First Liveaboard trip - what to take, what to leave behind, what to know?

[wills029]

This is a great thread. We are leaving for our first liveaboard in 2 weeks on the AC. Thanks for the great advice. From what I have heard, I need almost no clothes (shorts and T's), cash for tips and gambling, cheap sunglasses that I don't mind losing overboard, and my favourite all-purpose accessory - DUCT TAPE.

Hey Fred,

When are you on the AquaCat?

I'm on the AC the week of Nov. 3 to 10.

Best,
Bill

 

[fred3798]

I'm there the week before you.

 

[wills029]

Enjoy Fred. We'll compare notes

 

[dmoore19]

Great!! 2 Aquacat trip reports. Pictures too please.

 

[BabyDuck]

i use bulldog clips to hold towels & bathing suits in place. i'd suggest some type of squirt bottle of half hair conditioner half water to squirt on your legs before putting on your wetsuit - putting on a damp wetsuit 4 times a day takes all the skin off my knuckles by day 3. the air conditioning might feel too cool to you after a day of being wet - i brought thin long pants (like yoga pants) to hang out in after the last dive & sleep in, and ended up also sleeping in my sweatshirt jacket. a deck of cards can be fun - we had a day of iffy weather & ended up playing poker for a couple of hours. oh, and consider bringing a thumb drive to bring home pictures.

have a ball!

 

[Shasta_man]

I wear a nylon skin which makes putting on the suit easy, as well as using a hyperstretch suit which is much more pliable. It also keeps my heel from rubbing the stitching in the booties after umpteen dives. The skin is dry within a few minutes of getting it back in the wind. It also slightly protects you from the wind if it's cool when you get out.

I've seen people using a plastic grocery bag on their foot to easily put the suit on too.

 

[BDSC]

Or just leave the wetsuits at home. The water is not that cold!

 

[BabyDuck]

no way could i do that. i use a 5mil and beanie or hood, even in the caribbean or keys.

 

[BDSC]

I am usually OK as long as the water is at least 78 to 80 but during certain times of the year it can get chilly and I'll carry a shortie. We are headed to Little Cayman next Friday and I checked the NOAA monitoring station there and the water temp is like 84 so no wetsuit this trip.

 

[Scubabun]

A big THANK YOU to everyone who posted. We are going on our first liveaboard this Saturday and the information provided was such a huge help in guiding us on what to bring, what not to bring.


We bought some plastic clips and lycra socks (thanks BAMA) and a power strip.

BabyDuck, the yoga pants are a great idea! Easy to stuff into a suitcase for those chilly nights or over air conditioned cabins.

Thanks again!