Solo Liveaboard Travel

[Kirgan]

Hello all,

I have not dove with many people. Mainly my wife, my instructor and briefly a friend who went diving with me and my wife a couple of times. I now find myself in a situation where my wife understandably doesn't plan on diving any more (although she wishes she could), because of a back injury. This happened right after when we were supposed to go on our first liveaboard (Hawaii), which got canceled due to the pandemic and then as I am sure everyone knows - shutdown afterwards. We had hoped to make liveaboards at least a bi-annual tradition.

Anyway, I am now thinking about planning my first liveaboard trip, but I will be traveling solo if I do. I am wondering what that would be like. I figure most people have traveling companions on these trips. I am not sure how I would like just trying to tag a long and being a third wheel on someone's dive vacation. Has anyone else traveled solo on a liveaboard? Did you just try to find someone on board when you arrive that let you dive with them or did you hire a dive guide (just to have a dive buddy) or do you just try and find a dive buddy by trying to arrange a trip with someone on ScubaBoard who also travels solo?

 

[rongoodman]

I travel solo all the time and liveaboards are great for that. Sometimes impromptu groups form and hang together for the week but I’ve never felt pressured to find one to dive with. I usually end up just following the DM.

 

[Damselfish]

Its pretty common to run into solo travelers on LOBs, or solo divers traveling with a non-diver. There will probably be people to buddy with or you can dive with the DM. (A new LOB buddy is probably a better bet than a day boat instabuddy.) On a LOB you’ll get to know the people. There will probably be couples where one person wants to dive more than the other, and might welcome someone to dive with. Or the impromptu group thing. It all works out somehow.

Group trips through SB, dive shops, etc can work well, there’s typically other people in the same situation as you.

 

[Green Frog]

I’m considering a trip next year with Blackbeard out of Nassau. One of the things in their advertisements that caught my eye was mention that solo divers were welcome. I dove with them about 25 years ago when a group from our now defunct LDS went together. Back then, we made up about half of the crew with the rest in ones and twos. On that trip at least, things went great and those of us in the group and the others all blended pretty seamlessly with the exception of one odd diver who seemed to take pride in his poor diving skills and require extra attention. Him we mostly ignored, but no one was actually hostile toward him.

Why don’t you contact the live aboard you are interested in using and see how they feel about solo divers joining their group. I would suggest they would probably like to have the additional diver.

 

[txdamselfish]

The Juliet out of Miami has a trip to the Bahamas and a few Keys Trips in 2024. We have been twice and our last trip had a solo diver. She was so experienced she did not count dives. She was a body recovery diver, an excellent fellow LOB guest, a gracious diver with us newbs, and all around cool lady.

 

[Mike_4635]

I have been on 27 Aggressor charters all as a solo diver. Have either dived with the DM or one of the other solo divers. Always had a great time

 

[also_anon_dc]

I'm also a solo liveaboard diver and most liveaboards I've been are probably about half solo travelers. You'll have a buddy assigned to you for the week or you can choose your own if you get a good vibe from someone on the first day. On the whole, liveaboard divers are a good group and are generally welcoming to solo people. I love it and it's my preferred way to dive.

If you don't want to share a cabin there is a thread here compiling liveaboards with single cabins or low single supplements.

Another option is to seek out your local dive shop. Most plan their own trips and it's the same group of people that go each time.

 

[MB NZ]

Done it lots of times as a solo traveller and a couple of times as a solo traveller/diver. Just like a day boat, you get buddied up with someone of similar experience/qualifications and it usually works out. On the plus side, liveaboard divers are usually more experienced as a group. Would your wife not consider joining you even if not diving? Maybe snorkelling would be an option if she is able to do it?

 

[hedonist222]

You'll always find someone to dive with.
If not, the operator will pair you with someone or a group.

 

[Kirgan]

Thanks all for the replies. That gives me some sense that it is still very feasible to travel solo on a Liveaboard.