Any point in going Liveaboard w/ non-diving spouse?

[Byte Me]

Doing a liveaboard trip sounds like it would be awesome - but my wife doesn't dive. So, now, we go on vacation for a week, I get to dive 3 days and usually get a little heat about the fact that she's been laying in the sun reading waiting for me from the time I left until 2-3:00. This probably doesn't sound too unusual.

I was thinking perhaps on a live aboard while I would dive MORE I'd spend SI's with her on the boat and not floating around with the dive crew. So overall the time "apart" would be about the same. Although it would be hard for her to go for a walk wouldn't it?

 

[diversteve]

My experience with liveaboards is that if you're trying to do the requisite 4 dives/day you won't have much SI to spend with her. Mostly you'll sit out for an hour between dives, eat lunch while they move the boat and then dinner before the night dive - assuming you do those. Getting everybody together for the briefings kills 20mins. per first dive also. And after a day or two most people retire pretty early, I was the only person still awake much after 9-10PM.

And unless your wife doesn't mind talking diving all day long - I wouldn't bring her. The topics of conversation always seemed to be dives we'd done, what we saw that day, what was that fish etc. By the end of the week I'd had enough of it myself. But on a small boat there's not a lot of places to hide.

And most cabins are pretty tiny. It's not a cruise ship...LOL.

Considered Maui? If you stay down near Kihei and dive with Mike Severns you can do two great dives and be back around noon. Means meeting the boat at 6AM but it's only 10mins. from your resort. My buddy does that with his non-diving wife.

 

[Damselfish]

I'm sure some non-diving spouses would enjoy it, if they really enjoying vegging with a good book. But probably not too many. Probably not yours, - if she doesn't like lying on the beach reading and waiting for you on land, she probably won't like it any better on the sundeck. (And while she may not have to wait as long, she'll have to do it more often!)

You could look at a boat like the Cuan Law which by most accounts goes a little lighter on the diving and does more other activities, and is sometimes suggested as a possibility for non-diving spouses.

 

[Byte Me]

Thanks - that's what I feared. Maui sounds great - was there 11 years ago on our honeymoon so Annie would go back again in a heartbeat! Neither of us dove then so it was no big deal but we did enjoy the blue water rafting Molokini snorkel trip! Would LOVE to dive there. Guess I'll have to make sure we always travel w/ another couple or go someplace where she's got a lot to do.

Unfortunately I don't think I'll ever get her into diving. No matter how hard I try. She's somewhat afraid of the water and is convinced that she'd be too claustrophobic underwater. I keep telling her it's totally the opposite - it's freeing, like you can float or fly. She thinks I'm full of *****.

I'm far too close to be persuasive. Someone else would have a much better chance with her (convincing her to dive that is!).

 

[Doc]

Don't let her see where you store your dive knife.

You gotta sleep sometime.

Other than that, do not be lulled into thinking that advertised "shore excursions" will mean very much in terms of diversions. Some liveaboards may go way out of their way and make a special morning dory drop-off and end of day pick up for her, but I wouldn't bank on it. This may be very hard to do because ships usually do not hover near any given port for more than a few hours.

And as long as she knows Cathy Lee Gifford aint on the Lido Deck singing "aint we got fun". Have her understand what liveaboard life is really like, even taking into account "5 x TBT" per day that she will have to sunbathe alone.

As you look at liveabaords that are are less "Americanized", you will find them to be much more comodious to the non-diver. Look at areas and ships that serve EU Country divers. The Germans, French, Scandinavians, etc. Easiest to find are Red Sea and Maldives, but they also are all over the South Pacific. American oriented (Canadian, British, etc) ships have a dive-dive-dive schedule whereas the EU clientele enjoys one or two dives a day and then whatever.

 

[covediver]

I went on a liveaboard boat this summer down the Inside Passage. The trip was set up to allow shoreside activities for non-diving spouses. The non-diving spouses would have been miserable if the trip had not been set up on that basis. As it was, time ashore seemed short compared to time diving. Unless the trip is set up to allow non-diving activities your spouse may be miserable. Have you considered a Club Med or similar resort that has a real active diving program?

 

[Byte Me]

Ha! Good thought on the knife. This thought is actually for next year's planning so a lot can happen in the meantime, but we're pretty much booked up vacation wise this year. Two trips to Playa del Carmen. Next year I wanted to do either a live aboard or burn my FF miles on American and go to Roatan or Belize. I'm sure she'd have fun in either place while I spend time blowing bubbles!

 

[robint]

yeah, I would have to agree with the others. If she loved the ocean and snorkeled she might enjoy it. Otherwise, she's gonna be bored.
You might can do what some others do - have her spend a week with friends shopping or at a spa while you go on the liveaboard (no kidding, we have met 2 different guys who did this as a trade off with their wives).

robin

 

[BTravlin]

As Damselfish mentioned, you might take a look at the Cuan Law in the BVI. This is not your typical hardcore diving liveaboard. When we went, there were only five passengers and we all agreed we wanted to dive so we did 5 dives a day everyday. Normally, they have up to 20 passengers and cater to both divers and nondivers. Divers are guaranteed 3 dives a day with a possible extra one here and there. In addition to diving, they offer kayaking, sailing on a small Hobie, snorkeling and will take you ashore in the skiff to visit various islands for sightseeing or shopping and have a cookout on the beach the last day. The boat is very well maintained and cabins are a little bigger than those on a cruise ship. Food is excellent and the crew were always eager to please. Have your wife check their website and give you her thoughts. We would go again in a heartbeat. Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Byte Me]

Boy, I'm glad I posted this. Just checked out the Cuan Law site - that looks close to perfect! Gotta see what Annie thinks about it but it does have a lot of things she'd love. Sailboat, tri-hull stability, 3 dives a day, great food, bigger rooms, other excursions.

Plus then maybe someone other than me could get her in the water to give scuba a try!

Thanks!!