robint
Contributor
here's the link to my trip report from our 2-day liveaboard to Channel Islands in California:http://www.rnrscuba.net/Calif_07/CalifTripReport2007.html
California liveaboards are completely diffferent than most liveaboards in Caribbean for example. For one thing, there is no such thing as an "in-suite bathroom". There are anywhere from 20-30 people onboard the boat and everyone shares 2-3 bathrooms. Most boats don't even have "rooms", they have bunks in one large bunkroom. People don't mind though, they are there for the diving, and all you need is a positive attitude and some ear-plugs to block out the snoring. The diving is great and for a few days it is easy to "rough it" on these boats. Now, we have only done short trips on these types of boats; it might be different after 5-days of snoring and smelling unbathed divers.
These boats need to be booked weeks, sometimes months in advance as they fill up fast. They are very popular with all the cold water divers in Calif.We have been on 3 different liveaboard boats in California - the Spectre and Peace which dock in Ventura, and the Great Escape in Long Beach. All are adequate and safe but not fancy. You need to provide your own tanks and weights (some boats can rent them to you by prior arrangement). All diving is done in cold water so heavy 7mm wetsuits with hood and gloves or drysuits are required. Cost of these trips ranges around $120-150 per day, but all food and airfills are included. It is a great value when you can get in 3-5 dives per day.
robin
