Name your Liveaboard...

[peterjmaerz]

My two....

Nekton: very servicable and diver-friendly boat if large and sort of low-rent, with indoor-outdoor carpeting and plastic wall panels. Tail-busting crew. Lots of food. Cal Sal's blue holes bored me, but some electric drifts and fantastic Bimini dives balanced it out.

Star Dancer: Doing PNG on a wooden raft would blow away just about any other liveaboard experience, it seems to me, but the Star Dancer's a luxury vessel by my estimation. Loads of room and storage in the master cabin with a huge picture window facing the bed and good sized ensuite head with tub/shower. Outstanding crew. Great dive deck. Big dining salon. Unlimited bottom time and, well, PNG!

Regards,

 

[JRO]

Time for me to add another to the list.

I just got back from a great trip aboard the Nekton Rorqual.

What a great trip!!!

Read all about it...

http://www.scubaboard.com/t64373.html

MB wrote a great trip report.

That makes my second liveaboard....I'm not sure if there is any other way to take a vacation.

Jeff

 

[Danni]

I've got two that I really liked. The Truk Odyssey was the most amazing liveaboard I've ever been on. Top notch all the way.

The Solmar V trip was also awesome. Its a very nice boat and they go to some awesome destinations like the Sea of Cortez and Socorro Island to dive with mantas.

Danni

 

[Sylvie]

I've only done one liveaboard, last summer it was "Diversity" in the Coral Sea off Australia. Next year i'm booked on "Star Dancer" off west New Britain, Papau New Guinea. So it'll be Kimbe Bay in the Bismark Sea.

Fire Up!!
Caymaniac

HI

Like Caymaniac I've only been on one liveaboard and it was also Quicksilver's MV Diversity in Australia's Coral Sea, and I absolutely loved it. I can strongly recommend the ship. When I was on it, the cat was only a few weeks old and not even painted yet, nevertheless everything was in tiptop shape. The experience was great. The staff was fantastic, epically the cook. I'll never forget it.
I'm trying to get a booking for a liveaboard in the red sea this autumn, and hope that I can find something comparable, as the diversity seems relatively hard to beat.

Sylvie

http://www.quicksilverdive.com.au/vessel.htm

 

[vjongene]

Tell us which you have been on
Which you would repeat/have repeated
Which one is next on your list

Five liveaboards so far:

Supersport, Mike Ball, Cod Hole / Minke Whales trip, 4 days. Excellent boat, crew, food. Windy and choppy conditions, water rather cold. I had headaches almost every dive - could be from stress -> CO2 retention.

Ghazala Voyager, Sinai Divers, Red Sea, Southern route (near Sudanese border). Very comfortable, security oriented, boat managers (Mick and Sarah) deserved their nicknames of Basil and Sybil (from Fawlty Towers). Whale shark!

Ghazala I, Sinai Divers, Red Sea, Northern route (around tip of Sinai). OK boat, good captain, lousy DM. Some excellent dives.

MY Oyster, Red Sea, Brothers & Daedalus Reef. Excellent boat & crew. Very comfortable. Exceptional diving. Will probably have trouble finding customers after recent incident...

MV Oleanda, Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands. Very nice boat and crew, exceptional food. Cabins a bit cramped. Exceptional diving.

I would gladly return to all of these boats, except maybe the Ghazala I. My next trip, I hope, should be the Sea Hunter or Undersea Hunter to Cocos and Malpelo...

 

[Sylvie]

Hi Vjongene

Thanks for the warning about Sinai Diver's MY Oyster. It's a name I've come across in my search for a liveaborad this September. Now I know what to definately avoid.

Sylvie

 

[vjongene]

Thanks for the warning about Sinai Diver's MY Oyster. It's a name I've come across in my search for a liveaborad this September. Now I know what to definately avoid.

Sylvie

Hi Sylvie,

Just to be clear:

- The MV Oyster is NOT operated by Sinai Divers. The two Ghazala boats are. I had my reservations about the DM on the Ghazala I, but he may have been replaced.

- My trip on the MV Oyster was excellent, and I have no complaints about the boat or crew. However, given the recent incident where they lost 12 divers and were unable to find them, they may have trouble attracting customers. If you want an uncrowded boat, this may be the way to go...

Victor J:

 

[Sylvie]

Salut Victor

A track record of twelve lost divers is enough to put me off no matter what.

Sylvie

 

[dnhill]

Just one liveaboard so far, the Belize Aggressor III. Went on the trip in May this year. The crew was nice and the accomodations were OK (small, but I had the cabin to myself). Diving was very nice and the rest of the passengers were a blast.

dnhill

 

[dleiss]

Two fantastic trips on Nekton: North Bahamas and Belize. Food, diving, hot tub, room, were all great and they take care of non-diving snorkelers. Great in rough seas and the diving platform access means not having to worry about chase-boat schedules.