Kids on a Liveaboard

[reubencahn]

Has anyone taken a kid on a liveaboard or travelled on one where kids were aboard? I don't mean little kids but young divers. How did they do? How did others react to them. I'm considering taking my son on a liveaboard next summer so I'm interested in any first hand experience.

[cyklon_300]

about a dozen LAs and the youngest person onboard any of them was probably in their late teens or early 20s.

If your son is a competent diver and a polite human being, I don't see why he wouldn't be welcome and enjoy the trip.

He should be aware that there's really very little to do except dive, eat, and sleep. Will that be enough entertainment options for him?

[reubencahn]

That's one of my questions. I think he'd be fine as long as he has enough books to read--and maybe dvds to watch on his laptop--or if I let him dive every dive. He's always happy in the water. But I think I would want to limit him to three dives a day.

[cyklon_300]

Several of the boats I've been on have had VCR or DVD players in each cabin as well as in the main salon. Most have a magazine and paperback library, fish ID books, and not much else for diversions.

I think on a week-long trip, limiting your son to 3 of 5 daily dives will possibly find him with a LOT of time on his hands.

Hope he handles boredom better than most kids I know...

You might want to do a short trip (2-3 days) to see how he reacts to the confinement.