liveaboards

[chrismch]

We just started diving and have seen sites for cruises that are just for divers and have full cabins for about 30 passengers. Anyone got any feedback:rolleyes:

[simonv]

Liveaboard is the ultimate way to dive. We've done it a couple of times in Indonesia and loved it. The biggest advantage is that they can take you to remote locations that are hard to reach as day trips. Be aware not all liveaboards are equal. Before you sign up, do your research. Read reviews. Get referrences.

A 30 divers sounds awefully big to me. Find out the reputation of the operator and the dive master. I've seen some liveaboard ships in Indonesia that are, well, scary looking, so be careful. I'm sure they were cheap. You certainly want to know how many dive masters a 30 diver ship have, and how many dingies they have for that many people. If you aren't an experience diver, you want to make sure you get enough attention. Some boats have unlimitted diving, quite often means you can go on your own, and honestly I don't think it's not such a good idea for a beginner.

[simonv]

Cheap I meant the scary looking ones. Good liveaboards are not cheap but well worth the price. Once you try it, you'll be hooked. Many boats in Asia don't carry rental equipment. They provide only tanks and weights. So if you need to rent gears, you need to make arrangement with the operator ahead of time. I don't know what Carribean ones do, though.

[Hilary]

The liveaboard that carries up to 32 passengers is Nekton Cruises. We found that conventional cruising and diving don't go well together for us, so we have a Nekton cruise booked for December in Belize and can't wait to go.

 

The Nekton boats are US flagged, thus have US insurance, and are USCG inspected. Liveaboards that are flagged in foreign countries aren't bound by Coast Guard rules (unless they touch US soil), and we prefer the peace of mind associated with knowing all the Nekton boats are under US flag.

 

Although the Nekton boats carry quite a few people, they are large (ugly) boats and the only place I've ever heard that can feel crowded is the dive deck. However, after the first day, everyone learns to stagger their entries into the water so the crowding disappears. All diving on the Nekton boats is done directly from the dive deck, so there are no dingies.

 

I'll know first hand in a few months and will definitely post a review of our experiences.

[Jerry_G]

I have yet to go on a liveaboard, but have researched them extensively. Keep in mind that a liveaboard means dive,dive,dive. You will probably NOT have any shore excursions. If your into diving you'll probably love it. Also to maximize your diving I would suggest Nitrox certification and a good dive computer. Most liveaboard offer nitrox and up to 4 dives per day. Good Luck and Enjoy

[augie]

I've always wanted to go on a liveaboard, but have not as of yet. We do have some friends trying to recruit us to go on one next year however.

 

 

It's called the AquaCat, sails out of Nassau, and pretty much just cruises the Exumas region of the Bahamas, which have no land based dive ops.

 

It appears to be a good compromise for those that may not want to dive exclusively. All of the diving is done off of the dive deck, but there is also a dinghy that can take you to secluded beaches for hiking, relaxing, fishing, kayaking, etc.

 

You can do up to 5 dives on most days, but have other options available if you'd like.

 

Our friends went on her last year and are going again later this month. They said the only hard and fast rule is once you've had an alcoholic beverage your diving is done for that day (sounds reasonable). She said some nights they'd do a night dive and others they decided to just sit on the deck watching the stars and having a little wine!

 

I'll keep you posted.

[augie]

Oops - Don't know why this posted twice!?!

[bruce-r]

A liveaboard is not anything like a cruise on one of the big cruise lines. Liveaboards are for hard core divers. The motto of eat, sleep, dive is the way of life for a lot of the passengers. Most liveaboards don't have shore excursions. With the exception of the above mentioned Aqua Cat and the Cuan Law, I can't think of any others that do.

 

You can go cheap on a Blackbeard's trip, but unless you are will to accept shared accommodations, I'd pass. It is described as camping at sea with bunk beds and limits on fresh water consumption.

 

The 2 franchise liveaboard operations, Aggressor and Peter Hughes, have fleets of boats operating around the world. Each boat is independently owned and operated. They have to adhere to the standards set by Aggressor or PH. Most usually get top reviews, but then you should expect it as they are much more expensive. Personally, I wouldn't go on a PH boat after one of their boats capsized in Belize (tied at dock) during a hurricane and the way PH did it's best to avoid any responsibility for the loss.

 

A better message board for discussion of liveaboard diving might be found on scubaboard.com :http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=207

[Hilary]

Although I wouldn't consider myself a "hard core" diver, the liveaboards hold a certain appeal to me because of how laid back and casual they are. We love the idea of being able to dive when we want, and spend the rest of the time just relaxing, sitting in the hot tub, reading, eating, and hanging out in the sunshine. There are no formal nights, no dress codes....heck, you're lucky to get out of your bathing suit the entire week! ;)

 

We've even talked about the possibility of booking a cruise with the Cuan Law next year, and find their balanced approach to diving and other activities very appealing. They are considerably more expensive than our Nekton cruise, so we're going to see how we like that before seriously considering another liveaboard. Nekton does offer an excursion to Half Moon Caye and the bird sanctuary, so we're planning an extra 3 days in Belize to see the jungles and go to Tikal in Guatamala.

 

I have to admit that we have every intention of staying away from the big franchise operators. Although the franchises are "supposed" to adhere to the standards of the parent company, I've heard far too often instances where they haven't, and there is no remedy offered in compensation. It also makes me uncomfortable that although both the Aggressor and Hughes franchises are based in the United States, their boats are not flagged here, thus do not have to adhere to USCG standards for operations. It sure seemed as though PH hid behind the foreign flag in regards to the Wave Dancer tragedy, and was quick to throw his captain to the wolves as a scapegoat, but that's just my opinion (right or wrong).

 

That doesn't mean I won't ever consider a foreign flagged vessel, heck the Cuan Law is based in the BVI's and we've talked about them! One things sure, we'll definitely do a liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef when we head to Australia in a few years, and a week on Truk Lagoon is a dream for the future as well.

 

Don't really see a conventional cruise in our future, but one never knows! ;)

[simonv]

Liveaboard is a dive boat with sleeping accomodations. It's not a cruise ship. The dive master who runs the daily operation is the most important consideration in choosing the boat. He/she sets the tone of the whole experience.

[Searanger]

Well I'm off on my first Liveaboard on the Nekton Rorqual in a couple of weeks with my son. After 30 plus cruises this is certainly a big change. When I added it all up, I could have had a wonderful suite on a conventional ship for the same money. I always dive when I cruise, but really only could do 8 dives on a 7 day trip. Doing 20 plus dives in a week was appealing to me. Should be interesting as we are sailing from Port Everglades.....we will be looking up at these cruise ships. Will post a review at the end of July when we return.

 

Michael

[bruce-r]

Well I'm off on my first Liveaboard on the Nekton Rorqual in a couple of weeks with my son. After 30 plus cruises this is certainly a big change. When I added it all up, I could have had a wonderful suite on a conventional ship for the same money. I always dive when I cruise, but really only could do 8 dives on a 7 day trip. Doing 20 plus dives in a week was appealing to me.

A liveaboard trip might seem more expensive up front, but I'll bet the cost per dive is less overall than a regular cruise. If your main interest is diving, then I think it is the way to go. At least it would be for me.

[Hilary]

Well I'm off on my first Liveaboard on the Nekton Rorqual in a couple of weeks with my son. After 30 plus cruises this is certainly a big change. When I added it all up, I could have had a wonderful suite on a conventional ship for the same money. I always dive when I cruise, but really only could do 8 dives on a 7 day trip. Doing 20 plus dives in a week was appealing to me. Should be interesting as we are sailing from Port Everglades.....we will be looking up at these cruise ships. Will post a review at the end of July when we return.

 

Michael

 

Wow, who do you cruise with to get a suite for the same money as the Rorqual? We cruise with Celebrity, and our price on the Nekton Pilot is exactly the same as our outside CC cabin on Horizon was at Christmas last year. And that was only because Horizon booked at a substantially lower rate than other Celebrity ships. However, I admit that we're going on one of the Pilot's discounted cruises (between Thanksgiving and Christmas), so the discount is substantial ($300 pp).

 

Please post a review of your trip when you return home.

[Searanger]

Well on a Nekton cruise. When you add port taxes, fuel surcharges etc. they come in for two people at at just over $3500.00. That's equal (at least for me) to two separate one weeks cruises (on a mainstream boat) outside cabin for 2 people or one really nice cabin for a one week cruise. My rule of thumb (as long as you don't want a suite) is $100. to $125. pp per day. Yes at peak times (such as Christmas) there is a huge premium. Now of coarse there's a bar bill and diving is extra on a mainstream cruise. Anyway's I'm really looking forward to this experience. Those hurricanes better stay away!