good first liveaboard ??

[KentB]

Hey so my group of diving friends all want to do a liveaboard and no one has yet. so a few of us are going to plan it and set dates and tell the rest of the group this is whats happening and when ect they can tag along or not. a couple of us have been talking about it for probably 6 months and nothings happened so Id like to get the ball rolling here

1) being the first liveaboard we have all done we don't want to spend too much since its the first one but were looking for something fun and a good location. keep in mind most liveaboards seem to be in USD and were canadian so we need to add 30% for exchange rates

2) were not picky as to anything specific we want to do or see

3) all of us have min. AOW with Nitrox

4) we are all from Vancouver BC and all learned to dive here so all of us just have cold water drysuit experience for the most part. a couple of us have a couple wetsuit dives in mexico.

5) most of us are self employed so dates arent a huge factor although as I own a heating company Id prefer it to be after the initial cold snap in october/ november.

6) not a deal breaker but we would probably all prefer if bigger tanks (100+ were available) one person in the group has only dove side mount and she barely breathes to start with.

any suggestions on locations or liveaboards? im thinking the caribbean somewhere but Ive only dove in mexico on the pacific side.
or would we be just as satisfied doing a week of shore diving in belize?

 

[dberry]

I've had two outstanding trips on the Juliette. It's not lux, but very comfortable (and priced accordingly.) 6 cabins, so 12 divers max. Everyone eats together in the galley, so you tend to get to know your fellow divers very well, leading to a great sense of camaraderie. On both trips most of the divers were repeat customers (often for their 4th or 5th trip.)

You're pretty much assured 4 dives / day, but they let me squeeze in a couple of extra dives so I could hit #100 by the last day.

Liza (captain and owner) is awesome.

They dive a lot more than just the Bahamas, despite the name of the link:
Bahamas Liveaboard Diving

 

[KathyV]

Not sure about the 100s (or Nitrox) but if you are not picky and if cost is an important factor then look at the Blackbeard's cruises in the Bahamas out of Nassau. A trip costs US $1000 per week per person and that includes accommodations, 19 dives, food, and drinks.

The Blackbeards accommodations are Spartan - think camping at sea - but it is a bargain and it was our first liveaboard experience.
Blackbeard's Cruises Bahamas Dive Liveaboards - Official Website

If you want more comfort and can afford a higher price, there are other mid-priced options, like the Aquacat or the Juliet in the Bahamas, or the Juliet in St. Croix/Virgin Islands, or the Caribbean Explorer that sails between St. Martin, St. Kitts, and Saba.

The Aggressor Fleet is generally a higher-end, more expensive LOB, but they have a number of specials going on right now:
Scuba Diving Trips & Vacations on Liveaboard Boats | Aggressor Fleet
If you can wait until next year, Aggressor usually offers a big sale for the first quarter of the new year, like 35% off.

And Explorer Ventures has some specials going on right now also:
Summer Specials | Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Fleet

 

[Darnold9999]

This is going to sound a little off the wall but from Vancouver the Philippines are very close - a direct flight and the diving is WAY better than the Caribbean. Komodo is a bit further and better again. Hawaii is also an option and a really short direct flight. Most of the Caribbean options are not direct flights and actually take longer to get to than some places in Asia where the diving is significantly better.

 

[drrich2]

When you mentioned doing a week of shore diving in Belize, did you mean to say Bonaire? The main destinations I know of where shore diving all week and getting a lot of dives packed in are Bonaire (been 8 times) and Curacao (hoping to go); we could add Grand Cayman and St. Croix, but for 'shore only,' I'd be looking at the 1st two.

Assuming you're not looking at cold water diving out of California (where trips can get quite cheap and shorter, albeit with more basic accommodations), I assume you're looking at the Caribbean or Bahamas. And you want to control costs.

Bahamas - Blackbeards, the Bahamas Aggressor (mainly if you hit it on an Aggressor sale; be aware they've got 2 different itineraries, one hitting Tiger Beach - and if your friends are scared of sharks, well...) or the Juliet (hits Bahamas & some other places). I left out AquaCat (loved by many, but pricier) and Cat Pplau (however you spell that; chartered by groups, but you might could join one), and Lost Island Voyages (not familiar with them). A note on some of the cheaper Bahamas live-aboards; you may not get as many dives (for example, 4/day instead of 5 (counting night dive)/day. IIRC, with Blackbeard's it's around 19 for the week, several more on the AquaCat.

I used to plan to try Blackbeard's, but reading report after report & thinking about my 49 year old chubby self trying to sleep...I think I'd pay the extra for the Juliet or Bahamas Aggressor. But if the siren song of low cost called you to Blackbeard's, check these out:

JlcNuke’s 2017 My Blackbeard's Cruise Report.
T.C.’s Report on Blackbeards May 2014.
Kimbalabala’s Blackbeards review 2013.
Craig66’s Question thread about Blackbeards.

Aggressor's winter sales at over 30% off the past 3 years have been big money savers for me. I think the Cayman Aggressor IV, or one of the 2 Belize Aggressors, could make you guys happy. But not so cheap.

My 2015 Review of the Sun Dancer II (now Belize Aggressor IV).
RCB1882’s May 2017 Belize Aggressor IV trip report.
Ironborn's 2017 Review of the Belize Aggressor III (so much went wrong I hesitate to point it out, but Life doesn't always go our way, so in fairness, here you go).
Trailboss123's 2018 Review of the Belize Aggressor III.

My 2016 Review of the Cayman Aggressor IV. Ain't cheap; you need a sale!
Ironborn's 2018 Review of the C.A. IV (Things didn't go as well as they did for me).

Explorer Ventures has some sales, and the Caribbean Explorer on a sale could be sweet; be mindful some Saba dives can be deep. Haven't been; hope to someday. St. Kitts is a pretty island.

I enjoyed the Turks & Caicos Aggressor II, but it's deep diving and not what I'd suggest for your 1st run.

Here's a thread on Choosing A Caribbean Liveaboard.

Richard.

 

[drrich2]

Oh, meant to add: while some live-aboards may have 100-cf tanks, it's not likely to be a lot of them, and other divers may have reserved them in advance. Do not count on a group all being able to secure tanks > 80 cf.

Richard.

 

[diversteve]

Where can you get to easily from Vsncouver?

When plays a factor also -. ex both Turks/Caicos boats are currently whale watching in the DR - they won't return to diving till mid May.

That's really good diving though - deep walls, lots of sharks, turtles, small critters. The currents from the deep enrich the coral at dive depths - many places on the walls you can't see the sand. No wrecks though although they dive Thunderdome - a failed u/w game show venue (really) as a shallow dive.

Also the Cayman Aggressor has a better chance of going over to the Sister Islands in spring-fall - if they have to stay around Grand Cayman all week - most of those dives can be done from day boats instead.

Also if your group is of any size - you're looking at 2019-2020 by now - most trips will be mostly fill-ins this summer.

IDK the logistics involved but one of the divers on our Turks/Caicos Explorer trip a few years ago was from Banff. She didn't mention any difficulty getting to Provo (PLS)

Given any thought to going West? You should be able to get to either the Kona Aggressor or the Fiji Aggressor in one day - we can thru SFO or SEA.

We can't get to the Caribbean Explorer from here reasonably since it requires flying into St Maarten and our of St. Kitts. At least one way would've required an overnight.

Bahamas diving has taken a hit recently from both an invasive algae invasion and some of the islands got hit by crown of thorns some years ago - those decimate the coral. My buddy did the old (no longer running) Bahamas Aggressor - of the 3-4 live aboards we've done he said the reef was in the worst shape..

I'm too old for Camp Blackbeards but would consider Juliet. If you can get a big enough group - you can charter Cat Ppalu or Lost Island Voyages also - not a lot bigger but a lot newer. Being catamarans thre's a lot more outdoor area.

One last thought would be Cuan Law in the BVI's - it's nicer shallower diving with a few signature wrecks - the Rhone and the Kodiak Queen. Some of the better dives we didn't breaak 60' You fly into St. Thomas and meet the boat on Tortola - takes an hour via the fast ferries. It's a big trimaran so like diving from a big houseboat. Tjey also have a variety of other water toys and do trips into the various ports - we met a group of their divers once at a bar in Soper's Hole - as we were leaving we passed the ship moored out in deeper water.

 

[diversteve]

Get pn Explorer's mailing list and be prepared to book - those specials are usually gone within a week or less. We got 2 of the last 3 spots the day after the e-mail arrived.

 

[gcarter]

Red Sea...

Red Sea Liveaboard Safaris - Emperors Divers' Superior Service and Specialist Cruises

 

[Dogbowl]

I’d say check out the airfares first, going to the east (Bahamas, Belize, Grand Cayman, etc.), then across the Pacific to SouthEast Asia. Then choose a liveaboard after you figure out which side is cheaper. Many people here on SB from the west coast say that it’s cheaper for them to get to SE Asia than to the Caribbean. If similar in cost, I think most are going to say go to SE Asia.

I agree with @gcarter , Red Sea is super inexpensive now. Great option.