How do I find a liveaboard that will let me dive MY way?

[chavala]

Thanks!!! Our final deposit for the Bilikiki is due next week. We also tacked on a week at Uepi as well after our cruise. How much did you tip?

It was last November so I don't remember. Have a great trip -- I've heard Uepi is beautiful. It'll be a nice bit of luxury after the bare bones Bilikiki cabins : )

 

[acidrush]

I usually travel solo and I mainly do liveaboard trips in Indonesia. After the check out dive, I usually tap the dive guide on the shoulder, point in the direction I am going and wave bye bye. Never had a problem with them.

 

[mikeycanuk]

It was last November so I don't remember. Have a great trip -- I've heard Uepi is beautiful. It'll be a nice bit of luxury after the bare bones Bilikiki cabins : )

Uepi was beautiful, but we missed the Bilikiki's crew and food.


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[beester]

[/COLOR]To be honest there are none. Or no respectable operation will let divers just jump in the water on their own. 1. they dont know the area, dont know the currents or the dive sites in any way. A divemaster may be only half your age but he will have done 100s of dives in that location compared to your zero. What you need is an experienced dive master above 40 who can just take care of you and you wife. He can let you do your thing but just be there to guide you to the correct pick up location at the correct time but at your own pace. I agree many young dive masters see it as them running a tour rather than an explore as we all want different things form a dive. What I would do will be do a live aboard but ask for your own experienced guide. This way the boat will take you too different locations for each dive but your "group" will be you and your wife with 1 d/m just for you. On live aboards that visit many locations have to have set times in and out so they can hit certain locations when the tide is slack. By delaying departure from some locations will mean the next location will be reached too late as some sites are not good when there is strong current. This is why you need a dive master for you so you can not be part of a group, go at your own pace, the d/m can let you get the best of a dive site and by not being a kid will make sure the exit points and times are correct for you to not delay the boat or for you to be rushed. Similan Islands Liveaboard. Talk with these guys and just ask for and experienced instructor to go with you. Its will only cost a small amount extra for a private guide and make a huge difference believe me.

I guess if you give a GOOD briefing and have experienced divers I think they will be able to manage getting to the exit point in time. A good briefing means, giving the general orientation of the dive-site, prevalant current, slack tide window, stuff to see, exit point, exit time, etc. A good dive briefing is not keep the reef on your right shoulder and follow the DM.

 

[SouthSeaNomads]

Hi thete check out our web site South Sea Nomads we have a trip coming up in the new year from Southern Leyte in the Philippines to the Gili islands in Indonesia. (Dont worry its broken up imto sections for jumping on and off). Its a basic budget boat and very relaxed. Its 99% exploration diving and a majority of our customers are professional divers. We have no set numbers of dives, when we are moored you and dive as little or as much as you like. If you want yo see dome photos from our recent trip from the Gilis to Southern Leyte check out our facebook South Sea Nomads Gili Trawangan as it has out most recent photos. If you want more ingo you can message me at katie@southseanomads.com

 

[comcomtech]

Shorediving from Bonaire avoids the daycare centre feeling that some dive organizers create among their groups.

 

[scorpiofish]

There are boats and trips that do open deck diving. One of the greatest dives of my life was on one of these trips. It was the end of the dive day. Three of us wanted to do one more dive. We asked where. The boat owner/cruise director pointed and said, "over there". The tender driver took the three of us and dropped us in "over there". We went our separate ways after we got in the water. When I had no more time left, I surfaced. The tender driver was right there. The other two divers had already been taken back to the boat. At that moment I was probably the only person diving in the Coral Sea.

I've also done some open deck diving in Raja. City Seahorse trips have lots of open deck diving. I've done a 3 hour dive in the Bluewater Mangroves by myself. I've also done the Arborek Jetty with another diver while the main group went to the Manta site. They came back to get us after their dive was finished. Granted, they knew I knew this site like the back of my hand and it's a pretty tame site.

The odds of such experiences are better on a charter trip after they understand your skills and the dive site is well understood. I also recommend a photographer centric trip. We tend to jump in the water and take off in different directions.