Thinking of Trying a Liveaboard

[TravisD]

I did the Spoilsport (Mike Ball) out of Cairns a few years ago as a 'single' and had a great experience. I ended up buddied up mainly with the fellow that I ended up with as a room mate, but also did several dives with other divers as well. Especially as the trip goes on, even the couples tend to end up on different schedules (one half decides to sit out some dives) and folks end up looking for buddies.

I didn't have a problem sharing the room. You tend to spend most of the time in the common areas anyway, so as long as both parties are considerate enough to not come stumbling in late, making a lot of noise, it was fine. I was in one of the two rooms (I think) that used common bathrooms outside of the room. About the only complaint that I could make about the room was that they had obviously sprayed for bugs shortly before arrival, so it smelled like that for a while, but I'd rather that than have bugs!


Our first Liveaboard experience was actually the Aquacat out of the Bahamas. It was actually our first ocean diving experience, and went really really well.

 

[KeithG]

I am thinking of taking a solo dive trip, and I thought a liveaboard would be a good option to ensure I'll meet people and have people to talk to. (Thinking fall of 2014.) However, I am overwhelmed with the number of options. So many places to go and things to see. I've been looking at Australia/Cairns, as I could pair it with a trip to New Zealand, where a family friend is currently living. (I know it's a long flight between the two, but I figure I could do both in a 2 week trip.) However, I'm not married to that, so if there's something else you LOVE, I'm all ears.

My dive experience: I am AOW certified and will have my 50th dive on Saturday. I've only been diving a year. By the time I do this trip, I will probably have about 75+ dives, if I have the same pace this summer I did last summer. I've dove in Belize, Florida, Turks & Caicos, and Fiji. I have not done a ton of diving in strong currents, so I'll probably be more comfortable in somewhat calmer waters. I'm working on building up my leg strength, so fingers crossed I will be stronger by then!

What I'm looking for: I'll be on my own, so I'm looking for an operation that will be cool with that and pair me with a buddy. (It sounds like that's the case with most of them, but I wanted to be explicit.) My favorite diving I've ever done was in Fiji, because I love beautiful corals and interesting/diverse sealife. Don't get me wrong, I love to see sharks, but I'm not someone who will be disappointed if I go a whole dive trip without seeing one. Some of my favorite dives have been in shallower waters because the colors are so vibrant, but that's not to say I don't like deep dives. I'd like an operation that gives the option to dive with a divemaster, as I enjoy myself more when I don't have to worry about navigating on my own. (I can use a compass, but my biggest diving fear is not being able to find the boat, so I feel more comfortable with a DM.)

Anyway, I know this is opening things up to a broad array of answers, but I figure it will help me narrow things down more than google. Any advice is much appreciated!

Please stay away from liveaboards. I am finding it harder and harder to get decent bookings now that everyone is going.

They also encourage reckless amounts of easy and pleasurable diving.

Worst thing is the vast choice of dive buddy / dive groups available to you. The range of choices will present a huge dilemma that may cause you undo stress. You may also have to be VERY careful about doing upto 5 (five) 1 (one) hour dives each day (with only a few very large snacks between meals). You may also be forced to go as deep as the anchor point on some dives.

Bottom line: Do it! Don't stress about it.

And do not worry about doing ALL of the dives. If you want a nap, have one. There will be another dive in a few hours. Very few divers do all of the dives (lots wimp out on the night dives if it is a little cold).