How to Pick the Best Liveaboard for Your Next Dive Vacation

[PADI Travel]

Diviac Travel A new article has been posted

How to Pick the Best Liveaboard for Your Next Dive Vacation

Continue reading the Original Article.

 

[KathyV]

Excellent article!

 

[Dan]

Thanks for writing a very thorough article about Liveaboard!

Hmm, that picture looks like the breathtaking view of Wayag & La Galigo Liveaboard from the top of one of the Wayag's islands, Northern Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia. I went with them on their Ultimate Raja Ampat trip 7 months ago.

I like it a lot & now setting up a trip with them for crossing from Ambon to Sorong through Banda & Raja Ampat, as posted here: One space on La Galigo Liveaboard to Banda & Raja Ampat in Nov 2017 with 15% discount

 

[beaverdivers]

Very informative. One thing I like to add to the list of things to bring: warm house slippers. Even if your diving in the tropics, the inside of the vessel may be cool. Slippers keep your feet warm & protected between dives. It is import to only wear them inside the vessel.

 

[gladyvibe1]

Diviac Travel A new article has been posted

How to Pick the Best Liveaboard for Your Next Dive Vacation

Continue reading the Original Article.

A very interesting and informative article!

 

[Mossman]

Swimming pools? Maybe if you count the Paul Gauguin as a liveaboard, but that's a stretch. Any others I don't know about?

 

[chillyinCanada]

Very informative. One thing I like to add to the list of things to bring: warm house slippers. Even if your diving in the tropics, the inside of the vessel may be cool. Slippers keep your feet warm & protected between dives. It is import to only wear them inside the vessel.

The boats I've been on have you remove your shoes and barefoot it until you leave. These have all been in very warm places.

I've got an lob coming up that will be slightly cooler conditions, perhaps I should consider this or slipper socks with the rubbery feet grips.

 

[drrich2]

One advantage of a live-aboard trip is the option for a 'turn key' trip. You can land at the airport, taxi to and from the boat, and...that's about it. Or nearly so. On the 2 I've done, the closest thing to a complication was the boat returned the evening before departure, and if you wanted more than snacks, you might have to decide where to grab supper in town one night.

It's like the polar opposite of some threads about where to stay & eat and who to dive with in Cozumel. No need to rent a car, drive on the 'wrong' side of the road in Grand Cayman, etc... It's not the preferred option for everyone, but the ease of trip planning can be sweet. If you're just there to dive.

Richard.

 

[Wingy]

A couple of things with this article and drrich's comment. Very much depends on where your desired LOB route is and your point of origin along with your perceptions on distance. I have never done a LOB that was flight taxi boat...4 - 6 flights has been the minimum standard trip for me - I think I peaked at 13 flights to dive somewhere..and I am not adverse to that. I wrote an article about willingness to travel...42 hours in transit is not beyond my level of comfort if the diving worth it.

Secondly, ChillyinCanada has a valid point. No LOB I've done, ship I've crewed on or yacht I've travelled on has had anything but a bare feet policy. There's a reason for that - safety. Id confine slippers to your cabin...the thought of a person coming up a companionway in slippers gives me shudders. Socks if you must and even then on carpeted areas only...a LOB with carpet everywhere and a swimming pool sounds a lot like a cruise ship.

 

[KathyV]

I have always gone barefoot on LOB trips until the last one a few years ago when I got a nasty infection in one foot. One of my toes turned red and very swollen and it hurt a lot. I thought that I was going to have to tell the captain that I needed to go back to shore to see a doctor but a crew member directed me to a supply of antibiotic ointment and bandages in the first aid drawer and I started treating myself. It got a little better and less painful.

I kept it clean, dry, medicated, and bandaged after dives and I wore socks or reef shoes. Nobody seemed to notice or care that I was not barefoot. I don't know how it got infected but I am sure that walking around with wet feet during much of the day didn't help. I saw the doctor as soon as I got home and it turned out that I had a combination of a bacterial and fungal infection and it was difficult to eradicate. We haven't done any recent LOB trips but I now take good care to keep my feet dry and protected as much as possible on dive vacations.

I am sure that this was just a fluke but it could ruin a dive trip so if you start to develop an infection on vacation, especially a LOB where you are far from medical aid, don't ignore it and ask for help if you need it.

And if you need to cover your feet, it isn't a big deal.