good first liveaboard ??

[KentB]

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

great Ill look into it thanks!

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

ive been looking at those, the camping at sea comment makes me nervous lol I HATE camping, I like higher end accommodations myself but the rest of the group has already said they are not into a $5000 week. i think were gonna be somewhere in the 1000-1600 USD range. plus flights

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.

crossed my mind but my friends that have gone to Asia have said flights there are quite expensive so I havent really looked into it. I will now!

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.

I definitely meant Bonaire. out of the group theres 2 of us that would want 100s if available the rest have lower air consumption so would be pretty closely matched with 80s

 

[KentB]

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.

the travel time isn't a huge deal. good to know about the Bahamas, the group will be 4 or 6 realistically. i think i like the catamaran style as well. my buddy has a 71' sailboat in mexico ive dove off a few times and while fun its much harder to get back into

Red Sea...

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

Ive heard the red sea is phenomenal ! that is much cheaper than I had thought!! i will be looking into this !


Thanks everyone!!

 

[gcarter]

the travel time isn't a huge deal. good to know about the Bahamas, the group will be 4 or 6 realistically. i think i like the catamaran style as well. my buddy has a 71' sailboat in mexico ive dove off a few times and while fun its much harder to get back into


Ive heard the red sea is phenomenal ! that is much cheaper than I had thought!! i will be looking into this !


Thanks everyone!!

I had been looking at a Blackbeard's for a LOB due to budget before I saw the Red Sea pricing. 11 of us are going in November, stoked. Flights $1,200 CAD from Ottawa.

 

[Dogbowl]

I had been looking at a Blackbeard's for a LOB due to budget before I saw the Red Sea pricing. 11 of us are going in November, stoked. Flights $1,200 CAD from Ottawa.

I too was about to book but had to postpone...

 

[Hoag]

I live in SW Ontario, and two LOBs that I can recommend highly are the Aquacat based out of Nassau Bahamas or the Turks and Caicos Explorer based out of Provo TCI.

Both of these boats will meet most if not all of your needs (keep in mind that for larger tanks, you will want to advise them before you get there to ensure availability). Both will offer NITROX at an additional cost, but it is available. From a logistical point of view, both Air Canada and WestJet fly non-stop from Toronto to Nassau & Provo so your flights should be relatively simple (YVR to YYZ to destination). The time zone change from BC to either location is 3 hours if that is a factor.

Now, depending on your priorities, that would influence which boat I would place the emphasis on. The Aquacat is a catamaran and it it very stable. If you think that the motion of the boat would cause you to lose sleep, then it might be the better choice. The diving in the Bahamas is good but to be honest, nothing that will be mind blowing. The Aquacat has a few "signature dives" such as the Washing Machine that are a LOT of fun, but for the most part your week will be fun comfortable diving.

The TCEx2 was just plain fun. Within minutes, the crew will make you feel at home and like you are family. It has (by far) the best dive briefings I have ever seen. TCI diving tends to be walls and very "sharky".

I have been on both of these boats (the Aquacat 5 times and TCEx2 once) and would have no problems recommending them to someone for their first LOB.

Hope that helps.

 

[diversteve]

with that budget most of the trips I suggested are well out of your reach - they start around $22-2500 - after the discount when you factor in fuel surcharge, port fees etc, The cheapest cabins belowdeck on the Explorer might still be around $2K total - haven't priced them lately. Still ensuite but bunks instead of beds and next to the compressor during the day.

Juliet is an option with a smaller group. Maybe Dolphin Dream also. Shearwater still goes to the Bahamas from West Palm Beach afaik but it's more of a bunk-style boat - I think it's also 4days not a week.

If Cat PPalu has a less than fullboat charter - they sometimes sell the spaces on behalf of the chartering group but they likely won't have 4-5 available - that's a 3rd of the boat.

 

[Kimela]

Plus one on the Juliet. Great boat and crew.

 

[scubafanatic]

Unless you find a really good 'special', the boat I'd recommend that's most affordable is Juliet. It was my 1st live aboard and got me hooked on live aboards ! Given Juliet's area of operation, you'll likely sail from Miami, so the airfare and travel times will be much more reasonable than flying to Egypt or Asia. There are some economy live aboards operating in the Florida area/Key West that would even cheaper than Juliet...I'd recommend Spree if the owner hadn't sold the boat to a research institute a couple years ago, SPREE was an Awesome boat!

I've never done Blackbeard's, but everything I've ever heard/read about them indicates a much more spartan level of accomodations/conditions than I'd ever be interested in, I like to save $ as much as anyone else, up to a point, Blackbeard's is beyond my 'line in the sand'.

 

[drrich2]

A look at the Juliet's website shows they offer nitrox (last I heard Blackbeard's didn't). Their page on live-aboard diving the Bahamas indicates:

"Board Juliet in Miami and you’ll be whisked away to the islands of the Bahamas, and won’t see a customs line the entire trip. Most of our trips are week-long trips departing Saturday afternoon for 5 days of diving in the Bahamas. Each day we typically offer 3 day dives and one night dive. We return Friday morning to disembark in Miami at 9am. There are also 4-day trips available, one typically each Spring and Fall."

Also:

"Most trips offer 4 divers per day – three day dives and one night dive – each day of the trip except the final dive day when there are only day dives, no night dive."

By my count, that'd be 19 dives, which would be what I think Blackbeard's offers, but they also state:

"Our Bahamas are different. We sail and dive where no one else goes. You won’t see another dive boat – or any boat some days!- for miles. We start out diving the Bimini Chain and will routinely travel to its southernmost island of Orange Cay, stopping at dive sites such as Bull Run, Nodules Wall, and Victory Reef to name a few of the abundant choices. From Orange Cay we continue south along the edge of the Grand Bahama Bank deep into Santaren Channel. These remote sites are some of our best kept secrets, dove exclusively by Juliet passengers, and host an abundance of life comparable to premier dive destinations around the world."

The Juliet is often spoken well of on Scuba Board, but I don't see a lot of reviews. In Post #27 of this thread, FT discussed an April 2017 Juliet Bahamas trip, and noted that except for drift dives, they don't usually put a guide in the water. The pricier Aggressor live-aboards I've been on (3 of them) in the Caribbean do. Blackbeard's usually doesn't. ScbaNE2179 posted a Live-aboard Review Juliet Diving and Sailing (Lionfish Derby 10/22-10/28/2016). It was his 7th Juliet trip so I imagine he's familiar with them.

A note for solo lovers from a reply in that thread:

We allow solo diving as long as you provide the proof of solo diver training and certification, and plan to dive the redundancies to go along with it.

Janie88's Bahamas Aggressor Review from Feb. 2017.

Richard.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

For what itsi worth, I found surprisingly inexpensive airfare from Seattle to Bali in August. About the same as we pay for Belize in December. It was on Singapore Airlines.

I've also learned to check Vancouver for some overseas flights. We saved $300 per ticket for a family of 4 going to England a couple years ago. Maybe worth checking prices from SeaTac?