Our own live aboard???

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CAPTAIN SINBAD

Contributor
Messages
2,997
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Location
Woodbridge VA
# of dives
200 - 499
I have always believed that Maine and Mass coastline has some very good dive sites that have yet to be discovered. Would anyone be interested in chartering a boat for a whole week, loading it with a few tanks and a compressor and diving in that area for a whole week? I was looking at the Acadia National Park area but other suggestions / ideas also welcome.
 
What kind of costs would be involved and how many divers would be needed to make it work?
 
I have not done the math yet but there are many ways that this can be done. I was advised that the cheapest way to go would be to camp on the Acadia National Park instead of out in the sea and then dive around it from a rented motor boat. The cost of the boat would be 1000 USD per week.

19 Foot Seaway Motorboat Rental in Acadia

This is able to carry 4 divers so it would be 250 per person for a week of diving. This price is without the Captain. I am sure they can give us a skipper for a week for a little more $$$ .

If we have a bigger group then we can look getting a bigger boat with fuel and skipper and spend the whole week out in the sea. I can ask around for rates but we need to have at least 8 people to make it affordable. It wont be a luxury liveaboard but it would be fun. More like Blackbeard in bahamas.
 
Are you wreck hunting? I might be down (not for camping, but for a legit wreck hunting boat based expedition). Would need some knowledge of possible targets and bathymetry to start drawing up potential coordinates. What depth range are you willing to search in?
 
The ocean and weather is too unpredictable up here for a week liveaboard if you want to get in serious diving vs a party boat. You would have to plan it no more than a week out and even then you can't trust the ocean.
 
Are you wreck hunting? I might be down (not for camping, but for a legit wreck hunting boat based expedition). Would need some knowledge of possible targets and bathymetry to start drawing up potential coordinates. What depth range are you willing to search in?

Wreck hunting was not something I had in mind. I was looking more for dive sites with possible cold water coral, anemones and other cold water marine life. If we can get some info on possible wrecks with reliable coordinates then I would not mind wreck hunting. I am not tech-certified so my depth limit is 130.
 
Probably better to travel to a place that has reliable cold water coral and anemones like Catalina island than waste money chartering a boat in the tough to manage north Atlantic just to get wet.

Thought about it. But the thrill of diving into the unknown and discovering new dive destinations is worth pursuing IMHO. Before Nautilus Swell began to operate in Alaska, very few people would have regarded Alaska as a liveaboard destination. Then the Nautilus crew spent a season diving and exploring new dive sites and today Alaska is one of the most unique and sought after dive destinations. The last time i checked Nautilus Swell, they were pretty much booked for the next two years. Iceland is another example! It has emerged as a dive destination only recently. Besides the Silfra and the Strytan there are whale bone graveyards and wrecks etc that make it one of the best cold water dives in the world.

I believe that Maine coast will also have a lot of interesting dive sites (Eg:Passamaquoddy Bay) but since diving in that area has not been commercialized, it would need some free-lance exploration. I could be wrong but ... I could be right :D
 

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