DeputyDan
Contributor
If my finances allowed it - I would do a liveaboard every year.
I have done this trip and would repeat it!
I have done this trip and would repeat it!
Trip Report Diving Belize via Sun Dancer 2 May 2nd - 9th
- Thread starter drrich2
- Start date
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Hi Richard - Great review!!! I was the one on this trip pestering you for fish id stuff. Thanks for your time and help. It was our first liveaboard too and really enjoyed the ease of diving compared to land based trips. Hope to see you on another trip....
OP
drrich2
Contributor
Liz T:
Great to see you on the forum! Once I got home I ordered a copy of the Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas - 4th Edition (Reef Set) by Paul Humann. It was one of the books on the boat for our use, and those chubs I thought were Bermuda chubs look more like Brassy Chubs in the photos in the book. Inspired me to get a copy. Been busy at work and more since I got back. There's a 'Name That Critter' section on the forum for figuring out what creatures are.
ColdwaterLloyd asked if there were any surprises. Really, just the level of service was even better than I expected, which is saying something given that live-aboards get talked up a lot. The crew seemed genuinely happy, and that adds something. It's nice to deal with people who are happy doing what they do.
DiverSteve brought up how it can ruin you for shore diving. It could for many people. I've had 8 separate 1 week trips on Bonaire, doing anywhere from 10 (1st trip) to 28 (last trip, solo) dives in a week. Since Bonaire is one of the land-based options that can give the sheer amount of diving of a live-aboard, it's an interesting comparison.
In Bonaire, I'd use Buddy Dive as a comparator. There are others. BD will get you to & from the airport. You'll get a manual transmission truck; figure extra $150+ for automatic arranged in advance if desired. And around $80 gas late in the week. Breakfast buffet included. I eat PB&J, fruit cocktail & such, & a lot of diet soda, during the day, and a calamari appetizer, 'catch of the day' & tip might be $30 in the evening. So, maybe $40/day food? Unlike a live-aboard, on Bonaire you probably won't be assigned a room mate if you don't bring one or travel with a group. Bonaire's west coast reef topography is much less varied than what I saw in Belize, viz. is a bit better, I'd say it might be a bit fisher for small tropicals (e.g.: schools of French grunts) but less big stuff (tarpon, green morays, tiger grouper, cubera snapper, but not black or Nassau grouper & no sharks), and I enjoy both a lot. Airfare was more expensive to Bonaire. Driving in a strange place can be daunting; for most folks shore diving go with a group your 1st trip or 2 & learn the ropes.
Shore diving is work. You load gear & tanks in the truck, head out, swap out tanks (put BCD & reg. on a tank 5 times/day if you're matching live-aboard offerings), walk in & out over coral rubble being careful not to turn your ankle, and nobody takes your fins off, takes your wetsuit to rinse, offers a freshwater rinse, gets a warm towel on you to dry with some massaging, etc You drive between sites or to eat off-grounds; you don't just walk up the stairs to Deck 2 when they ring a bell.
But shore diving is where, when & 'how' you wish. Navigation at Bonaire's mainstream west coast sites is about as simple as it gets. Most people don't feel the need to tip when shore diving (but will at restaurants, the maid, perhaps others). It feels somewhat more independent (maybe isolated at some sites).
The cost dynamic varies with how many people go. Bonaire land resort base rates assume 2/room. Live-aboard rates seem to also, and Sun Dancer 2 would've been an extra 65% to guarantee private. But with Bonaire results you can cut rates farther if there are 3 or 4 of you. And there are 'budget' options to stay at. For Bonaire airfare is what kills me (assuming I don't want to try my luck with Insel Air instead of Delta); it was much less a factor for the Belize trip.
If you're not socially outgoing/gregarious or traveling with a group, you likely won't get near the diver socialization at a land resort you can on a live-aboard, from what I saw on this one. I'm not saying it can't be done; I doubt it's as easy and natural for the more introverted.
In summary, for me, a midrange live-aboard solo trip (but sharing a room) turned out to cost more than a typical Bonaire trip but was far easier to simply 'show up and dive' extensively when new, with excellent service and no worries about learning my way around the country side, offered more varied diving, a wider range of larger creatures and some sharks, and was a richer social experience for me. My advice to new divers - try both! Each has its own rewards. But start Bonaire with someone who knows the place; you don't need that for the Sun Dancer 2.
As much as I love Bonaire, I've been doing other things to try to diversify, get a broader taste of what the (mostly warm water) North American & Caribbean dive scene has to often. Lord willing and providing, I hope to try wreck diving with sand tiger sharks out of Morehead, North Carolina this summer. I've got a dream of someday trying one of those short live-aboards to some of the Channel Islands out of California, if colder water & likely lower viz. don't creep me out (I want to dive with sea lions & [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]kelp). I'm shaped a bit like a sea lion & they do have great whites [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Richard.[/FONT]
Great to see you on the forum! Once I got home I ordered a copy of the Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas - 4th Edition (Reef Set) by Paul Humann. It was one of the books on the boat for our use, and those chubs I thought were Bermuda chubs look more like Brassy Chubs in the photos in the book. Inspired me to get a copy. Been busy at work and more since I got back. There's a 'Name That Critter' section on the forum for figuring out what creatures are.
ColdwaterLloyd asked if there were any surprises. Really, just the level of service was even better than I expected, which is saying something given that live-aboards get talked up a lot. The crew seemed genuinely happy, and that adds something. It's nice to deal with people who are happy doing what they do.
DiverSteve brought up how it can ruin you for shore diving. It could for many people. I've had 8 separate 1 week trips on Bonaire, doing anywhere from 10 (1st trip) to 28 (last trip, solo) dives in a week. Since Bonaire is one of the land-based options that can give the sheer amount of diving of a live-aboard, it's an interesting comparison.
In Bonaire, I'd use Buddy Dive as a comparator. There are others. BD will get you to & from the airport. You'll get a manual transmission truck; figure extra $150+ for automatic arranged in advance if desired. And around $80 gas late in the week. Breakfast buffet included. I eat PB&J, fruit cocktail & such, & a lot of diet soda, during the day, and a calamari appetizer, 'catch of the day' & tip might be $30 in the evening. So, maybe $40/day food? Unlike a live-aboard, on Bonaire you probably won't be assigned a room mate if you don't bring one or travel with a group. Bonaire's west coast reef topography is much less varied than what I saw in Belize, viz. is a bit better, I'd say it might be a bit fisher for small tropicals (e.g.: schools of French grunts) but less big stuff (tarpon, green morays, tiger grouper, cubera snapper, but not black or Nassau grouper & no sharks), and I enjoy both a lot. Airfare was more expensive to Bonaire. Driving in a strange place can be daunting; for most folks shore diving go with a group your 1st trip or 2 & learn the ropes.
Shore diving is work. You load gear & tanks in the truck, head out, swap out tanks (put BCD & reg. on a tank 5 times/day if you're matching live-aboard offerings), walk in & out over coral rubble being careful not to turn your ankle, and nobody takes your fins off, takes your wetsuit to rinse, offers a freshwater rinse, gets a warm towel on you to dry with some massaging, etc You drive between sites or to eat off-grounds; you don't just walk up the stairs to Deck 2 when they ring a bell.
But shore diving is where, when & 'how' you wish. Navigation at Bonaire's mainstream west coast sites is about as simple as it gets. Most people don't feel the need to tip when shore diving (but will at restaurants, the maid, perhaps others). It feels somewhat more independent (maybe isolated at some sites).
The cost dynamic varies with how many people go. Bonaire land resort base rates assume 2/room. Live-aboard rates seem to also, and Sun Dancer 2 would've been an extra 65% to guarantee private. But with Bonaire results you can cut rates farther if there are 3 or 4 of you. And there are 'budget' options to stay at. For Bonaire airfare is what kills me (assuming I don't want to try my luck with Insel Air instead of Delta); it was much less a factor for the Belize trip.
If you're not socially outgoing/gregarious or traveling with a group, you likely won't get near the diver socialization at a land resort you can on a live-aboard, from what I saw on this one. I'm not saying it can't be done; I doubt it's as easy and natural for the more introverted.
In summary, for me, a midrange live-aboard solo trip (but sharing a room) turned out to cost more than a typical Bonaire trip but was far easier to simply 'show up and dive' extensively when new, with excellent service and no worries about learning my way around the country side, offered more varied diving, a wider range of larger creatures and some sharks, and was a richer social experience for me. My advice to new divers - try both! Each has its own rewards. But start Bonaire with someone who knows the place; you don't need that for the Sun Dancer 2.
As much as I love Bonaire, I've been doing other things to try to diversify, get a broader taste of what the (mostly warm water) North American & Caribbean dive scene has to often. Lord willing and providing, I hope to try wreck diving with sand tiger sharks out of Morehead, North Carolina this summer. I've got a dream of someday trying one of those short live-aboards to some of the Channel Islands out of California, if colder water & likely lower viz. don't creep me out (I want to dive with sea lions & [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]kelp). I'm shaped a bit like a sea lion & they do have great whites [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Richard.[/FONT]
I agree, Richard - we have been to Bonaire once and will return in September. It is less expensive but I really did like the ease of the liveaboard. However, I am not a dive fanatic and would prefer 3 to 4 dives a day - not the 5 we usually had. Having said that, there isn't much else to do on a liveaboard so I did do most dives. There certainly are pros and cons to each method and I'm glad I tried each and we will probably do both in the future too. My ideal trip would be based on a boat with both diving and occasional land tours too - perhaps an exploration type trip.
After the liveaboard we did a few nights in the jungle which was nice too. The mountain kept rocking as we climbed it making balance a bit of an issue. It might be wise to save the hiking for a day or two later.
After the liveaboard we did a few nights in the jungle which was nice too. The mountain kept rocking as we climbed it making balance a bit of an issue. It might be wise to save the hiking for a day or two later.
As I have gotten older (turn 50 this yr.), the ease of liveaboard diving has really won me over. Shore diving ? I enjoyed it, but loading tanks, driving around, entries and exits, wears me down. Liveaboard ? Jump in the water, get out, walk 15 ft, dump gear, warm water shower on deck, food waiting for me another 20 feet away.
My 1st few liveaboards, I did every dive. Now, it's usually 3-4 each day. Relaxing on the deck reading a book is fun too.
My 1st few liveaboards, I did every dive. Now, it's usually 3-4 each day. Relaxing on the deck reading a book is fun too.
Thanks for your detailed trip report.
The atolls of Belize have been a favorite of mine since it was British Honduras. A big advantage of a live-aboard is " No Bugs ". Also if you have extra gear, pony tanks, cameras, DPV, etc, it is easier on a diving vessel.
IMO, the Aggressor/Dancer fleet does an excellent job.
We have a group going about the same week in 2016. Richard, one question - How strong were the winds during the week? Did the wind affect your dives?
The atolls of Belize have been a favorite of mine since it was British Honduras. A big advantage of a live-aboard is " No Bugs ". Also if you have extra gear, pony tanks, cameras, DPV, etc, it is easier on a diving vessel.
IMO, the Aggressor/Dancer fleet does an excellent job.
We have a group going about the same week in 2016. Richard, one question - How strong were the winds during the week? Did the wind affect your dives?
OP
drrich2
Contributor
I never noticed winds being much of a problem. At times the boat does swing about its mooring; we were told rather than chase it, to sit tight and let it come back to us. The main significance is that at sites where the boat swung, if you got on the 'hang bar,' you could catch a free ride back and forth for awhile stretching out dive time.
Today, I noticed that Fritz Besch posted a review of our trip on Undercurrent (you can read some if you don't subscribe, all if you do). The narrative was very positive; he didn't award as many stars as I would've, but that's subjective, and if you look at where else he's been diving (e.g.: Wakatobi), he's got a frame of reference that includes some high end places.
Richard.
Today, I noticed that Fritz Besch posted a review of our trip on Undercurrent (you can read some if you don't subscribe, all if you do). The narrative was very positive; he didn't award as many stars as I would've, but that's subjective, and if you look at where else he's been diving (e.g.: Wakatobi), he's got a frame of reference that includes some high end places.
Richard.
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