Best Caribbean liveaboard for a beginner?

[mjarens]

Greetings Brian,

Good luck, which ever live aboard you choose. I understand your enthusiasm. Right after my OW certification, with only 10 dives logged, I signed up for the Kona Aggressor. What a wonderful choice to gain more experience and further my dive education. That week I did 22 dives during the week, as well as completing my AOW and Nitrox certification. I won't say it was a leisurely week, but I learned so much above and below the surface. My suggestion would be to take the AOW or the Nitrox, but not both in one week. Between the two textbooks, I read 450+ pages of material, but I am a fast reader. Out of 9 dive trips (in three years), 8 have been live aboards. The value is hard to beat.

 

[vladimir]

My suggestion would be to take the AOW or the Nitrox, but not both in one week. Between the two textbooks, I read 450+ pages of material, but I am a fast reader.

You can do a nitrox course without diving these days, and you can do most of it on-line too, so it would be easy to do before your trip. You definitely want to be nitrox certified on a liveaboard; it is one of the few occasions where you'd regret not having access to nitrox. On the other hand, I have never done AOW, and I have yet to regret it.

 

[muzicgirl]

I can only speak in the Bahamas of the aquacat - and, we actually had 3 novice divers on our trip. It was awesome for all of them and they learned a lot...I highly recommend it because you are not pushed to do anything and the dive masters are really skilled at helping you out. I wouldn't recommend additional classes -as previously said - your week will be over and there will be no relaxation going on. Remember - although diving is tons of fun - it's a huge work out!

 

[rehmwa]

Just finished OW a couple weeks ago (32 degrees and snowing) and a couple resort dives in Jamaica this summer to get us hooked. Wrapped up Nitrox. We are leaving for Belize liveaboard in a couple weeks. I couldn't be more excited and plan to do as many dives as I can.

 

[robint]

Just finished OW a couple weeks ago (32 degrees and snowing) and a couple resort dives in Jamaica this summer to get us hooked. Wrapped up Nitrox. We are leaving for Belize liveaboard in a couple weeks. I couldn't be more excited and plan to do as many dives as I can.

How exciting! Please do a trip report when you get back with lots of pictures of the liveaboard (which one?) and the diving. Have a blast!

 

[Centexbear]

Yes please give us a trip report! I am thinking of doing a liveaboard and Belize is at the top of my list of trips I'm considering!!

 

[charlesml3]

Take a look at Blackbeard's. It's camping on the water, but the food is very good and the diving is very plentiful.

Yea, the diving is plentiful but mediocre at best. The reefs are in poor shape due to overfishing, lobstering and conch harvesting. Without a marine park to protect them the fishlife has been killed off pretty hard. I just did 17 dives of off Grand Bahama and Bimini. I wouldn't go back. It's not really BAD, but not good enough. Belize, Cozumel, Roatan are all SO much better.

I only have so many days and dollars to spend on diving. I'm going to go somewhere good with them...

-Charles

 

[jpepper70]

I've done the aquacat a couple of times. Peter Hughes was great in Grenada, and a couple aggressors. All of them have been great and the crew took any beginners under their wings. It's the best week of diving you can do.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Go to our web site and check both land and Live a boards: Two Tanked Productions HD & SD Underwater Productions and video services

 

[BrianOrange]

Hey everybody. Thanks for all the responses. Still doing research but I am really leaning heavily to doing a liveaboard early this upcoming summer.

I think it's down to either the Carribean Explorer in the Bahamas or Turks and Caicos. Which boat would have better diving for a beginner?I was told, and I thought as well, it would be the Bahamas but the Explorer website actually says the Turks and Caicos boat has more diving suitable for beginners.