just_gettingstarted
Registered
Hey guys
Thought you might be interested in a debrief of the liveaboard I went on - Vagabond out of Cairns. I chose it as I was very pressed for time and they did 1 night liveaboards, which is what I did. Obviously with this you probably don't get as far as the ones that are much longer (3 + night liveaboards); but it allowed me to get in some diving when short on time.
A big bonus is the small size of the boat/numbers. There were only 6 of us on the boat, with just 2 of us divers so we got real one on one attention. To me, this was so important, as many of those I looked at seemed to be huge catamarans with 40+ divers/snorkellers on. The crew responded to the fact that I wanted to get as many dives as possible, making sure the processes were efficient so you could get in the water quickly each time. I have some lovely shots of me on my first night dive thanks to the crew, which was v sweet of them I thought. Basically with a small boat you got a personal feel to the whole thing. It's made me really want to go back to another liveaboard. I appreciate it can depend on the group you get, but the boat never felt cramped and like there was nowhere to escape to if you wanted to/can't stand the others; and the crew were v easy to get on with.
The experience isn't 5 star but it's not 5 star prices. Also, I was there for the diving, not to get 4 feather pillows and a double bed! And what's better than coming up from your first ever night dive to hear the words 'Pudding is on the table for when you're ready'?!
We were the only boat in sight the whole time we were out there, and with the low numbers on board (the yacht takes a max of 11 people) it means you basically had the Great Barrier Reef to yourself! I did a pre-breakfast snorkel which was absolutely amazing.
Quality of dive: well I have to say I think there is possibly more colour in the Red Sea. But you do get the bigger things on the GBR. So I saw reef sharks for the first time, and turtles galore!
Hope this has given you a flavour and I would encourage those of you heading out there to consider it - small boats are best! You also have the bonus of knowing that you're supporting someone directly, rather than a big multi-national company.
After I went, they had a private (longer) charter which saw manta rays and whales.
There are 2 other boats of a comparable size which I came across, if these guys are busy - Rum Runner and Coral Sea Dreaming.
Enjoy!
Thought you might be interested in a debrief of the liveaboard I went on - Vagabond out of Cairns. I chose it as I was very pressed for time and they did 1 night liveaboards, which is what I did. Obviously with this you probably don't get as far as the ones that are much longer (3 + night liveaboards); but it allowed me to get in some diving when short on time.
A big bonus is the small size of the boat/numbers. There were only 6 of us on the boat, with just 2 of us divers so we got real one on one attention. To me, this was so important, as many of those I looked at seemed to be huge catamarans with 40+ divers/snorkellers on. The crew responded to the fact that I wanted to get as many dives as possible, making sure the processes were efficient so you could get in the water quickly each time. I have some lovely shots of me on my first night dive thanks to the crew, which was v sweet of them I thought. Basically with a small boat you got a personal feel to the whole thing. It's made me really want to go back to another liveaboard. I appreciate it can depend on the group you get, but the boat never felt cramped and like there was nowhere to escape to if you wanted to/can't stand the others; and the crew were v easy to get on with.
The experience isn't 5 star but it's not 5 star prices. Also, I was there for the diving, not to get 4 feather pillows and a double bed! And what's better than coming up from your first ever night dive to hear the words 'Pudding is on the table for when you're ready'?!
We were the only boat in sight the whole time we were out there, and with the low numbers on board (the yacht takes a max of 11 people) it means you basically had the Great Barrier Reef to yourself! I did a pre-breakfast snorkel which was absolutely amazing.
Quality of dive: well I have to say I think there is possibly more colour in the Red Sea. But you do get the bigger things on the GBR. So I saw reef sharks for the first time, and turtles galore!
Hope this has given you a flavour and I would encourage those of you heading out there to consider it - small boats are best! You also have the bonus of knowing that you're supporting someone directly, rather than a big multi-national company.
After I went, they had a private (longer) charter which saw manta rays and whales.
There are 2 other boats of a comparable size which I came across, if these guys are busy - Rum Runner and Coral Sea Dreaming.
Enjoy!
