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Hey all, I'm a huge fan snorkeling. For the last couple of years, I've been doing trips to Kauai (1x), Maui (2x), and the Big Island (2x). I absolutely love being able to rent an apartment/house, waking up at 6am, and driving 5-20 minutes to a location where I can snorkel my heart out for 1-2 hours before the crowds arrive. By far the biggest pro of Hawaii is that I can do world class snorkeling right from the beach. It means that I don't have to charter a boat. And as a result, I can go snorkel elsewhere if the conditions are crap. Similarly, if the conditions are excellent, I can stay longer. Snorkeling straight from the beach gives me a lot of freedom, and having multiple beaches in close proximity gives me variety. Finally, I can go on some casual hikes in the afternoon. So, Hawaii is great, and I am now looking for a change in scenery. Since I am expecting to get my Green Card in the next couple of weeks, international trips are now finally an option. I would like to do the harder trips while I am still young, so I'll save a trip to the Caribbean (Belize, USVI, BVI, Dominica) for another year. But the trips shouldn't be too hard, so I want to start with countries where English will be enough to communicate. I've always wanted to go to Australia, so that's the obvious choice. My big question then: Is there a Hawaii-equivalent in Australia? I'm looking for a location (not necessarily an island) where there are numerous beaches in close proximity to where I'll be staying, with world class snorkeling right off the beach. Ideally some hiking to. I would like to minimize driving to places by car because I'm not used to driving on that side of the road. But the most important thing is to minimize boat trips so I can have my own schedule. I used to have Lord Howe Island on my short list, but then I read that the water there is significantly colder than in Hawaii. I realize that Guam also may also meets my needs. Perhaps it's even safer as I won't have to worry about every insect wanting to kill me. I'll explore that destination if I can't find a place in Australia. I'm not too stoked about Fiji because the islands are small, so I expect fewer snorkeling locations and practically zero hiking. This trip would take place next year, but I haven't set the date yet. Thanks in advance for any recommendations you have.
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Aug 7, 2017 00:32
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 00:53 |
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Lord Howe Island is your best bet in Australia. There's great snorkelling straight off the beach, great hiking, and basically no cars on the island so you don't need to worry about that. Water temps are between 18 and 26 degrees - warmest in January/February, coldest in October/November. With snorkelling, it depends on what you're looking for - fish, or coral? The coral reefs in Australia are all way offshore and require boat trips (Barrier Reef in QLD, Ningaloo in WA), but most beach spots in NSW you can go snorkelling nearby and see interesting fish. Hell, you can even do this in Sydney. Outside of Australia, one place you might not have considered is Palawan in the Philippines. There's fantastic snorkelling at Coron and El Nido (and a fantastic place we found nearby called Modessa Island), and some OK hiking nearby as well. It's pretty cheap (miles cheaper than Australia will be), and because of the historic American influences you won't have much difficulty with the language barrier.
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Aug 15, 2017 14:30
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Thanks for the reality check and for the other suggestions. So are places like Heron island resort or Hayman island resort not what I want? I admit I would like to avoid resorts if possible. But if I have the choice between a rental at a lousy location or a resort at the perfect location, I will pick the resort. I would like to see both coral and fish, in as much abundance as in Hawaii. If it's just fish or just coral, that is fine too as long as it's a colorful and lively scene. Last year on the big island was a blast. I was in the water by 7:30am every day, had practically the entire beach to myself, full of fish and coral, dive down a bit and I found some spectacular sea shells. Regarding other locations, my only hard boundary conditions are (1) minimal risk of diseases (malaria), and (2) clean water running out of the water faucet. Beyond that, I am flexible. Even staying on a liveboard (dive)-boat is an option, though it is clearly not preferred (zero hiking, I live by the boat's schedule). But a liveaboard boat would still be better than taking a boat full of amateur tourists each morning.
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Aug 16, 2017 04:37
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Actually, Heron island would be pretty good (it's already an island offshore, so you don't need to take a boat out there each day). Best to double-check, but I think Hayman Island resort is closed for a while as they took a direct hit from a huge cyclone earlier this year. I hadn't really thought about the Whitsundays as I wasn't sure if it would fit into the average goon budget 
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Aug 16, 2017 16:23
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webmeister posted:Actually, Heron island would be pretty good (it's already an island offshore, so you don't need to take a boat out there each day). Best to double-check, but I think Hayman Island resort is closed for a while as they took a direct hit from a huge cyclone earlier this year. I hadn't really thought about the Whitsundays as I wasn't sure if it would fit into the average goon budget Yes, you're right about Hayman. I read about the damage earlier this year. Back then they estimated to be operational in May 2018 again. That seems seems to have changed to late-2018. Your assumption about budget is good. I prefer to spend less money (home rental, cook my own food, ...). But if the location is right and if the alternatives have major drawbacks, I'm willing to spend more money. Well, if things are damaged, there's a chance that the reef damaged too, so I better take Hayman off my list.
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Aug 17, 2017 02:35
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