How do I find a liveaboard that will let me dive MY way?

[zf2nt]

Let me start by saying I absolutely love Truth Aquatics (Truth Aquatics: The Best In Liveaboard Diving, Island Kayaking and Hiking). Every year I take at least one liveaboard trip with them to the CA Channel Islands, and those trips are great. They will anchor the boat in a new dive site, give a couple of minutes long briefing to orient the divers to the topography of the site, and then "open the gate". That means you can go diving whenever you want, with whomever you want, and go wherever you want, as long as you don't try to enter the water after the preannounced time when the gate will close. Typically, you get about 4 hours to do as much (or as little) diving in the vicinity of the boat as you want. The DM's on the boat don't even get in the water; they stay on the boat to watch for anybody needing help getting back to the boat.

So my question is how to find a similar kind of operation for tropical Pacific diving? I just got back from a 10 day liveaboard trip on the Komodo Aggressor and had a perfectly miserable time because they required all divers to stay with a group lead by a divemaster. The perspective of the DM's seemed to be that since they were responsible for our safety, they got to set the rules which insured nobody could hurt themselves. I disagree with that. I am responsible for my own safety. I would like to find a liveaboard--most preferably in Raja Ampat, but I can be flexible--which agrees with that philosophy and will give me the freedom to go dive on my own. (Yes, with my lifelong dive buddy: my wife. And within recreational limits, etc., etc. I just want to go at my own speed and go where I want.)

If need be, I'm willing to eat C-rations and drink paddy water. In other words, I don't really care how great the food is. I don't want a massage at the end of the day, and I would be willing to sleep in a bunk room. But I do NOT want to have to tag along behind some kid who doesn't have a fraction of the time in the water I do. How do I find an operation that will let me do that?

I have browsed dozens of web pages for Raja Ampat liveaboards, an none of them will talk about how they conduct their diving. They all go on and on about their great food, their masseuse, their luxurious cabins, the ambiance of the boat, etc., etc. But they never talk about the diving! I've even written to a few of them asking the hard questions, and after going back and forth a few times I learn they will conduct their diving the same way the Komodo Aggressor did. Nuts! I'd rather not go diving than have to tag along with a group.

Any leads would be greatly appreciated.

Bruce

 

[Darnold9999]

Damia I and II.

If you are competent in the water you can dive as you wish. There are guides to help you spot critters, one guide for four guests, but if you want to dive on your own with no guide (once they know you are competent) you can dive as you want. I found that I did about half the dives with a guide and otherwise was solo. I did typically enter the water with another couple and a guide, but normally went off on my own fairly quickly - depending on the site and what I was looking for. Also typically met up with the guide and the other couple for part of the dive, but this was a function of the sites more than planning.

The dive window is shorter than 4 hours as the boats move between sites so it is rare to do multiple dives on a single site but otherwise this could be what you are looking for.

Something to consider is that the guides may have fewer dives than you in total, but they have far more dives in that part of the world and really do know where to look for the things that you will want to see. The first trip to RA I couldn't imagine doing it without a guide for at least part of the trip. Without a guide you will not see much of the life that survives by camoflage.

 

[zf2nt]

Thanks for the pointer. I will look into it.

I understand your point about the guides, but still would rather go look on my own. To me, part of the joy of diving is discovery. If somebody else finds a frogfish and points it out to me, it's his, not mine. I didn't find myself, so I don't even feel entitled to take a photo of it. To me, there's little more irritating than a divemaster swimming around with a tank banger trying to generate excitement in order to hustle tips.

 

[Wookie]

Charter the whole thing....

 

[Akimbo]

Probably the best known boat for treating you like an adult is the Odyssey in Truk. Solo and/or decompression diving is your choice. They do want a Nitrox card for up to 40% and an Advanced Nitrox for up to 100% Oxygen. You can request double 80s with an isolation manifold plus a slung 30 Ft³ pony at no additional cost.

 

[Nirvana]

I don't know if this part of the Pacific interests you, but the Nautilus Explorer in the Revillagigedo archipelago offers an excellent service. They do provide a dive master to guide you, but you are free to choose to conduct your own dive. You cannot choose the exact moment you dive, though, you must go in the three to four scheduled dive times. And there is one room with a bunk bed.

 

[sphyrnidus]

Check out the Siren fleet. They let you do your own diving if you want it or guide you if that's what you prefer.

 

[zf2nt]

I went back and forth via email with somebody representing the Indo Siren, and in the end it sounded like they were still pretty controlling. The exact words were,

"Our cruise director is responsible for the safety of our guests (and for the safety reputation of our fleet) and will learn about the diving skills of our guests during the first few dives. First after that can be decided, who will dive with who and who will be allowed to dive without a dive guide."

That's a step in the right direction, but just saying they are responsible for the safety of the guests doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling. I'm still looking!

 

[Akimbo]

Here is a small part of an excellent review (I added red emphasis):

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/pa...uk-lagoon-trip-report-photos.html#post5696584

…The Odyssey. As RJP once wrote – to dive on the Odyssey is to ruin any future trip you might take on a liveaboard. I cannot think of anything that they could have done much better (at least, not without the ability to clone Jessica Alba). It starts with the opening dive briefing: “On this boat ‘deco’ is not a four letter word’ On this boat ‘solo’ is not a four letter word. You dive how you are comfortable diving. If you want guides, we will provide them. If you want to dive alone, we just ask that you do not die. We will treat you like adults until you prove otherwise.” And basically they do. The boat visits two or three wrecks per day. And once they say “the pool is open” you can dive as often as you like until they move on. You can ask for a guide if you like, but they are equally happy for you to go off alone. Realistically, you have the opportunity to do up to five dives a day. They refill your tanks almost immediately after each dive. Between dives are either meals or beverages and snacks. Warm fluffy towels were in inexhaustible supply. The crew are charming and friendly. It was eat, sleep, dive in maximum comfort and on spectacular wrecks. Food was pretty good too. Almost everyone dived without a guide unless they were penetrating. The guides were highly knowledgeable, and always on the wrecks buzzing around if you needed them, but they certainly did not bother you...

 

[Darnold9999]

Thanks for the pointer. I will look into it.

I understand your point about the guides, but still would rather go look on my own. To me, part of the joy of diving is discovery. If somebody else finds a frogfish and points it out to me, it's his, not mine. I didn't find myself, so I don't even feel entitled to take a photo of it. To me, there's little more irritating than a divemaster swimming around with a tank banger trying to generate excitement in order to hustle tips.

Agree completely. Feel much the same way, and now that I have done a few trips to the South Pacific I pretty much dive on my own and appreciate anything I find far more than if found by a guide. However I did find that having a guide to point out the stuff that is very well hidden was well worth spending some time with them to learn how to find things.

Re Siren, I have done one trip with them and found no issues diving without a guide once they were comfortable with my skills. (think it took one dive) Not as much freedom as Damai, you had to dive at the scheduled times, but given the logistics of diving from skiffs not much of a surprise there. On Damia you have 4 divers on the skiff on Siren 8. Damia would run you out to the dive site alone if you wanted to, when you wanted to. Siren had a schedule. Having said all of that we ended up diving to a schedule on Damai anyway as it was just easier to dive that way.