Just How Tired Do You Become on a Liveaboard?

[paschen]

Hi guys.
I have the option of doing two weeks on a liveaboard over Christmas - two one week trips back to back (1.5 days in port between).
I have never been on a liveaboard (though going over Easter for 3 days but need to make up my mind before then) so I am unsure just how exhausted you get with so many dives a day. I have spent a week diving, but it was two dives a day and shore based - and while I didn't get tired, we did nap between dives a few times.
By the end of the week are you just so incredibly shagged (it means tired not sexed out) that I wouldn't get the same level of enjoyment out of the second week?
Any advice would be a great help.
Tar in advance
P

 

[El Orans]

I was pretty tired after my week in the Red Sea. But I was diving air. Nitrox should help you feel more awake.

 

[DiveMaven]

We dove air in Belize at christmas for 6 days straight, 4 dives a day except Wednesday when a storm blew through, so we only dove twice. Although we were in bed and asleep by about 9:30 each night, I can't say we were exhausted. I took a nap the first day at lunch since I hadn't slept well with the night before, but after that never felt a need to nap.

Rest assured, you can easily nap during the lunch SI if you need to.

 

[divebuddy68]

All I do are liveaboards now. I did some land based in the past and got exhausted trying to do 3 dives a day because of the boat rides and being uncomfortable during the surface interval. Now I do 4-5 dives a day on air and never get real tired although I definitely try to get in at least one nap. Your bed is only a few steps from the dive deck.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

With Nitrox one week is never enough

 

[paschen]

I thought about maybe doing my Nitrox cert while onboard - but no one I know dives with Nitrox - and certainly no one in our dive club has that cert as our instructors don't offer it. Would it be worth it? Also, if I am with Nitrox, can you buddy with those with air?

 

[alcina]

sure you can buddy with air divers. Your dive times will be dictated by their ndls but that's OK.

Even on air on a liveaboard you'll find it much more relaxed than air four times a day from shore or a short hop because you also have all the creature comforts. And it is OK to sit out a dive Those 0600 ones never did much for me

If it's a good deal, grab it! You never know when the opportunity will come around again.

 

[tkring]

During the second week you may find yourself saying "Please don't make me go in the water again!!!" What a great feeling to get your fill of diving. At least it was for us. You will have a great time.

 

[Irene]

To me, the most tiring part of diving is:
-anxiety the night before about missing the alarm going off in some ungodly hour of the morning
-actually waking up during said ungodly hour,
-packing my gear while fretting that I'm forgetting something
-lugging gear onto a boat
-setting it up while we are rocking
-being tossed around while we travel a miserable 20 miles out
-dragging wet, soppy, stinking gear all back to the car
-creatively packing the wet, stinking gear away from any place where said stink might linger
-anxiety over hubbie potentially messing up and accidentally dropping a tank on my dry suit valve or HID ballast
-cleaning gear once I get home

All stuff that won't be an issue during a live-aboard trip. You bring your gear on ONCE, set it up ONCE….the rest of the week is dive, eat, sleep, repeat.

So ENJOY....If you have calm seas, I think you'll find that 2 weeks on a live-aboard are less tiring that one week of 2-tank/day dives.

 

[Calinectes]

I've found you can't underestimate dehydration when doing that many dives a day. When I'm feeling really tired on the boat, I start drinking lots more water. It actually helps. I always drink a lot of water but find I need even more the more dives (ie... breathing all that dry air) I do.

Oh yeah.... on topic.... if you have the time to do 2 weeks do it! Where are you going?