Best Caribbean liveaboard for a beginner?

[robint]

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.

I think you may have been told that Bahamas was easier diving in regards to a different area of the Bahamas. You have to realize, the Bahamas cover a HUGE area and day boats and liveaboards do different areas. Also, the liveaboards do different areas.
IF you are looking at the Caribbean Explorer doing the area around Freeport/Grand Bahama, yes it is easy there. IF you are looking at the boat doing the outer Southwest area around San Salvador (Georgetown/Exumas), it is a bit more advanced.
So check the itinerary for the week you are interested in - see where they are going.
http://www.explorerventures.com/pdf/CaribbeanAvailability.pdf

The Turks and Caicos trip has a set itinerary, always does the same dives. I have read that anyone, beg - adv, will love all the dive sites. Beginners may skip some of the dives if conditions are too rough or too much current.

IMHO, the easiest of those three would be the Grand Bahamas diving. The other two places I would say are probably the same level, but that would not exclude a newer diver. Some dives might be a bit deeper than you would feel comfortable with, so you could skip those or do your AOW course on the trip with one of the instructors onboard.

Just my 2 cents.
robin

 

[jakubson]

Hey everyone -

Since becoming certified in August, I have caught the "diving bug" as they say. I want to dive, dive, dive.

I would possibly like to try a liveabord this summer but am not sure if it is worth it. I will have probably 10 open water dives under my belt before any liveaboard trip. And obviously I will be limited to a depth of about 75 feet or so.

Is there a liveabord out there that's the best for a beginner diver like myself? How about location? Are the Bahammas better for a beginner than say the Caymans (I'd like to try the Bahamas first depending on your guys responses). It's okay if I can't dive every dive offered each day. But I want to avoid having to sit out 4 of the 5 dives each day because they don't fit my profile.

I know the OP said that this was too expensive, but for other readers of this thread, I would like to put in my 2 cents for the Belize Aggressor. Just got back yesterday (second trip since 2004). Because of Hurricane Ida, and westerly winds, we had to dive the east side of Long Caye and Turneffe (while the "normal" sites are the west side). Also, no Blue Hole, as the winds were too strong. The Dancer was near us most of the week, so I expect their experience was similar.

Let's look at your concerns. First, about depth. The mooring pin at most sites is at about 40 feet (it is even shallower on many sites on the west side). I did 25 dives, with over 25 hours of bottom time, and my deepest dive was 79 feet (only to bounce to see something or other). Most of my diving was limited to between 60 and 70 feet. If you are good with your bouyancy, then the walls are not a problem. In the course of a week on a liveaboard, you will get much better with bouyancy. Just watch out early in the week, and maybe stay with the divemaster for the first couple of days. Divemasters are always available in the water. If you want a "led" dive, just go in the water at the same time as a divemaster. Therefore, no worries about 'compatible" buddies, although compatibility is more an issue of air consumption than of depth for this type of diving, IMHO.

About courses, I have three to recommend: NITROX, NITROX, and NITROX. You may not think you want to do 5 dives a day, but once you are there and see how easy it is, you may change your mind. The Nitrox course on the Aggressor is easy, does not cut into nap or tanning time too much, and is well worth it. Since it is an SSI course, you dive Nitrox FROM THE FIRST DIVE OF THE WEEK, and not just after you finish the course. You are taught about MOD (maximum operating depth) before the first dive, then you learn the rest as you go along. I was certified in 1979 (before all the "advanced" certifications were around), and the only additional certification I have is Nitrox.

I am leaving again for Mexico in two days, but I will write a trip report when I get back in early December.

Hope this helps someone out there.

 

[EVFleet]

I think you may have been told that Bahamas was easier diving in regards to a different area of the Bahamas. You have to realize, the Bahamas cover a HUGE area and day boats and liveaboards do different areas. Also, the liveaboards do different areas.
IF you are looking at the Caribbean Explorer doing the area around Freeport/Grand Bahama, yes it is easy there. IF you are looking at the boat doing the outer Southwest area around San Salvador (Georgetown/Exumas), it is a bit more advanced.
So check the itinerary for the week you are interested in - see where they are going.

The Turks and Caicos trip has a set itinerary, always does the same dives. I have read that anyone, beg - adv, will love all the dive sites. Beginners may skip some of the dives if conditions are too rough or too much current.

IMHO, the easiest of those three would be the Grand Bahamas diving. The other two places I would say are probably the same level, but that would not exclude a newer diver. Some dives might be a bit deeper than you would feel comfortable with, so you could skip those or do your AOW course on the trip with one of the instructors onboard.

Just my 2 cents.
robin

I guess I'll add my $0.02 as well! Interesting thread.

Caribbean Explorer II will be staying in the Southern Bahamas in 2010, and not heading up to Grand Bahama as she (and previously Caribbean Explorer I) did in '09 and '08. In choosing between the southern Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos, I think I'd give the edge to the Turks & Caicos for a beginner diver - sea conditions are generally less of an issue, as is current, and the visibility is generally excellent. For some, though, the sharks in the TCI can be a bit intimidating the first time out. I don't have any personal experience in the northern Bahamas, but Aquacat runs a great trip with excellent reviews and is I think the only regularly-scheduled liveaboard currently diving that area.

One thing to keep in mind if you're new to liveaboards is travel distance - run times can be long in the Bahamas, as opposed to the normal Provo itinerary in the Turks, and weather can be more of a factor in terms of the week's itinerary. That may or not be an issue, but is something to keep in mind.

Best,

- Clay

 

[rodman4085]

I did the Blackbeards Liveaboards dive cruise from Nov 6-13 2009, on the Pirates Lady ....
Great trip....I was a chicken...did not dive the first couple of days...my issues, my problems...but, the trip was a good trip, the dives were good, vis was not soo good a few times, do to weather situations....so we dealt with that....
Good food...good crew, good dives....what else do you want....

 

[rehmwa]

Just back from Belize Aggressor III - absolutely great. I had 4 dives going in. Got the Nitrox cert just prior to flying down, did all 26 dives - so now up to 30. It was a great vacation and I'd recommend going full bore and doing the whole experience. Absolutely need the Nitrox. Dancer also shadowed our itinerary as Joel (fakubson) above noted above from returning the previous week. It's a real treat of a vacation to do a liveaboard and this particular crew is very good (according to others that have done several liveaboards, they were still impressed with this specific crew as standing out as exceptional).

I suspect as a new diver, my experiences so far make me pretty spoiled.......

If you are cautious/conservative Joel's advice is very sound (except it's cheaper to get your Nitrox cert ahead of time - when certified, the Nitrox charge is one time for hte week - if you cert on the boat, they note you pay as you go.....) If you are a bit more confident, then any of the dives are well within the abilities of someone fit and doing only no-deco dives.

 

[jakubson]

...except it's cheaper to get your Nitrox cert ahead of time - when certified, the Nitrox charge is one time for hte week - if you cert on the boat, they note you pay as you go

Not true - at least the week I was there. The Nitrox course was $150. Nitrox itself was a flat $100 for the students for the week - the same as it was for those of us already certified.

But I agree that if you have already decided to get nitrox, you might as well do it ahead of time - more time for napping on the boat. It's just that if you don't have time, getting it on the boat is a low stress activity.

 

[BrianOrange]

Starting to really concentrate on one of the Juliet's trips out Miami to the Bahamas. Anyone have any insights? How many dives do they offer a day?

 

[bcaderunr]

Starting to really concentrate on one of the Juliet's trips out Miami to the Bahamas. Anyone have any insights? How many dives do they offer a day?

Been on them twice. Once in Bahamas, last year in Virgin Is. Expect 4-5 dives day. Great food, crew and vessel. Being a monohull sailboat with a short keel, however, it's gonna rock more than most -- which for me was no big deal. It's a true sailing experience when the wind is right and they're relocating to another site.

My guess is that 2/3rds of the folks on any trip are repeat customers. They don't actively advertise because they don't need to. You may discover that the boat is booked by a dive shop or touring group in which case, you'll have to contact whoever has it that week to see if they have any remaining space. I'm hoping to squeeze into a Bahamas trip sometime this summer if the stars align.

 

[BrianOrange]

Been on them twice. Once in Bahamas, last year in Virgin Is. Expect 4-5 dives day. Great food, crew and vessel. Being a monohull sailboat with a short keel, however, it's gonna rock more than most -- which for me was no big deal. It's a true sailing experience when the wind is right and they're relocating to another site.

My guess is that 2/3rds of the folks on any trip are repeat customers. They don't actively advertise because they don't need to. You may discover that the boat is booked by a dive shop or touring group in which case, you'll have to contact whoever has it that week to see if they have any remaining space. I'm hoping to squeeze into a Bahamas trip sometime this summer if the stars align.

Thanks for the info. 4-5 times would be great. Most other reviews say 3-4 but since I am not a huge night diver, if I could get 4 in during the day that would be ideal. I've done a lot of research and I think the Juliet is best for me.

 

[bcaderunr]

Thanks for the info. 4-5 times would be great. Most other reviews say 3-4 but since I am not a huge night diver, if I could get 4 in during the day that would be ideal. I've done a lot of research and I think the Juliet is best for me.

Juliet tends to be more flexible than most of the larger operations. On the 10-day BVI trip last year folks were a bit "dove-out" and we opted to just sail for a few hours one afternoon, relocating back to a favorite dive site we'd hit earlier in the week.

Sure, there might be days when you only splash in 3-4 times, but they are the exception. It's usually done according to the will of the group or out of necessity to get to someplace more interesting. Have a fun trip.