First live aboard trip

[richhagelin]

I am looking for comparisons of the various live aboard companies (food, accommodations, dive operations, etc). My diving has been primarily trips to the Caribbean the last 20 years and I really enjoy spending a few weeks a year in Cozumel.

I am mostly interested in staying in the North/Central America area.

Thanks, rich Hagelin

 

[ontdiver]

Have a look at the recent posting on the Aqua Cat. Great food, great boat & crew and great diving.

 

[shmuggy]

I would not assume that all boats in a fleet meet the same standards- in some countries- all boats must be owned by locals and so are merely marketed by the US company- so it is not like going to a franchise hotel where you know certain standards must be met or exceeded. I would decide where I want to dive and then research all the boats in that area on this forum and pick according to what is important to you. There are a lot of variables: cost, level of accomodations, how the dive deck is run, the food, airline considerations-how long will it take to get there, and to me, most important is the quality of the dive experience.Hope you make a good pick and please write a review when you get back.

 

[Shasta_man]

I've come to find there isn't a huge difference between them that isn't obvious by price. You'll get similar treatment on all of them with decent to good food. Generally, the price reflects the quality you can expect. If it's dirt cheap, you are still getting what you pay for. There is no top luxurious boat that is dirt cheap though you can find some deals. It's more about what fits your schedule and budget. If you have the flexibility to travel at a moments notice you can find cheaper deals but then you generally pay higher airfare due to short notice. Once you decide on a boat or two, check specifically for reports on it. For the Caribbean, the Carib Dancer has had its problems as reported on the forum.

 

[fred3798]

There is no top luxurious boat that is dirt cheap though you can find some deals.

Correction - There is no top luxurious boat in North America. Aqua Cat is reputed to be among the best. We had a wonderful trip even if in less than wonderful conditions post-hurricane. But it ain't luxury or anything close. I do not criticize. It was as advertised, very comfy, very good food, friendly and helpful service. Perhaps one can say it was scuba-luxury which is just not setting a very high standard for accomodation. There is a theme throughout this board in which scuba purists seem to disdain luxury. Different topic. Aqua Cat is great.

 

[BDSC]

I was on the Turks & Caicos Explorer II last week. It is owned by Explorer Ventures. I have been on Aggressor boats, the Aqua Cat, and now this one. This was the best experience I have had on a liveaboard! The boat is very nice, clean, and plenty of hot water. Food was great as well. But without a doubt it was the BEST CREW I have ever had on a liveaboard. Really awesome people. The Aqua Cat was really good as well but the diving in the area they go may be some of the worst I have seen in the Caribbean.

I have no confidence in the management of the Aggressor/Dancer boats.

So I can highly recommend the Turks & Caicos Explorer II. The boat, food, diving, crew, and management are all first class. They also have some really nice specials during the year as well. Check them out.

 

[diversteve]

Correction - There is no top luxurious boat in North America.

I could make a strong case for Nautilus Explorer...

http://www.nautilusexplorer.com/

 

[Hintermann]

So I can highly recommend the Turks & Caicos Explorer II. The boat, food, diving, crew, and management are all first class. They also have some really nice specials during the year as well.

I'll second that. The best crew that I have been in my 14 liveaboard trips to date.

As for "specials", the T&C Aggressor has one all the time....if you are male. That special is called Captain Amanda Smith.

 

[DivingNole]

I've been out on two of Explorer Ventures boats (Turks and Caicos Explorer II and Caribbean Explorer II), I thoroughly enjoyed both of those trips. The crews were fantastic, well-run dive decks, and clean boats. Cabin size differs between the two, that's just a product of age and size, with T&CxII the nicer of the two boats IMHO. However, I would go back out on either one of them in a heartbeat. Food is plentiful and quite tasty, cabins are comfortable, and the diving was fantastic. But did I mention that the crews were great? They work hard to make sure you have a good experience on board and were all-around good people to boot. My only other liveaboard trip was a budget boat in Thailand so that's comparing apples and oranges.

 

[robint]

My liveaboard experiences have only been on some of the "rustic" style boats. We did 2 trips on the non-defunked Nekton. Loved both trips, wish they were still around. We did a trip on the Eco Explorer in Palau (not part of the Explorer fleet, but part of a group owned by a Philippine company) which we really enjoyed though the boat was a dump. We have also done numerous 2-3 days trips on liveaboards in Calif, which have bunkbed open rooms below deck and only 2-3 restrooms for whole boat of 30+ people. Yes, we have really survived that and LOVED it.

So it all depends what you want and where you are going.
In Calif, there is no real other choice or way to get out to outer Channel Islands for multiple days. Worth the hassle and lack of privacy, as well as the wait to pee.
In Palau we had to choice of several different liveaboards, but went with the EE, and really enjoyed it, mostly because we loved the crew, the food, the other divers, and the coolness of being on such a funky old whaling ship.
In Caribbean, we did the Nekton... not luxury, but not a real dump either. Great crews, great food, great fun people for a week.

We have not splurged and done an Aggressor or Hughes boat, but we do talk about it often. It is expensive for us, so we debate on it. Not sure IF we will ever go, but I am very interested in trying a trip to Belize or Caymans on one of those boats. The Explorer also has boats in the Caribbean, but we haven't tried them yet either, nor have we tried the AquaCat, for no particular reason other than time and money. If I had my way, I would book one of these for this summer.....

robin