General liveaboard question

[lunula]

For those of you experienced liveaboard divers - quick question! In your experience, is it easy/difficult to find others to dive with while on a liveaboard? Are there certain fleets or locales where it might be easier?

I ask because I have persistent ear issues. We have gone to Bonaire 5-6x, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to do as many dives as my husband would like. I'd love to have a dive trip where he could easily find others to dive with when I'm not feeling up to it and I thought a liveaboard might be an option.

We have a local dive shop where we were certified that does dive travel, but they aren't going anywhere we're interested in next year so I'm trying to find another option. Thanks!

 

[gbf]

Easy enough on LOB's, and if he can't find another single or can't become the third wheel with another pair (unlikely) he can hop in and follow the DM around. I do the follow-the-DM trick a lot because at the end I can fiddle around under the boat by myself- usually lots of cool stuff there, but you have to look for it.

The real question is YOU. What you gonna do while everybody else is diving (and there's a lot of diving going on)? LOB's seem like big boats, but they sure are small...

I've done several LOB trips by myself after my buddy/lovely bride decided she'd had enough. Never a problem.

 

[mostlyirish]

I have been on several LOB trips by myself as my wife does not care for LOB life. There are always a few folks not paired up and there has never been a problem finding compatible folks to dive with. As long as you can enjoy yourself relaxing, reading, sunning and usually good food and excellent service with a group of fun divers you should enjoy it. Several folks I met sat out several to many dives but were still active members of the group and seemed to really enjoy themselves.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I've been on 9 LOBs and I have traveled solo on a few of them but met other people on them that I later booked other LOBs or resort based diving with. They will pair you up with a buddy and a group that has similar perceived air consumption and experience as you. Sometimes the groups might change a little the first few dives. Most of the liveaboards I've been on require a guide to be with a group mostly ranging from 4 divers to a max of 6 or 8. It will depend on the type of diving and conditions and whether you navigate back to the boat or if it is all dinghy/rib/zodiac diving. Even on LOBs where they officially say no guides are leading dives but there are safety divers in the water, they end up leading a group on a dive anyway. Some of those itineraries give you the option of diving with your buddy where you plan your dive and dive your plan - you will find someone to dive with as they assign you to someone or you can chat among yourselves.

I wouldn't worry. You end up getting quite comfortable as unlike on a day boat, you are generally with the same people for the entire trip.

 

[drrich2]

While diving loosely with a guide-led group isn't the most politically correct method on the forum, as opposed to a dedicated buddy pair who might (or might not) be part of that group, it's not uncommon.

Is your husband okay with diving loosely with the group, or does he insist on a specific, formal buddy?

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

My personal exp on the Turks/Caicos Explorer which I did with my buddy.

At the airport (noon arrival) they took us to a nearby mall for lunch and our gear to the boat, Sharing the bus was a solo diver, we ate lunch and agreed he could be our 3rd for he week. On the boat was a solo female diver from Canada, she shared our table with a couple/son - by the time dinner was over son had a buddy for the week. We also loaned her things for the night dives.

Day dives usually had a DM led dive at least once per stop - they move the boat at lunch. A family did almost all their dives with him. We 3 usually did not.

Night dives were often un-escorted, we did those as 3, 5 (couple/wife joined us), 7 (plus their kid/buddy) and once I think about 10-12 of us dove together.

I also solo (shooting background footage for my videos - kind of boring) so buddy and our 3rd went off together some mornings.

On our boat was a group of doctors/wives - about 10 of them, several couples several buddy pairs and the woman from CA,

I hang back and let the dive deck clear b4 I go off solo and several times a group asked me if I wanted to join them,

My buddy has done a couple live aboards solo and always finds a buddy on the boat. Once it was the author of several of the fish id books sitting on the table (not the Humanns)

I really don't think you'll have an issue.

 

[diversteve]

Or check out our Invasions or Surges(smaller grrup), they're pretty casual. Next year they're going to Roatan and Little Cayman.
ScubaBoard Invasion 2020 Roatan
ScubaBoard Surge 2020 Little Cayman

Island based not LOB.

You also don't have to be single to go on a singledivers.com trip.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

Same as others, I would have no hesitation going on a LoB on my own. I've always tended to go with mates, but have happily welcomed singles to dive with us, as do most other people I've met. People tend to bond pretty quickly on board and I've made some good friends that way. Even if this doesn't happen, he can just opt to go with the guided group.

 

[Shasta_man]

I think this was clear from the responses but if not, most liveaboards tend to have dives scheduled as a group throughout the day. 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon and maybe a night dive. Anyone on board can go on those dives.As to buddying up with someone, as mentioned, single divers tend to connect up with other divers or hang around the dive guide as I tend to do. So it's easy to go on ALL the dives on a liveaboards. A few liveaboards just park the boat and let people dive as they wish. 99% of the boats I have been on were of the scheduled dive variety.

 

[outofofficebrb]

@lunula You will find that the dive arrangements are very different depending on where you choose to go on a liveaboard. It is determined by the type of diving and conditions. Some are unguided and you dive with a buddy and navigate from and back to the boat on your own with safety divers in the water. Some will be guided dives but you will have 6-8 people in a group at a time and you can choose to dive with a guide or go on your own. Some will be mandatory a guide all the time, max 4 to a group. It really depends. In any case, you won't have problems finding a buddy.