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Scuba Forum / Scuba Locations / September 2004Diving for cheap with Wife & Kid
Ok, so it seems that you can have a place that is either cheap OR good for the wife and kid, Anywhere in the Caribbean that is both cheap and good for wife & kid? Hospitals, Close to airport, little/no chance of being kidnapped by Guerrillas. > Ok, so it seems that you can have a place that is either cheap OR good for > the wife and kid, Anywhere in the Caribbean that is both cheap and good for > wife & kid? Hospitals, Close to airport, little/no chance of being kidnapped > by Guerrillas. San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. There are some inexpensive accommodations with a kitchenette that you might enjoy. The diving is still around $60 US for a two tank, but if you book a block of dives (10) you can get it down to around $45 US for two tanks. There is currently no hospital in San Pedro, but it is reasonably easy to get to the hospital in Belize City. Let's hope that isn't necessary. There are also a couple of doctors and a clinic in San Pedro. >Ok, so it seems that you can have a place that is either cheap OR good for >the wife and kid, Anywhere in the Caribbean that is both cheap and good for >wife & kid? Hospitals, Close to airport, little/no chance of being kidnapped >by Guerrillas. Remember, cheap is usually amenity free. You can get good diving for cheap, but don't expect much else. And cheap is a relative word. Try Cozumel. You can find plenty of inexpensive hotels, and diving is only moderately expensive (not cheap, like it was in the "good old days"). What's this fixation with hospitals? You planning on getting hurt? Be sure to take lots-o-money, since they won't be likely to accept your insurance and sure won't just bill you.  Signaturedillon When I was a kid, I thought the angel's name was Hark and the horse's name was Bob. > Remember, cheap is usually amenity free. You can get good diving for > cheap, but don't expect much else. And cheap is a relative word. Try > Cozumel. You can find plenty of inexpensive hotels, and diving is > only moderately expensive (not cheap, like it was in the "good old > days"). Ya, looks like Cuba is going to be the place this trip, although Roatan is my next adventure alone! > What's this fixation with hospitals? You planning on getting hurt? > Be sure to take lots-o-money, since they won't be likely to accept > your insurance and sure won't just bill you. That is the wife more than me, wants it for the kid. >>What's this fixation with hospitals? You planning on getting hurt? >>Be sure to take lots-o-money, since they won't be likely to accept >>your insurance and sure won't just bill you. > That is the wife more than me, wants it for the kid. Been there, done that. Don't worry about the hospital too much. Reasonable transportation to a hospital is good enough IMHO, but make sure there is a pharmacy and English speaking doctor available (I've been travelling with my diving wife and two sons, 7 months and 3 yrs during our last trip). My travel tips would be better suited for Europeans, though. We found La Restinga on El Hierro, Canary Islands, an exceptionally pleasant stay off season. SignatureThe suespammers.org mail server is located in California; do not send unsolicited bulk e-mail or unsolicited commercial e-mail to my suespammers.org address. It's my life: http://www.laitinen.org/blog/ > Ya, looks like Cuba is going to be the place this trip, although Roatan is > my next adventure alone! I'm not sure I'd consider Cuba to be safe from kidnapping by guerillas. Then again, I'm an American. I presume you're not. Lee >> Ya, looks like Cuba is going to be the place this trip, although Roatan >> is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Lee I have travelled a lot and been all over the US and Europe and Asia and Cuba is one of the safest places I have ever been. Not knocking the US because I really do love travelling through the US but I feel safer in Havana (most 'dangerous' city in Cuba) than any major US city. (NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Pheonix...) >>> Ya, looks like Cuba is going to be the place this trip, although Roatan >>> is [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >'dangerous' city in Cuba) than any major US city. (NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, >Detroit, Pheonix...) Come to Austin. Plenty to do, good hospitals, no "real" guerillias. Diving is fair, but if you take a minor excursion to someplace like Port A you can get in the Flower Gardens and a rig or two. And who knows, you might meet Leslie. :-) Signaturedillon When I was a kid, I thought the angel's name was Hark and the horse's name was Bob. > Come to Austin. Plenty to do, good hospitals, no "real" guerillias. > Diving is fair, but if you take a minor excursion to someplace like > Port A you can get in the Flower Gardens and a rig or two. > > And who knows, you might meet Leslie. :-) I have actually not heard much about the diving in Austin, I love Texas though (for the Texans mostly, the weather is pretty unbearable) Any info/pics would be greatly appreciated :) > I have travelled a lot and been all over the US and Europe and Asia and Cuba > is one of the safest places I have ever been. Not knocking the US because I > really do love travelling through the US but I feel safer in Havana (most > 'dangerous' city in Cuba) than any major US city. (NY, LA, Chicago, Miami, > Detroit, Pheonix...) Like I said. I presume you're not an American. We get a lot of blame for a lot of the problems in modern Cuba. It's possible we deserve it. Lee > Like I said. I presume you're not an American. We get a lot of blame for > a > lot of the problems in modern Cuba. It's possible we deserve it. > > Lee Not you personally Lee... but ya :p > > Like I said. I presume you're not an American. We get a lot of blame for > > a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Not you personally Lee... but ya :p Don't be too sure. I am part of the government. >> > Like I said. I presume you're not an American. We get a lot of blame > for [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Don't be too sure. I am part of the government. Sorry about that Lee, you ARE personally to blame for ALL the problems in modern Cuba. And I forgot to mention, your lease is up on Guantanamo Bay and we would like it back, we plan on making it a theme park. > And I forgot to mention, your lease is up on Guantanamo Bay and we would > like it back, we plan on making it a theme park. Only if you include a home for retarded dolphins. > > And I forgot to mention, your lease is up on Guantanamo Bay and we would > > like it back, we plan on making it a theme park. > > Only if you include a home for retarded dolphins. They already have one. I've been to it. > Sorry about that Lee, you ARE personally to blame for ALL the problems in > modern Cuba. > > And I forgot to mention, your lease is up on Guantanamo Bay and we would > like it back, we plan on making it a theme park. Don't be sorry. I can live with my guilt. Lee > Ok, so it seems that you can have a place that is either cheap OR good for > the wife and kid, Anywhere in the Caribbean that is both cheap and good for > wife & kid? Hospitals, Close to airport, little/no chance of being kidnapped > by Guerrillas. If you'd left hospitals off the list, there are many islands of the Bahamas that would fit the bill. Lee >> Ok, so it seems that you can have a place that is either cheap OR good for >> the wife and kid, Anywhere in the Caribbean that is both cheap and good [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >If you'd left hospitals off the list, there are many islands of the Bahamas >that would fit the bill. We had good care in the Bahamas. I had a filling drop out of my tooth and the dentist was extremely reasonable and so were the antibiotics. The whole thing was less than $70. And Bob had quick and efficient care in Nassau when he had his heart attack. A lot of the SSCA people have posted about how good the care was in Georgetown, and in a lot of places you can fly out to Nassau pretty easily and Miami isn't that far. grandma Rosalie > We had good care in the Bahamas. I had a filling drop out of my tooth > and the dentist was extremely reasonable and so were the antibiotics. > The whole thing was less than $70. And Bob had quick and efficient > care in Nassau when he had his heart attack. Nassau does have good medical facilities, but it's not on my list of cheap dive destinations. Other islands, the ones more likely to be inexpensive, tend not to have quality care. A native friend of mine died of a tooth infection on Bimini. > A lot of the SSCA people have posted about how good the care was in > Georgetown, and in a lot of places you can fly out to Nassau pretty > easily and Miami isn't that far. If you're a US citizen, the Coast Guard will evacuate you in a medical emergency. I'm not sure what assistance is available for citizens of other countries. The big problem with flying out on a commercial airline is the limited capacity, particularly during holiday periods. Lee >> We had good care in the Bahamas. I had a filling drop out of my tooth >> and the dentist was extremely reasonable and so were the antibiotics. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >tend not to have quality care. A native friend of mine died of a tooth >infection on Bimini. Yes but it would be different for a tourist. For one thing, they probably would not be on a dive vacation with an abscess or whatever. As for cheap - I have limited experience with cheap and it would depend on whether you meant cheap to get there, cheap to stay there, or cheap to dive. Cheap to stay there I'd include Belize and Cozumel, and cheap to get there would eliminate Belize >> A lot of the SSCA people have posted about how good the care was in >> Georgetown, and in a lot of places you can fly out to Nassau pretty [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >countries. The big problem with flying out on a commercial airline is the >limited capacity, particularly during holiday periods. We didn't use the CG although I guess we could have. We paid for the evacuation and it was about $3800.00. It wasn't on a commercial airline - it was a little prop plane and there was the pilot, nurse, me and Bob (on a stretcher), and they also could have taken a doctor if one had been needed. Plus a small amount (2 carry-on bags) of luggage. Our citizenship didn't matter. grandma Rosalie > Yes but it would be different for a tourist. For one thing, they > probably would not be on a dive vacation with an abscess or whatever. True, but you were the one that mentioned dentist. The real issue was hospitals. All of the major islands, the ones with a substantial affluent population have good medical facilities for those that can pay for them. > >If you're a US citizen, the Coast Guard will evacuate you in a medical > >emergency. I'm not sure what assistance is available for citizens of other > >countries. The big problem with flying out on a commercial airline is the > >limited capacity, particularly during holiday periods. > We didn't use the CG although I guess we could have. We paid for the > evacuation and it was about $3800.00. It wasn't on a commercial > airline - it was a little prop plane and there was the pilot, nurse, > me and Bob (on a stretcher), and they also could have taken a doctor > if one had been needed. Plus a small amount (2 carry-on bags) of > luggage. Our citizenship didn't matter. It doesn't when you're paying your own bill. My wife used to work for a company that serviced the aircraft for a Bahamas air ambulance service. I don't know if health insurance would cover that or not. She probably knows. Lee >> Yes but it would be different for a tourist. For one thing, they >> probably would not be on a dive vacation with an abscess or whatever. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >company that serviced the aircraft for a Bahamas air ambulance service. I >don't know if health insurance would cover that or not. She probably knows. Travel insurance probably would. Medicare did not, but our insurance through being retired military did pick up about 80%. It took awhile. grandma Rosalie > > Yes but it would be different for a tourist. For one thing, they > > probably would not be on a dive vacation with an abscess or whatever. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > >If you're a US citizen, the Coast Guard will evacuate you in a medical > > >emergency. I had never heard of that. What kind of territory do they cover, and how easy is it to arrange? I've bought trip insurance primarily for medical evac, and heard it cost a lot more than $3800; that would seem to be a bargain. I think it would be tough bouncing around in a puddle jumper if I were in bad shape....I don't even like it when I'm well. The $250 for trip insurance for a family of four seemed well worth it for the medical evac alone. I'm not sure what assistance is available for citizens of > other > > >countries. The big problem with flying out on a commercial airline is [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Lee >> > Yes but it would be different for a tourist. For one thing, they >> > probably would not be on a dive vacation with an abscess or whatever. >> >> True, but you were the one that mentioned dentist. The real issue was Yes. The dental thing was just an extra data point. It was quite affordable even for a poor US person. And the walk-in clinic (medical) in Nassau was also free. >> hospitals. All of the major islands, the ones with a substantial affluent >> population have good medical facilities for those that can pay for them. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >I had never heard of that. What kind of territory do they cover, and how We were speaking of the Bahamas where the CG maintains a kind of oversight. And specifically we were traveling on our own boat. >easy is it to arrange? I've bought trip insurance primarily for medical They will do it if they can IF it is an emergency and IF they don't have something else they need to be doing, and IF no commercial service is available. >evac, and heard it cost a lot more than $3800; that would seem to be a This was just from Nassau to Miami - a relatively short distance. Although it included the ambulance from the hospital in Nassau to the plane, and the ambulance from the plane to the hospital in Miami. >bargain. I think it would be tough bouncing around in a puddle jumper if I >were in bad shape....I don't even like it when I'm well. The $250 for trip I was in an automobile accident in the states where I broke 4 ribs. The ambulance ride was the worst thing I've ever experience. The plane was very smooth as glass and quite comfortable. >insurance for a family of four seemed well worth it for the medical evac >alone. I would just check to see if you have to be admitted to a hospital first (in order to be evacuated) and if the insurance pays for that also. Some insurances require that you go to a hospital to be diagnosed. Bob had his heart attack in the Exumas, so under that insurance he'd have to get to some major center with inpatient facilities before the medical evacuation would be covered. >I'm not sure what assistance is available for citizens of >> other [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >> don't know if health insurance would cover that or not. She probably >knows. grandma Rosalie > >> > Yes but it would be different for a tourist. For one thing, they > >> > probably would not be on a dive vacation with an abscess or whatever. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > We were speaking of the Bahamas where the CG maintains a kind of > oversight. And specifically we were traveling on our own boat. I've seen some large CG ships in Hogsty bay at Georgetown, GC, but don't know if they actually cover that area. There were training excersices going on at the times we were there. > >easy is it to arrange? I've bought trip insurance primarily for medical > > They will do it if they can IF it is an emergency and IF they don't > have something else they need to be doing, and IF no commercial > service is available. Sounds like the insureance would be the best way to go then. > >evac, and heard it cost a lot more than $3800; that would seem to be a > > This was just from Nassau to Miami - a relatively short distance. > Although it included the ambulance from the hospital in Nassau to the > plane, and the ambulance from the plane to the hospital in Miami. I had heard about 20K from Georgetown to Miami, and it's not that much further; must be the CI exchange :-o ! > >bargain. I think it would be tough bouncing around in a puddle jumper if I > >were in bad shape....I don't even like it when I'm well. The $250 for trip > > I was in an automobile accident in the states where I broke 4 ribs. > The ambulance ride was the worst thing I've ever experience. The > plane was very smooth as glass and quite comfortable. You were lucky. The last turboprop I rode in from Oralndo to Miami was a VFR day, and we bounced around on the thermals all the way there. I hate it when the front of the plane visually flexes to the right or left when I'm sitting in the back. > >insurance for a family of four seemed well worth it for the medical evac > >alone. [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > grandma Rosalie >> >bargain. I think it would be tough bouncing around in a puddle jumper if >I [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >when the front of the plane visually flexes to the right or left when I'm >sitting in the back. I'm not particularly bothered by turbulence. I went up in a 1929 Waco once for a spin around the Castroville airfield. Found out after I landed that the pilot had just bought the plane and was test driving it. Plus, I've been in big jets where there was severe turbulence and I think that's scarier. grandma Rosalie |
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