Recommendations for liveaboards

[Jo B. Killie]

Ah. Hiring a personal dive guide is more likely to be possible if you're land-based. I don't know either if you can find any LOB where that is offered. But if you want to be with someone who will point out critters and make sure you get back to the boat, staying with the regular dive guide should accomplish that. (If you're really in need of more handholding, possibly you're not yet ready to do a liveaboard in the regions you're talking about.) In places with easy diving, especially with a load of more experienced divers, you may discover many people don't really dive with the guide and you'll have them mostly to yourself anyway. Some LOBs, especially if you're diving from smaller boats, there will be 2-3 smaller groups each with a guide.

LOB crew put in some major hours and everyone, including the dive staff, tend to be pretty heavily scheduled. If there are DMs who aren't in the water during a dive they are likely doing their turn helping people get in and out, watching for divers surfacing, etc. Sometimes you'll even have the captain guide a few dives or stand watches to help fill in. Boats don't carry (or have room for) extra people who have the day free to act as private guides, especially when it's something most guests on LOBs aren't interested in.

LOBs in some parts of the world sometimes carry large crews - more crew than passengers - many of whom you rarely even see and I dunno what they're all doing. But they're not typically people qualified to act as your dive guide.

Sorry. I think it’s just a matter of semantics. I don’t mean I want a personal one for just me and my dive buddy. I like having someone there to point out cool things but I just want to avoid diving with a large group of people.

I’ve been on liveaboard before where there were two dive guides (one for those that were learning and one for already certified divers) and it was like 8 people per dive guide in the water and I found it crowded (a strange feeling for being underwater with so much space) and not as pleasant. I’ve also been on a liveaboard where there were 5 dive guides on board and the groups were not bigger than 4, which I found much more enjoyable. This is more of what I’m looking for.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Aha. So the question is what liveaboards offer a diver-to-guide ratio of no more than 4 to 1. Now that's an interesting question. Looking forward to the replies. I prefer smaller groups, too, whether liveaboards or land-based operations. When I book a land-based operator, I usually go for the one with a "six pack" boat. What's the equivalent in the liveaboard world?

 

[Dan]

All of the 6 Indonesian liveaboards I have been in has 4/1 divers/DM ratio. I’ve been to no guide liveaboard diving in GBR with Mike Ball’s Spoil Sport and cattle diving 15/2 divers/DMs ratio with a lead DM & tail DM controlling the herd moving on the right pace and direction in Galápagos with Galápagos Master & in Palau with Palau Aggressor II. Neither GBR nor Palau diving styles I like to do it again. I’m spoiled with guide that pointing me what to see, patiently waiting for me to finish my picture taking chore & watching me if I’m in trouble.

On the last cattle diving adventure in Palau, to maximize the opportunity to see things down there, I tried to stick right behind the lead DM who occasionally point to things while herding by. At one time it paid off. While cruising at 100’ (30m), he turned around & made a shark sign ( sticking one hand vertically on his head) & pointed to the sea floor. I could see the shark about 2” long from where we were. It sure looked like a Zebra shark, the shark that I had never seen after 13 years of diving & had mention to him that I wish I could see it on this dive. He could see my plead to descend closer (by pointing to my camera & to the fish). He stuck 2 finger victory sign to my face & point to 2 his dive computer followed by OK sign. I interpreted it as “ OK buddy, you got 2 minutes to get there, take dang picture and get the heck back up to a safe level”. So I did. Took that sucker’s picture, below at 147’ (45m). I was a happy cattle afterwards

 

[Dogbowl]

I’ll be going on the Belize Aggressor IV and understand they’ll have one DM in the water. I, too, do not prefer more than 4:1 ratio. At 20 passengers on the boat, even if half of the divers take off on their own, there will still be 10 divers following the DM. Something I’m not looking forward to. Perhaps we will learn to take off on our own as well.

 

[Dan]

To cover their behinds for possible lost cattle, I meant, diver at sea, they rent Nautilus Life Line, free of charge, at Spoil Sport, Galápagos Master & Palau Aggressor II. I gladly took it & stuck it in my BCD pocket next to my PLB1.

 

[Dan]

For seeing fish, turtle, even some nudibranches, you may be able to see them by yourself & feel some accomplishment to be able to find them on your own & proudly pointing to your buddy. However, for some little critters like the 1mm-long & paper thin Pontohi Pygmy Seahorse, below, there is no way for me to spot it without the help of the eagle-eye guide. That is the neat thing about diving in Indonesia, unlike anywhere else in the world. You do need spotter to make the diving worthwhile, not just being herd around mindlessly finning or drifting.

 

[BDSC]

Something else to consider if you go to the Philippines and a guide points out something like Dan_T has pictured. Even if the guide points it out I would have a hard time seeing it. So I bought these:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnifying-O...2705&sr=1-8&keywords=plastic+magnifying+glass

Very inexpensive but works great underwater. You can drill a hole at the end of the handle and attach a lanyard. The difference is amazing.

 

[Dan]

Something else to consider if you go to the Philippines and a guide points out something like Dan_T has pictured. Even if the guide points it out I would have a hard time seeing it. So I bought these:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnifying-Oversized-Distortion-Free-Inspection-Tasks（Pack/dp/B019XHWBQQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1515442705&sr=1-8&keywords=plastic+magnifying+glass

Very inexpensive but works great underwater. You can drill a hole at the end of the handle and attach a lanyard. The difference is amazing.

Good idea. Thanks for the tip! I just ordered it. $10 is cheap. I’ll stick it in my BCD pocket. It’ll save some of my camera battery from zooming in/out to see what I have just taken a picture of.

 

[Dogbowl]

Something else to consider if you go to the Philippines and a guide points out something like Dan_T has pictured. Even if the guide points it out I would have a hard time seeing it. So I bought these:

https://www.amazon.com/Magnifying-Oversized-Distortion-Free-Inspection-Tasks（Pack/dp/B019XHWBQQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1515442705&sr=1-8&keywords=plastic+magnifying+glass

Very inexpensive but works great underwater. You can drill a hole at the end of the handle and attach a lanyard. The difference is amazing.

The DM in Coz is always pointing out teeny tiny baby fishies for me to see. When he says, "Did you see it?" I always answer "yes, yes". It wasn't true of course. I could not see them. But I didn't want to spoil his moment and I felt kinda stupid for not being able to see it. Now I will be able to see them!

 

[BDSC]

The DM in Coz is always pointing out teeny tiny baby fishies for me to see. When he says, "Did you see it?" I always answer "yes, yes". It wasn't true of course. I could not see them. But I didn't want to spoil his moment and I felt kinda stupid for not being able to see it. Now I will be able to see them!

I'm 59 and my eyes just aren't what they use to be and I would do the very same thing. You would see how excited the DM was showing me something and I would give him the OK and nod yes and had no idea what he was showing me.