Really? Another "Help Me Pick My Next Liveaboard Thread"?

[Dan]

If you're in western Canada you might want to consider Soccorro. Flight to San Jose del Cabo, where you board the boat, is only about 4 hours.

Might as well include Cocos & Galápagos as other options in the same Eastern Pacific region.

 

[Trailboss123]

I think I would consider Turks and Caicos given your parameters.

 

[rongoodman]

If you're in western Canada you might want to consider Soccorro. Flight to San Jose del Cabo, where you board the boat, is only about 4 hours.

Similar diving to Cocos Island but quite a bit cheaper, both the boat and the park fees.

 

[Hoag]

I would tend to agree with a couple of the recommendations that were made for places that were not on your list. I did a trip on the Turks and Caicos Explorer a few years ago and I loved it! It was not fancy, but it will very quickly feel like home. The crew are amazing and provide some of the most entertaining dive briefings in the business. Since you say that you like sharks, TCI tend to be very "sharky" and you will likely see Caribbean Reef Sharks every day. Since you are in Western Canada, both WestJet and Air Canada fly non-stop flights out of Toronto, so getting there is pretty easy.

The other one that was recommended that I would agree on was to the Socorro Islands. This location is known for "big stuff" such as Manta Rays and sharks. On the trip that I was on we saw Hammerheads, White Tip Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Silkies, Silver Tip Sharks and a whale Shark in addition to some very friendly Manta Rays. I can not recommend a boat. The boat that I did the trip on was the Solmar V and it was beautiful with mahogany trim and frosted glass panels in the main salon. The rooms (cabins), however extremely tiny. If that is not a problem, then the Solmar V is a great boat. If you like a little more room, then another boat (there are a few options) might be a better fit. Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the boats that do the run out to the Socorro Islands might be going to the Sea of Cortez when you want to go and that could also be a very good option.

Good luck and have a great trip no matter where you go.

 

[Statick]

Everybody - thanks so much for all of the great input. If you can, keep it coming, this is helpful in making a decision.

Palau should certainly be the best diving of those.

So this list is based on places said to be Zika free? (Presumably not based on avoiding hurricane season...

I don't know of other liveaboard options. The Kona Aggressor was an enjoyable trip all around and is mostly diving a different area than what you've probably done. And you would likely get in more dives than you would land-based, which is an advantage of liveaboards in some places. I tend to agree about the diving - sounds like you've hit a lot of highlights there. The land based diving we've done in Hawaii all seems much more memorable that most of what we did from the Aggressor.

I agree. We did an extended 2 week trip on the Aquacat and while it was a great boat and trip overall, the diving itself was not that good. The sharks are the best attraction, that's nice if it's what you're really into, but I'm more of a reef and critter person. There are some unique dives and shore excursions available that make the trip interesting, and if your wife actually wanted to go on the whole trip it's a pretty good boat for a non-diver, as liveaboards go.

I personally wouldn't try to guess whether it is the right place for anyone I don't know. It sounds like you have a decent amount of experience and people go there with less. A lot there is about comfort with currents and related skills.

Some people feel if dives can be done from shore it's not worth taking a liveaboard. Others prefer the convenience and routine of a liveaboard and don't see a problem with that. One advantage of a liveaboard in Cayman is that it's hard and/or expensive to do 4-5 dives a day land-based, unless you are making the effort to do alot of shore diving. And it has the advantage, weather permitting, of diving Grand and the sister islands, weather permitting the crossing (the odds of which are a frequent subject of discussion on this board.) It seems like a relatively easy place for your wife to meet you and have some nice beach time.

It's good to know that I'm not totally wrong about Hawaii and the Bahamas as options. My initial list above list is indeed based on Zika (more on this in my response below to outofofficebrb) and not hurricane season... I figure that late in Hurricane season, things should be fairly safe, but maybe I should consider booking it for later in November. You make a valid point about the convenience, atmosphere and cost of a liveaboard; it's not simply about the perceived value proposition of being able to access certain dive sites.

And you're absolutely right about not being able to gauge if Palau is the right choice for me based on diving. I'm wondering... as I've detailed all the places where I've dived, could you compare the current that could be encountered in Palau to any of the places I've been? Parts of the Red Sea have some decent current, but the most I experienced might be the backwall of Molokini.

For Palau, here is my trip report for your review: December 24-31, 2017 Palau Trip Report

Thanks for posting that review, it is rather helpful in seeing what Palau would be like. If not for Zika, my short-list would certainly include Indonesia, Thailand and Maldives, but hopefully I'll consider those ones in a few years.

Palau is supposed to have the best diving of the ones listed, according to someone I know that has dived all those places. I would pass on Hawaii as that is something you could more easily get to even with a young child for land based diving and to be honest, I find the diving a bit underwhelming considering the prices of accom/food/boat dives. I was also underwhelmed with the Bahamas unless you are after pelagics (sharks!). My vote would be for Palau or Cayman. I have friends who have really enjoyed Cayman, though it is not inexpensive either.

Now for the bad news... Zika Travel Information | Travelers' Health | CDC

The only place you listed that actually does not have Zika is Hawaii. @Dan_T Indonesia is said to have Zika. Countries or regions in purple are current or have had Zika cases reported in the past. Yellow and green are the ones the OP should shoot for. Here is the official list:

I do enjoy pelagics; I'm actually more into the big fauna than the small stuff, and perhaps even moreso than wrecks. But my train of thought is along the lines of what you're saying in terms of narrowing it down to Palau and the Caymans.

You're too considerate of a chap to go the length of posting the CDC's current Zika listing, thanks very much. Having talked to a few physicians, I understand that the way the CDC presents this information isn't necessarily the best for my own assessment. Meaning to say, this shows where there was previously Zika, and therefore it could still be transmitted, in theory. But for me, I'm mostly just concerned with where I might get it specifically from the mosquitoes. And while it's a daunting proposition to trust one's government, the following link is meant to be a list of where there is currently risk of transmission, hence my inclusion of Palau and the Caymans...

Zika virus: Zika-affected countries or areas - Canada.ca

I did the Turks & Caicos aggressor, and although I have nothing to gauge it against, absolutely loved it & would recommend.

You would be looking at the end of hurricane season, so keep that in mind, but as far as I know they are Zika free and never had any reported cases on the islands, although I do see them on the list posted above. We were there & stayed a week on Grace Bay Beach in October of 2018 and did not see or hear of a single mosquito.

Good mix of reefs, pelagics, "other" critters and beautiful scenery. From what I have read of some other liveaboards, the T & C boat is very nice & clean and the crew was awesome. Food was great.

Plenty of flights going there daily and travel time should not be too bad. I would guess about 8 hours from western Canada.

Big plus for your land based wife too, Providenciales and Grace Bay Beach are safe & beautiful for relaxing.

Best of luck with your trip and with growing your family!!!!!

Spot on, something like T&C or the Caymans is easy for my wife to join at the end of the trip. Unfortunately, T&C does show up in the link I posted above as a country which currently has risk of Zika.

If you're in western Canada you might want to consider Soccorro. Flight to San Jose del Cabo, where you board the boat, is only about 4 hours.

I keep hearing so many good things about Socorro, Guadalupe and Cocos. I think the Zika risk may rule these out for my next trip, but I'd love to get around in the next few years. From what I'm told, these are all places for more experienced divers... fair statement?

Overall, I was underwhelmed by the Cayman Aggressor, about the same time of year as your trip will be Cayman Aggressor V, November 24-December 1, 2018 Of course, my comparisons for LOBs are the Red Sea, Cocos, and the Galapagos.

I have done Turks and Caicos from land, a liveaboard would be ideal, Aggressor or Explorer.

Many thanks for sharing your experience of that boat, it's the one I'm considering. Sticking to only those heavily-dived sites around Grand Cayman would be pretty middling. And as I'm considering the same time of year, maybe I'd be in for something similar.

If Zika is your most concern to go on diving & non diving vacation that’s going to be tough choice really. There is none I see to be a good place to go in green area. Australia, particularly in Cairns may be OK in the yellow area. Palau & Indonesia are in the same Purple area.

Yes, so many of the great places for diving are off-limits for me because of this! I didn't think of a liveaboard around Australia, perhaps because I've been there before (almost 10 years ago) and you hear so much about the bleaching of the reef. But maybe I should consider a liveaboard out to Cod Hole or maybe something on the west coast.

I think I would consider Turks and Caicos given your parameters.

A lot of folks are saying this in this thread... T&C shows up as a place with risk of Zika on the CDC website and the link I posted from the Government of Canada, but am I missing something? Is there actually much less risk?

Also, would you rate the diving around T&C better than the Caymans (or similar spots in the Caribbean)?

 

[Statick]

out of that list, the palau aggressor would be significantly better diving if you don't mind some of the sites having a bit of current.

This is an awkward thing to ask, but can you elaborate on what you mean by "a bit"?

I did the Turks & Caicos aggressor, and although I have nothing to gauge it against, absolutely loved it & would recommend.

You would be looking at the end of hurricane season, so keep that in mind, but as far as I know they are Zika free and never had any reported cases on the islands, although I do see them on the list posted above. We were there & stayed a week on Grace Bay Beach in October of 2018 and did not see or hear of a single mosquito.

Good mix of reefs, pelagics, "other" critters and beautiful scenery. From what I have read of some other liveaboards, the T & C boat is very nice & clean and the crew was awesome. Food was great.

Plenty of flights going there daily and travel time should not be too bad. I would guess about 8 hours from western Canada.

Big plus for your land based wife too, Providenciales and Grace Bay Beach are safe & beautiful for relaxing.

Best of luck with your trip and with growing your family!!!!!

Thanks for the well wishes! And yet another recommendation for T&C. I'm curious, what's your basis for saying that T&C is free of Zika?

I would tend to agree with a couple of the recommendations that were made for places that were not on your list. I did a trip on the Turks and Caicos Explorer a few years ago and I loved it! It was not fancy, but it will very quickly feel like home. The crew are amazing and provide some of the most entertaining dive briefings in the business. Since you say that you like sharks, TCI tend to be very "sharky" and you will likely see Caribbean Reef Sharks every day. Since you are in Western Canada, both WestJet and Air Canada fly non-stop flights out of Toronto, so getting there is pretty easy.

The other one that was recommended that I would agree on was to the Socorro Islands. This location is known for "big stuff" such as Manta Rays and sharks. On the trip that I was on we saw Hammerheads, White Tip Reef Sharks, Galapagos Sharks, Silkies, Silver Tip Sharks and a whale Shark in addition to some very friendly Manta Rays. I can not recommend a boat. The boat that I did the trip on was the Solmar V and it was beautiful with mahogany trim and frosted glass panels in the main salon. The rooms (cabins), however extremely tiny. If that is not a problem, then the Solmar V is a great boat. If you like a little more room, then another boat (there are a few options) might be a better fit. Another thing to keep in mind is that some of the boats that do the run out to the Socorro Islands might be going to the Sea of Cortez when you want to go and that could also be a very good option.

Good luck and have a great trip no matter where you go.

Whether it's sooner or it's later, I think I need to get to T&C. Aside from that, can you elaborate on the experience required to dive the Socorro Islands? As far as I know, it's off my list for the next trip because of Zika, but it would be good to know.

 

[Aviyes]

This might be helpful info on mosquitoes for T&C. Looks like the last known Zika case on the islands was 2.5 years ago.

I went on the T&C Explorer the first week of May last year and had a blast.

 

[Hoag]

Whether it's sooner or it's later, I think I need to get to T&C. Aside from that, can you elaborate on the experience required to dive the Socorro Islands? As far as I know, it's off my list for the next trip because of Zika, but it would be good to know.

I found diving in the Socorro Islands really easy, although it has been known to have some pretty strong currents, I did not experience any. The basics of the trip go with some variation of this:
Fly into Cabo Airport and take shuttle into Cabo San Lucas (about 45 minutes to an hour) the day before the boat leaves.
The day of departure, meet at the boat. (When I did it, we stayed in a hotel near the marina so we just walked to the boat.)
Board the boat. Get the safety briefing and leave Cabo.
Roughly 24 hours later, you arrive at the archipelago. There are 3 or 4 main islands but you will never set foot on them.
Spend the next several days diving. Because you are about 240nm from the mainland, expect the boat to require fairly conservative profiles (no deeper than 100 feet) to minimize the risk of DCS. During this time, you will likely dive off of San Benidicto, Socorro, and Roca Partida. Almost all of the diving will be off of "zodiaks". After the diving is done, it is a 24 hour trip back to Cabo for an overnight stay.

The only time that you spend on or really even near dry land is the time that you spend in Cabo, and IIRC, that area is a desert. I am not a doctor nor do I have any expertise in tropical diseases, but I would imagine that the risk from Zika would be relatively low on this trip, but you would have to assess the potential risk for you and your family and only you can do that.

 

[Redfoot]

As a few have said, I am not a doctor or travel consultant- but from my research and personal experience, I did not see or hear of a single mosquito in the 2 separate weeks I spent on and around Providenciales in the past year.

Here is a good link from the TCI Visitor Website: (great website for any travel planning FYI)
Mosquitoes in the Turks and Caicos | Visit Turks and Caicos Islands

And direct from that:

Note: (March 2019) The US Federal health institute CDC has removed the Zika level 2 travel advisory regarding in the Turks and Caicos. There are now no Turks and Caicos Zika travel warnings.

But still, you and your family are the only one who can make that decision for yourselves.

Best of luck

 

[runsongas]

This is an awkward thing to ask, but can you elaborate on what you mean by "a bit"?

a few of the sites are generally done when there is a current for hook ins. namely peleliu, blue corner, and ulong channel. it can range from a gentle drift to that time i went from peleliu to orange beach. if you get blown off the corner at peleliu or blue corner, you run into a down current as you crest over the far edge of the plateau.