Where to do liveaboards???

[Sheba156]

Am considering a liveaboard as I find getting 2 dives on a week long holiday is not enough for me. Any recomendations as to the best place to do a liveaboard. I like coral reefs, just been to The Poor Knights in NZ and thought it was a waste of time and money, same with Millford Sound. I like warm waters and lots of colours. I have considered Australia, Maldives, Vietnam, Galapagos but can't make up my mind. Going on a liveaboard and doing science at the same time is a good alternative as well. I will be traveling by my self, do not necessaraly need a lots of luxury though it is nice. I like good food and wine and good diving. I am not up for sharing a room with a complete stranger and I do not want to break the bank either. Anytime from October to March is good for me. Advice please ))

 

[Kilili]

I suggest Indonesia, Solomons, Philippines, Fiji.

 

[Rhone Man]

Truk Lagoon. Twice.

 

[Quero]

From Norway, southeast Asia is a convenient destination. However, October to March is monsoon season in some parts of southeast Asia, so it's not simply a question of where are there liveaboards, but rather one of what areas are good for liveaboard diving in winter.

• For a liveaboard in the Philippines during that time of year, in general I would recommend the Sulu Sea area, particularly Tubbataha (while there are lots of diveable areas in the Cebu and Manilla region, they are overwhelmingly land-based).
• In Indonesia at that time of year, particularly for someone with the limited diving experience you list on your profile, I would avoid Komodo (which to my mind is advisable only for experiened divers) but you could dive at Raja Ampat (though it does tend to get pricey to go there).
• You could go to the Maldives which is best visited by liveaboard--conveniently for you, there are many boats with sailings at the time of year you want to go (like Raja Ampat this tends to be a more expensive destination).
• For relatively accessible diving for less experienced divers from November through April, you could consider Thailand. The season is perfect, the liveaboard prices are low compared to the rest of the region, the diving isn't too challenging, and you get a lot of dives.

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

Hi Sheba156,

without knowing more about your total travel time and budget I just can answer to the part about asking for a liveaboard where you can do some science. The only one I know from saying (haven't been on it myself!!) is the Undersea Explorer in Australia, running mostly on the Great Barrier Reef ""around"" Cairns.
Of course that would be too far away to travel for just a week, especially coming from Norway but you mentioned Australia as a possible target country, too.

HTH,

Andy

 

[Quero]

The only one I know from saying (haven't been on it myself!!) is the Undersea Explorer in Australia, running mostly on the Great Barrier Reef ""around"" Cairns.

I did a trip on Undersea Explorer, oh, ten years ago or so, and went further than the Cairns area into the Coral Sea and to Osprey Reef. The boat used to sail out of Port Douglas and actually go as far north as Raines Reef. However, the company was closed and sadly Undersea Explorer has not run trips in many years.

There is good news, though. The operator and captain of UE, John Rumney, has started a new venture called Eye to Eye Marine Encounters with a similar science focus.

 

[RJP]

I am not up for sharing a room with a complete stranger and I do not want to break the bank either.

To some extent the two might be somewhat mutually exclusive. Personally, I'd never pay the 50% "Single Supplement" for a cabin to myself. When I'm on a liveaboard I'm only ever in the cabin while I'm asleep. So I'll make you a deal. I'll go on a liveaboard with you and you can pay for 50% of my rate - and I'll promise to shower on the back of the boat and sleep on one of the lounge chairs on deck. You'll never see me...

 

[Quero]

To some extent the two might be somewhat mutually exclusive. Personally, I'd never pay the 50% "Single Supplement" for a cabin to myself. When I'm on a liveaboard I'm only ever in the cabin while I'm asleep. So I'll make you a deal. I'll go on a liveaboard with you and you can pay for 50% of my rate - and I'll promise to shower on the back of the boat and sleep on one of the lounge chairs on deck. You'll never see me...

That's funny! I often have to sleep in the public areas of the boat and shower on the dive platform as a guest instructor on a liveaboard. When it's important not to sleep in the same room with a complete stranger, it's probably wise to consider the possibility of sleeping under the stars on the sun deck instead, and to choose a boat with shared heads rather than ensuite ones so that you're always in the company of more than one complete stranger when you open your eyes in the morning or when you open the door to the head after your shower ;-)

But in all seriousness for the OP, one way to increase your chances of having a single room without paying a single supplement on boats that have only multiple-berth cabins is to book at the cusp of the season when the boats are least full. For example, here in Thailand, trips in November and April often run only partly filled, and the single travelers pretty often end up in the cabin alone. There's no guarantee, though!

 

[Andy_from_Germany]

I did a trip on Undersea Explorer, oh, ten years ago or so, and went further than the Cairns area into the Coral Sea and to Osprey Reef. The boat used to sail out of Port Douglas and actually go as far north as Raines Reef. However, the company was closed and sadly Undersea Explorer has not run trips in many years. There is good news, though. The operator and captain of UE, John Rumney, has started a new venture called Eye to Eye Marine Encounters with a similar science focus.

Hi Quero, thank's for this information. As I mentioned I haven't been on it myself. What's confusing me is that the Undersea Explorer is still mentioned on some websites (e.g. Scuba Dive Great Barrier Reef Cairns Queensland Australia) as apparently still running. Anyway, if Sheba156 is interested in this boat he will find out if it's still running or not. Andy

 

[Quero]

Andy, sometimes those boat booking websites aren't entirely up to date. The ones that have a page for the boat along with related pages for schedules and prices simply take down the schedule and price pages but leave the description page up. It is confusing, I agree. A big clue when you're trying to find out whether a boat that some website lists is actually running trips is to find the operator's website. In the case of UE, that website has been taken down entirely except for the actual address: www.undersea.com.au .

Currently the Undersea Explorer is operated by Papua New Guinea Ports Corporation in conjunction with Australian Reef Pilots. She has been in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea since June 2010.