New Liveaboard

[smokey braden]

dcdivenut,
kg is about 55 miles south of you.
i'm doing research now for a dive trip.
mcm007 had some good ideas.
i'd book that trip too.
im running out of new places to go.
i prefer liveaboards when traveling solo.
keep me in the loop if you find something different.
regards,

 

[onlyuman]

If you don't like Venezuela, your sure to reject Cuba, huh?
According to DrBill, there used to be live-aboards diving Cuba, operating out of Mexico.

I thought I should mention the option. It does fit much of your criteria. The legal issues associated with operating in Cuban waters are daunting, but the profits should be accordingly generous.

 

[scubabear]

I'd go for a liveaboard based out of St. Lucia. Direct 3hr flight out of Miami, nearly pristine reefs, tropical rainforest (hiking), river and costal kayaking, and dramatic landscapes, for those wishing for add on activities.

 

[Damselfish]

I'd sign right up for a nice liveaboard in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Except for St. Vincent, nice hotels (or any hotels) and nice diving mostly aren't in the same places, so you'd have to be sailing to dive many areas. St. Vincent has some really nice dives to the north where the dayboats don't go much. St. Vincent is a pain to get to so if basing something in St. Lucia and crossing over at night were doable that might be good. Or maybe go between St. Lucia-St Vincent-Grenada one way and reverse each week (or 10 days)?

I was psyched when I first heard about the (short-lived) Island Dancer until I heard it was based in Grenada, and didn't go very far north at all so didn't get to St Vincent or most of the other islands.

 

[czdiver]

I think The Bay Islands of Honduras could use another live aboard. I did the Aggressor there and, although the food and the crew was good, the boat was terrible. It's a big steel boat with a shallow draft and so rocks terribly. The cabins are very small. The A/C was not all that great in the cabins. And, the worst part, the generator was soooo loud that it was very difficult to sleep through.

You do get a little more of the culture on land based trips, but for groups there's nothing like a live aboard. It's much more relaxing and hassle free. I'd do another live aboard in Honduras in a flash if there was a nice boat there.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Hi DCDivenut,

In my fairly extensive Caribbean diving experience, I found St. Vincent diving to be among the best, not just for its fabled critters, but for the health and abundance of it's reefs as well. As have others, I've heard there are many wonderful sites in the SV and the Grenadines that are not commonly accessed by day boats. I also found the diving in St. Lucia to be excellent.

While experiencing the culture, flora and fauna on-island is rewarding, lately I've found that my diving obsession is not satisfied by two dives per day and have been focusing more on liveaboards. The idea of a Hughes or Bilikiki or Odyssey-quality liveabaord in the St. Lucia - SVG area is very appealing to me.

Good luck!

 

[RTRski]

Maybe this is a total newbie opinion and impractical idea, but:

Having never DONE a liveaboard, and only briefly considered it as if I'm going to an island I do like to do more than just scuba, I'd consider one of the things that would make me consider doing one is getting to sites you just can't get to reasonably from a boat ride from dock.

I don't know how one goes about 'finding' sites like that (survey maps showing seamounts and way offshore reefs or whatnot?), and/or if there are any in the Caribbean. I guess I'm thinking kind of like the Flower Gardens in the Gulf of Mexico - too far away from any shoreline for a two-tank day-trip... Anyway, if you could find a list of sites like that which would let you do a figure 8 or flower-pattern around 2 or more ports-of-call, but hit sites that non-liveaboards just can't reasonably reach, I'd think that would be a distinct draw...I'd sure consider it (In fact the wife and I hope to do Flower Gardens either this fall or early next year...)

RTRski

 

[tvictory]

St. Vincent would be a truly prime spot for a liveaboard, and in fact it has been rumored for years that they are coming. I saw Bill Tewes (who owns Dive St. Vincent) at the Ocean Fest show in Fort Lauderdale recently, and he said that the goverment has made a law which will prohibit liveaboards. Bill has already been featured on one of the country's postage stamps, and the Young Island Resort (where Bill can be found nightlY) is owned by the Governor of SVG. There may be some truth in what Bill says.

 

[peterjmaerz]

I saw Bill Tewes (who owns Dive St. Vincent) at the Ocean Fest show in Fort Lauderdale recently, and he said that the goverment has made a law which will prohibit liveaboards. Bill has already been featured on one of the country's postage stamps, and the Young Island Resort (where Bill can be found nightlY) is owned by the Governor of SVG. There may be some truth in what Bill says.

Hey TVictory,

I too saw Bill at the Ocean Fest show (what happened to his pony tail?!). You're right, I'm sure, in assuming that there'd be some resistance to the potential competition brought about by a liveaboard in the SVG area. I didn't know that the Governor owned the Young Island Resort! Actually, though, I don't know how much business a luxury liveaboard would siphon off from Bill's and the other land based ops there. Other than the luxurious and expensive Young Island resort, most of the other accomodations are comfortable but relatively low-budget affairs. I wonder how many of their patrons would want to spend the money on a liveaboard.

Regards,

 

[Damselfish]

St. Vincent would be a truly prime spot for a liveaboard, and in fact it has been rumored for years that they are coming. I saw Bill Tewes (who owns Dive St. Vincent) at the Ocean Fest show in Fort Lauderdale recently, and he said that the goverment has made a law which will prohibit liveaboards. Bill has already been featured on one of the country's postage stamps, and the Young Island Resort (where Bill can be found nightlY) is owned by the Governor of SVG. There may be some truth in what Bill says.

I wonder why they would make such a law. I believe they want some level of increased tourism and a liveaboard would bring some - only a little by itself but would also draw more attention to the diving there than any of their lame ad campaigns have managed to do. (Unless Bill wants all the biz to himself. )