Jump to content

  • These forums are for "after booking" trip communications, socializing, and/or trip questions ONLY.
  • You will NOT be able to book a trip, buy add-ons, or manage your trip by logging in here. Please login HERE to do any of those things.

Photo

Tell us your BEST LIVEABOARD Tips, Secrets and Insider Bits


  • Please log in to reply
3 replies to this topic

#1 WreckWench

WreckWench

    Founder? I didn't know we lost her!

  • Owner
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 53,490 posts
  • Location:FL SC & Dallas, TX
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:DM & Technical certs
  • Logged Dives:5000+

Posted 16 January 2019 - 09:34 AM

Hey do you love liveaboards as much as we do? If so please share your favorite learning lessons, suggestions, insider tips, etc with us about HOW TO HAVE THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE ON A LIVEABOARD.

 

SingleDivers.com is offering a number of liveaboard trips this year so please help our LV's (liveaboard virgins) learn the ropes! :thankyou:



Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#2 WreckWench

WreckWench

    Founder? I didn't know we lost her!

  • Owner
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 53,490 posts
  • Location:FL SC & Dallas, TX
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:DM & Technical certs
  • Logged Dives:5000+

Posted 16 January 2019 - 09:38 AM

Here are a few that I just wrote for the peeps on the BELIZE liveabaord in March of 2019!!  Please add your own! Thanks! kamala

 

  1. No shoes needed...you will literally be barefoot the ENTIRE time on the boat. So you'll only need the shoes you are wearing on the plane.
  2. Pack all your dry clothes and then remove half of them. Why? You will only need about 3-4 pairs of shorts that you wear twice OR 3 pairs of shorts and 1 pair of pants you fly in.
  3. Regarding shirts... you only need about 3 shirts for evening and then about 3 for between dives/daytime.
  4. NO fancy clothes needed however clean is obviously preferred. The boat DOES NOT OFFER LAUNDRY services so while you can't rely on that to stretch your clothes needs...you can certainly hand wash/rinse swim trunks and hang to dry on the boat rails.
  5. Try to use softsided luggage to fit under a bed BUT DO NOT BUY ANYTHING NEW....the boat will take all empty suitcases and store them for us until the end of the trip so soft sided luggage is nice but not mandatory.
  6. You will set up your gear ONCE and then simply take your reg off the tank (while bungied in) and they will fill the tank and put the cap back on. Then you simply analyize your nitrox and you are ready to dive again.
  7. Try to lose a few pounds before the trip... YOU WILL GAIN 5+ POUNDS ON THE TRIP.
  8. You will not need a dive bag as each diving station will have its own cubbyhole and/or box for your 'kit bits'.
  9. If you chill easily OR could chill diving 5 dives a day so approx 5 hrs of bottom time...bring a coreskin or lavacore or vest to take the chill off. (You can rent a shorty but no lavacore or vests on the boat)
  10. Make sure you bring your own power strip for the boat's charging station and/or camera station. Most liveaboards encourage you to NOT use the cabin for charging but rather the photo charging area that is in the common area.
  11. The boat usually has all sorts of movies for evening time... and I'm sure SOMEONE HAS SEAHUNT!!! Or my new fave.... Corner Gas!!! (A Canadian comedy that is hilarious)


Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#3 MNJoe

MNJoe

    "Charlie"

  • Premier Member
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,073 posts
  • Location:SE Minnesota
  • Gender:Male
  • Cert Level:AOW, Nitrox
  • Logged Dives:450

Posted 31 January 2019 - 06:03 AM

I love the "Eat Sleep Dive" concept of liveaboard diving. 

 

Make sure equipment is in good working order as there will be no where to get something repaired or replaced, boat "may" have a spare or two on board, but do not count on it. 

 

And  I will reitterate pack light, collapsable/foldable luggage works best.  Duffle bags work the best for the boat, but suck the most at the airport.  I have a wheelie duffle bag that has made getting gear to and fro check in much better, then it collpases to fit under the bed.


  • Cajun Diver likes this

"just your average Joe from Minnesota, also known as Keith"


#4 Resqdew

Resqdew

    Everyone knows me

  • Member
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 571 posts
  • Location:Bentonville, AR
  • Gender:Female
  • Cert Level:Full Cave, Advanced Nitrox, Sidemount, Deco, DPV, etc
  • Logged Dives:2,198++

Posted 04 February 2019 - 10:16 AM

1 - My best suggestion is to take parachute cord, several lengths of 5ft to 10ft, (longer is OK).

 

Why you ask? After the final dive of the trip, everyone is in a scramble to rinse/clean dive gear and then find a place to hang everything or find an open space to lay gear on the deck in the sun. This process is more of a challenge if the boat is still moving (such as traveling back to port), &/or if there is a strong wind. In this case, anything that is not securely TIED DOWN will blow away.

 

And we all know that it's the "law of the sea" that gear only blows off the boat when there's no one around to see it happen..........

 

Attach your Boyancy Compensator (BC) to the rail by the shoulder clips; most safety sausages have clips on the end that can attach to something; most dive boots are heavy enough not to blow away.

 

Many people have had their wetsuits blown off of the boat because they only had them on a hanger on the top deck, most of the time the hanger was gone too. Hence the suggestion to take parachute cord. You can run the cord thru the arms (or legs) and tie the wetsuit, (or shirt, or whatever), to the rail without worry that something will blow away.

If you are not familiar with how to tie a great knot, just ask anyone on the boat.

 

 

 

2- Second suggestion - several large trash bags. If your gear doesn't dry, then put all of the wet stuff in trash bags before loading everything back in your suitcase. This will usually help keep everything else in your suitcase from also getting wet. Just remember to unload everything when you get home!


  • MNJoe and dive_sail_etc like this




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users