Tropical liveaboards near West Coast--recommendations?

[capybara]

We're thinking of doing a 1-week liveaboard trip in April and would love suggestions on which one to do. It needs to be easily reachable from the West Coast, as most liveaboards leave on Saturday so we'd have to be able to fly there from SF Saturday morning.
Some options are:
Belize Aggressor
Turks & Caicos Aggressor
Cayman Aggressor
Kona Aggressor (but we've been to Hawaii several times so a liveaboard there wouldn't feel that different & we'd prefer someplace new)
Nekton Pilot-Central Belize or South Belize
Aquacat Bahamas
Juliet Bahamas
Explorer-T&C, Bahamas, or Saba/St. Kitts
Peter Hughes Belize

Have you been on one or more of these trips and would you recommend them? Comparisons would be especially welcome.

We've been on Cuan Law in the British Virgin Islands and Nautilus Explorer in the Sea of Cortez, which were both awesome, so we have high expectations for our next trip! (i.e., too spoiled for Blackbeard's now...)

 

[ScubaLuke]

I've been on the Nekton Pilot in Belize and the Cayman Aggressor and I can recommend both of those trips. I have some friends that went on the Aquacat last year and really enjoyed it.

My only misgiving would be Belize in April. The first time I went was towards the end of April and we had high winds out of the east kicking up the seas the whole trip. We spent most of the trip pinned behind Lighthouse reef. But if you have to pinned down that's not a bad place to be pinned. But wind like that is evidently common in April.

It was also triggerfish matting season and the trigger fish were nesting in the sand chutes and driving off a lot of the other fish.

Don't get me wrong, the trip was still a lot of fun. It's just that April is probably not the best time to visit Belize. I've been back to Belize several times since then - just not in April.

Have you thought about Fiji? Either the Fiji Aggressor or the Naia? If I lived on the West Coast, I think I'd go there every year.
Luke

 

[vertaqua]

I was on the Caribbean Explorer 1 in the bahamas in october and I'd definitely recomend it. Lots of wall diving, everyone dove nitrox so there was MOD of 110fsw and just come back with 500psi in your tank, but besides that you dive your own profile. The crew was fantastic plenty of good food and various beverages(including alcoholic ones). The water temp was consistently 82 degreesa the whole week. Some of the open water crossings were a bit rough so if you get sea sick be prepared for a rough ride. Also if your coming from the west coast be prepared to either spend a night in florida or take a red eye flight, getting to georgetown can be kind of tricky. If you want more details PM me.

 

[UP4AIR]

I did the Turks and Caicos Agressor this year at the end of June. The boat is in great shape and very comfortable. I can't say enough good things about the crew on the trip...truely EXCELLANT! The diving was good with varied reef life. There were sharks, eagle rays,dolphins, and plenty of reef critters. However, I did Belize the year before also in the month of June, on Peter Hughes. Again the boat was great and comfortable,only the crew was not as good as on the Aggressor. Mind you, they were friendly and helpful...just not to the level of Aggressor. I would say all things being equal..the boats and crew equal out. The diving however does not IMHO. Belize was WAY better. There were not as many sharks and big creatures but I think that the reefs were much healthier. The water was somewhat clearer and the juvenile population was more abundant. Both trips were great...but I would give the edge to Belize. There also is much more to see in Belize on the off days if you are so inclined to spend a couple of extra days in the country. Feel free to PM me if you want specifics.

 

[Repetitive Diver]

Hey Capybara

ScubaLuke seems sold on Fiji - he is right it is a great spot. It is also really varied so you can go back again and again without exhausting the diving: The soft corals of the Somosomo Strait, the amazing diversity of Bligh Water and the Koro Sea where the liveaboards operate, shark feeding in Viti Levu etc.

Both the Fiji Aggressor and the Nai'a are excellent boats - with the Fiji Aggressor they run 7 night trips (as with all Aggressors), Naia has longer ones.

You can read all you want in Fiji the link in my signature.

Good luck and Happy Diving!

 

[Repetitive Diver]

oops no signature!

 

[Shasta_man]

You're looking the wrong way, the Pacific is at your doorstep.