Which of the 2 LOB's have more shallow dives in a week?

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miserkris

Contributor
Messages
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Location
s.e.PA USA
# of dives
50 - 99
Which of the 2 LOB's have more shallow dives in a week?

Is it the ...

Bahamas (Nassau)aggressor/aqua cat ...[ I like other activities in this too ..snorkel,islands,kayak]

or

T&C aggressor/aqua cat?...[This seems a lot of wall diving...no extra activity]

I like shallow diving....40-60ft.... with sandy bottom,occasional reef here and there.
Shallow gives more depth perspective and thrilling to see the shimmer , boat ...above.
Air lasts longer too.. and it's bright.

thx......Kris
 
I'm sure the answer is the Bahamas. Many of the wall dives in T&C start fairly deep and then go deeper. Our dives in T&C had an average max depth of 99 feet (79-130 feet) and an average average depth of 56 feet (51-63 feet)
 
Which of the 2 LOB's have more shallow dives in a week?
Is it the ...
Bahamas (Nassau)aggressor/aqua cat ...[ I like other activities in this too ..snorkel,islands,kayak]
or
T&C aggressor/aqua cat?...[This seems a lot of wall diving...no extra activity]

I like shallow diving....40-60ft.... with sandy bottom,occasional reef here and there.
Shallow gives more depth perspective and thrilling to see the shimmer , boat ...above.
Air lasts longer too.. and it's bright.

thx......Kris
I'd expect much better reef health in T&C, but Bahamas will have much more shallow diving, whichever boat you're on. Both places will be sharky, I saw more in the Bahamas. As you know from your other thread, T&C is on the deep side, often without a shallow part to a dive at all, so expect midwater safety stops staring at plankton. (Plankton can actually be quite interesting.) And if you're diving at West Caicos in the morning, you tend to be in the shadow of the wall, because the diving is on the west side of the island. That's something I didn't like about diving West Caicos from a dayboat, at least on a liveaboard you will have more afternoon dives there with better sun.

Aquacat in Bahamas will have a few more things to do than any boat in T&C. AC is a big boat with room for some water toys, and the region it dives is a bit more varied with a few unique attractions. I don't know the what the Bahamas Aggressor offers for other activities, probably depends which itinerary it's on.

(Not sure what "T&C aggressor/aqua cat" means? Maybe you meant "T&C aggressor/T&C Explorer"?)
 
@Kris,

I've been on several of Bahamas livaboards(Aquacat, Blackbeards, Juliet) and T&C Explorer 2-all of these boats I've been on several trips and if it's shallow diving with non-diving activities in between, your best bet would be the Aquacat. I've been on the AC a few times and there was this couple one time who came on board as non-divers and they had a blast doing topside activities. The AC has a chaser dinghy called the "Sea Dog" that will take you on non-diving activities. The only other livaboard that offers half-diving/half topside stuff would be the Cuan Law out of BVI(also owned by same company as AC and BB)

If you are not into depth and prefer sandy bottom with a reef, TC(TC Aggressor or TCEX2) may not be your livaboard of choice. Like Damselfish mentioned previously, almost all of the dive sites both vessels visit begin at around 40-50ft range, with a very steep wall right next to where the boat is moored. With this being said, the walls will attract more pelagics vs your standard shallow sandy reef life. Due to the depth and the amount of dives you'll be doing on any of the TC LOBs, Nitrox is recommended.

In summary:
Bahamas:
Lux $$$$:
Aquacat(approx 27 dives)
Aggressor Bahamas(approx 27 dives)
Bahamas Master(total dives?)

Moderate $$:
Juliet(approx 19 dives)
Avalon(approx 19 dives)
Bahamas Sea Dragon(total dives?)
Cat Ppalu(Charter only, approx 19 dives, no nitrox)

Budget $
Shallow dives with VERY basic bunk style accommodations: Blackbeards(approx 19 dives, no nitrox)

TC:
Both Aggressor and TCEX2 visit the exact same sites(approx 27 dives). I haven't been on the Aggressor TC boat as I've only been the TCEX2.

Good luck!
 
If you want to do any other activities - you don't want either T/C boat as they don't even touch land for the week - nor do their tenders. Ours stayed on the boat all week except once for a mooring repair - most of the week it took up space on the sun deck.

French Cay is tiny and uninhabited. I believe a few locals live on West Caucis and there's been talk of a resort for at least a decade but no progress toward building one.

Also someone mentioned the humpbacks but those are mostly off Grand Turk - both boats also relocate to the Silver Banks for that in winter/early spring but they don't dive on those trips at all - just snorkel.

We dove around the BVI's for about 10 days once - hit many of the known sites. Saw the Cuan Law fly by more than once and once at a bar in Soper's Hole - on Tortola - we had drinks in a bar with about 10 of their pax. We webt by the boat once - it's big...and you could see the Jetski's and the Hobie cats stowed. The BVI's are largely based around the port cities on the various islands and there's also some tiny islands where it's not unusual to see a boat moored off the beach and a few people on it - the only people there. Some of the Virgin Gorda beaches have no roads - all access is by boat. I'm sure they moor off the Baths one day so you can snorkel in - it's easier from the water than down the hill.
 
If you enjoy shore excursions, consider the Caribbean Explorer. When we did that trip we departed from St. Martin, cruised to St. Kitts and spent a half day exploring that island in addition to diving, and then cruised to Saba to dive and to spend an afternoon and an evening on that island as well as diving. The shore excursions were optional but we enjoyed them.

You can ask the vendor about typical dive depths, I think they were the usual recreational dive depths, and you probably arrange to have a larger tank to give you more air time.
 
Thx all...
I got myself aqua cat Bahamas in sep... via caradona. Just need to ask them bigger tank and rental BCD,regulator.

Best thing is i got nice award tickets from AA only 12.5k miles direct to Nassau from philly.

I'll not do the washing machine and any specific shark dive to see the big 3 g. White, tiger and bull.

I already have a full wet suit, but I'd love to try a half suit (need to buy).... or just dive in shorts, tshirt...

Any comments on this?
 
If you see a GWS in the Bahamas contact Ocearch. It's theoretically possible but...

Tigers are at Tiger Beach mostly - not near the Cat itinerary but you might see one. If you see some Lemons - look close a striped one is a Tiger - they soemtimes are seen together.

Probably see some Bulls. Lots of reefies and possibly Hammerheads. Might run into Dolphins.. they're fun.

Sunscreen and big floppy hats are a must - the Cat is the tallest thing for miles. Plan to get cooked anyway, I did all dives there in a t-shirt and board shorts.Polarized sunglasses to knock down the glare - it tires your eyes.

Bring some sort of fasteners to secure your drying suits to the line/rail - if they hit a squall (common) it can blow away. They may want you to leave your shoes on the dock - some boats allow Crocs.
 
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Thanks for advice !
Is DAN insurance worth it for LOB? I got dan for my last Belize 2 tank dive.... but that wasn't LOB.

How does it help in LOB?

Also, i might try tshirts and board shorts if water is warm... hoping board shorts come (amazon) with that mess liner if not I'll have to wear undies... lol.
Or I'll wear swim trunks for they dry faster.
 
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IMO DAN insurance is worth it for most divers, doesn't really matter if you are land based or on a LOB. Some LOBs in remote areas actually require DAN or other dive insurance.

Sometimes they'd like you to leave shoes that are dirty or have soles that will mark the decks in a spot right as you get on the boat. Some don't seem to care. But they're not going to make you leave them on the dock. You might need them for a shore excursion (planned or otherwise) or who knows what. Mostly you'll wind up going barefoot on the boat, but I always have a pair of sandals to wear around. I often find sun decks too hot to walk on otherwise.
 

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