Liveaboards on a Budget- a Possibility?

[Jax]

Hey all. I'm a relatively new diver looking to better grasp my range of destinations. I've generally found that for around $1300 to $2000 you can spend a solid week falling off the back of the boat along with a hotel and 3 squares in a variety of places (not including air fare, at least).

Are there decent liveaboard ops for around that price? I'd love to spend a solid week or two out at sea sometime, but my budget won't support my other diving ventures if I soak it all up with one liveaboard trip at sea.

Also- thoughts and suggestions? I'm looking to see bigger fish, as well. I'm a shark nut, so anybody with an inside scoop on hammerheads, tigers, and white shark oriented liveaboards, please do share.

Thoughts?

+1 on the Spree!

Week-long in June is $1629 - great food and accommodations, and up to five dives a day. Well run, very safe, and he's looking to hit up Cuba when it's opened!
June schedule: June

 

[BDSC]

Here you go.

Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving: Specials

Act fast if anything looks good. $500 off a Turks & Caicos trip is a great deal for the fall.

 

[Centrals]

There are indeed a few boats in Thailand that are pretty similar to this except for the food (mainly aimed at the Thai diver market rather than divers from outsider Thailand--the DMs don't speak English, etc.), and there are also nice boats in the PI. It's just that in Thailand, for the price the OP is looking at, the boats are not terribly basic. The boats in the PI in the budget price range are somewhat more basic. The PI boats in this price category (I will not name names) are typically liveaboard bangka boats rather than the sort of liveaboard that is common elsewhere.....

The OP was asking a week of solid diving around US$1,300.00 to 2,000.00 on liveaboard.
Regs Two(out rigger) in Philippines offers a solid 5 days trip to Apo Reef and Coron for less than US$1,500.00. Lunch, dinner, snack, drinking water, beer(unlimited), soft drink, fruit, breakfast, nitrox all included.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Well you are from Texas. Here is what I have found about liveaboard options:

1) Liveaboards in LA and Catalina. These range from 450 to 600 and offer 3 days of diving. Since it is cold water diving you are best diving a drysuit but in summers wetsuit isfine too.

2) Ultimate Getaway and MV Spree: These boats go out of Florida to Drytortugas. Both are very good trips for under 1000.

3) Blackbeards: It leaves out of Bahamas and gets you a week of diving for a little over 1000. Fee and tax included.

All these trips should be a lot of fun provided you are not expecting hotel like living conditions. I have been on Ultimate Getaways and it was a lot of fun with a really nice bunch of people. I dont mind living in such close proximity with folks if the people are so nice. We spend a lot of time submerged so life on the boat is not that important.

 

[TSandM]

We have done two trips on the MV Tala in the Red Sea, and the more expensive one was $1400 for a week. The boat is not deluxe but is very comfortable. The food is good and plentiful, but the big draw of the Tala is the diving. You can do anything you can imagine -- Nitrox, trimix, scooters, technical or recreational, with or without a guide. The dive deck crew is sharp and efficient and very warm and friendly, and the RIB pilots are very good at their jobs. Faisal Khalaf, who owns the boat, is an absolute kick, and his goal for the trips is that everyone on the boat have as much fun as is humanly possible. I can't imagine being able to have a better time on a liveaboard, than you can have on the Tala.

 

[farsidefan1]

Control costs, lots of sharks, sounds like the Bahamas to me.You could use your flight savings to book the Aqua Cat. Noted for large rooms. Your overall costs will be similar to a longer trip and crappier boat.

 

[AH_Matt]

Sorry to bump the thread after so long. What is it about the liveaboard that attracts you? When I was in St. Thomas USVI last March I was getting between 2 and 4 dives in a day and still got to sleep in an awesome condo at night. I went out with three different operations (all great) and saw a wide variety of sites. My costs were ~$80/night (food & bed) +dive fees (anywhere from $10/dive from the shore to $100/for 2 boat dives). This is roughly comparable to the costs for a liveaboard; but I also got to watch TV, swim in the private pool, and snuggle with my sweetie. All said, a much better value than many of the boats.

Of course, I spent more than three years at sea so perhaps the novelty is lost on me.

 

[chrpai]

You're in Dallas, have you considered the ScubaToys BlackBeard's trip in September? I've booked it out of Austin, TX and my *entire* budget is $1,600 for the week.

Blackbeards Cruise September 7th 2013 discounts on sale ScubaToys

Airfare out of Austin for Fri - Fri is $344 on JetBlue (1 bag included).

$939 Cruise ( Tax and Fee Included )
$344 Air
$ 50 share room night before
$180 20% crew tip
$ 50 fun money
---------------
$1563

 

[TSandM]

I personally adore being on a liveaboard. I like living on a boat, to begin with; I sleep better on the ocean than anywhere else. I love the simplicity of setting your gear up once and just dropping the reg between dives for fills. I love not having a rental car to deal with, or any meals to cook, and the fact that all the expenses were paid in advance so I'm not totting up the costs of each meal and drink. I love being on deck at night and looking up at a sky that more full of stars than you will ever seen from a land-based operation. I love that you can do fairly far-flung sites without having to pack up your stuff and move somewhere.

If I had more money, I'd spend a LOT of time on liveaboards.

 

[tdtaylor]

I have not read the above, but know MANY people who have dove with Blackbeard's multiple times in the Caribbean. It is more like camping on a dive trip, but cheap with a lot of good dive venues. Highly recommended among my fellow divers if the basics is all you need or desire.

I am on my third trip with the Aqua Cat, the same group that owns the Blackbeard, but a completely different experience and price- wonderful amenities, large cabins and personal service. And twice the price. But the group running both is first class, as I experienced first hand in their dealing with Hurricane Sandy last year while I was on the boat.

Terry

---------- Post added April 3rd, 2013 at 06:54 PM ----------

I personally adore being on a liveaboard. I like living on a boat, to begin with; I sleep better on the ocean than anywhere else. I love the simplicity of setting your gear up once and just dropping the reg between dives for fills. I love not having a rental car to deal with, or any meals to cook, and the fact that all the expenses were paid in advance so I'm not totting up the costs of each meal and drink. I love being on deck at night and looking up at a sky that more full of stars than you will ever seen from a land-based operation. I love that you can do fairly far-flung sites without having to pack up your stuff and move somewhere.

If I had more money, I'd spend a LOT of time on liveaboards.

Having finally read the thread, I could not put it better than TSandM. Except during a hurricane