Caribbean Liveaboard

[uncfnp]

Sorry for yet another travel thread but want to pick the brain of all the seasoned SB travelers.

Thinking about my first liveaboard trip. Have narrowed it down to T&C or Belize and leaning toward T&C, possibly the Explorer based on recent threads. Hoping you guys can help me decide. Travel window May or June 2016 and after reading a few threads looks like May is the better choice weather wise.

So which location and then which liveaboard? We like to be comfortable but don't require luxury. A good mix of reef and pelagics. Would prefer not to be tied to the dive guide/possibly solo friendly. Nitrox of course. Good food and friendly crew.

So help me out guys. Where should I go?

 

[drrich2]

The 2 destinations are discussed in Picking a Caribbean Live-aboard. Turks & Caicos, from what I'm told, entails more consistently deep diving and seeing more sharks. Loved my Sun Dancer 2 trip out of Belize; haven't had the pleasure of T&C. The Turks & Caicos Explorer can be solo friendly; from their website:

1. All divers must adhere to the buddy system, unless certified, equipped and adhering to standards for solo diving.

Your responsibility to bring items include (but the Asterix means available for rent onboard):

• For solo divers: pony bottle, whistle, knife, compass, and safety sausage or flag deployable from safety stop depth *

Hope that helps.

Richard.

 

[uncfnp]

Thanks Richard. In my search I missed your thread. Good read but now even more confused.

I had wondered about the depths and the limitations that would impose on repetitive dives. Looks like the T&C dives run a bit deeper if you choose but not always necessary. I saw some dive time limits but don't recall if any listed for Explorer. Still leaning in that direction.

And solo per se isn't a make or break. I would just prefer an operation that doesn't require you to stick right with the guide and options for Eric if I decide to sit out a dive. Anyone know how the pony bottle fills work on a liveaboard if you bring your own? Or best to rent?

 

[drrich2]

If on a future trip I wanted to maximize time & not use the guide on the Sun Dancer 2, when I boarded the 1st day, I'd pick a gear station near the rear of the boat (where we exit & re-board), & plan to gear up & go in right off. After all, the guide's probably going to lead a roughly 45 minute reef tour, after staff get people's fins on them right before they giant stride in. The guide will go in after the people diving with him/her are in the water, on the granny line at the surface.

While all this goes on, you're already heading out.

I don't know their position on solo diving. If you want to know it's cool, plus rent solo-gear there (e.g.: pony bottle), the Explorer T&C boat seems compelling.

Richard.

 

[uncfnp]

Thanks Richard.

Another thought that just came to me is that we have done almost strictly shore or drift dives. I know the Explorer anchors to dive. Do any of the liveaboards do drift dives or a combination of drift and anchored dives?

 

[drrich2]

I've never heard of such in the Caribbean. I wonder if perhaps live-aboard boats tend to be too big/ungainly for hot drop/pickup drift dive work? The Sun Dancer 2 would anchor at a site at night, and we'd do 2 dives there before moving during lunch to site #2 for the day, where we'd do 2 afternoon dives & a night dive. Then the boat would move during the night to a new site for the next day. I'll be interesting to see if folks way more seasoned at live-aboards than I am (one trip) know of live-aboard drift diving in the region. Richard.

 

[chillyinCanada]

On T&C Explorer , you can dive without the guide as long as have buddy. Eric can solo as long as he has solo certification. I didn't have a buddy and all that was required was that I stick with the group (which I did sorta kinda). Dives could be 90', but didn't have to dive that deep and the majority of each dive was on top of the reef and in the sand. Beautiful wall dives, every one with lovely top of the reef and bommies in the white sand. Yes, I'll do my best to find my way back to T&C.

That said, while I've not yet done a liveaboard in Belize, I've done a significant number of dives at the Atolls and that is heavenly Caribbean diving too.

I didn't used to be a "liveaboard" person . . .I thought. BUT I'm definitely coming around.

 

[KeithG]

The cheapest one?

We have used both of these dive ops many many times and they are essentially the same. Always great! Pick one. Then do the other next trip. Buy trip insurance and ignore the weather.

Every dive starts with a dive orientation using a hand drawn picture of the site. The dive guide describes their intended dive profile and invites anyone to join them. They do require everyone to dive as a buddy team (I am unclear on their recent procedures for SOLO divers). We have always been able to dive as an independent buddy team. We NEVER follow the guide. We do confirm every dive that we will NOT follow the guide. This has never been an issue.

From my perspective, the basic difference is that in T&C the west & north Caicos sites start at 50 feet. They are deep.

Regardless, the most important crew is Stan or Jerry. We vote for Jerry. He splashed orange juice into the carrots (really sweet!).



P.S Pelagics? Do you mean sharks? T&C always has sharks. I have never seen a shark in Beize. I have heard that they are chummed in the Blue Hole, but i nap on thosat dive.

 

[KathyV]

I've never heard of such in the Caribbean. I wonder if perhaps live-aboard boats tend to be too big/ungainly for hot drop/pickup drift dive work? The Sun Dancer 2 would anchor at a site at night, and we'd do 2 dives there before moving during lunch to site #2 for the day, where we'd do 2 afternoon dives & a night dive. Then the boat would move during the night to a new site for the next day. I'll be interesting to see if folks way more seasoned at live-aboards than I am (one trip) know of live-aboard drift diving in the region. Richard.

We've done liveboards that offer drift dives in Baja and the Red Sea, but they both used panga chase boats to pick you up. Most Caribbean liveaboards tie onto mooring lines and you dive directly on and off the big boat.

 

[KeithG]

I've never heard of such in the Caribbean. I wonder if perhaps live-aboard boats tend to be too big/ungainly for hot drop/pickup drift dive work? The Sun Dancer 2 would anchor at a site at night, and we'd do 2 dives there before moving during lunch to site #2 for the day, where we'd do 2 afternoon dives & a night dive. Then the boat would move during the night to a new site for the next day. I'll be interesting to see if folks way more seasoned at live-aboards than I am (one trip) know of live-aboard drift diving in the region. Richard.

If you happen to be on the T&C Explorer with Captn Ken, you may be subjected to a hot drop drift dive. Even if there is no current... Some days the captn gets bored.