Nervous for first time liveaboard- please help!

[J35513M3Y3R]

Hi guys, I’m Jessie and I’m a 24 y/o doctor from London and very baby diver haha. I learnt to dive just over a year ago and have SSI open water and advanced. Only done 16 dives so far but absolutely hooked. So far have dives in Thailand, Mexico (cenotes) and Belize. Skint so was considering a liveaboard in the Red Sea this September for a week, as heard is cheapest way to dive? But I’m a baby to diving and have a few questions for the community- would be a massive help to have some advice!! I don’t have any diver friends and always go solo so it means a lot to get any ind of advice or support!

- Is it OK to dive with 16 logged dives? (I’m looking to join a dive centre in London but quite shy and not keen to try dry suits haha, but can bump my number a little in next few months if needed)
- Is the Red Sea safe for diving atm?, Or are there other options not too far from UK?
- I’ve read really bad things about some of the liveaboards like Tilis etc with fires breaking out and people dying- is there an accreditation or standard we can use to check regs of boat?
- Is £800 (not including gear and park fees) a normal price? (Not looking for luxury haha)
- Is it worth getting nitrox cert before a liveaboard?
- (dumb question) how long does it take to acclimatise to boat sickness? (I hurl every boat dive I do)

I really appreciate the advice! If anyone lives in London and ever fancies diving with me please lmk
Thank you so much!!

 

[Learner Diver]

I'm not certified as yet but I was considering learning to dive in Cyprus but the responses so far have been lacklustre. I may try contacting a dive operator somewhere on the Adriatic coast. If I had time on my side I would even consider diving the Red Sea.

 

[also_anon_dc]

Hi Jessie! Welcome to liveaboard diving. It's the best type of diving.

I've done 2 liveaboards in the Red Sea and I'd recommend the Northern route for you since you're a new diver. Other routes (like BDE) go farther south and require a bit more experience due to depth and currents. The Northern route is typically called something like "wrecks and reefs".

I think your first step should be figuring out how to not get seasick. Being seasick is really unpleasant and not something you need to endure. Talk to a doctor and see what your options are, there are over the counter meds and prescriptions options too. Figuring out what works for you is will make diving much more pleasant. I had to try a few different things before I found something that worked with minimal side effects.

You should get Nitrox certified since liveaboard diving is typically 3+ dives a day and Nitrox will help increase your bottom times. If it's not easy to get it before you go most liveaboards will help you with the certification and you could do it on the boat. I'd actually say it should be required since the dive guide will be diving profiles on Nitrox and you're expected to stay with the group.

 

[gwklein]

I agree with everything also_anon_dc stated. Foremost, you don't want to be on a week long liveaboard if you are seasick. Do you get seasick every time you are on a boat or just when you are diving? If it is just when you have been diving, it might be due to inhaling diesel fumes from the boat engines by sitting to near to the back of the boat or it may be due to swallowing some salt water. If you get seasick on every boat, you will have to see a doctor to find out if you can prevent it. I've seen lots of people wearing seasickness patches on liveaboards and this seems to work for them.

Stay with a Northern Red Sea itinerary; but check with the operator to see if they have any special requirements. For example, to dive the Thistegorm, the Egyptian government requires at least 20 logged dives. Master Liveaboards Company requires you to have 10 logged dives for the Northern itinerary. Many operators also require you to have privatge dive insurance which includes evacuation and recompression costs. UK's national insurance is generally not sufficient.

If the boat offers nitrox, you should get nitrox certified. Not all boats offer nitrox. The ones that do generally have a very inexpensive certification on the boat that can be completed in a day. To get any benefit from nitrox certification, you will have to have your own computer or rent one. Even if not nitrox certified, most liveaboards will require you to dive with a computer. Many other divers may refuse to dive with you, if you are not using a computer because you dive times will be very short if you are diving the tables. Even if the boat doesn't require a computer, you should have one and know how to use it for your own safety.

If you want to know the general costs for a liveaboard in an area and what services are offered, you might checkout www.Liveaboard.com. The site also has reviews from prior guests.

I have several friends who just got back from the Red Sea and they said they didn't have any safety concerns. I'm also scheduled to go back to the Red Sea in August. I'm not flying through Cairo but have a direct flight to Hurghada, from where many liveaboard's depart. I do register my travel with the US State Department STEP program, though.

 

[Living4Experiences]

Hi, Jessie, welcome to Scubaboard! Since you're a new diver, you may want to hold back on getting on a liveaboard until you've got at least 50 dives. Among other things that come with practice, you need time to get your buoyancy under control, your situational awareness, your breathing technique. As mentioned above, a dive computer and Nitrox certification is a must for liveaboard diving.

Spend some time searching the threads here about the Red Sea liveaboards. There's a reason the Red Sea is cheap to dive...safety is not the priority. Lots of fires, sinking boats, poor dive operations, poor quality food, poor maintenance, water leaking into the cabins. The list goes on. The cost of most liveaboards in other places around the world are double and triple what you pay for in the Red Sea. You really do get what you pay for. Consider, also, the unrest in that part of the world.

Seasickness can be a big issue to overcome, so you'll need to get that figured out, too.

There is no standard registry where you can check a liveaboard company's reputation or safety record. Scubaboard is your best place to research. Take a look at www.undercurrent.org, too. There's some free content, but if you want to read the full articles, you'll need to pay for a subscription.

 

[steinbil]

If you're serious about getting into scuba diving as a hobby, being hooked as you say, and want to be a diver and not just a warm water vacation diver (nothing wrong with it, that's what most people do), you have to start diving locally. There's an initial investment needed in getting a drysuit, learning to dive it and getting used to cold water diving and sometimes bad visibility, but the rewards are unparalleled.

As I understand it, most diving in the UK is club based, just like in Scandinavia. That's awesome because it is a much cheaper way to dive regularly, it creates a community around the diving and there's also possibilities for long time instruction and gradual progression, rather than rushed weekend classes. BSAC - the British Sub-Aqua Club - is the name of the game in the UK, and there seems to be plenty of clubs in London.

 

[Rat Diver]

You should go for a LOB. At the end of the week you will be a much better diver and likely be more hooked than ever. As a LOB junkie, there is no better way to get your fix than spending 3-4 hours underwater every day.

It’s good to anticipate issues like you are doing. Get your nitrox cert before you go since it’s one less source of anxiety. Same with sea sick meds. Odds are you won’t get sick on a big LOB even if you regularly do on small day boats.

Let the crew and your dive buddy know your experience level and any concerns you are feeling. Divers, as a whole, are helpful and encouraging and will provide a positive environment for you. The crew will try to pair you with others with similar skills and adjust dives when possible.

If you go to the Red Sea, arrive a few days before the boat departs. Use this time to do shore dives and day boats to clear out the cob webs, get your weighting dialed in, and practice using your computer. You can easily do 4-6 dives before boarding and it will make a huge difference with your ability to enjoy your LOB diving and allow you to better soak up and appreciate the life underwater.

 

[J35513M3Y3R]

Thank you so much to all of you for your advice, I really appreciate it! I can self prescribe so I will go on a hunt for the best anti-emetics and make contact with a local club! Sounds like people have mixed opinions on the Red Sea so will have a little more of a think on that but in the mean time I’ll get my nitros cert and bite the bullet for the cold English waters! Thank you so much again, this is such a nice community!

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Check out BSAC. BSAC is a great and reasonably cost-effective way to get some diving done. You don't need to join immediately, clubs are usually happy to welcome new divers to tag along for few dives before pushing them to join. BSAC caveats apply - it's all volunteers, so some clubs are awesome, some are crap. From what I heard and saw on the boats, Hellfins, Kingston & Elmbridge or Bermondsey are definitely worth looking at, there are obviously many more. Nitrox is part of BSAC's Sports diver if you decide to go that route.

If you get sea sick easily, try Kwells. You could also look into shore diving - Marsa Alam seems to be very popular. £800 is probably on the cheaper side for a liveaboard.

The water is getting warmer so you can dive in a wetsuit in the UK and people do dive in wetsuits. A lot of the diving requires you to be quite self-sufficient in terms of transport or gear.

You could go on a trip with a local dive centre, they will help you organise things, answer questions and so on. Or you could go with a BSAC club, which might be cheaper - Egypt is really popular, you might be able to complete a course onboard too.

 

[Aquaphoto]

Hi Jessie,

Red Sea is a wonderful place to start. Liveaboards are wonderful. I get sea sick at times as well... My thought Transderm Scope patches apply 12-24hrs prior to departure... they dehydrate so push your fluids! And honestly unless you hit bad seas or have a severe motion sickness issue after a day you should be used to the rhythm of the boat and not need meds anymore... (don't rub at it or place at a point where the wetsuit will greatly affect it.

No buddy?... that is usually not a big worry on a liveaboard with divemaster guides and others to group with ... if the boat lets you book as a single (usually a hefty mark up) they should be ready to accommodate.

Stick to big name/know operators and the standard of gear quality and service are consistent