The liveaboard diving, an experience every scuba diver should try at least once in their life. Scuba diving liveaboards can also be called dive safaris, dive charters or dive cruises. Diving expeditions are held up to four times a day and are led by divemasters who are there to guide you through the sites and assist with anything you may need. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, interested in diving or underwater photography, liveaboards offer something for everyone.
Accumulate Diving Hours and Gain Confidence Liveaboards give you the ability to dive up to four times a day for several days in a row. This means racking up hours in the water and giving you the opportunity to brush up on your scuba expertise.
What Certification is Required for a Liveaboard? When choosing a liveaboard trip, it’s important to consider the level of diving experience you have. If you want to take one of these trips, it’s a good idea to have your advanced open water certification (or its equivalent) so that you can fully enjoy all that the liveaboard has to offer.
Learn All Things Diving If you’re trying to get to the next step of scuba certification, a liveaboard is a great option because many boats offer training programs through organizations like PADI and SSI. If this is what you’re interested in, be sure the boat you select offers a training program before booking.
How Many Divers Do I Need in My Group to Book a Liveaboard? Most customers book liveaboard diving holidays in groups of two. However, it’s becoming more and more popular to go on a dive safari with a larger group or as a solo traveller.
Consider Nitrox Diving with Nitrox, that is to say, a gas mixture with more oxygen and less nitrogen than air, will reduce the amount of nitrogen your body absorbs and give you more bottom time.
Prep For Your Next Dive When should you start preparing for your next dive on a liveaboard? As soon as you get back on the boat. Here’s a quick checklist to prep for your next dive, but you should be building your own: • Make sure you tag yourself and your buddy back on the boat • Put your gear back where it belongs as you take it off • Make sure your tank is set ready for a refill (On the Aqua Cat, this means taking your first stage off) • Hang up your wetsuit up to dry after your last dive (but be sure to bring items in after sunset, or the morning dew will soak them). This goes double for the last dive of the trip, so you can pack dry gear for your flight. • Check your nitrox mix before the dive briefing begins (and before you go to bed to be ready for the next morning’s dive)
Be Kind To Your Ears Ear care is one of the most important things you can do to feel ready for the next dive. Or rather, ear problems could ruin an entire trip. Given the aggressive dive schedule of a liveaboard, you should take a few extra steps to be kind to your ears.
Bring or Buy Your Gear Given the price point of most liveaboards, you should consider getting your own dive gear if you’re going on a liveaboard trip. You probably already have your own mask and fins, but a good-fitting wetsuit and dive computer will go a long way to turning a good trip into an extraordinary one.
Unplug and Enjoy This might come as a surprise to you, but it’s sometimes hard to get cell service when you’re island hopping through remote waters. You don’t need to be glued to your screen. In fact, one of the things we appreciated the most about liveaboard diving was that we broke our habitual checking of emails and social media apps.
Make New Friends Mostly of the guests traveled around the world and had amazing adventures. Take a moment to talk with them and hear their stories. Listen to their advice on diving, underwater photography, gear, and even mixed drinks. You might just make a life-long friend. Also, don’t forget to talk to your crew. They’re pretty special people too.
Accommodation Liveaboard boats are equipped with air-conditioned cabins for divers to sleep in. Most of the cabins are small, but you’ll be spending most of your time on the deck or in the water anyways. You’ll have a bed with hotel quality linens and towels, and some rooms have an en-suite bathroom as well.
Drinks on board If you’re planning to drink on your vacation, be sure to check that your boat allows alcohol. Some boats, depending on location, do not permit alcohol on board, while others may allow it or even have it as a package add-on.
Safety The staff on liveaboard boats are highly trained and ready to assist in any situation. Typically, most or all of the crew speak English and are readily accessible as needed.
Tipping One additional cost to factor in is the tip. No matter the liveaboard trip you choose, it’s important to reflect your feelings through a tip to the staff and crew who have worked hard to ensure that you’ve had an amazing time. Gratuities should absolutely factor into your budget, as most of these workers rely on guest tips, although how much you give depends on you.
