Is this a crazy vacation idea... OR can it be done?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Hello -

I am planning to go on a dive trip this summer. First I was looking at all the dive resorts then I started looking at liveaboards. Nothing really spoke to me. Finally I thought if I was to spend this kind of money why not fly to a far away country that does not have dive tourism, hire a small boat and a crew for locals and head out into the sea for ten days in my own "custom liveaboard!!!!"

After browsing places the whole day I came up with these countries ...


Greenland: It is such a massive continent with ocean all around it. Millions of unexplored dive sites but no dive industry. I was thinking of flying into Greenland with a few tanks and a dive compressor. Then going to the harbor to recruit a crew that can take me out for a week. Small boat will do. Nothing fancy ...function over luxury!

Morocco: Unlike Greenland this place has a dive industry (two dive shops that never reply to emails.) Strategy would be the same. Fly in there with tanks and a compressor and then go to the harbor to negotiate with the fishermen for a boat and a crew. I am thinking whether this should be the Atlantic side of Morocco or Mediterranean.

I am estimating that the cost for doing this liveaboard would not be higher than a highend commercialized ones. Thrill factor would be ten times more. Has anyone done such a vacation? Or do you prefer to spend your money on established dive businesses.

Id love to hear people's thoughts before I actually blow money on this. If anyone has other location suggestions, or would like to buddy me on this trip ... please Id love to hear from you.

Thanks -

Sinbad

 

[Rythmmaker]

Interesting idea... Can't wait to see if anyone who has tried this will jump in.

 

[scoobydrew]

I'm guessing you'll probably get some interesting responses to this post.

I love the sound of your idea in theory but obviously a lot of thought and planning needs to go in to it (as well as money) for it to work.

You'd have to confirm but I think Greenland is going to be cold water diving as long as you are comfortable with that and the additional equipment then look in to it further. As it is still (I believe) Danish you may want to try some dive centres over there by email for info.

Morocco is mainly mediteranian water, I have dived from Spain from a point of land where you can see Morocco and have spoken to people that have dived it. The drawback with that part of the med is that it has been fished, the vis is good but not much to see.

If you're thinking that neck of the woods, why not further round the coast.. what is the diving like from the Gambia in Africa? I suggest you avoid getting too close to Somalia

 

[Hank49]

My Filipino friend and I used to go into fishing villages along Western Panay, back in the 90s, and get local fishermen to take us out. Sometimes we'd go one diver per small paddle bangka. Sometimes we'd get a bigger boat with a Briggs and Stratton 8 hp or so.
We found a couple very reliable guys that loved to take us out because they'd make more with us than with fishing. Since then, my friend has built and operates a small resort in Anani'y, Anitque.
It's doable, but you may need to hang out in an area that you've scoped and know has decent diving. I think it's a good plan. Much better than dive resorts.

 

[mjh]

Great idea, great sense of adventure. My first reaction is go somewhere that there is known good diving but do your own thing. Places like PNG, Raja Ampat, etc come to mind. I also think costs will always turn out to be more than you expect. Plus while the adventure of it would be great you will have dives that won't pan out, maybe a lot of them. I also assume you are a very skilled diver and waterman. This will take a lot of experience in judging conditions, currents, topography and of course you will be diving solo. I am not terribly mechanical and this would require a high level of experience with compressors, fixing regs and other gear if they fail. In addition if something goes wrong, it can go really, really, really wrong fast. We have been in spots were if you were cut badly, or had any serious issues you were days away from even basic medical care.

There are people/liveaboards who do "exploratory trips" you might want to ask around at Wetpixel, or some other dive travel sites.

Good luck, curious to see what you come up with.

 

[Rhone Man]

When I was at University, this was pretty much what our dive club used to do. Load up a compressor, some tanks and head off to some God forsaken part of the world where no one really dived. Generally the trips either went really well or really badly.

Don't think you need to pick somewhere as large as Greenland though. Pick a 12 mile long island in the Caribbean (off the beaten track) and you still won't be able to dive all the possible sites in a month, far less a one week stint.

 

[tadeotadeo]

I did something similar to this in Old Providence and San Andres islands traveling to the outer cays to explore the reefs around these cays. Some of these cays have been visited by mostly fishermen in the past and only a few environmental diving excursions that I heard about. Anyway I did two 5 day trips to two of the banks, Roncadar and Serrana Banks, about 70 miles from Old Providence.
I was diving in Old Providence when the islanders told me about the cays so I asked how to get a trip to any of them, They told me “you buy big boat and we take you mon”. So I inquired back on San Andres Island and found a charter there to take me. I really don’t remember what I paid with the exchange rate and almost 10 years ago but I remember thinking it was reasonable.
It was a outstanding experience for me "diving where no one has ever dived before” or at lease only a few people have dived.
I know there is a charter boat out of Old Providence doing this trip know but if you wanted to you could get a local charter out of San Andres to do the trip.

 

[robint]

LOL.... Greenland.

My husband was stationed there for a year remote, Thule AFB satellite tracking station.
The ocean is too cold to dive in winter and bays are frozen solid. In fact, it is so cold in winter some days they could not even leave the barracks to go into work across base (wind chill, wind, blizzards, etc) In summer, for about a month or two, the bays melt slightly, water is still unbelieveably cold and ice bergs are floating around in bays. They do a "polar bear swim" in summertime, one day everyone puts of swimsuits and jumps in the water. Ambulances and paramedics are standing on shore for a reason! I have photos of when he did this. They did some hiking around the base area in summer, still deep snow everywhere and they had to wear heavy parkas, hats, gloves.... brrrrrrr! Greenland is nothing but a big lump of ice.
No freakin' way anyone would go there to scuba dive, IMHO.

robin

 

[outlawaggie]

My wife and I do something somewhat similar although we haven't done a true remote location yet. We charter a sailboat for a week, take a dozen tanks with us and take off. Granted where we've been so far has at least some dive industry but this allows us to dive wherever we please. We even just stop and hop in because something on the sonar looked interesting. It is a MUCH more exciting and interesting way to dive than the commercial resorts and liveaboards.

 

[Damselfish]

LOL.... Greenland.

yeah, Greenland is icy and Iceland not nearly so much. They've got the names backwards.

wonder how the diving is in Iceland?