Is @Ana implying that banning public smoking is mostly a US thing (as opposed to, say, a Filipino thing)? Smoking in enclosed public places, on public transport, etc., is regulated in numerous regions around the world: List of smoking bans - Wikipedia. If anything, much of the US lags other countries in regulating where one can smoke. Also, I suspect the countries in the world where smoking is regulated tend to be the same, relatively wealthy Western countries from which most liveaboard customers hail. I would argue that it would be logical to consider the deck of a relatively small liveaboard, where the wind direction is unpredictable and there is nowhere for others to escape to, similarly to a semi-enclosed public space.
However, the reality is that most if not all liveaboards accommodate that minority of their worldwide clientele who are smokers by designating a smoking area away from the rest of us, and that seems like a reasonable compromise to me. Liveaboard operators are aware that their guests' enjoyment or lack thereof may affect the tip they leave. So they try to please everyone. Sure, lots of Indonesians and Filipinos smoke, but they don't make up the majority of liveaboard guests, just crew, and I believe liveaboard operators are well aware of who is paying and who is being paid.
I no longer smoke cigars, but admittedly there was a time in my life when I thought it was a cool thing to do on certain rare occasions. Remember the early-mid '90s, when cigar bars with walk-in humidors were all the rage, and Cigar Aficionado magazine began, etc.? I suppose I got caught up in that. I get the attraction--I really do. However, even if I did smoke cigars nowadays, and even if a liveaboard were to make accommodations for smokers, I believe I would voluntarily refrain from doing so on a small boat out of respect for my fellow divers who find cigar smoke and residue offensive. I don't think it would impact my enjoyment of my dive vacation to give up one small ritual out of recognition that on a small boat I can't do everything I would at home. If enjoying a cigar at sea is that important to me, I could take a cruise on a big ship with a cigar bar. I recognize there are a lot of things I can't do on a boat that I can and would do at home--that's just the reality of life on a small boat. I'm not arguing anyone else should voluntarily refrain from smoking on a liveaboard, but rather only saying that's what I would do if I were still into cigars.
However, the reality is that most if not all liveaboards accommodate that minority of their worldwide clientele who are smokers by designating a smoking area away from the rest of us, and that seems like a reasonable compromise to me. Liveaboard operators are aware that their guests' enjoyment or lack thereof may affect the tip they leave. So they try to please everyone. Sure, lots of Indonesians and Filipinos smoke, but they don't make up the majority of liveaboard guests, just crew, and I believe liveaboard operators are well aware of who is paying and who is being paid.
I no longer smoke cigars, but admittedly there was a time in my life when I thought it was a cool thing to do on certain rare occasions. Remember the early-mid '90s, when cigar bars with walk-in humidors were all the rage, and Cigar Aficionado magazine began, etc.? I suppose I got caught up in that. I get the attraction--I really do. However, even if I did smoke cigars nowadays, and even if a liveaboard were to make accommodations for smokers, I believe I would voluntarily refrain from doing so on a small boat out of respect for my fellow divers who find cigar smoke and residue offensive. I don't think it would impact my enjoyment of my dive vacation to give up one small ritual out of recognition that on a small boat I can't do everything I would at home. If enjoying a cigar at sea is that important to me, I could take a cruise on a big ship with a cigar bar. I recognize there are a lot of things I can't do on a boat that I can and would do at home--that's just the reality of life on a small boat. I'm not arguing anyone else should voluntarily refrain from smoking on a liveaboard, but rather only saying that's what I would do if I were still into cigars.