First Liveaboard Trip Advice

[Damselfish]

I don't think I've ever seen the word "uptight" used in the same sentence with liveaboard. Maybe you can be more specific about what you're trying to avoid? And also budget and other desires in a trip - you can spend more and have a en-suite bath and more amenities, or go for a cheap "camping at sea" style trip, and things in between. Pretty much any Caribbean liveaboard should make a suitable first trip experience-wise, or the Kona Aggressor would be a good one too. Many boats in the Indo-Pacific can have conditions you'd want a bit more experience for.

As far as gear rental you need to check with the specific liveaboard. Most people bring their own gear on liveaboards. And there's only so much space on a boat. So just showing up and expecting them to have what you need on board isn't a good idea. Often liveaboards will request you let them know in advance what you will need so they can have it on the boat. But I would seriously think about starting to get at least some of your own gear if you're looking at doing a liveaboard. Definitely a mask and fins if you don't have those. I can't imagine showing up on a liveaboard without my own mask, and you'll enjoy the trip much more if you're not dealing with a potentially leaky mask for many dives a day. Rental fins often aren't great, and you really want fins/booties that fit well - you can do a lot of dives on a liveaboard and you don't want blisters. I would really want to have my own suit as well - at the very least a full dive skin you can wear under whatever you might rent. A dive computer is really useful on a liveaboard, and while you can probably rent one there's much to be said for having your own that you're familiar with. Basic ones are not that expensive and probably all you will ever need.

 

[Stoo]

One other thing to consider as a single/woman diver, is that different operators treat "singles" differently. Mrs. Stoo and I sometimes travel with a single friend. Some places really stick it to the singles with nasty surcharges... When we looked into a liveaboard last year, as I recall, both the Aggressor and Explorer groups had the same policy... Singles pay the doubles rate, as long as they are "willing" to accept a same-gender roommate. We were led to believe that at least as often as not, the single remains a single. If you want to be assured of a private cabin, then you would pay a higher rate, understandably. (Incidentally, you really don't tend to spend a lot of time in your cabin, but on the other hand, the cabins are generally pretty tiny...)

As for rental gear, you would be wise to investigate that ahead of time when you decide on a boat. In my experience, the rental gear on board was one extreme or the other... either it was great, or it was there strictly as a "save the day" solution. I would be especially concerned about suits, particularly if you at all "unique" in your shape!

Liveaboards are great way to dive without the stress/anxiety or fun/adventure of a land-based trip. They offer great value on a "per-dive" basis. Just be aware that there is not much to do other than "eat, sleep and dive" as the ads say.

Having done about 25 liveaboards over the years, you (almost) can't go wrong with one of these trips!

 

[Lana.mcglynn]

I am going with a group on women on the Belize Sun dancer July 2015, that may be further out than you want to wait. We are also doing Palau in Nov but there will be currents. We just came back from the Red Sea, the southern route is good for new divers. We are doing a land based trip in Little Cayman Feb 14-21 2015. Let me know if you would like to join us

 

[DavidFL]

After being a certified diver for more than 45 years (!), I did my first live aboard on M/V Spree out of Key West, and I can highly recommend it. Among other things, Frank and Mel have some shorter trips so you can "kick the tires" without being committed for as much time and money as a longer trip. Having thoroughly enjoyed the experience on the Spree, I'm signed up for a week long live-aboard in Belize in July, plus another Labor Day weekend trip on the Spree.

 

[Oldbear]

I'm a 29 year old female looking for a great first liveaboard trip. I would be traveling by myself and am looking for a nice, but not too uptight trip to go on. I am currently living in Panama and am open to go anywhere! I don't have any gear of my own and am also wondering if this something that can be rented on most boats. I am Advanced Open Water certified and have been on about 20 dives.

Any suggestions?

You have been given some great advise on liveaboards. I myself really enjoy them. With AOW and 20 dives you will not have any trouble finding a good trip to book. With that said, I strongly recommend you increase your diving experience more before you do a liveaboard just yet. There is nothing like dive experience to make you a more polished diver. As you gain experience your dive knowledge will grow and become more accurate and precise, your gas consumption will decrease, thus becoming more efficient and your trim and buoyancy will get better and better regardless of how good it is now. By diving more now, you will have an even better experience later on the liveaboard.