{"id":7134,"date":"2018-10-08T07:36:23","date_gmt":"2018-10-08T07:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/?p=7134"},"modified":"2018-10-08T07:41:31","modified_gmt":"2018-10-08T07:41:31","slug":"tips-booking-ultimate-dive-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/tips-booking-ultimate-dive-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for booking the ultimate dive holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"

We might be a little biased but we think a diving holiday is one of the very best ways to spend your precious vacation time. You\u2019re off work, you\u2019ve got a full tank strapped on and you\u2019re exploring the underwater world \u2013 life is good. However, it also has to be said that there are good dive holidays and there are great dive holidays. And if you want your trip to fall in the second category then there are a few things you need to think about before you book.<\/p>\n

Diving destination<\/h5>\n

Perhaps the most important decision you have to make is where to go. This depends on a number of factors, such as the time of year, your diving level and what kind of dive experience you are looking for. In some destinations most of the best dives have difficult conditions, so you\u2019ll need to be more experienced. Other places, like Mauritius<\/a>, offer safer shore dives, so they are better suited to those with less experience.<\/p>\n

\"mauritius-diving\"<\/p>\n

Diving accommodation<\/h5>\n

The main decision you need to make is whether to be land-based or to choose a liveaboard. Liveaboards give you access to more remote and often spectacular dive spots, but a luxury resort on land also means you can enjoy the pool, spa, dining options and more. For the best of both worlds consider combining a week on a liveaboard with a week at a top luxury resort or on a tailor-made tour of your destination, really making the most out of your diving holiday.<\/p>\n

\"Carpe-dive\"<\/p>\n

Diving season<\/h5>\n

The time of year you dive often determines what you will see in the water, so think about your wish list. The Maldives<\/a>, for example, offers great all-round diving throughout the year
\nbut depending on the season you are more likely to see certain species at specific times of the year. Oman<\/a>, for example, has virtually guaranteed sightings of whale sharks but you have to visit between September and November to take advantage of this.<\/p>\n

\"oman-muscat-dive\"<\/p>\n

Compare and read reviews<\/h5>\n

In order to maximise your chance of enjoying an incredible holiday, it\u2019s well worth comparing your options and reading as many reviews and testimonials as possible. Of course, you need to take some reviews with a pinch of salt but they can give you an overall idea of what to expect.<\/p>\n

Look for hidden costs<\/h5>\n

You\u2019ve made your choices and are ready to book – and then find that there are a whole bunch of extra costs that weren\u2019t made clear at the start of the process. It happens and is a classic online sales trick. So, try and use operators who only give you clear and up-front pricing options, with no room for nasty surprises down the line, such as extra costs for gear hire or permits.<\/p>\n

\"Oman-morey-eel\"<\/p>\n

If you book with an established and trusted dive specialist, like the team here at Planet Dive, then you get all the expertise our knowledgeable staff can offer. We\u2019ll advise on the best times of year to visit certain destinations and make suggestions about accommodation options and more. We offer diving holidays in some of the very best locations on the planet, with a range of luxury and liveaboard accommodation options, turning your good dive holiday into a great one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are good dive holidays and there are great dive holidays. If you want your trip to fall in the second category then there are a few things you need to think about before you book.","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":5626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118,43],"tags":[575,59,261,488,159],"class_list":{"0":"post-7134","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liveaboard","8":"category-travel-tips","9":"tag-land-based-diving-holiday","10":"tag-liveaboard","11":"tag-maldives","12":"tag-mauritius","13":"tag-oman","14":"cs-entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7137,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7134\/revisions\/7137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.planetdiveholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}