First Live Aboard

[lbussell]

Happy New Year,

I'm an experienced diver who has booked my very first live aboard trip. It will be in Indonesia (Raja Ampat) in late March.

I'm wondering about impressions that other divers have had on live aboard cruises as well as impressions on that region.

Thanks.

 

[VR78]

I have done a couple of liveaboard trips in Malaysia and Indonesia. Diving is usually rather nice although it is unlikely that they will let you dive separately from the herd (a.k.a. divemaster-led group). This inevitably means that the group's bottom time will be determined by the resident air hog. Since everyone is just as inevitably fixated on going "deep", you'll do a lot of bounce dives - despite the fact the the most beautiful stuff is actually between 0-30 feet. It is absolutely crucial to find a right buddy before the sorting hat is pulled out since you'll be likely stuck with your chosen or assigned buddy for the duration of the trip. You do not want to get stuck with the local Ansel Adams.

I suggest that you wear a DIR-related T-shirt and look out for similar T-shirts on the pier

You will most likely be diving on air, single AL80. The said air will most likely have a bit of an oily aftertaste. If you plan to use your own gear, take all spares you can think of, and any proprietary tools that you may need (looking at you, Scubapro). Check and double check your tanks. The crew may give you an empty tank, and someone will inevitably get their valve closed by a crew member a second before the jump. Nobody will have personal SMBs but I do strongly suggest carrying one. Do not forget your sunscreen, cortisol creme, meclizine pills, rubbing alcohol or some other crap for the ears.

Food will be truly plentiful but may not be to your liking.

Let me know if you need any other specifics.

 

[lbussell]

Thanks for your response. I do know that Nitrox will be available on this boat, so I'm not worried about that. I always carry my own SMB. I'll take your other suggestions regarding sundries and supplies. I pose your question about buddying up with my contact and see what he says. This company has received rave reviews, so I'm feeling good about the whole experience.

 

[Hoag]

I have done a number of live aboards (Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Belize, Fiji, Socorro and Isla Guadelupe) and in my humble opinion, it is the best way to do a dive trip.

A little background. I typically only get one dive trip per year (some years are better than others), so I like to maximize my bottom time. I would have to say that for the most part, my experiences on live aboards differ significantly from those mentioned by VR78.

I have found that the food on every live aboard that I have been on has been outstanding and extremely plentiful. The crew realizes that if you are doing 4-5 dives a day, that you will be burning a lot of calories so they will do their part in providing you the opportunity to replenish those calories. They will typically do their best to ensure that they are serving what you want. (They may stretch your comfort zone somewhat though.)

Cabins vary dramatically from boat to boat. I have been on one live aboard that only one person could stand up at a time because the cabin was so small, and I have been on others where the cabin is the size of a small hotel room.

As for way the diving is managed, that tends to vary from boat to boat. The Belize Aggressor would give a comprehensive dive brief when we got to the site and then announce that "The pool is open". The only guided dive was the Great Blue Hole. The Aquacat (in the Bahamas) and the Turks & Caicos Explorer would put a DM in the water with you on every dive, but you were never under any obligation to follow the boat's DM, and you could do your own thing. On the Drift Dives from the Aquacat, however, they did want the group to stay together. On both the Solmar V (in Socorro Islands) and the Nai'a (in Fiji) the diving was from Zodiacs, and sometimes the DM went in the water and sometimes they didn't. I have never found that the group was limited to the local air hog's (often me unfortunately) bottom time. Nor were they hamstrung by anyone taking pictures (again often me). Depending on how far the boat is from the closest Hyperbaric Chamber, the boat may place restrictions on depth. The Solmar V checked everyone's computer when they came on board to ensure that you did not go deeper than 100 feet. If you did, you sat out for 24 hours.

Diving is what live aboards are all about and the crew will bend over backwards to ensure that you get the most out of each dive and out of the trip as a whole. Your tanks will usually be hooked up to the compressor as soon as you get out of your BCD and if they find out that you (like me) are a little hard on air, then they will try to ensure that you have a very full tank. On many live aboards, a typical day will be some variation of:

• Get up grab a coffee and/or juice
• Dive site briefing
• 1st dive.
• Boat moves to a new dive site while you have breakfast
• Dive site briefing
• 2nd dive
• Boat moves to a new site while you have lunch (and maybe a nap)
  
• Dive site briefing
• 3rd dive
• boat moves to a new site while you have a snack
• Dive site briefing
• 4th dive
• Supper
• 5th dive (night dive at the same dive site where you did the last dive of the afternoon)
• Boat relocates over night.

I hope that helps. Have a great trip.

 

[lbussell]

I have done a number of live aboards (Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Belize, Fiji, Socorro and Isla Guadelupe) and in my humble opinion, it is the best way to do a dive trip.

A little background. I typically only get one dive trip per year (some years are better than others), so I like to maximize my bottom time. I would have to say that for the most part, my experiences on live aboards differ significantly from those mentioned by VR78.

I have found that the food on every live aboard that I have been on has been outstanding and extremely plentiful. The crew realizes that if you are doing 4-5 dives a day, that you will be burning a lot of calories so they will do their part in providing you the opportunity to replenish those calories. They will typically do their best to ensure that they are serving what you want. (They may stretch your comfort zone somewhat though.)

Cabins vary dramatically from boat to boat. I have been on one live aboard that only one person could stand up at a time because the cabin was so small, and I have been on others where the cabin is the size of a small hotel room.

As for way the diving is managed, that tends to vary from boat to boat. The Belize Aggressor would give a comprehensive dive brief when we got to the site and then announce that "The pool is open". The only guided dive was the Great Blue Hole. The Aquacat (in the Bahamas) and the Turks & Caicos Explorer would put a DM in the water with you on every dive, but you were never under any obligation to follow the boat's DM, and you could do your own thing. On the Drift Dives from the Aquacat, however, they did want the group to stay together. On both the Solmar V (in Socorro Islands) and the Nai'a (in Fiji) the diving was from Zodiacs, and sometimes the DM went in the water and sometimes they didn't. I have never found that the group was limited to the local air hog's (often me unfortunately) bottom time. Nor were they hamstrung by anyone taking pictures (again often me). Depending on how far the boat is from the closest Hyperbaric Chamber, the boat may place restrictions on depth. The Solmar V checked everyone's computer when they came on board to ensure that you did not go deeper than 100 feet. If you did, you sat out for 24 hours.

Diving is what live aboards are all about and the crew will bend over backwards to ensure that you get the most out of each dive and out of the trip as a whole. Your tanks will usually be hooked up to the compressor as soon as you get out of your BCD and if they find out that you (like me) are a little hard on air, then they will try to ensure that you have a very full tank. On many live aboards, a typical day will be some variation of:

• Get up grab a coffee and/or juice
• Dive site briefing
• 1st dive.
• Boat moves to a new dive site while you have breakfast
• Dive site briefing
• 2nd dive
• Boat moves to a new site while you have lunch (and maybe a nap)
  
• Dive site briefing
• 3rd dive
• boat moves to a new site while you have a snack
• Dive site briefing
• 4th dive
• Supper
• 5th dive (night dive at the same dive site where you did the last dive of the afternoon)
• Boat relocates over night.

I hope that helps. Have a great trip.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply! I've done tons of diving, most of it in Cozumel with Dressel Divers at the Iberostar. From what I've heard about Raja Ampat, live aboard diving is the way to go, since there is so much bio-diversity in a large area. Now I'm really looking forward to the experience.

 

[elgoog]

Read this post by @RJP - it's a good read for someone doing their first liveaboard.

 

[lbussell]

Read this post by @RJP - it's a good read for someone doing their first liveaboard.

That's a lot of great advice. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

 

[Land Fish]

I'm going to Raja Ampat in early Feb. But my diving profile is much simpler than yours and I'm not sure what I get out of the trip would be any use to you.

 

[Uber Dave]

Sounds great! I'm doing my first with "Allstar Liveaboards" Morning Star on Feb 4. If this works out I will be doing liveaboards a lot.
I'm actually thinking of doing Turks Caicos Explorer in December over Christmas

 

[Neilwood]

Read this post by @RJP - it's a good read for someone doing their first liveaboard.

Very good post - @RJP describes liveaboards pretty well.

I would echo his comments about luggage - set out what you think you need clothing wise and half it. You will still have too much. Check on restrictions regarding knives and gloves (some sites will prohibit their use in which case there is no need to carry them).
Make sure you have batteries or chargers that are compatible with the boats supply.
Make sure that any gear niggles are sorted before going - my wetsuit booties have a join on each side at the rear which I discovered have a habit of rubbing each side of my Achilles tendon to the point that it had broken the skin by the start of the second days diving. I knew they rubbed (I had had red marks before after multiple dive days previously) but ignored it. Solution on the trip was to wear a thick pair of ordinary socks inside them which helped dramatically. What I should have done is buy neoprene socks prior to going and wouldn't have had to deal with the wounds for the rest of the week.