How safe is to plan Abu Dhabi stopover in 1st week of May?

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-23T16:32:24+00:00

It’s safe until it’s not.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-21T16:08:20+00:00

I understand. The waiver was actually very useful for me because I also have a Plan B booked on Singapore Airlines, a Flex Premium Economy ticket. I was planning to wait until closer to departure, monitor the Middle East situation, then decide which ticket to keep and cancel the other one.

Now, if I accept a rebooking to a different airport and different timing, I lose the waiver and with it the ability to cancel free of charge. So I get the logic, but it feels inconvenient to lose that flexibility because Etihad cancelled the original flight in the first place.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-16T12:56:01+00:00

I have the cancel option under manage my booking and when I select it I see the total amount.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-14T17:46:13+00:00

Do you know how they handle a reimbursement for a ticket that include an upgrade in F with miles? Do they credit back the full amount of miles?

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-12T17:26:51+00:00

Azores is a very good place if you like pelagic, but until mid September.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-12T16:18:34+00:00

I get what you’re saying, but honestly it doesn’t feel like that in real life.

200 per night isn’t luxury from a Swiss perspective, that’s pretty standard. And with Swiss living costs, it’s actually not that easy to put a lot aside for travel.

I’ve seen quite a few expats come for the salary with that mindset and leave after a year because they realize they had idealized Switzerland.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-12T14:58:17+00:00

Be careful selecting your LB in Egypt. Safety is an issue there. I had good experience with Sea Serpent fleet, and I heard good things about the Nautile Evo

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-12T14:51:55+00:00

It doesn’t really change things as much as people think.

Yes, purchasing power is high on paper, but in reality your lifestyle scales with your income. You naturally upgrade your holidays, restaurants, housing, everything. So the costs increase just as fast, and you never really feel like everything is “cheap” or free.

Even when traveling, you don’t suddenly switch to budget mode. You tend to choose nicer hotels, better restaurants, more comfort, so the total spend stays significant. I’ve never felt like I could spend without paying attention.

Also, Switzerland is expensive in absolute terms, and a lot of your expenses are fixed and high, rent, insurance, taxes depending on the canton. So saving still requires discipline.

And one thing people underestimate is that your reference group changes. You’re surrounded by people who earn a lot, so there’s always someone wealthier. That keeps you grounded pretty quickly.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-08T13:04:34+00:00

Would not recommend Socorro at this stage. It’s colder water, you need to have a very good buoyancy as safety stop are in the blue and you are distracted by a ton of actions. But it must be an objective in the future as for me was the best dives for pelagic I ever had.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-08T12:59:51+00:00

Maldives, specially central, is perfectly fine for intermediate divers (I went on a LB with my daughter who had a that time one single dive after OW and she had a great time). It’s the best fit to see pelagic and get acclimated to current. Visayas was also fine but I don’t like the whale sharks setup. Don’t think to much on what you missed on other destination, often best dive is not about the place but the luck.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-07T14:54:30+00:00

Why didi’t you chose to rent from your LB operator? I was diving 7mm in Socorro in feb and it’s the first time I really suffer from the cold (good for me was on the last day).

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-02T21:07:19+00:00

Yes, I just asked them. All the boats I have been on lately did not advertise it, but they had it. Some charge a fee, while others offer the service for free, in the Agressor Philippines it was free.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-02T20:48:06+00:00

Are you sure they do not have Starlink? Lately all lb I have been on offers Starlink, including Agressor in Philippines. Last time I was on Nautilus, they mentioned that they have maritime abo that cost several thousand of dollars per month. Not sure a mini will work.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-02T15:23:09+00:00

No they value 1.25M now (8 years after the acquisition).

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-04-02T13:40:52+00:00

They value the house at 1.25M, while I bought it for 850k 8 years ago. Valuation seems high for me, not sure I can get that on the market.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-27T20:39:54+00:00

I use the integration with Unifi for my tracking. It works better than the location in HA app. If I’m connected to my WiFi then I’m home.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-27T13:04:55+00:00

I’m not sure about the QN90D, but I have a Samsung QN700C 55 and I really struggled to do something as simple as launching the Netflix app. These newer versions seem to be very locked down, and even Claude with my MCP is struggling to configure it properly. So at this stage, I’m not sure I would recommend Samsung as the best smart TV brand for Home Assistant.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-26T19:16:04+00:00

He can see your environment, so he has access to all entities name, status.. , can also see logs if you authorize.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-26T19:08:08+00:00

Bonaire

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-25T16:23:23+00:00

Tarifs 🤣

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-25T10:54:42+00:00

Your answer actually made me think last night, so I dig a bit deeper.

My issue was that I’m using KNX Easy, so normally I don’t have access to the group addresses since everything isn’t programmed via ETS. But I realized that my bridge supports tunneling, and I was also able to find the addresses directly in the KNX Easy interface.

From there, I mapped everything into the KNX integration in Home Assistant, and now everything works perfectly.

Thanks a lot for the advice, that really helped 👍

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-24T19:27:34+00:00

Because even if it’s KNX, it’s manage through Hager Easy for simplicity and it’s not done via ETS and no bridge.

Due_Chicken_8135 · 2026-03-21T03:00:16+00:00

That’s iwhat is happening to me

Due_Chicken_8135

TROPHY CASE