Tech Wreck Liveaboards

[gxdoyle]

Does anybody know of liveaboard boats that cater exclusively to technical divers? Anywhere in the world? I am particularly interested in boats that do just wreck diving and have regular trips - not special charters.

Thanks

[Albion]

in singapore

White Manta has some trips specifically wrecks and usually more tech divers www.whitemanta.com

Friendly waters also has some tech only

MV Empress, even has a lift on the back to get you out of the water with heavy gear.

You could try sending idiotfish a pm as i know he is based in singapore and has an RB and so more familiar with the dark side.

[weekender]

european technical dive center (http://www.technicaldivers.com/)

not sure if i added the link right. im still a paper and pen guy. but check them out. i dove with them a few years ago. great time, great people. above average nice. their site explains it all.

[flw]

The mediator was sold to somewhere on the west coast of scotland earlier this year, I think the crombie still operates within the flow, but its for sale as well.
Scapa Flow isn't really 'technical' diving, though there are plenty of good gas dives around Orkney/N Scotland - I like the Karin - www.scapaflow.com - he dives wrecks no- one else does has been doing so for years, the Jean Elaine and Halton are other good boats based in the Flow.
Bill Rucks new boat is opening up the Moray Firth, to date almost un-dived - I don't think the website is updated yet, but www.moraydiving.co.uk

[andibk]

GXdoyle
I have been living here in Thailand for the last 10 years and I have been running technical trips for the last few years. I have the boat booked for trips January to April. One trip I would like to visit a wreck that is 300 meters long that sits in 72 meters of water. There are two other wrecks that are in 72 meters that are about 100-110 meters long. The Gulf of Thailand is loaded with wrecks waiting to be discovered, none of these wrecks have been dove as far as I know of.

Bruce

[blackice]

Hoping to go on a trip on the White Manta next month, should be really cool. Can't wait.

[gxdoyle]

andibk once bubbled...
I have been running technical trips for the last few years. One trip I would like to visit a wreck that is 300 meters long that sits in 72 meters of water. There are two other wrecks that are in 72 meters that are about 100-110 meters long. The Gulf of Thailand is loaded with wrecks waiting to be discovered, none of these wrecks have been dove as far as I know of.

Bruce

Bruce, this sounds promising. I am keen to dive these wrecks but my time is quite limited.

Ideally, I am looking for liveaboard boats that provide for 2 ER or trimix dives a day with trips of minimum 5 days on deep wrecks and are supportive of tech needs (like long deco's without rushing the boat off to the next dive site for the rec divers :upset: ).

Thanks

[SteveKL]

Check out www.DiveAleutian.com

Disclaimer: I am a principal in the company that is putting together two trips for the 2004 summer season to dive the wreck of the SS Aleutian in 220 fsw in Uyak Bay, Kodiak Island, Alaska.

[flw]

That looks kind of interesting, but rather than do 2 short air /recreational dives, how are you set up for one much longer gas dive a day on it, I tend to feel I get more out of a wreck that way - its only around 60m or so by the look of it, so even running a 60m schedule would bring you out at 120 minutes for a 40 min BT, giving more time to explore.
Also, what about sofnolime and do have to go in with someone else?

[andibk]

gxdoyle
On the trips I put on there are no recreational dives allowed. All of the trips are exploration trips to wrecks that have never been dove before and usually all are below 50 meters. The trips normally are 3 -4 days that way my students from Bangkok can go since they do have jobs to hold and usually aren't allowed to much time off. I am always open to doing new things and I am quite flexible. We have been normally doing 1 long deco dive a day due to the number of tanks and due to the travel time to other spots. However I am able to bring the compressor,02, helium if everybody did want to do two dives. One bad thing about this is that the nearest hyperbaric chamber is 20 hours away, which has been one of my leading reasons to doing 1 dive a day. I have not been able to afford a portable hyperbaric chamber which runs in the neighborhood of $20,000 U.S. Hopefully in the future there will be one on the boat.
Almost all of the wreck trips are to virgin wrecks where we have come across ww2 wrecks, freightor and we have actually found a few ancient pottery wrecks that are 400-700 years old. IF you find a Thai dive magazine you will probable read soem of the articles I have wrote about this.

Bruce

[blackice]

SteveKL once bubbled...
Check out www.DiveAleutian.com Looks interesting .. but have to be a dry diver... rules me out for now.

[michaelsway]

I am a principal in a liveaboard that specializes in custom charters. Both myself and my partner are avid technical divers and will consider any charters for exploration and or technical dive charters out of Florida or the Bahamas. See the website http://www.oceanexplorerinc.com/

[Rickoz]

We dive off www.esperancestar.com.au :eek:

[large_diver]

FWIW.....I know one GUE instructor is teaching DIRF & Rec Triox during a weeklong trip on one of the Nekton liveaboard boats in the Carribbean in January. PM me if you want details.

[cadet diver]

The ocean explorer is really nice. For cold water stuff check out http://www.technicaldivingops.com/. Gary was awesome this summer. My buddy and I were the only ones on the boat.