going on my first liveaboard

[tanyadeweymarn]

Anyone got any hints or tips or must knows before I go on my first liveaboard in the red sea? Not really sure what to expect. Sharing a cabin as a lone traveller which I am a little unsure of but I can't afford the single suppliment so it'll have to be OK!!!!

What should I take - other than the obvious bikini etc! ?

Any other advise gratefully recieved!
thanks
Tanya

 

[peeweediver]

As little clothing as possible. Lots of reading material. Things to share to make new friends..gummy worms, starburst, red fish, etc. Lots of sunscreen. Dry ear. I-pod, etc. for music. I found that changing tables for each meal over the first few days helps you meet everyone and makes it one big adventure. See if you can alternate buddies as well. You spend so little time in your cabin that unless huge snoring or smelling issues, your roommate is irrelevant.
Mingle, dive, dive, dive, and relax.

Rob

 

[vladimir]

I have shared and I have paid the single supplement--sharing is easier than you might think, even if you're not the slumber party type. The dive schedule will keep you busy all day and have you tired enough at the end of the day that sleep should come easily, in spite of any snoring roommates. What you bring might be somewhat dependent on the yacht. I bring two wetsuits, at least three bathing suits, and five or six t-shirts. Clothespins can help in the constant battle against dampness; the nicer boats will let you use their dryer if you ask. It may get a little chilly at night, even in the tropics, so you may want a windbreaker or sweatshirt. Some boats don't like flip-flops on the deck, so bring a pair of topsiders if you don't like going barefoot. A Kindle/ipad is a good idea, and I do usually knock off a couple of books on a trip, but your fellow divers will probably occupy you if you are at all social.

 

[Quero]

Marcia's Top Ten Packing Tips for Liveabord Diving

 

[TravisD]

General rule of thumb: Take twice the money, and half the clothes that you think you need. I just got back from my second liveaboard, and basically rotated between 3 swimsuits, one or two t-shirts, and a comfy pair of shorts. I wore shoes when I boarded the boat, and not again until disembarking.

As others mentioned, multiple swimsuits are nice so you can rotate between them between dives. Rooms can be chilly due to running A/C to keep the moisture at bay. Long sleeve t-shirts are nice here, plus they offer some more sun protection when outside.I tended to sleep in a long sleeve T as well due to the room temperature, and blankets being a bit skimpy. On this last trip I was also doing the shared room thing, so gotta cover up... :mooner: Also, in my case shared room meant shared bathroom, so having stuff that was easy to change into was nice - stretchy shorts are easier to put on when you're in a small closet like space that's also moving in 3 directions at once.

If you have electronics, take necessary plug adaptors (most boats will tell you what electrical standards they have on board). Many devices now are multi-voltage so you probably just need a plug adaptor, not a voltage transformer. I also found it very handy to have a small extension cord - I actually cut down a longer one and put a new plug on it, leaving the original 3-outlet end on - I could use one plug adaptor and feed multiple chargers, plus it let me put things further from the outlet in situations were plugs were not that convenient. If you're tying to conserve weight/space, see what things you can re-use too - I used my iPad charger to charge the iPad, my camera (GoPro), cell phone, and power an external hard drive. If I do this again, I'd probably take a second iPad charger brick.

Consider some personal business cards - makes it easy to give your info to anyone you might want to keep in touch with, or to exchange photos/videos with. Also consider bringing a decent sized USB thumb-drive, or even external HDD in case you want to exchange pictures with other people. If you don't bring a laptop, frequently the boat will have a computer for public use. Just make sure that you have good anti-virus on whatever you plug your stuff into next - they don't always get updated that often!

Some fix-it stuff is nice to have handy - a few zip ties, some duct tape, etc. Probably not a full save-a-dive kit though - if it's common stuff, you can probably rent it if it breaks.

Even if you're in "warm" water, doing multiple dives over multiple days will suck the warmth out of you, so plan accordingly - the 3mm suit might be fine for the first few dives, but by the end of the week you might be wishing you had something warmer.

 

[Shasta_man]

As I started reading your message, the last thing I expected to read was "bikini". HA HA HA...

As they say, bring a good attitude to get along with others you wouldn't normally wouldn't bunk for a week with and for any travel problems. Otherwise, bunking with strangers is usually no prob since you have a common activity and spend most of your time diving. I've found that boats that split groups up for separate skiffs tends to polarize groups, but you can float between both. Make yourself noticeable to the dive guides and other passengers so they'll keep track of you on the dives. I tend to stick with the guide so I get best views and best safety, but don't try to mirror their profiles because they typically take it right to the edge. Since your profile says 25-49 dives, I'll elaborate by saying that means stay shallower than the guides, don't follow them when they retrieve the idiots wandering off and pay strict attention to your gauges (no trust me dives), even if you make oxygen like most women seem to.

Bring suits that are synthetic fast drying material because stuff like cotton never dries (that might be different in the desert climate of Red Sea but otherwise true in the rest of the humid tropic diving world). As mentioned, bring stuff to dry your ears because ear infections can be painful and prevent equalization.

Hmmm, never saw anyone recommend "business cards"...but that's a good idea. Pay the extra bucks for the trip video from the boat. It's worth it to me because of footage of yourself and probably better footage of the critters you saw to show the folks back home.

 

[BrianOrange]

I actually disagree with most. I showered after dinner and/or my last dive and I always liked to have a fresh t-shirt on. Thus I'd actually encourage people to bring a tshirt for each night. It's just nice to have that clean shirt on to finish your day.

 

[altaskier]

I find that when I dive 5 times per day over a few days, the tops of my toes get a bit raw in my dive boots. The solution is to bring a few pairs of lycra socks and wear them under the booties. Dorky, but preferable to raw skin on day 4!

 

[vladimir]

I actually disagree with most. I showered after dinner and/or my last dive and I always liked to have a fresh t-shirt on. Thus I'd actually encourage people to bring a tshirt for each night. It's just nice to have that clean shirt on to finish your day.

I agree--fresh t-shirts and boxers are a pleasure when the diving is done. If you're on an Aggressor, for example, they'll be happy to let you do a load of wash (and dry!) mid-week. Of course you can wash stuff in a sink, but drying can be a challenge sometimes.

 

[divengolf]

I find that when I dive 5 times per day over a few days, the tops of my toes get a bit raw in my dive boots. The solution is to bring a few pairs of lycra socks and wear them under the booties. Dorky, but preferable to raw skin on day 4!

Agree totally. It also makes it a little easier to put a wet wetsuit on over your feet. A few folks bring a lycra skin to make it easier to get into a wet wetsuit completely. The only time your wetsuit will be dry is the first dive and maybe first dive each day. At the end of the day, try to get your wetsuit out into the breeze to dry out. This is if the boat is not making a night transit.

Clothes pins are a great idea to keep bathing suits and tee shirts dry (and on board). I change out of my wet stuff after each dive and keep my wet stuff out in the breeze to dry out in an hour or so. Three bathing suits, minimum.