Cost of diving in the Pacific?

PHXAZCRAIG wrote:

I need some Pacific diving. I'm concerned about two things:

1. cost (particularly for single supplement)

Between Thailand and Philippines, I've never encountered a 'single supplement' except on liveaboards. Resort/hotel rooms are almost invariably doubles and larger, they don't care if you're alone in a double room.

2. travel discomfort (14 hour flights in coach)

Connect in Hawaii to break up the flight? I don't think there is any other way to make a trans-Pacific flight shorter. Coming from the middle east, I have lots of connection options, but I don't know much about traveling from US.

I look at all kinds of stories about Lembeh and Aniloa, and they seem wonderful. I look at joining a 1-week photographic workshop and I get sticker shock! I see places I'd like to be, but with costs of $5000-7000 for a week, NOT including airfare.

Staying at Blue Ribbon in Anilao for three nights, my bill was 15404 pesos for the room (pre-booked via Agoda), and 21567 pesos for everything else - 10 dives with nitrox (afternoon + night on the day I checked in, 4/day for the next two days, none on checkout day), meals, don't remember if there was anything else in it. At current exchange rates, that's $728, and Blue Ribbon is not the cheapest resort there. A week should cost you well below $2k.

Ok - where are some good places to dive in the Pacific that don't break the bank?

Thailand - Andaman Sea coast; Similans liveaboards out of Khao Lak, day dives out of Phuket, Phi Phi, Lanta.

Philippines - Anilao, Puerto Galera, Dumaguete, Malpascua, Moalboal, Bohol, South Leyte, Coron if you like wrecks. Tubbataha is supposed to be the best diving in the Philippines, but it's only open for a few months a year, and only accessible by fairly expensive liveaboards that tend to be booked solid years out.

Indonesia, Palau, Vanuatu are on my bucket list, but I haven't been there yet. They're also considerably more expensive than Thailand and Philippines. You can also look at Malaysia; Sipadan is said to be great, although it's not an option for me with my Israeli passport.

Regarding Red Sea - I have dived it in September/October in 3mm shorty without getting cold. November to April it gets chilly, particularly when you get out of the water and need to get out of the wet gear.