Where do you recommend for a liveaboard the first time?

[zeppelindiver]

For a different, more personal alternative take a look at the liveaboard diving trips we offer in Roatan on a luxury sailing yacht. Zeppelin Dive & Sail | Roatan Live Aboard Sailing & Diving Charters.

 

[diverjen]

We have done tons of snorkeling and two dive trips (Bonaire/BVI), some local pond diving, and are going to Bonaire in May for two weeks. We love the dive dive dive mentality and freedom in Bonaire, so a liveaboard seems like a natural next step. So, ideally the reef should be better than Bonaire. I also would like hang out above 80 feet. We have also not done anything with substantial current (no negative entries, etc) so while doing that on some dives would be a good learning experience - I don't want the whole trip to be out of our experience range (i.e. stressful and dangerous).

 

[KeithG]

Turks & Caicos explorer - the dives are generally deeper here with the top of the wall around 45 to 50 feet at many sites.
belize dancer - the dives are much shallower with many opportunities to spend the last half of your dive at 30 feet (except for the blue hole)
The other explorer (Saba etc) has more variation in dive sites and most can be done very shallow.

 

[ronscuba]

We have done tons of snorkeling and two dive trips (Bonaire/BVI), some local pond diving, and are going to Bonaire in May for two weeks. We love the dive dive dive mentality and freedom in Bonaire, so a liveaboard seems like a natural next step. So, ideally the reef should be better than Bonaire. I also would like hang out above 80 feet. We have also not done anything with substantial current (no negative entries, etc) so while doing that on some dives would be a good learning experience - I don't want the whole trip to be out of our experience range (i.e. stressful and dangerous).

I think you would really love live aboard diving in Belize. The diving is really easy, the reefs and marine life very healthy.

Here are videos I made from my 2 Belize live aboard trips. One was on the Nekton the other on the Dancer.

[vimeo]798825[/vimeo]

[vimeo]57485474[/vimeo]

 

[diverjen]

Thanks for the videos ron!

We have snorkeled off Caye Caulker 3x and it was pretty great even by diving standards, so we would be excited to return. I had just heard the currents can be rough and it might not be the best for beginners. Maybe with ~ 70 dives though we would be ready. Its also a no brainer flight wise since we are coming out of Denver.

 

[ronscuba]

I don't recall any current dives on our trip. We dove mainly around lighthouse and turneffe.

 

[KeithG]

Thanks for the videos ron!

We have snorkeled off Caye Caulker 3x and it was pretty great even by diving standards, so we would be excited to return. I had just heard the currents can be rough and it might not be the best for beginners. Maybe with ~ 70 dives though we would be ready. Its also a no brainer flight wise since we are coming out of Denver.

No need to worry about currents with a live aboard. Too much current? The boat will move to another site. The main live aboard dive sites are at half moon caye and long caye which always
provides a sheltered spot or 2 regardless of the wind direction.