The Liveaboard Life

Imagine a dive vacation where the reefs and wrecks come to you. No long walks through a hotel lobby to get to the waterfront, no packing and unpacking of dive gear, and no riding the bench on a dive boat to reach the mooring. Instead, you roll out of bed, walk a few paces to grab your coffee and maybe some breakfast, then step right out onto a spacious covered deck where your gear is ready and waiting. When you are ready, just move to the transom and take a giant stride, because the dive site is right below. Welcome to the liveaboard life.

Liveaboard dive boats have come a long way from the early days of diving when converted commercial vessels fitted with little more than bunks and an air compressor catered to die-hard scuba pioneers in search of adventure. Today's liveaboard fleet might better be known as dive yachts because most offer private cabins with amenities that rival cruise ship quarters. This includes features such as en-suite bathrooms, personal climate control, entertainment systems and daily housekeeping services. Public areas of these boats often include sun decks, reading nooks, spa tubs, media lounges and chef-worthy kitchens that turn out memorable meals. Of course, all this is just an added bonus to the main attraction, which is what awaits down below.

Putting all the elements of a dive resort — lodging, dining, dive shop and entertainment — onto a boat has numerous advantages. First are the aforementioned conveniences of always being right on the dive site. This eliminates downtime traveling between shore and sites, and makes surface intervals more enjoyable, as divers have more room to relax and enjoy a snack or a refreshing rinse between dives. And there are other advantages to mobility. While shore-based resorts have a specific range of sites that lie within a reasonable range of their day boats, liveaboards have no such limitations. This mobility has advantages in destinations both near and far.

In the Cayman Islands, for example, the recently-launched Cayman Aggressor V accesses many of the same sites that could be reached by various shore-based resorts. In this case, the advantage of the liveaboard option is having full access to sites around the island, as opposed to the more limited scope available from any single land-based resort. And, with less time devoted to running to and from the site, or to loading and unloading gear, there's more time for diving. Aboard many liveaboards around the world, guests are typically able to make three or four dives per day and sometimes add an additional night dive.

There are also a number of cases where a liveaboard becomes the only option to gain access to a dive area. This is the case in places such as The Socorro or Cocos Island, or Australia's Ribbon Reefs. Trips to these more remote destinations often begin with an overnight cruise that brings divers to their destination in time for a morning dive. Subsequent moves are often made during the night as well, which further extends the scope of diving possibilities.

There is a perception among some new divers that liveaboard diving is only for highly experienced scuba veterans. And while there are some destinations that will require more advanced water skills, the majority of liveaboard itineraries that are suitable for divers of all experience levels. The large, stable deck of a liveaboard is ideal for gear preparation, and the stability provided by these yacht-sized vessels makes for easier water access, whether climbing up a handrail-equipped ladder of the stern or embarking on a smaller launch for a short run to a nearby site. More experienced divers are typically given significant freedoms in terms of profiles and itineraries, but there are also attentive dive masters on hand to ensure newer divers get the personal attention and guidance needed to get the most enjoyment out of each submersion. Underwater photographers are big fans of liveaboards, and as a result, operators will often provide dedicated camera rinse, charging and workspaces, and in some cases climate-controlled storage facilities. An increasing number of boats also provide the option of nitrox, which can be used to increase bottom times, or as an added safety margin.

We represent more than 100 of the world's premier liveaboard dive yachts, in destinations ranging from the Caribbean to the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Together, this fleet can provide every conceivable type of diving adventure. Choose a relaxing week of wall and reef diving in the Turks & Caicos, a grand tour of Palau's waters or Fiji's kaleidoscopic corals. Discover the full diving diversity of the Philippines, ratchet up the wow factor with a whale shark and manta encounters in the Maldives, swim with minke whales in Australia, or go for the adrenaline rush of encountering a wall of schooling hammerheads in the Eastern Pacific. We can help you choose the perfect liveaboard adventure and arrange all the details of travel and transfer logistics. To get started, just give us a call at 800-330-6611 or send a note to sales@caradonna.com.