Considering Liveaboard in December, questions.

[KathyV]

There is a current thread about what to bring on a LOB that may include a few helpful tips:

Any general tips for first time liveaboard trip?

 

[scbaNE2179]

Thanks for pointing out the deal @scbaNE2179, but my vacation dates aren't flexible so it's the week of Christmas or none at all. I went ahead and booked the trip today with Blackbeard's. Now I gotta figure out how/what to pack for it. My current dive bag is NOT suitable as a checked bag (mesh dive gear backpack). They do say I can leave a suitcase with "going home" clothes in it at the shop, so maybe pack up big stuff in a large suitcase for the flight and transfer stuff to collapsible storage for the trip.

Hey congrats man! You won't be sorry and BB is totally awesome for a first timer! Which boat did you sign up for? From my past experience on the BB trips, here are some tips for the bet BB experience:

• Dive gear-If possible, I would look into travel-friendly gear that won't put you over the 50lb checked bag limit. In the past when I checked bags, I would carry on first stage/regs, computers, masks, lights. Everything else would go into checked luggage. For a checked bag, I would see if you can borrow a large travel bag as I would not trust a mesh bag as checked luggage. Once you arrive and board the boat, the crew will ask you to empty all your bags and then they will store all empty luggage in a locked room at the marina.
• Exposure suits-Like Rich said, I've gone to the Bahamas in Dec before and the water will be hovering around 78-82f. I would suggest at least a full 3-5mm if you get cold easily.
  
• Bunk choice-if you're a single traveler, I would suggest the bunks near the bow of the boat, as they offer the most privacy. I personally would stay clear of the bunks in the galley-they are the most spacious but also the loudest and congested with people.
  
• Clothes-The key word here is minimal. Because you pretty much have only about one foot of storage space(you get a shelf at the foot of your bunk), I would suggest the absolute bare minimum you need to wear. For me I wore the same exact outfit on arrival and departure days, 2 swimsuits, one t shirt, shorts for sleeping and that's pretty much it. I'm cheap so I usually go to Old Navy for these kinds of clothes.
• Towels and toiletries-Note that BB does not offer towels or shampoo/soap so you'll need to bring your own bathroom stuff. For me I had some throwaway towels that I brought with me and just tossed at the end of the trip. Shampoo/soap I just used the stuff that is 2-1(Hair+Body) stuff if I needed a quick spritz to clean up at the end of the night. BB does make a one night port to Port Eleurthra so you'll be able to shower for a real shower that day.
• BYOC-Bring your own cup. Upon arrival, BB will offer to sell you a mug so you can use for drinks, etc. If you want, bring one of those stainless tumblers that you can use for hot and cold beverages. The mug they sell you doesn't hold that much liquid anyways.
• The boat does not have comfortable seating so some divers actually brought their own seat cushions. The boat has these but if you want something more comfortable, you may want to bring your own.

That's all I can think of. Good luck and let us know if you need more info.

 

[jlcnuke]

There is a current thread about what to bring on a LOB that may include a few helpful tips:

Any general tips for first time liveaboard trip?

Thanks, I'm trying to keep up with that one too. Fortunately, having over a month to get ready should help me research everything fairly thoroughly. I'm doing my best to find all the threads with relevant advice (like that one) here first

Hey congrats man! You won't be sorry and BB is totally awesome for a first timer! Which boat did you sign up for? From my past experience on the BB trips, here are some tips for the bet BB experience:

• Dive gear-If possible, I would look into travel-friendly gear that won't put you over the 50lb checked bag limit. In the past when I checked bags, I would carry on first stage/regs, computers, masks, lights. Everything else would go into checked luggage. For a checked bag, I would see if you can borrow a large travel bag as I would not trust a mesh bag as checked luggage. Once you arrive and board the boat, the crew will ask you to empty all your bags and then they will store all empty luggage in a locked room at the marina.
• Exposure suits-Like Rich said, I've gone to the Bahamas in Dec before and the water will be hovering around 78-82f. I would suggest at least a full 3-5mm if you get cold easily.
  
• Bunk choice-if you're a single traveler, I would suggest the bunks near the bow of the boat, as they offer the most privacy. I personally would stay clear of the bunks in the galley-they are the most spacious but also the loudest and congested with people.
  
• Clothes-The key word here is minimal. Because you pretty much have only about one foot of storage space(you get a shelf at the foot of your bunk), I would suggest the absolute bare minimum you need to wear. For me I wore the same exact outfit on arrival and departure days, 2 swimsuits, one t shirt, shorts for sleeping and that's pretty much it. I'm cheap so I usually go to Old Navy for these kinds of clothes.
• Towels and toiletries-Note that BB does not offer towels or shampoo/soap so you'll need to bring your own bathroom stuff. For me I had some throwaway towels that I brought with me and just tossed at the end of the trip. Shampoo/soap I just used the stuff that is 2-1(Hair+Body) stuff if I needed a quick spritz to clean up at the end of the night. BB does make a one night port to Port Eleurthra so you'll be able to shower for a real shower that day.
• BYOC-Bring your own cup. Upon arrival, BB will offer to sell you a mug so you can use for drinks, etc. If you want, bring one of those stainless tumblers that you can use for hot and cold beverages. The mug they sell you doesn't hold that much liquid anyways.
• The boat does not have comfortable seating so some divers actually brought their own seat cushions. The boat has these but if you want something more comfortable, you may want to bring your own.

That's all I can think of. Good luck and let us know if you need more info.

I bought some of my gear with travel in mind (BCD is only 5.5lbs, etc). All of my dive gear (packed in my backback bag) loaded is well under the 50lb airline limit with quite a bit of room to spare. If I'm going to store the luggage anyway, taking most of the stuff in my large suitcase may be a good option and just unload it on the boat.
I'm planning on just taking my 3mm full suit. I was debating also taking my 3mm shorty (I need to lose a good bit of weight, but the advantage of that is I don't get cold too easily in the water).
Thanks for the advice on the bunks
Good to know on clothes, I was originally thinking of taking a different t-shirt for every day and 3-4 swimsuits. I guess I can go with a bit less.
I have a 'thin' towel that I think would probably work well (microfiber https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LQCCPDK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I was thinking of grabbing a second to take with me since they don't take up much space, dry quickly, and dry me off well. Think that would work?
Good to know on the cup and seat cushion. What type of cushion were people bringing?

One question - I'm assuming the boat has tools, so I can avoid bringing any in my save-a-dive items? Maybe just take o-rings, an extra mouthpiece, extra batteries, and some zip-ties instead of a kit?

 

[scbaNE2179]

I'm planning on just taking my 3mm full suit. I was debating also taking my 3mm shorty (I need to lose a good bit of weight, but the advantage of that is I don't get cold too easily in the water).

If you're doing 3-4 dives a day in late Dec in the Bahamas, you'll be glad to have a full suit. I'm a cold water diver and I on my Caribbean livaboard trips I may even go for a 5mm. In any event, I would bring the full 3 and a light weight hood just in case.

Good to know on clothes, I was originally thinking of taking a different t-shirt for every day and 3-4 swimsuits. I guess I can go with a bit less.

3-4 suits? Unless you're modeling for a fashion show, you honestly only need 2-swap each one out on every dive so you always have a relatively dry suit to wear. Are you planning on wearing this under your suit? I personally hate wearing bathing trunks under my suit as it rides and bunches up. Rather, I would recommend wetsuit or bike shorts. Unless you are planning on going commando in which case everyone on this small boat will see your junk.

I have a 'thin' towel that I think would probably work well (microfiber https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LQCCPDK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I was thinking of grabbing a second to take with me since they don't take up much space, dry quickly, and dry me off well. Think that would work?

I honestly don't use towels all that often on dive trips as I just have the Caribbean sun dry me off but the times that I need a towel, sure, I would assume a MF towel would work well. Again, to save space, I would bring a lightweight travel towel or a towel you don't care about. For my BB trip, I used a cheap towel for topside and a small washcloth for my face in my cabin. Because showering on this boat is awkward, I sometimes will use body wipes so I can quickly wipe off after a dive.

Good to know on the cup and seat cushion. What type of cushion were people bringing?

I think some folks brought those cheap seat team cushions you find at your local sports store. But again, the boat does have a few of these cushions lying around if you prefer to just use the boat's. Tip is to bring whatever you don't care to lose as with so much stuff on this small boat. Heck, even a blow-up cushion would work-plus it packs well.

One question - I'm assuming the boat has tools, so I can avoid bringing any in my save-a-dive items? Maybe just take o-rings, an extra mouthpiece, extra batteries, and some zip-ties instead of a kit?

Personally I never bring any of this stuff as the boat and other divers usually have tools. I would however, bring extra mouthpiece and batteries.

One thing I didn't mention is that for night dives, the crew will mandate you use a tank light. If you don't have a tank light, you can rent one from them for additional fee. Tip is ask one of friends for a tank light or use cheap glow sticks. One thing is you may want to avoid using a white-strobe as the crew may require all tank lights to be solid colors-this is due to the fact that on night dives, the boat uses hang lines with flashing strobes. They want to avoid having divers mistake a tank light for a boat strobe.

Good luck and if there's anything else you need let us know.

 

[Shasta_man]

I have been on several liveaboards though not Blackbeards and my biggest problem with LOBs is now only wanting to do them but they charge per person (bringing the wife means 2x). I use a single soft rolling dive bag which has everything for diving and living. I use those vacuum sealing bags for clothes so they compress and don't get whatever ocean was trapped in your gear on it. I have to respectfully differ from some of scbaNE2179's tips. To each their own but they describe a process to generate smells I don't want to live in for a week. HA HA HA... The first reason is anything that touches the ocean now has tiny critters which die when away from the ocean and then stink like hell (see vacuum sealing bag tip). Whether directly from the ocean, or touching something that had the ocean on it, generally results in same experience. A boat full of people with 30 sec showers swapping the same 2 suits across 3-4 dives a day, letting the ocean dry on themselves (see ocean water description) and cleaning up with body wipes, for a week, sounds hilariously odoriferous. I'd stick with your 3-4 suits plan because besides having a different set to transition on day 3, liveaboard experiences can include the ocean in more than specifically diving. And washing the ocean off as best as possible is a good thing. Last point is that this particular liveaboard won't be a good indicator of all liveaboard experiences. Enjoy!

 

[scbaNE2179]

I have been on several liveaboards though not Blackbeards and my biggest problem with LOBs is now only wanting to do them but they charge per person (bringing the wife means 2x). I use a single soft rolling dive bag which has everything for diving and living. I use those vacuum sealing bags for clothes so they compress and don't get whatever ocean was trapped in your gear on it. I have to respectfully differ from some of scbaNE2179's tips. To each their own but they describe a process to generate smells I don't want to live in for a week. HA HA HA... The first reason is anything that touches the ocean now has tiny critters which die when away from the ocean and then stink like hell (see vacuum sealing bag tip). Whether directly from the ocean, or touching something that had the ocean on it, generally results in same experience. A boat full of people with 30 sec showers swapping the same 2 suits across 3-4 dives a day, letting the ocean dry on themselves (see ocean water description) and cleaning up with body wipes, for a week, sounds hilariously odoriferous. I'd stick with your 3-4 suits plan because besides having a different set to transition on day 3, liveaboard experiences can include the ocean in more than specifically diving. And washing the ocean off as best as possible is a good thing. Last point is that this particular liveaboard won't be a good indicator of all liveaboard experiences. Enjoy!

Respectfully noted-having done 2 of these trips I feel my tips are at least worth a read to anyone looking into a BB trip. With BB you kind of have to know what you are getting into-There's a reason why this LOB is $995 and not the $2700+ like the other livaboards. BB is literally like camping at sea, it's not for everyone and the focus is on diving. If you don't want to deal with potential wetsuit funk and other close quarter shenanigans, this is NOT the trip for you. As for the 3-4 suits thing, it's a personal preference-I'm just saying due the VERY limited amount of space on this boat, you are best and advised to bring as little as possible.

 

[diversteve]

I'm pretty sure that on Blackbeards they're going to ask you to empty your luggage onto either the dive deck (for gear) or the shelf by your bunk for everything else. So pack light.

Also suitcase type shouldn't matter as they then take them all and store them secured on land till you return. There's no space on the boat for luggage storage.

If you do another LOB, Juliet is a nice option since they sail from Miami so you don't have to cost of the flight to Nassau or the possible expense of an overnight there depending on your flight schedules.

Besides the other economy options mentioned, Cat Ppalu which is part of the same fleet as Blackbeards and Aquacat - all booked by the same people now afaik - also sells extra spaces sometimes on their charters if not full. It's a nicer boat with nicer accommodations - even small cabins but it's still shared showers/heads. Since it's a catamaran there's a lot more deck space to stretch out on - there's a big sort of netting stretched between the hulls.

Personally I couldn't stand any liveaboard that was not ensuite but I've never lived in a sub either..

It's cheaper but IMO the value is in the better boats with the discounts they offer. We got our price down to about $1800 + a couple hundred for fees at the end of the trip and did 26 or 27 dives on the Turks/Caicos Explorer, dined at tables, had 2 other decks to lounge on and our own bathroom. To each his own..

If you do continue on liveaboards get on everyone's mailing list - Explorer has an annual sale they pre-announce and the best deals usually are gone the first day. It's almost always $4-600 off select weeks.

 

[scbaNE2179]

Yes, its true. When you arrive, BB will ask you to empty all your bags, and all luggage is stored locked at the Marina so you better make sure you don't forget anything.

I've done the Juliet trip as well-it's more $ than BB and definitely more room but still only at 19 dives compared to the normal livaboards at 27 dives. Plus the Juliet has Nitrox which is a big selling point. I have yet to go on the Cat P as they are a charted vessel. At the Cat P price I might as well go with Juliet in this case. Plus with the Juliet I can hunt Lionfish.

And lastly, I'll be on the TCEX2 for the 4th time this year and yes, they are an awesome group of people. It's considerably way more than BB or Juliet but there's no comparison in size, comfort, and diving. I'm a big proponent of supporting the smaller ops and I feel EV is excels at what they do for divers.

 

[jlcnuke]

Yes, its true. When you arrive, BB will ask you to empty all your bags, and all luggage is stored locked at the Marina so you better make sure you don't forget anything.

I've done the Juliet trip as well-it's more $ than BB and definitely more room but still only at 19 dives compared to the normal livaboards at 27 dives. Plus the Juliet has Nitrox which is a big selling point. I have yet to go on the Cat P as they are a charted vessel. At the Cat P price I might as well go with Juliet in this case. Plus with the Juliet I can hunt Lionfish.

And lastly, I'll be on the TCEX2 for the 4th time this year and yes, they are an awesome group of people. It's considerably way more than BB or Juliet but there's no comparison in size, comfort, and diving. I'm a big proponent of supporting the smaller ops and I feel EV is excels at what they do for divers.

About the bags. I was thinking of taking a backpack to keep all my stuff in the bunk together. I figured I can put everything I'll need for the week in 1 backpack and leave it in my bunk with everything not stored topside (i.e. dive gear itself)? Think that would work?

 

[scbaNE2179]

About the bags. I was thinking of taking a backpack to keep all my stuff in the bunk together. I figured I can put everything I'll need for the week in 1 backpack and leave it in my bunk with everything not stored topside (i.e. dive gear itself)? Think that would work?

As long as your backpack is of normal size, shouldn't be a problem. I actually did this in my bunk as well, to have even more storage. Each bunk actually gets a 1 foot shelf which stores like one toothbrush. What I actually did was use a soft-sided backpack and packed it with clothes so even if it gets in my way of sleeping it wouldn't get in the way. I don't know what bunk you are requesting if you can, try and score the bottom bunk, as you won't have to climb over someone's face to get to the top bunk.

Another tip for your bunk-each bunk has twin outlets on the ceiling. Yeah, I know it's not ideal but if you need to charge something via USB, I would look into getting a USB extension cable and wall adapter that way you can easily use your phone in your bed, etc.