First liveaboard trip

[pughio83]

Hi all,

I am fairly new to liveaboards having only done a couple of 2 -3 day trips, but am looking to go with my friend in oct/november somewhere. I am a Dm with approx 200 dives (pitiful i know) and am looking for a good liveaboard trip, approx 10days if poss, on a nice boat (doesnt have to be 5 star but i dont really want a tin bucket),to somewhere with great diving, that has ideally good macro and a chance of some bigger stuff. Is this possible? i dont know? of course i know lembeh, raja ampat, ambon all have good macro. I have been looking at komodo as there seems to be a mix of the two.

If anyone has any ideas for a oct or nov trip it would be greatly appreciated to hear them as i am only used to land based diving and its not easy picking the right trip.

cheers

 

[farsidefan1]

I'd look at the Palau Aggressor since great diving would be my first priority. Some macro, tons of big stuff. Very nice boat and great staff. They know photography and will treat you and your gear right.

 

[vladimir]

My Komodo liveaboard trip was a little bit short on pelagics and sharks. We did see some, but not many. If they are a key ingredient to your enjoying the trip, Palau is a much safer bet, in my opinion.

 

[MA]

RA i actually spent most of the time looking at biggerbstuff: mantas and more mantas, schooling bumphead parrotfish, sharks whitetips, wobbegongs, walking shark, turtles, dogtooth tuna, more tuna, spanish mackerel etc. Etc plus macro,plus amazing corals. But its pricey....

 

[vladimir]

RA i actually spent most of the time looking at biggerbstuff: mantas and more mantas, schooling bumphead parrotfish, sharks whitetips, wobbegongs, walking shark, turtles, dogtooth tuna, more tuna, spanish mackerel etc. Etc plus macro,plus amazing corals. But its pricey....

RA = Raja Ampat, I believe. It's on the top of my list of places to go.

 

[beester]

I see you're from the UK. If I were you I would go to Egypt. I know I know... not really known for is macro stuff (at least not like the pacific triangle) however some remarks.

You've never been on a liveaboard so you don't know if you enjoy it or not. I think it's better to go on a cheapo Egyptian cruise first (at least cheap in comparison to Asian trips if you calculate airfair). You get to know the ropes regarding liveaboard diving.

You do have a chance to see bigger life in Egypt too. If you for example take a cruise to the Brothers Isles in combo with Elphinstone reef or Daedalus reef you're surely going to encounter big life. (hammerheads, oceanic whitetips, tresher maybe). A deep south cruise will give you alot of macro life and also the occasion for some bigger life.

Emperor divers is a good op for liveaboards in Egypt but there are many others.

 

[Luko]

Yes pughio, you're spot on : Komodo has a LOT to offer, either for macro, fish and extraordinary corals. Although I've never been to Raja Ampat, it's heard/read who have done both claiming it's probably the closest in terms of quality you can have for almost half the price.
Plus october might be the perfect season to reach both northern sites (blue water fish, corals and currents, mantas) and the southern sites (colder water, more soupy viz but incredible macro and reef life, like Cannibal rock area).

Mermaid II liveaboard usually gets many votes with european customers, I am sure there are many others worthwhile.

 

[highdesert]

I agree with beester, even though I'm an avowed Indonesia junkie ...

If you want to go to Indonesia, I'd say Komodo is a great intro to liveaboards with a pretty good range of marine life, though maybe light on pelagics (at certain times). But if the diving is more important than the location, just go to the southern Red Sea. Practically on your doorstep.

Re: Komodo ... October is indeed prime time to visit both the North and South. Cannibal Rock rates IMHO as one of the world's great dive sites.

 

[InTheDrink]

Two tips

1. If you're on a budget, do the 'Simply the best' aka 'Big Three' in the Red Sea, ideally in Oct/Nov. Big stuff. Ops: BlueOtwo, Emperor, Discovery. I've only been on the last two but they were really good operations (with caveats on both but isn't there always).
2. Cocos. If you're really flush then Cocos, same region as the Galapagos is amazing. Pricey but pretty amazing. Lots of big stuff and lots of close up action.

J

 

[Luko]

But if the diving is more important than the location, just go to the southern Red Sea.

C'mon... seriously HD... Red Sea is for us europeans what the Caribs are for you Americans.
Red Sea is great if you're out of money and easy to go, but it's been a while Red Sea diving has sunk IMO. Moreover I wouldn't recommand the Brothers or Elphinstone for a first timer, the Red Sea can be very - and I mean VERY- bad, sometimes the liveabaords are even canceled.
And let's get real : for macro.. the Red Sea sucks. If you say corals, that's fine (still Komodo is more impressive, not even speaking about Fiji), if you like iron in the water, the north is probably OK(and yet doesn't compare to S/Pacific WW2 area), but the rest is a step or two behind South East Asia and frankly there are are only a few world class sites remaining in the Red Sea area, most of them have been too often dived. Pelagics? Maybe an oceanic shark... but where are the mantas and the other sharks?
I quit diving in the Red Sea after my 6th trip in 2001, I haven't heard it has gotten better since, I am afraid it is worse.
The problem with South East Asia is that once you've been to the good places, everything else looks tame.

On the argument on having an intro to get the first ropes of a liveaboard, I am not sure either that the cowboy behaviors of some liveaboards going to the Brothers or on the northern wrecks for instance -and the kind of diver groups they attract too- are appropriate for a first timer while I feel, the asian liveaboards are more "gentle" in that respect... well I guess you understand me, you know how being a dive customer in Asia is, being taken care of...