Liveaboard vs Dive Resort for newbie divers?

[Rob9876]

You might consider St Croix in the USVI. Cheaper to get to than Bonaire. Can do boat and shore dives.

People have different preferences/opinions, but having been to both, personally if I were the OP I would book a 2nd trip to Cozumel rather than go to St. Croix. Cozumel has better diving, better food, better prices (airfare, lodging food, diving), less driving on not-so-good roads, etc. Cozumel has plenty to see while diving that no risk of getting bored, and for the 2nd trip could take a ferry to the mainland and do cenote dives if interested in that (I think it's good to have around 50 dives or so, including some night dives, before going into cenotes -- but that's just my opinion).

 

[Marie13]

People have different preferences/opinions, but having been to both, personally if I were the OP I would book a 2nd trip to Cozumel rather than go to St. Croix. Cozumel has better diving, better food, better prices (airfare, lodging food, diving), less driving on not-so-good roads, etc. Cozumel has plenty to see while diving that no risk of getting bored, and for the 2nd trip could take a ferry to the mainland and do cenote dives if interested in that (I think it's good to have around 50 dives or so, including some night dives, before going into cenotes -- but that's just my opinion).

Well, excuse me for making a suggestion. I know newbie divers who’ve gone to St Croix and loved it.

 

[Diverlady13]

Given Australia’s covid restrictions, I wouldn’t count on that country for a trip anytime this year.

Agree. I have a friend who lives in Perth. He's saying it will likely be some time in 2022 before borders open. Of course that could change, but I wouldn't bet on it by scheduling a trip. (Australia was supposed to be our big trip this year.)

 

[drrich2]

If diving is new to you, and you're U.S.-based, I don't recommend taking off to the other side of the world for large commitments in time and the stress of long flights to open with. A 'starter' Caribbean live-aboard may be a better option, if you go the live-aboard route.

Sun Dancer 2 (Belize) May 2015 - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/li...ving-belize-via-sun-dancer-2-may-2nd-9th.html (This is now the Belize Aggressor IV).

Cayman Aggressor IV May 2016 - http://www.scubaboard.com/community/threads/cayman-aggressor-iv-trip-may-2016.527640/ (Replaced with the Cayman Aggressor V, which is a larger boat and practical realities may be a bit different).

A recent Maldives live-aboard trip report by @Dan indicated much of the diving was deep enough that I wouldn't suggest it for newbies. I'm not a newbie and I'd be hesitant to book it for myself, as I'm fair with air but not particularly good.

A case could be made for land-based since you don't know how high volume diving will affect you yet. Some people find diving more fatiguing than others. What if one of you has some kind of unforeseen adverse reaction? Would it be nice to have more land options for entertainment, if problems arise?

If you want high volume diving in benign tropical conditions, there are a range of options. If the Caymans open back up, and you care to pay for the privilege, Little Cayman Beach Resort and Cayman Brac Beach Resort would fit the bill. Cozumel can pack in a lot of dives, and a good deal cheaper, but it's drift diving (which some like and some don't). Bonaire is great...but I recommend going with a group your first time, getting in and out can be a bit tricky at many sites, and gearing up on the tailgate of a pickup truck is more work than a live-aboard.

My recent trip to CocoView Resort in Roatan might be just the ticket - boat dives, option for some solo diving, a little shore diving if you care to try it. Someone mentioned St. Croix - it's a neat place, with good diving and some nice topside diversions. You guys might like Curacao, but at some point the list gets overwhelming.

I'll post a few more trip report/research notes links.

CocoView Trip Report May 2021 - Trip Report - CocoView Resort May 8-15, 2021

Tres Pelicanos & Casa Mexicana, Cozumel Sept. 2018 Report - Tres Pelicanos/Casa Mexican Trip Report Sept. 2018
My Research Notes from Planning Cozumel Trip - My Research Notes from Planning Cozumel Trip

My Research Notes for Bonaire - My Research Note For Bonaire

Curacao Trip Research Notes
Curacao Trip Report with SB Surge Jan. 2019

St. Croix Research Report Aug. 2017 - Trip Report - St. Croix Research Report Aug. 2017

P.S.: Of the places you've got lined up, Cozumel is very popular. Jamaica you can do a Search on the forum for, but I think you'll find it's not often recommended as a 'dive destination,' though some people dive while they happen to be there.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It seems that liveaboards tend to attract more experienced divers and I'm worried we would be out of our depth on a diving liveaboard.

I think one reason we see so many “experienced” divers as opposed to newbies doing liveaboards is that experienced divers tend to be older, and they have more money and time for liveaboards. When I was a newbie, I was around 30 and had too many financial and time commitments. You’ll see a lot of older divers on liveaboards—the subject of at least one contentious thread.

If you love the idea of a week on a smallish boat doing nothing but diving, don’t hesitate. Maybe not your very first dive trip—you might want a little bit of dive experience first—but no need to wait.

 

[ssssnake529]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice.

I think I will postpone the liveaboard experience for a while and stick with shore based diving vacations until we are more competent. Will probably avoid Australia too, for COVID uncertainty.

P.S.: Of the places you've got lined up, Cozumel is very popular. Jamaica you can do a Search on the forum for, but I think you'll find it's not often recommended as a 'dive destination,' though some people dive while they happen to be there.

Yes. Our Jamaica trip is a vacation first, with some diving. We're newly certified, so it will be our first diving in the Caribbean. I understand that Jamaica is generally considered a marginal diving destination. However, as new divers, I'm pretty sure we will find it fascinating. Cozumel will be our first actual "diving trip," where we're primarily diving. (I used your Cozumel trip reports and notes to plan our Cozumel trip.)

 

[Aviyes]

I went on the Belize Aggressor IV LOB for my 2nd dive trip. The first was Bonaire for ~15 dives. The LOB was a great way to expand and improve my diving. We also had a brand new diver on that trip and he did fantastic. The Caribbean LOBs are great first steps, they are a great time though quite exhausting from all the diving. Don't be afraid to step out as a relative beginner on the LOBs, especially in the Caribbean.

 

[Esprise Me]

One other thing you might want to do before you book a LOB is get Nitrox certified. No reason to wait; you can do it right after your OW course even if you're not going to use it for a while. But it's really handy for those trips that are nothing but diving.

 

[ssssnake529]

One other thing you might want to do before you book a LOB is get Nitrox certified. No reason to wait; you can do it right after your OW course even if you're not going to use it for a while. But it's really handy for those trips that are nothing but diving.

Our plan is to get nitrox certified right after we get back from Jamaica and before we head off to Cozumel.

 

[Darnold9999]

As new divers I would recommend sticking a bit closer to home for your first liveaboard or two. Caribbean boats like Belize Aggressor do one week trips and the diving is significantly easier and much cheaper than the places you are considering. Even then you will be overwhelmed with the experience. Once you have a couple of trips that are local and significantly less expensive then look to the rest of the world. Yes Indonesia etc are far more interesting places to dive, but as new divers you won’t even notice the difference. My first liveaboard was on the GBR and then half a dozen or so trips in the Caribbean before returning to south east Asia. In retrospect the GBR trip was wasted on me. I was in Aus anyway so no regrets but traveling all that way just to dive would not be recommended for a beginner. Also IMHO diving Indonesia and the like ruins diving the Caribbean - it is so much better that you don’t want to go back.