a bus / train / hopper / ferry / hopper flight into your final destination. The combined expenses may be much cheaper than a direct flight.

• Frequent flyer miles. If you’re a frequent flyer, then I probably don’t have to tell you to consider using miles to get to your destination.

Travel expenses can be a hefty cost, but there are options for those of us on a budget. The key is to be flexible.

Accommodations

The most significant cost when traveling is often accommodations: food and a place to sleep.

As with travel expenses, there are websites dedicated to saving you money, but here are a few specific ideas:

• Off-season. Rates for off-season travel can be much lower. Have you detected a theme? Summer vacations are unnecessarily expensive.
• Mooching. Do you know anyone you can stay with near your destination? Renting a car and staying a short driving distance away can still save a lot of money.
• More people. Get a room, and pack people into it. Splitting a room four ways instead of two saves you half your money. At the prices charged per night in some tropical destinations this can really add up.
• Priceline. Try using www.priceline.com to “bid” on a room price.This usually works better very close to the travel dates, but it can save you money far out as well, especially for off-season travel.
• Cook. Instead of eating out for 3 meals, consider cooking in your room. Even with minimal kitchenware, you can churn out some tasty meals for cheap.
• Bring your own food. My favorite, bring your own food. I like to stuff microwaveable, refrigerator-free meals in my suitcase when I travel.

Be smart, do your homework, and accommodations don’t have to break the bank.

Diving expenses

Unfortunately, scuba-related expenses are often the least flexible. We do have a few options, however:

• Shore diving. Boat trips can add up, s consider a shore diving destination. This can be especially advantageous for longer trips.
• Packages. It is definitely a good idea to buy a package whenever possible, instead of paying for 2-tank dives individually. This reduces your per dive cost. You can often get a discount on gear rentals when purchasing a package as well.

  Also, look into packages that combine diving with accommodations. These are quite common in most popular destinations. Just make sure that the combined price is actually a deal.

• Equipment. Rental fees can add up quickly, so having your own equipment saves money. Granted, scuba equipment is expensive, so you’d have to dive a lot to break even.

  Start with mask, snorkel, and fins. They’re cheap and easy to travel with. Plus, they double as snorkeling gear.

  If you have active scuba diving friends or family, think about borrowing equipment from them.

Scuba diving is not a cheap hobby, but it doesn’t have to break your budget. Plan well and be flexible, and you can probably afford more trips than you previously thought.

What are you favorite tips for saving money on scuba diving vacations? Leave a reply in the comments section below.

Photo by alamosbasement

As you dive more and more, your expeditions will eventually take you overseas. While this might be a simple version of the U.S. across a border, it can often be a trial in planning and executing your vacation plan. This article will guide you through the difficulties in diving overseas.

Finding a shop / resort

The first hurdle to overcome is finding a dive shop. In some cases, this may be a resort where you also stay. With the advent of the internet, this search has become immensely easier. Usually this is accomplished by typing “destination dive shop” into your favorite search engine, where “destination” is replaced by the part of the world in which you’re traveling (e.g., “fiji dive shop”).

Even with these advances, it can be hard to mill through the options. How do you choose one shop over another? Here are a few tips:

• Priorities. Decide what’s most important to you in a dive shop. Are you looking for super-cheapo diving, or do you not mind spending a little more to get pampered? Do you need something conveniently located, or will you have a rental car? Think about what you look for when you look for a dive shop.
• Reviews. Now that you know what’s important to you, try to find reviews online. Here are a few resources: www.tripadvisor.com, www.divematrix.com, www.yelp.com, www.scubadviser.com, and www.scubaboard.com.
• Outings. Confirm that the shop you are interested in is going out on the days you want. This is especially important during off-season travel. If you have choices, do research on dive locations and decide based on the dive sites you’d like to see.

After choosing, make any necessary reservations unless you are sure you can just show up and have a seat on the boat (doubtful, although you may prefer to visit the shop in person after arriving).

Agencies

The vast majority of you out there are probably certified through one of the major scuba agencies—that’s what makes them major. Even so, there are still many certifying agencies specific to regions and countries. If you hold a card with one of these, I would suggest checking that the shop you want will recognize your cert card.

Even if you do use a major agency, it can’t hurt to do a sanity check and avoid problems the day you want to dive.

Language

If you are reading this, I assume you speak English fairly well. English is a very common base language for communication, and popular destinations know this. Hence, almost all places you find yourself in will not pose a communication problem for you.

Nevertheless, difficulties can arise. While many instructors and shop employees are English-speaking transplants, it is popular to hire cheap local labor for running boats and leading dives. Thus, it is quite possible to find yourself unable to communicate effectively at times. Fortunately, these instances are few and far between, and are hardly ever over anything life critical.

If you are so inclined, it can’t hurt to learn a few key phrases and words should you ever find yourself in such a situation. I hardly consider it a necessity, though.

Local laws

The dive shop should notify you beforehand, but check up on any local laws for your dive destination. Some places don’t allow dive knives or gloves, for instance.

Another possibility is any fees required to get in the water. For example, the water around Bonaire is considered a marine park, and a $25 USD “admission” is required to scuba dive.

Units

Depending on where you are from, you either you use the metric or imperial system of measurement, or some derivative of one of these. In diving, this means you are either used to kilograms (weight), bar (pressure), and meters (length), or pounds (weight), PSI (pressure), and feet (length).

Here at The Diving Blog, I try to give you both units, but not everyone will be so kind. Therefore, you should check what is being used at your vacation spot and plan accordingly. Here is a breakdown of conversion between the two. Familiarize yourself with it.

• Kilograms (kgs) / pounds (lbs). For your weight belt, you will need to know how much weight to use. Depending on what you are used to, you may need to convert to the other unit. One pound is roughly 0.45 kilograms, and one kilogram is about 2.2 pounds.
• Bar / PSI. It doesn’t make sense to memorize the conversion between bar and PSI, since your cylinder pressure gauge will give one or the other, and will often have red markings to indicate low air situations. However, you should probably know that a full tank is about 3,000 PSI, which is about 200 bar. A half tank is then 1,500 PSI / 100 bar.
• Meters (m) / feet (ft). Probably the easiest is converting between depths. 1 meter is a little over 3 feet. Usually people remember that 10 meters is 33 feet and go from there. For example, 30 meters is about 99 feet.

Knowing these ahead of time can avoid a stressful situation. For example, if the boat is being loaded up and you are asked how much weight you need in kilograms, you may end up saying something stupid and being short on weight. Again, not incredibly likely, but any stress in diving situations should be avoided.

Emergencies

If diving with a reputable outfit, you shouldn’t need to worry about how to handle emergencies. It can happen, however, during shore diving or a rented boat, that emergency services need to be contacted while in a foreign country.

DAN, the Divers Alert Network, while based in the U.S., has services worldwide.

Many countries, especially popular dive destinations, have services dedicated to scuba emergencies. If this is the case, you will want to be aware and contact these services before regular emergency services. The savings in time could be critical.

As a last option, contact information for regular emergency services is needed where diving emergency or DAN services are not available. In any case, you will need to know where to find a telephone and how local telephone numbers work. This is easy, but shouldn’t be neglected.

Conclusion

Diving overseas is an exciting opportunity to see entirely new sites and critters, as well as expand your horizons. As with all things, a small bit of preparation goes a long way to increasing overall enjoyment. You may find the preparation time builds anticipation (in a good way) towards the upcoming trip. Have fun, and send me a postcard!

Photo by Irargerich

In recent news, Guam has passed proposed a bill banning scuba spearfishing on the island. Needless to say, many locals are upset.

The argument is that scuba spearfishing is not sustainable and that this ban will allow the fish populations to replenish. Spearfishing with scuba gear allows fishermen to remain underwater longer and thus catch more fish than breath-hold spearfishing.

I’m not the biggest fan of spearfishing, and prefer not to dive with anybody who is spearfishing. Nevertheless, I find a bill like this a little surprising given the nature of island nations like Guam.

If you’re planning a trip to Guam in the future, keep an eye out in the future for whether or not you should leave your speargun at home.

You may have seen this floating around the web, but The Cayman Islands are holding a contest for a 7-night stay for two people at a resort, along with airfare!

To enter the contest, you must become a fan of The Cayman Islands Facebook page, and in 100 words or less describe your perfect day on The Cayman Islands.

The contest ends June 24, so you have about a month. I’ve never been to The Cayman Islands, but I’m sure they’re quite a popular destination for a reason. Given the small time commitment, there’s no harm entering the contest. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky!

Photo by Salvatore.Freni

Duane over at Precision Diving posted an article a few weeks ago on the top 5 places to dive before you dive—I thought I’d play along.

Most of my scuba diving experience has been around the Caribbean, so I tried to balance my list to not be entirely comprised of south Pacific destinations.

1. Tonga – Reading Tony Wu’s Underwater Photography Blog has given me Tonga fever. Sprawling islands with many dive sites, some untouched, makes this a diving paradise. I’d love to spend 1-2 weeks on a live-aboard out that way.
2. Thailand – Phuket, Ko Samui, Ko Tao, and many other places in Thailand are huge diving destinations. They are particularly popular for diving internships. I want to go and rent a bungalow for a month while seeing some of the most pristine diving in the world.
3. Belize – I wanted to balance the list out with some destinations close to home. Belize’s Blue Hole is very well-known. Whether or not it’s overrated, I’d like to see it.
4. Poor Knights Islands – I spent a little over three months in New Zealand, and even did a little diving, but I never made it up north to the Poor Knights Islands. The islands have been famous since Jacques Cousteau declared them one of the top 10 dive sites in the world.
5. The Galapagos – Probably my most in-demand destination that’s close to home, The Galapagos Islands are another prime candidate for a live-aboard. The Galapagos are famous for their diversity. As a bonus, they’re relatively close while being in the Pacific, which gives me a little variety from the usual Caribbean critters.

That’s my list that I’d like to revisit from time to time.

Your turn. Tell everybody in the comments where you want to scuba dive before your time comes.

I’m going back to Bonaire in a few weeks to complete my PADI divemaster training. Along with all my gear, one thing I’ll be taking is the book Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy (BSDME).

BSDME is a small book describing 75 dive sites in Bonaire. Officially, there are 63 dive sites in Bonaire (not counting Klein), so the book more than adequately covers most diving spots. In particular, it shares the easiest entry and exit points. This can be a huge time saver for shore dives, where rocks and waves make entry and exit challenging.

BSDME also gives a brief description of the dive site, including slopes and formations that are helpful for planning dives. Sometimes it will indicate what type of marine life to expect on a particular site, and where to look for it. There are no pictures in BSDME, if that’s what you are expecting. This page on the book’s website gives a sample for the Andrea II dive site. Expect 75 of those, nothing more, nothing less.

73, actually. As of 2009, the Town Pier and Salt Pier sites were closed to the public after structural damage from Hurricane Omar. The 5th edition of BSDME still has these sites listed, so they may be removed from future editions.

Most dive shops in Bonaire have a copy of this book lying around for customer perusal. However, I recommend picking up your own copy to keep with you. It’s fairly inexpensive, and is a handy reference for dive planning the night before, and especially while at dive sites when on-the-fly adjustments are required.

I recently came across this article on world travelers who make their money online. The first profile is of a British couple who travel the world as dive instructors.

Ben Stokes and Sarah Kemsley met on vacation in Malaysia (while diving, I assume). Neither of them returned to school, and instead live abroad setting up dive tours. They spend 3-4 months at a time in various locations. Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Honduras, Belize, Fiji—their home bases read like a top dive destination list from a travel magazine.

I imagine it is difficult keeping a steady stream of customers working in this fashion, especially in the highly-competitive dive market. The trick, as the article suggests, is keeping their living expenses to a bare minimum. It’s not for everyone, but I think their chosen lifestyle is very cool. For the interested, it looks like they keep a mildly-updated blog of what they’re up to.

Hats off to Ben and Sarah for living their dream!

Dive trips are exciting, but can be a real chore when it comes time to pack for the flight. There’s the advantage of having all your own equipment and not using questionable rentals versus the task of getting it all to your destination.

Dividing equipment between carry-on and checked luggage can ease the burden slightly. Then the problem becomes, “What equipment should I check?” Here are four considerations to help with this decision:

• Legality

  If you’re not allowed to have it on a plane, then the decision has been made for you; so don’t even bother with that dive knife. I’ve heard mixed results from carrying pony bottles, with most saying they are fine. Check with the TSA’s (if flying from the US) set of ever-changing rules for up-to-date information.

• Cost

  How expensive is the particular item? Don’t expect the airlines to reimburse you for broken goods, just ask this guy. If it’s expensive, you may want to consider carrying it with you.

• Breakability

  Likewise, if something is likely to be broken when tossed (even inside a case), it also may be better off with you. There is a variety of luggage specifically designed for protecting dive gear, so you may want to give that a try. Keep in mind, however, that security may go through your bag and not put all the pieces back in exactly the manner that guarantees their safety.

• Importance

  How easily can you go without something? More so than just breaking something, luggage can get lost. If a checked item doesn’t show up until the end of the week, will it significantly affect your diving? For this reason, most people will forgo their own weights on trips.

• Space

  If it won’t fit in an overhead space, then the choice has been made for you; either check it or leave it at home.

If you still have no idea what to do, then here’s a starting point:

Carry-on: regulator, mask (especially if prescription), camera equipment.

Check: BCD, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, knife.

Use the above criteria to tweak these lists until you are satisfied.