Best LOB destination for inexperienced diver, looking for colorful reefs and lots of fish

[thejadeape]

My 13 year-old diver recently got OW certified (Junior OW to be more precise). She had done a total of 15 dives, all in the Red Sea near Hurghada. My wife and I are experienced divers with 100+ dives in many locations around the world over the course of 30+ years of diving.

My daughter loves diving and loves being on the boat. She keeps bugging us to do a liveaboard trip. My wife have only ever done one LOB and that was a 10-day trip on the north and south of Komodo back in 2010.

I want my daughter to be safe above all else, but also I don’t want to push her too fast and make diving stressful or scary. She has never done a negatively buoyant entry or even done very much current. She has done a back roll entry off of a zodiac where we all had to gear up, get on the edge and get in quickly and descend quickly (it was a during dive) and she did wonderfully. Her entries, trim, buoyancy and overall awareness were better than half of the dives we did. She has lots of room for improvement, but she is a genuinely able diver. Obviously, as a JOW diver she is limited to 60 feet.

We love diversity and colorful reefs more than anything. Pelagics are great, but not at all necessary. Raja Ampat is our dream destination, but I am concerned that it is too much for her experience level. We are considering central Maldives.

What destination would you all recommend for a LOB experience for a new diver like my daughter, but that will also be exciting for us?

 

[Centrals]

One step at a time.
Current is unavoidable.
She might have to sit out some of the dives on LoB because of her qualification.

 

[CWK]

With a total of 15 dives, your daughter may not meet minimum dive requirements for most lobs. Talk to the lobs on the basis of get a private guide for your family. I was on a lob in RA once where the guide used a reef hook to tether himself to the junior.

 

[lowwall]

Similans is easy, accessible, and a relatively inexpensive introduction to liveaboard diving. It's not as spectacular as some other options, but will be amazing for a new diver.

 

[thejadeape]

Thank you for the replies so far. She does understand that she will likely have to sit out some dives.

A private guide is a good idea and I will inquire once we settle on a location.

I will put the Similans is on the list. We dove there 20 years ago. (I guess that was our first liveaboard. It was only 3 days so I had forgotten.)

 

[Blackcrusader]

My 13 year-old diver recently got OW certified (Junior OW to be more precise). She had done a total of 15 dives, all in the Red Sea near Hurghada. My wife and I are experienced divers with 100+ dives in many locations around the world over the course of 30+ years of diving.

100 plus dives in each location or 100 dives over 30 years? A lot of LOB require AOW for many dives and I believe some will have a minium number of dives a diver needs. Also she would need a separate guide as the dive sites are deeper then 60 feet. .

Raja Ampat will have currents but then again most of Indonesia dive sites do.

 

[Centrals]

My 13 year-old diver recently got OW certified (Junior OW to be more precise). She had done a total of 15 dives, all in the Red Sea near Hurghada. My wife and I are experienced divers with 100+ dives in many locations around the world over the course of 30+ years of diving.

What destination would you all recommend for a LOB experience for a new diver like my daughter, but that will also be exciting for us?

Thank you for the replies so far. She does understand that she will likely have to sit out some dives.

A private guide is a good idea and I will inquire once we settle on a location.

I will put the Similans is on the list. We dove there 20 years ago. (I guess that was our first liveaboard. It was only 3 days so I had forgotten.)

I have done Similan on few occasions and some of the sites are NOT that suitable to beginner diver. Season is from mid Oct to mid May.
Koh Tao is very good for beginner diver and the season is from May to Oct. Other islands to consider are Koh Chang(not very good), Koh Lanta(sites are far but good), Koh Lipe(most sites are nearby, tiny island and can be very crowded).
Top side attraction in Thailand is the best in SE Asia. Food is beyond description.

LoB for a 13yrso old? A wee bit too young.

Another non LoB suggestion is Philippines.
Tubbataha is the best but only from LoB.

Unexpected down/up current can easily leave a dark shadow on diving for many experienced divers let alone for beginner.
I am not pouring freezing cold water to your plan, merely my own suggestion.

 

[Searcaigh]

I would add that a LOB for a 13 yr old is probably not the best idea to be honest as others have mentioned, an AOW will be required.

When my daughter was that age we stuck to shore and small boat diving.

If you are insistent on the exotic, then the east coast of peninsular Malaysia is also a good choice March-October (Perhentian, Redang, Tenggol and Tioman)

 

[rmorgan]

Fiji is worth considering, if you can find space on the NAI’A. They don’t call one of the most popular sites “Kodachrome” for nothing, and the crew members are a joy. Plus, one stop from many U.S. airports. As others have said, there will be current . . . And sharks, and manta cleaning station/s.

 

[thejadeape]

One step at a time.
Current is unavoidable.
She might have to sit out some of the dives on LoB because of her qualification.

Yes, we have talked about skipping dives. She will not likely want to do more than three in a day anyway.