The first thing to consider is the type of diving holiday you want. If you’re an action-hound, perhaps a remote Fijian island isn’t the best option for you. Similarly if you just want to get away from it all, you might not want to choose a hotel with a bar with loud music that only stops in the wee hours. Or perhaps you would prefer to dive nonstop, in which case a liveaboard boat may be a good choice.
Once you know what type of holiday you want, consider a region. The major regions for dive holidays from Australia are the South Pacific, Asia, Micronesia and of course Australia itself. Think about where you’ve already been, and whether you want something similar or something totally new.
A major consideration of any holiday is the budget. Only you know whether you’re prepared to shell out $2000 or $6000 on your dive holiday, and it’s best to know this upfront to help narrow down the options.
If you want to spend $2000, there’s no point wasting time researching the liveaboard boats in Raja Ampat. You also need to consider your standard of accommodation; are you happy in a basic room with a bed and a window, or do you want room service and a spa?
When are you looking at going? Are you limited by school holidays, or particular weeks you have off? Do you want to go next week or can you go any time next year? Check the seasonality of your interests – if you want to see whales, you’ll need to go where the whales are!
You’ve probably ticked these off in your head by now and you’re wondering how on earth all these things can be combined into one trip. This is where good advice comes in to play. Talking to your friends who have been away, your dive shop, and even sites such as Trip Advisor can help you. Read online reviews and try to gain a feel for the general opinion rather than taking any one particular review as gospel.
The good news is that there are people who know exactly how to help you plan and book your holiday. Our Dive Travel Specialists are trained for one thing – dive travel! By asking you the questions above, we can narrow the list down to a couple of ideal destinations. Why not go through the list and give us a call so we can recommend somewhere fabulous.
