Scuba diving is a great way to spend your vacation and offers lots of fun for the entire family. However, it is often wrongly perceived as an expensive activity. The truth is that scuba diving can be both fun and affordable as long as you choose your destination carefully. With that in mind, let’s look at five great destinations where you can enjoy scuba diving without blowing your budget!
The Caribbean Island of Bonaire
If you are an experienced diver, one of the cheapest destinations to go diving is Bonaire in the Caribbean. This area is packed with independent dive opportunities for those confident enough to hire some gear and head out into the water. With some stunning sea life to observe and some of the world’s most iconic wreck sites, there is plenty to see under the waves.
Roatan – The Largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands
Honduras is a trendy spot for enthusiasts, and Roatan, in particular, is a hotbed of dive shops and budget accommodation. The island has a 340-mile-long reef that hosts hundreds of species. You can enjoy a range of scuba diving experiences for all abilities, including swim-through dives, boat drops and deep dives around some local wreck sites.
Scuba Diving in Hawaii
Hawaii is one destination renamed for scuba diving. Admittedly, it can be a fairly pricey vacation destination. However, you will also find great package deals, especially around Hanauma Bay. If you stay away from the big resorts, you will also find some budget accommodation.
The Florida Keys
One of the great things about choosing the Florida Keys for your scuba diving trip is that it is so easily accessible. The area has many accommodation options and dive shops for you to choose from. In terms of the diving itself, you can explore the world’s third-largest barrier reef, where you will see moray eels and sea turtles. Alternately, if you have a little more experience, the wreck of the USS Vandenberg offers a deep dive experience that you will not soon forget!
Cozumel & Costa Maya
Sometimes Mexico is seen as a luxury destination, which may be true of the larger resorts; however, a flight from the United States to Mexico can be as cheap as a long domestic flight! Less touristy spots like Cozumel and Costa Maya offer excellent scuba diving opportunities to explore the beautiful corals of the Chinchorro Banks without the large price tag.