what's best liveaboard for a non-diving spouse?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

mike_s

Contributor
Messages
20,027
Reaction score
3,346
Location
SouthEast USA
If a non-diving spouse wanted to go on a liveaboard trip?

which trips, locations, boats, operators might one reccomend?


The area we would like would be the Caribbean or Bahamas.
Private room with private bath would be a must. (double/queen/king bed)

Any ideas on things to do for non divers, such as beach trips, etc...


Right now my thoughts are the Aqua Cat would have the most
to offer since they do beach trips some/most days.


This is just an idea.... I know it might turn out to be the best
thing but just an idea we were looking into.

-mike
 
I wouldn't take a non-diving spouse on a liveaboard. The only reason for a liveaboard is to maximise your diving time. IMHO, it's not a cruise.

Wouldn't a resort be better? Bonaire perhaps? :)
 
Or something like CoCo View Roatan (so you don't get robbed blind like on Bonaire ;)) or Deep Blue on Utila...I haven't been to them, but they seem sort of like land-based liveaboards. You can still get a ton of diving in, boat dives, unlimited shore dives, but you could balance diving with hanging with your spouse.

If you do 5 dives a day from a boat, you'd never see your wife. Seems like it might be kinda boring for her. If you don't do 4 or 5 a day then a liveaboard probably isn't worth the expense. Does she snorkel?

If you want to do a liveaboard, I'd say one is probably as good as the other. The schedule for almost all that I have seen is divedivedivedivedive sleep repeat.
 
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a:
Or something like CoCo View Roatan (so you don't get robbed blind like on Bonaire ;)) or Deep Blue on Utila...I haven't been to them, but they seem sort of like land-based liveaboards. You can still get a ton of diving in, boat dives, unlimited shore dives, but you could balance diving with hanging with your spouse.

If you do 5 dives a day from a boat, you'd never see your wife. Seems like it might be kinda boring for her. If you don't do 4 or 5 a day then a liveaboard probably isn't worth the expense. Does she snorkel?

If you want to do a liveaboard, I'd say one is probably as good as the other. The schedule for almost all that I have seen is divedivedivedivedive sleep repeat.


What do you mean "robbed blind like on Bonaire"?


Oh Yeah. Unless you are going to charter a boat in the Virgin Islands....or you spouse can spend an entire vacation reading books and be happy.....DON"T take them on a liveaboard.
 
mike_s:
If a non-diving spouse wanted to go on a liveaboard trip?

which trips, locations, boats, operators might one reccomend?


The area we would like would be the Caribbean or Bahamas.
Private room with private bath would be a must. (double/queen/king bed)

Any ideas on things to do for non divers, such as beach trips, etc...


Right now my thoughts are the Aqua Cat would have the most
to offer since they do beach trips some/most days.


This is just an idea.... I know it might turn out to be the best
thing but just an idea we were looking into.

-mike
A liveaboard might not be the best for a no-diver, Ive been on two liveaboards and was glad my spouse was diving. Why don't you try a dedicated dive resort first like CoCo veiw, Brac Reef, Divi on Bonaire or Brac, Cap Don's or Buddies on Bonaire any of the resorts on Bonaire are quite dive orientated as well as the resorts Cayman Brac. The Brac is much more remote as in (no restaurants or not much of a town) - more like a liveaboard.
 
well.... this kinda what I was thinking. I was wondering if any were better at non diving people.

I've been on crew boat liveaboards and sail liveaboards and have seen up close the Blackbeards boats while I was sailing in Bimini. I know that is not a place for a non diving person at all.
 
Slightly off from your request, but a possibility is a Windjammer cruise, depending on your personality. Small cruise (under 150 ppl), and depending on the location you choose, most days offer the option of a dive outing. Unlike the mega-cruise ships, Windjammer goes in very small ports, so you don't feel like you're part of a herd, and the dive outings are small groups as well. I went on the Grenada-St Vincent itenerary several years ago, and just about every day offered a diving outing. Meanwhile, there were also several other outings available, and because of the small size of the ship, fellow cruisers get to know each other very quickly, and the outings become much more fun.
It is not luxury, but upgrading to a deck level cabin was reasonably sized, with it's own bathroom....albeit tiny and spartan. Windjammers attract a unique following, and the guiding rule tends to be "go with the flow".
 
KBeck:
Slightly off from your request, but a possibility is a Windjammer cruise, .


actually their cruises look like a lot of fun...

but one major thing hold me back from going on one. Their saftey record. After their ship the Phantome (sp?) sank and everyone on board was killed, authorities interviewed a lot of the past crew about the condition of the ship, known saftey problems, issues, etc... and it was a pretty scarey report of interviews.. Their ships would come no where close to passing a US Coast Guard inspection...

Also, although before that happened, I did check into one of their cruises and although the advertise in scuba diving magazines, when I called and talked to their "cruise experts" they really tried to persuade me not to bring my scuba gear as it would be too bulky to store and how difficult it would be to dive in most of the locations because that wasn't the intended recreation activity on their type of cruises...

it just sounds like they have a huge saftey problem and are not receptive to having divers on board. They seemed to be more of a group party atmosphere.

thanks very much for the suggestion though...
 
mike_s:
If a non-diving spouse wanted to go on a live-aboard trip?

which trips, locations, boats, operators might one recommend?


The area we would like would be the Caribbean or Bahamas.
Private room with private bath would be a must. (double/queen/king bed)

Any ideas on things to do for non divers, such as beach trips, etc...


Right now my thoughts are the Aqua Cat would have the most
to offer since they do beach trips some/most days.


This is just an idea.... I know it might turn out to be the best
thing but just an idea we were looking into.

-mike


I am in the same position as you (non-diving spouse). I don't think I would consider a live-aboard.

This summer we are going to Breezes in Curacao. It is a reasonably priced all-inclusive resort that includes one shore dive per day (including all equipment).

I plan to do both shore dives and boat dives. My daughter is finishing up her OW certification so she will also be doing some diving.

The resort offers all kinds of things for my wife to do when my daughter and/or I are diving. It also gives us plenty of things to do together when we when my daughter and I are not diving.

I talked to people at the LDS amd dive club that have been to both Bonaire and Curacao and they said the diving in Curacao is comparable to Bonaire. Curacao appears to have a lot more things to do when you are not diving.

The prices at Breezes are very good relative to Sandals and Beaches all-inclusive resorts. All of the food, beverages (including alcoholic beverages) and entertainment are included as are the airport transfers.
 

Back
Top Bottom