New Open Water diver at 71 -- Need advice on livaboard

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htatton

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Stevensville, MT
# of dives
100 - 199
I completed by OW cert last month in Isla Mujeres. I'm now back home in the snow in Montana and looking for a good liveaboard trip to increase my skills and also to have a great time. Do any of you have suggestions of a company that could provide a good way for me to learn, practice and dive a lot. I have a lower back problem so I need to find someone who doesn't mind me handing up my kit as I get out of the water. I seem to be able to do everything but climb the d..n ladder.

I also would be interested in joining any grumpy oldsters like me for a week on a livaboard. I'm still running a software company that caters to K-12 Education so I'm only available from October --> March. The rest of the year I'm running training seminars.

Thanks
 
I completed by OW cert last month in Isla Mujeres. I'm now back home in the snow in Montana and looking for a good liveaboard trip to increase my skills and also to have a great time. Do any of you have suggestions of a company that could provide a good way for me to learn, practice and dive a lot.
I'd look for a trip with one of the "premier" operators. Some options would be one of the Aggressor or Explorer Ventures trip or Cuan Law. Maybe Aquacat in the Bahamas. Since you're only talking about a week, that precludes most of the Thailand/Indonesia boats as they're typically 10-14 days plus travel time.

You also shouldn't do any of the more exotic trips - Socorros, Cocos Island, Galapagos etc. as they're longer trips and also tender based - you have to transfer to a tender to dive and be able to pull yourself back onto the tender - usually it's a zodiac. And conditions will be rougher during your timeframe as well. They're really advanced dives anyway so not for you yet.

I'd look at Belize, Turks/Caicos (can be a little deeper) or maybe Aquacat in the Bahamas. Another option is Cuan Law in the BVI's. Or the Kona Aggressor - which has been called the cellphone liveaboard - it never gets much off the Big Island. There's also the Saba/St. Kitts Explorer trips but the logistics can be a little challenging - you fly into St. Maarten and out of St. Kitts. (or vice-versa) I've never been able to make that work in less than 2 days from Phoenix. They seem to have availability for most of the time you can go.

I've detailed a few pluses/minuses for each. Here's some quick links since I have them all bookmarked.

Aggressor and Dancer Fleet
Scuba Diving Live-aboard in the British Virgin Islands
Explorer Ventures: Adventures in Liveaboard Diving
Liveaboard scuba diving in the Bahamas on the Aqua Cat

I have a lower back problem so I need to find someone who doesn't mind me handing up my kit as I get out of the water. I seem to be able to do everything but climb the d..n ladder.
They all do that if you ask them to - usually only once is required. There's generally a crew member checking divers in/out that also works the dive deck the entire time someone is diving.

I'd stay away from the smaller dive sailboats/catamarans as they're typically higher and require more of a ladder. Some of the smaller, less expensive options like the sailing cats aren't as easy to re-board - typically it's a ladder steps up one of the hulls - the big cats you transfer from a tender.

The powered live aboard yachts typically have a dive deck in or very near the water requiring a short ladder up then a few steps to the main deck of the ship. With a bad back that's what I'd look for - I have a bad knee and do.

Here's a couple of examples. Click the links for pictures of the dive docks, I didn't want to clutter up the thread with pictures.

Turks/Caicos Aggressor
http://www.originaldiving.com/sites/default/files/TCAggressor_0222_1.jpg
Belize Aggressor
http://www.usdivetravel.com/BelizeAggressor-SternView.jpg
Belize Sun Dancer
http://www.pointsandtravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/CIMG3971.jpg

All are easy boarding and good diving. T/C tends to be a little deeper from the moorings. They go Whale watching in the Silver Banks on Jan 24th (no diving) so you'd have to book it before then. It's really excellent diving, really clear water. Lots of sharks and other interesting stuff. Also you can float over the deep walls without dropping down them - it's still pretty impressive.

Aggressor owns both Belize boats and they run the same itinerary. Sun DancerII is slightly older and bigger, Aggressor III is slightly nicer in amenities and newer. They dive all year except Sundancer II is also going to move over to see Whales in January. I've never been there but there's good diving off the barrier reef and they go to the best of it. I suggest you stay on top of the Blue Hole though, it's a 130' drop.

Cayman Aggressor is another option but in the winter months the weather off Grand Cayman often means they can't run over to the Sister Islands (Little Cayman and Brac) which is where the best diving is. So if they have to stay around Grand Cayman, a lot of what they dive you can do from day boats instead. Many Grand Cayman dive sites are visible from shore. Different time of year, probably an excellent option. Maybe you could do it right before you go back to work?

Cuan Law is a really big tri-maran in the BVI's. The diving there is very good to excellent but not as good as the others I've mentioned. One advantage it would have is it's shallower - there's not much below about 70-80' except for some purposely sunk wrecks. The signature BVI wreck is the Rhone - it's at 70' in front, closer to 50' for the back. Easy beginner wreck - one of my group did it on her 12th dive. I did about 25 dives there and none of them exceeded 80'. Some a lot shallower. You fly into St. Thomas and fast ferry over to Roadtown, Tortola where the Cuan Law ports. Takes an hour.

Since it's a big cat, they have boarding steps that lead down to a platform. From there you can either dive directly or board a tender to the dive site. They're hard hulled zodiacs so have short ladders. http://www.bnycharters.com/images/boats/222/06_cuan_law_main.jpg

hth,

P.S. there's more gray hair on a liveaboard than anything else typically....except for the crew.
 
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Is there a particular reason why you are focused on a liveaboard? We have done several land-based trips where all the diving is done off small boats, where doffing gear in the water is de rigueur, and one doesn't have to carry tanks around or walk on a pitching deck while wearing them.
 
^ good point. We dove with DiveBVI for a week from Virgin Gorda in the BVI's. They advertise valet diving (many places do) but they really mean it. A friend of mine is overweight and has knee problems so they had her sit on the edge of the swimstep, brought her gear to her and pushed her in the water. Reversed the process on exit - she took everything off and handed it up. I took my weights out and handed them up most dives also. They also managed our gear all week, we dropped it off once, showed them how we liked it and the rest of the week it was set up on the boat when we arrived. They kept it, stored it, and returned it clean and dry on Saturday before our flight. I literally never touched my stuff that week except to dive.

Another operator that's similar is Barefoot Divers on Roatan. They're at Barefoot Cay which is an upscale resort so it's expected. They provide the same level of service and their swimstep actually either floats on or is just above the water. I remember thinking that I could've pulled myself up onto it - it's that close to the water.

Indigo Divers on Grand Cayman probably offers that as well. Any boat that offers between dive massages likely will do whatever you need.
 
I'm not set on liveaboard, it just seems a great way to spend a week.
Thanks for the information
Hyrum
 
It is a wonderful way to spend a week, and I love diving from boats, but in general, I think it's more work than a land-based concierge operation. For example, if you dive at Atlantis in the Philippines, you basically won't take a step with your gear on for a week, nor will you carry anything but your weight belt, fins and camera.
 
I would recommend diving from day boats and working towards Advanced / Deep certification. Liveaboards are expensive and it would $uck to be on a liveaboard and not be able to do all the dives. If you want non-stop diving within your limits, I would recommend going to Bonaire instead. It is shore diving and (unlike liveaboards) you get to pick your own depth on each and every dive.

---------- Post added November 24th, 2014 at 08:13 PM ----------

I would not want to be on any boat that says "Aggressor this" or "Aggressor that!" There are all sorts of complaints from all parts of the world and there is this lack of ownership on part of Aggressor company that is quite shocking. Ever since I have been on scuaboard, Aggressor fleet has received more complaints than the rest of the worlds liveaboards combined together. If you have a horrible trip with them, you will get a reply that reads as follows:

Dear furious customer:

We are sorry that you had such bad experience. We will investigate. Keep in mind that we do not own the boat that you were on. We only charge money from crappy boat operators to send customers their way because if they were marketing under their own name you would run the hell away.

We thank you for your understanding.

Aggressor Fleet.
 
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I would not want to be on any boat that says "Aggressor this" or "Aggressor that!" There are all sorts of complaints from all parts of the world and there is this lack of ownership on part of Aggressor company that is quite shocking. Ever since I have been on scuaboard, Aggressor fleet has received more complaints than the rest of the worlds liveaboards combined together.
fwiw, the Aggressor's I recommended aren't those. Except there might've been a minor issue with Kona Aggressor a few years ago. But that post was more about mundane diving than anything wrong with the boat IIRC. Which I found hard to believe given that the Hawaiian Islands have one of the largest endemic fish populations in the world. But you have to know where to look...

Don't paint all of them with a broad "Aggressor" brush, I'd go on T/C Aggressor just strictly based on the reputation of the captain. She's been running the boat for years with excellent results.

I do agree with you about Aggressor management's complete disinterest in resolving problems after they occur. Unless you consider a $200 nitrox credit on a future trip adequate compensation...I don't.
 
liveaboards are great as long as you understand what you are getting into. you are a captive audience once onboard. have you spent a week on a small rocking platform where things just never dry completely?

like long leasurely strolls after supper?
how about eating at a different restaurant every meal?
like to window shop and people watch?
none of these will happen on a liveaboard.

like to dive easy (minimal gear lugging and setup as your bcd stays on your tank all week), your room is about 30 feet from your gear, all food is 15 feet from your room and you will have to constantly listen to the whole boat load of divers "talking shop". you will have the opportunity to make 5 dives a day, but you can skip as many as you want.

the belize sundancer is a great boat for new divers (skip the blue hole dive, it is short and boring). the t&c explorer has deeper dives so you may find your tank is too small.

also consider dock diving in bonaire. divi has gear lockers out on the dock. 15 feet is the farthest you will have to drag your gear. cap don and buddy also have good dock dive setups.
 
I've done several trips in the Caribbean on Explorer Venture boats and have been very happy with them. That said, just having your OW card could be a problem, as many of the dives are deeper than 60'. You might be able to pick up your AOW on the trip. I would certainly get in touch with them and talk about it. (The food has always been great, too!).
 
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