scuba dive: Thailand vs australia?

[ClemixMedia]

which one would you prefer for a first timer? it seems like the great barrier reef is more $$$ so im just wondering if it really matters for a first timer, should i better off go for a cheaper option and check it out first?

[i6s1]

Ask me in May, I'll have been to both, plus the Peurto Galera area in the Philippines ... but the GBR was amazing. If you think you can better afford the GBR later in life, nothing wrong with starting in Asia, you're going to want to do them both anyways. An even cheaper option is Kona in Hawaii, and that rivals the GBR for visibility and aquatic life, but on a much smaller scale.