first liveaboard - what to definitely take / not take?

[scubamickey]

What were the surface and water temps like?
Did you find that you got colder than usual doing many dive a day?

 

[BabyDuck]

surface high 70s to low 80s, bottom low 70s. yep, i started most days without the hood, but ended with it, and the last few days i wore it every dive.

 

[Footslogger]

Clothing is the most often overdone item. Leave most of them at home. Guess that depends a little on the specific liveaboard ...but mostly what you'll wear is a bathing suit, shorts and T-shirts. On a breezy night a long sleeve T-shirt or light windbreaker is nice.

Check with the liveaboard in question ...but I would suggest that (unless they don't provide them) you leave your own towels at home.

If you like to read ...a paperback or two is a good thing to have handy. You can't dive ALL day !!. Also, an MPE is a decent idea. You often can't get good, if any, radio channels out in the ocean so the radio is of limited use.

This may sound crazy but I generally bring a kite along on liveaboards. Breaks the montony after 3 - 4 days of diving and there are no telephone lines for the kite to get tangled in.

I could go on and on, and again, it depends on the specific liveaboard and the services they offer, but those are a few items off the top of my head.

'Slogger

 

[ScubaLuke]

the main thing i learned was USE LUGGAGE WITH WHEELS!!! god, toting that stahlsac got *really, really* old.

I should have mentioned that one. I use a rolling duffel bag. Once all the junk is out of it, it folds down small enough to fit under the bed and out of the way.

And we're all wondering if you were able to use the dog collar?
Luke

 

[BabyDuck]

no, the dog collar didn't get any use. pity... well, there's always next time.

 

[JRScuba]

Babyduck, You started this post because you wanted an Idea of what to bring and what to leave home.

Can you post a list of the items you took, should have left home or should have brought?


Thanks

Joe

 

[Darnold9999]

On the last trip I did I took 2 wetsuits - a 1/2 shortie and a 2/3 shortie (wasn't sure which I would need, either would have worked for me). Best thing I did. Alternated each dive. Rarely had to get into wet gear. Makes it a lot warmer. That added extra energy you burn to heat up the water in the wetsuit adds up over a week. Made a huge difference - was really surprised. You don't start off the dive slightly chilly either.

 

[BabyDuck]

the only thing i didn't use was a tshirt (i brought an extra in case i spilled or something) and a few pairs of socks, since i wasn't sure how cold my feet would get. i had something like 3 pair of pants, one set of sweats, some jammie bottoms, 6 tshirts, a fleece, 3 pairs of socks, 5 bathing suits, 3 undies, 2 water sandal type shoes & 1 pair of birkies, 2 books, my ipod & little speakers, a deck of cards for hold'em, my 5mil, hood, reef gloves, booties-fins-mask, ss plate & pioneer wing, regs, computer (which is my watch, so that was easy), backup lights (but not the hid), normal dive accessories (log, tables, zknife, shears, backup 'puter, slate, etc), toiletries...i think that's about it. i had a great time & though it took plenty, it wasn't too much. i'm actually pretty good at packing light.

 

[laserdoc]

Really want to do a live aboard,,,but everytime I have been out on a deep sea fishing boat I get sick.Dive boats are different,,,you are in the water pretty fast.... I would hate to go for a week and end up being sick for the whole week and not beeing able to get back to shore. Anyone take anything for sea sicknees that you took everyday??? And did it work for you????

 

[abman]

it sounds like you figured out what to take and what to leave home. if any one happens to be diving in the channel islands, truth aquatics has a really good web site, one of their windows has suggestion list of what to bring. i would imagine that their "to bring" list would pretty much apply anywhere . other than maybe suit thickness's and clothes.