… where to go diving?

First of all you have to speak about baggage: all your scuba equipment should be carried within 20kg.... in most cases this is the weight allowance of the airline. But many transatlantic flights allow you to carry two luggage.. but it depends from the different airlines so, it is better to contact directly the airline with which you will travel! So if you want to take with you your own equipment, make sure it is in good working order before you travel. Or if you prefer to hire the equipment locally you have to know that many diving centers only have a limited range of equipment, that diving computers are not usually available for hire and that wetsuits are recommended also in tropical waters.... so my personal advise is to take your equipment with you where possible!

If you want to encounter a special species you have to choose your destination and season carefully, this will increase your chances to encounter them!
Here for you some advises:

• Whale Sharks. You can have the possibility to encounter the whale sharks in southern Thailand on one liveaboards that go to the Andaman during February to May, or between November and February in southern Kenya, or in Baja California between August and mid October.
• Whales. There are only few places in the world where you will have the possibility to encounter a whale. One is in Australia, the Great Barrier, between July and August another one is in the Caribbean, in the Turks and Caicos islands.
• Manta Rays. You will have to go the islands in French Polynesia, like Bora Bora or in Southern Mozambique or Micronesia.
• Dolphins & Seals. You can encounter dolphin anywhere in the tropics frolicking in the waters around dive boats.
• Sharks. The places where you can easily meet sharks are: South Africa, Guadalupe or South Australia.
• Macro Life. If you like to take pictures of micro life you should prefer to go to the Caribbean, Bonaire and Dominica or to Asia, Kungkungan Bay, Manado or Kapalai near Sipadan, Malaysia.

On internet you can get a better idea of possible diving holidays and itineraries that you can do!