Every year people make their traveling plans according to their budget, pre-determined dates, tastes, and preferences in countries to see or relying on the best comfortable and relaxing options that the different luxury hotel brands offer. I always seek for an aim, a target, and a group of intelligent people who would like to follow the same aim as me to reach a similar target in my annual holidays; therefore, I plan my traveling routes or destinations according to the new chapter that I would be going through and developing my skills. Traveling for practicing scuba diving and developing my skills underwater has been one of my targets for years now. And, yes, it’s as incredible as it sounds. If you’re looking to get into diving, you’re going to need to get some form of certification, like a PADI, before you go out into open water (you can check out this article here https://www.deepbluediving.org/scuba-certification-cost/ to see how much this might cost).
Every year, I plan my summer holidays to upgrade my diving skills with a higher level of education while enjoying the opportunity to meet with people with a similar mindset about bodily and mental development regarding the sealife. At the end of the holiday, I always learn a lot about the culture of the region that I travel to for diving purposes as well as local people’s perspective towards life and daily practices.
These yields cannot be offered by any of the luxury hotels or resorts in any region, because learning a new culture, meeting with local people, and tasting from their cuisine cannot be commoditized; therefore, priceless. I also save a lot of money since I always benefit from accommodation and meal offers of the scuba diving centers that I register with. Here I offer some tips on selecting ”diving” as a traveling aim and planning my travel agenda accordingly.
Traveling on Budget
The biggest trick to stay on budget while traveling for diving to the different spots of the world is purchasing the dive packages which offer weekly or ten-day-basis plans. The greatest advantage of these diving packages would be all included details, offering the travelers accommodation and meal options on the boat included in the dive package that people purchase. This is also how I arrange my trip for diving at the unique spots of the world while being on my budget and not ruining it in the first week of my holiday. However, if budget is not an issue when you’re planning your travels, you may want to consider the luxury hotel offerings around your diving destination and maybe even think about flying in style on a Jettly private jet charter, providing you with the ultimate travel experience in the air.
Cheapest Diving Points in the Mediterranean
Among all the European countries, Turkey offers the cheapest prices in scuba diving and freediving due to national currency and the general price level being low in this country. I prefer going to Kas (Antalya), Adrasan (Antalya), Fethiye (Mugla), Marmaris (Mugla), Datca (Mugla), Bodrum (Mugla), Karaburun (Ä °zmir), Bozcaada (Canakkale) and Gokceada (Canakkale) for scuba diving and freediving. Greece and Cyprus also offer great diving spots with a better level of underwater biodiversity on and around the Greek islands, however, these countries use Euros as the currency and they are not as cheap as Turkey when it comes to arranging transportation, purchasing the dive package from the scuba diving schools and also dealing with the accommodation details.
Diving Spots in Egypt
All year long, Egypt offers diving packages in different spots of the country due to its convenient climate and weather conditions. Sharm el-Sheikh is very famous for freediving and a hotspot of worldwide known freedivers, coming and camping in this city for their bodily and mental health. I prefer purchasing a diving package from a trustworthy and internationally certified diving school since accommodation and meals may also be included in this offer. I always make sure to stay at the same place with my diving buddy and diving crew so that we can move around as a group rather than individual tourists. Due to Egyptian currency, the local prices are very low in comparison with Europe or the United States.
Diving in the Caribbean
Caribbean sea offers great opportunities when it comes to observing underwater biodiversity with your own eyes. I prefer staying on the islands Utila or Roatan which belong to Honduras actually. It is possible to book snorkeling, scuba diving, and freediving (apnea) packages from the trustworthy and internationally certified diving schools on these islands. The local currency provides a great advantage in prices; however, the majority of the diving centers use American dollars along with international price standards. The variety of species that people can see underwater pays off all the monetary and physical difficulties that occur in that region of the world.
Diving in South Africa
Cape Town is the most popular diving spot, offering more than twenty internationally certified scuba diving schools. If you already have a medium level or advanced scuba certification, it is possible for you to attend marine excursions that marine research centers offer in this region. I have involved in several marine courses in marine research centers where I had the opportunity to join a whale watching tour as well. Furthermore, blog sites like Casa De Rosie give an insight into all the activities you can do as well whilst you are in South Africa, such as visiting National Parks and more, making it a truly diverse part of the world.