Liveaboards!?!

[racerbruce]

I'm planning on going a liveaboard dive boat in the caribbean this summer sometime, what's the scoop? Who has the best value for the buck?Is there a better time to go to certain locations, than others? Who's great/ who sucks?

 

[Damselfish]

The definition of "Value" and "great" kinda depends on what matters to you and everyone will have their own favorites. I think Peter Hughes and Aggressor are great in general but are some of the more expensive boats. Lots of people enjoy/prefer the Nekton and Explorer boats which are also good and somewhat less expensive. Lots of people love Blackbeard's, it's cheap and they have fun, but it's described as "camping at sea." (I wouldn't consider it great or a good value for me as it's not my thing no matter how cheap. YMMV.) Of course there's other boats too. Have you looked through the "Charter Boats, Cruises & Liveaboards" forum yet at http://www.scubaboard.com/forumdisplay.php?f=207 - if you do some reading there you should be able to get a better idea of what you might be interested in and and ask specific questions about.

Summer is nice to dive anywhere in the Carribean - the water will be at it's warmest and calmest - unless things are affected by a tropical storm system. It's true you're unlikely to get hit directly on any given time and place, but even a storm some distance away can muck up conditions. So it's worth keeping hurricane season in mind.

 

[DiveMaven]

I have to agree that it's basically impossible to say one liveaboard is "better" for everyone than others. We have a Nekton cruise booked for later this year in Belize and chose them over the Aggressor fleet mostly based on perceived value for us. I posted my reasons for choosing Nekton in a post on the "cruises" forum if you are interested.

 

[mike_s]

I'm planning on going a liveaboard dive boat in the caribbean this summer sometime, what's the scoop? Who has the best value for the buck?Is there a better time to go to certain locations, than others? Who's great/ who sucks?

Most people will tell you the "best value" in a liveaboard is the Blackbeards sailboats that depart out of Miami for the Bahamas for typically 1 week trips. These run somwhere around $800/week + a few fees and tips. (they all have fees and tips, typically customs fees and crew tips). note this is a 65 foot boat though with 20 other divers and you get a "bunk". Kinda like "camping at sea" they say. Great diving, but if you want more privacy, might not be for your.

For a short 3-4 day liveaboard, check out the Ultimate Getaway which does trips out of Ft Myers to the Dry Tortugas.

The Nekton boats do FL departures to the Bahamas.

The Agressor Fleet does trips in the Caymans and other caribbean locations.

There are several other "smaller" indepenedent operators also who do trips.

Just depends on where you want to go.

 

[JRO]

My personal favorites have been;

The Turks and Caicos Explorer
and
The Bahamas Cay Sal Banks aboard the Nekton Rorqual

 

[chuck e]

My personal favorites have been;

The Turks and Caicos Explorer
and
The Bahamas Cay Sal Banks aboard the Nekton Rorqual

I would say the Nekton Bahamas itinerarys provide the best value for the buck. If value is high a high priority, you have to factor in the air. ORD to FLL is a lot cheaper than to Provo, Belize, etc. If I had enough miles on American, I would go for the T&C Explorer. But there's no bad diving whereever you go, and all liveaboards mentioned here are first rate.

 

[MN Lakeman]

I just booked my newly certified daughter & I on a trip on the new itinerary of the Explorer I, leaving Georgetown, Bahamas mid-May. They have a special - $200 off normal affordable rates for months of April & May. Check out website:

http://www.caribexplorer.com/cex1html/bahamasindex.html

I was able to get GREAT airfare w/ AA to boot!

 

[OzzyBSK]

I did the Black Beard trip last year. The diving was great but the living conditions were tough. Maybe I'm becoming a wuss in my old age but I need some creature comforts on my vacation. I just booked Nekton for June this year. I was told that it will be a different experence. Has anybody ever been on a Nekton trip? What should I expect. I will be diving Cay Lobos. Thanks.

 

[chuck e]

I did the Black Beard trip last year. The diving was great but the living conditions were tough. Maybe I'm becoming a wuss in my old age but I need some creature comforts on my vacation. I just booked Nekton for June this year. I was told that it will be a different experence. Has anybody ever been on a Nekton trip? What should I expect. I will be diving Cay Lobos. Thanks.

You can well expect creature comforts and great diving. I did the Cay Sal trip on the Pilot in 2003, only 12 passengers and had a great time. They supply everything except alcohol but will stop at a liquor store/market for you to pick up what you want and then store it on ice for the week. Have a great trip!
Chuck