Are Liveaboards Good for New Divers?...Yes!

[All Star Liveaboards]

Planning your first dive trip is exciting, but it can also be a bit overwhelming.

If you haven't looked into dive liveaboard travel yet, this is your sign! It's a perfect environment to improve your diving skills and meet other people who share a passion for the water. Below is a link to the blog post on our website about our top reasons for new divers to try a liveaboard vacation!

8 Reasons Liveaboards Are Perfect for New Divers - All Star Liveaboards

Liveaboard scuba diving travel is the best way to become a better diver. Check out this list of reasons why new divers should be planning liveaboard dive trips!

allstarliveaboards.com

The Bahamas is a particularly ideal place to start with dive travel - great visibility, minimal currents, and a huge variety of dive sites make it easy for new divers to figure out what they like best safely. Plus, the incredible marine life found here is icing on the cake! Blackbeard's offers 19 excellent dives in the Bahamas, so you'll come home feeling confident in your skills without breaking the bank.

 

[Rob9876]

I agree with this. My son and I had only done 9 dives before going on a Blackbeard's cruise. Getting our AOW on the cruise was a great way to get more dives with an instructor. And diving often over the course of a week played a big role in getting comfortable in the water, and with our equipment, and transformed us from being merely certified to being actual divers.

 

[drrich2]

Blackbeard's offers 19 excellent dives in the Bahamas

I'm glad you mentioned that, because the blog says "By going on a liveaboard dive trip, you will have the chance to do up to over 26 dives in a week." Not all liveaboards offer up to 26 or so dives in a week's time. Of course, Blackbeard's is indeed cheaper than those that do in the Bahamas and Caribbean region.

Another point that newbies need to know; Blackbeard's doesn't put a guide in the water for most dives. Many (more expensive) liveaboards do. A lot of divers (not just newbies) aren't good at navigation to have a good comfort level conducting independent dives off boats. It seems to be sort of a 'dirty secret' that's often not mentioned on forum posts, but is common knowledge. While many such divers have a spouse or friend who is, not everyone does. In theory they can insta-buddy with a fellow diver on the boat.

He says "Trips like an all-inclusive week on Blackbeard’s cost only just over $1,000. That covers meals – better than your granny cooks – and snacks, rum punch, beer, and wine, plus all your entertainment."

Trip planners need to also allow airfare (which from the U.S. to the Bahamas booked well in advance seems pretty cheap, though I'm not on the west coast), baggage costs and tipping the crew at trip's end. Still an excellent budget cost.

 

[Rob9876]

@drrich2 Good points all around. For navigation, we had a good bit of experienced/pro divers on our cruise, so when navigation was needed (i.e., not diving on a limited area site like a sunken barge, shark dive, etc.) we would often either specifically dive with those folks or just keep an eye on those folks and stay somewhat near them through the dive. Most of the divers on the boat were quite nice and helpful.

Also, while Blackbeard's may arguably be the best dive-per-dollar value for Caribbean boat diving around, there are definitely the costs you mention, ground transportation, and also most people will need to get there the night before departure and stay at a hotel (we stayed in the hotel at the marina, which was no-frills but adequate and inexpensive). Yet it should also be said that getting your AOW on Blackbeard's costs half or less what most dive ops charge for it. All in all a great value and experience.

 

[nolatom]

I will say yes, since it worked out fine for me, with only about 9 or 10 previous dives including the checkout dives. But since it was 90 miles offshore, I'd probably say that if you're in doubt, it's better to get 20-30 dives in, maybe even get AOW first. So do as I say, not (necessarily) as I did...

This was at the National Marine Sanctuaries way offshore from the Tex/La border, the Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank, with the liveaboard boats out of Freeport (mostly Wookie and Melanie's boat I went on back then), and so if Wookie says something different from me here, then he's right ;-). Beautiful coral on the two Flowers, and cool pinnacle formations on Stetson.

I was fortunate, great weather in early Sept (the best time I believe for good weather and not too much current), and two buddies who let me buddy with them and were just enough better than me but not too much better, so I wasn't holding them back, and it was good, and I learned a lot and saw a lot (beautiful coral and rock formations, great marine life, and dive-eat-sleep, dive-eat-sleep, repeat repeat, for 3 days).

Nothing fancy, bunk rooms not staterooms, but good food, good company, good captain and staff, and a really good value, especially since I could drive there from New Orleans so no airfare.

Season is spring summer fall. The MV Fling is still making those trips:

https://www.flingcharters.com/

 

[Rob9876]

I will say yes, since it worked out fine for me, with only about 9 or 10 previous dives including the checkout dives. But since it was 90 miles offshore, I'd probably say that if you're in doubt, it's better to get 20-30 dives in, maybe even get AOW first. So do as I say, not (necessarily) as I did...

This was at the National Marine Sanctuaries way offshore from the Tex/La border, the Flower Gardens and Stetson Bank

Interesting, I think this highlights that location and type of diving are key in answering the original question of this thread. While the Flower Gardens liveaboard is on my list now, I believe they are quite a bit different from the Blackbeard's cruise along the Exuma Cays in the Bahamas. As you mention, the Flower Gardens are a long way (for boat travel) off shore, while in the Exuma Cays you are usually a good bit closer to land where a person can get airlifted for help (we did have that happen, and the person fully recovered).

Also, most (not all) of the sites we went to had a hard bottom less than 100 feet down (many less than 60), while I don't think the same can be said of the Flower Gardens. So, from everything I've heard the MV Fling liveaboard to the Texas Flower Gardens sounds like it would be a much more ambitious trip for new divers to make.

 

[drrich2]

I was fortunate, great weather in early Sept (the best time I believe for good weather and not too much current),

Season is spring summer fall.

@Wookie used to run the trips; he might have some input.

When I did a little reading up on the M/V Fling trips, I got the impression that, to do the typical week vacation dive trip approach, I'd need to do 2 trips back-to-back, be ready for often deep diving, dives are not guided, and all that sounds doable.

What put me off is the cancellation rate was substantial. I don't live driving distance, and committing to round trip airfare for very iffy chances of getting out (which varies by season, as you indicated), was concerning.

I think I'd like a Fling trip, but it sounds suitable for people who aren't too 'new.'

I'd like to hear what Wookie thinks about it.