THIS woman's perspective of Blackbeard liveaboard

[kimbalabala]

Not sure I understand about the exit problems. I'm 65 (soon to be 66) and didn't have any trouble exiting on the ladder..

I read your recaps of being on Blackbeards but I don't recall if you were on Morning Star or Pirates Lady. Someone said that Pirates Lady is set up a little better. My husband is 59 and 6' tall and he was complaining about the setup as well. Seriously, when the only "stable" thing you have to grab onto is the tag line there is a problem. I did put this feedback into my review to Blackbeard so maybe they'll address the issue. Can't hurt to mention it in writing.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

Thanks for your detailed realistic report .
I am surprised that a designated liveaboard with so much publicity would not be totally user freindly for all divers . re: dive ladder
I am with Dr Bill's perspective , If doing 4-5 dives a day there is no time to enjoy "cleaning up"
Many times I have said I will not shave or comb my hair for the dive trip , I always end up doing a couple of cleanups as I look so out of place at the bar or dining room.

I am doing The Bahamas this June , just maybe this time I will fulfill my pirates dream .

I hope the Sharks will still be there , I have not seen wild Sharks since 1995, dozens of trips and nothing but Nurse Sharks , when I first started diving in 1990 we saw a few on every trip , Hawaii and various Caribbean locations , the reefs just do not look right without the odd Shark buzzing around .
thanks again , your report is great , coldwater Lloyd

 

[clownfishsydney]

My wife went on a very fancy liveaboard in the Red Sea a few years back. She said there was a lady who disappeared as soon as she got back on the boat and then came out 30 minutes later with full makeup on. What is the point when she then went diving again 90 minutes later? As long as you can wash your hair with freshwater at the end of the day and put a bit of moisturiser on, well, that should be enough. I know it is from a bloke's point of view (and surely the only reason you put on makeup etc is to make yourself attractive to us blokes).

 

[DiverGirl1972]

I agree, applying makeup while there is still diving to be done is an exercise in futility. Speaking for myself, my desire to clean up a bit at the end of the day is not about looking good for the men or anyone else. Wearing a little bit of make up and a quick blowdry/style makes ME feel good and I suspect that quite a few other women feel the same way

 

[drbill]

I was on the Morning Star. Of course if you and your husband felt exits were difficult, you should indeed report tat to Blackbeard. They seem, to be responsive to customer feedback. I guess I've just been on a number of boats over the decades that were much more difficult to re-board, so I personally saw nothing wrong with the Morning Star.

 

[TSandM]

I really do think there is a huge difference related to body size. If you are six feet tall and the ladder steps are a foot apart, you hardly have to raise your thigh to get on the next rung. My thigh will be at a right angle to my body to do the same thing, and the mechanical advantage of the muscle attachments is poor at that angle.

I remember years ago, going rock climbing with my boyfriend. The beginning of that particular climb was very easy, IF you could reach the first handhold, which was about four inches above the maximum length of my reach. He swarmed up the rock like it was trivial; I got hauled up on the rope until I could reach the face. Being small can have distinct disadvantages, and most of the people who design ladders (and dive gear!) are men, who tend to be bigger (and have more upper body strength).

 

[drrich2]

I, too, could largely care less about primping on a dive trip; I'm a guy, and since i'm married and not looking for love (or what-have-you), it seems irrelevant.

That said, if you watch how people deal with female infants, how they dress them up & make a big deal about how 'cute' they are in this or that outfit, and then consider the big time marketing by the fashion & cosmetics industries towards women, it's easy enough to see how perceived appearances could get tied into self esteem.

It clicked for me years ago when someone pointed out women carry purses instead of putting a wallet in their back pockets because they're afraid somebody might actually think they're shaped that way. I doubt that's true of all women, but I see a lot of purses.

It's a good thing I was not born a woman. Just watching my wife mess with all the added maintenance I can see that.

Richard.

 

[Scared Silly]

Vanity ... feel free to make fun of me or think how idiotic I am, but I don't think I'll ever do a vacation where I have to look like crap for 7 straight days again!! There wasn't a single opportunity to even dry my hair and look "good" for 10 minutes!!

Thats my idea of a great vacation. Of course this is coming from someone who has gone 3 weeks without anymore than a few Wash n'Drys to clean up and slept in the same clothes the whole time.

My best vacation is your worst nightmare - Jim Bridwell

 

[kimbalabala]

I'm ok looking like I've been diving all day - I just want some recovery period. I know that when I rip off my mask and beanie that I look just like the gal across from me doing the same. I get involved in discussing the fun stuff we saw down there and forget about my appearance. But once a day I need to go through my ritual and reach a feeling of "normal". (I don't know why I brought deodorant!!)

One really good learning experience came out of this. After being on a boat with other women my age I realized that we all have something that sags, bumps or muffin-tops somewhere - not all in the same place but we all have them. Nobody seemed to be making a huge effort to hide or camouflage the imperfections - we were just a bunch of middle aged women with physical imperfections that go along with the years on the planet. It turns out that's ok.

 

[TSandM]

One of the very few positive things of ageing is being liberated from worrying very much about what you look like. When I was younger, I cared about my appearance, because men were looking and women were snarky. At my age now, ain't nobody looking, and I don't threaten anyone, so there's no snarking, either. I can enjoy primping a bit and wearing a nice outfit, but it's really just for me and my older friends (who appreciate good choice in clothes). Men are more likely to find me attractive for my eyes (a SB member) or my voice (another former SB member). The rest of me is, well, just not memorable.