The Caribbean Explorer that dives Saba and St Kitts is a moderately priced LOB that provides good diving
Looking for a budget liveaboard for 2020 summer or fall
- Thread starter bvbellomo
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Cuan Law might be a good option. Get a cheap flight to St Thomas (there's a lot of them,. major cruise port) then for about $100 r/t take the fast ferry to Tortola to board the boat. It can easily be done in one morning/afternoon.
They run around the BVI's which is shallower good diving. Some sharks, lots of nice reef, turtles, rays, the Rhone is an easy wreck dive - I also don't like wrecks but liked it. Painted Walls is a really good dive also.
It's a BIG ship, dwarfs anything in the area. Tender diving to get you in close in some locations. On board they have jetski's and hobie cats p;us they do several land excursions during the week. All the cabins are ensuite, shared but beds not bunks (big cabins) and the lounge is huge.
Cheap places with good to excellent diving are Cozumel. Roatan and Utila. Roatan's West End is a great value, everything from hostels to over $100/nt suites. Many of the smaller resorts are in the $40-70/nt range and include kitchens. Boats are kept across the street, food is very cheap to moderate, and dives are 10 boat dives for $350-400. We did not need a car all week, the cab from the airport is $25 and if you want to see other parts of the island, most cab rides I took were under $10-15. Flights are a little higher than some areas - probably around $800 r/t if you book early.
Utila is much more of the same but smaller. Everything is in town and it's a big DM training location so lots of small resorts with their own dive operations on site. No need for a car there either and unless it's changed, the red pickup at the airport is your taxi - one of few trucks on island.
Alice at Worldwide Travel lives there and can arrange the local flights for you. All have to be done during the day, Utila airport has no lights.
I personally thought the diving was better on Utila.
www.aboututila.com
You get there either thru Roatan (ferry or puddle jumper) or either from the mainland which is cheaper. Try Not to stay overnight in San Pedro Sula or if you have to don't go out at night - not safe. Even the US World Cup team was told that.
Either one is better than what you dove in the Bahamas. BB is good value but they can't get to the best diving during the week.
You could also do pretty well on Curacao but it's all interesting small stuff, no sharks, a few rays, lots of eels. One option there is shore diving with the Dive Bus or Bas Harts, both pickup in town. Bigger island, more to do at night and should be relatively cheap direct flights from MIA/ATL. Nice beaches most of which are dive sites, at some like Porto Mari it should be easy to find a buddy. Boat Dives are more expensive though. There you'd want a car. www.curacao.com
They run around the BVI's which is shallower good diving. Some sharks, lots of nice reef, turtles, rays, the Rhone is an easy wreck dive - I also don't like wrecks but liked it. Painted Walls is a really good dive also.
It's a BIG ship, dwarfs anything in the area. Tender diving to get you in close in some locations. On board they have jetski's and hobie cats p;us they do several land excursions during the week. All the cabins are ensuite, shared but beds not bunks (big cabins) and the lounge is huge.
Cheap places with good to excellent diving are Cozumel. Roatan and Utila. Roatan's West End is a great value, everything from hostels to over $100/nt suites. Many of the smaller resorts are in the $40-70/nt range and include kitchens. Boats are kept across the street, food is very cheap to moderate, and dives are 10 boat dives for $350-400. We did not need a car all week, the cab from the airport is $25 and if you want to see other parts of the island, most cab rides I took were under $10-15. Flights are a little higher than some areas - probably around $800 r/t if you book early.
Utila is much more of the same but smaller. Everything is in town and it's a big DM training location so lots of small resorts with their own dive operations on site. No need for a car there either and unless it's changed, the red pickup at the airport is your taxi - one of few trucks on island.
Alice at Worldwide Travel lives there and can arrange the local flights for you. All have to be done during the day, Utila airport has no lights.
I personally thought the diving was better on Utila.
www.aboututila.com
You get there either thru Roatan (ferry or puddle jumper) or either from the mainland which is cheaper. Try Not to stay overnight in San Pedro Sula or if you have to don't go out at night - not safe. Even the US World Cup team was told that.
Either one is better than what you dove in the Bahamas. BB is good value but they can't get to the best diving during the week.
You could also do pretty well on Curacao but it's all interesting small stuff, no sharks, a few rays, lots of eels. One option there is shore diving with the Dive Bus or Bas Harts, both pickup in town. Bigger island, more to do at night and should be relatively cheap direct flights from MIA/ATL. Nice beaches most of which are dive sites, at some like Porto Mari it should be easy to find a buddy. Boat Dives are more expensive though. There you'd want a car. www.curacao.com
Damselfish
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The Caribbean Explorer seems frequently discounted so watch for deals if you’re interested in that one.
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OP
bvbellomo
Contributor
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I will be choosing something outside the Caribbean/Atlantic for my next trip. Nothing wrong with those locations, and I may go there for my 3rd trip, but I want something different for my 2nd.
outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
I would go with Red Sea or Komodo for that trip given the time period you want to travel within. I would suggest Red Sea and save Indonesia for later.
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