What is liveaboard diving? How to prepare & what to expect?

Maybe you’ve recently joined the scuba diver’s world or you are a seasoned diver wondering how to take your diving experience further! Joining a liveaboard will take you to places you’ve never imagined. But, what is liveaboard diving actually? Well, imagine taking the experience of staying at a dive resort and transferring that to a boat, on which you will sail around the glistening ocean for the duration of your holiday.

 

Resort vs Liveaboard diving

You might wonder what the benefits are of staying on a liveaboard versus a dive resort. Well, the difference is liveaboards have the ability to take you to far more dive sites, including those that are normally too remote for a resort to access. You will be covering a greater area and simply cruising from one world-class dive site to the next. Everything on your itinerary will simply be a highlight!

During your stay you can expect to dive up to four times a day, every day, including night dives! There’s nothing better than surfacing in the darkness of night, getting whisked back to the boat and gulping down a hot chocolate!

There are different types of liveaboards for all kinds of budgets out there and I’ve stayed from the bottom to the top of the scale! If you want your little luxuries, a double bed and a good flushing toilet then definitely aim towards the higher end of the scale. Most importantly, do your research, read reviews and check the schedules of the boat, as where their sail will depend on the season.

What is an average day like on a liveaboard?

I’ve stayed on liveaboards in both Thailand and Indonesia and the daily schedule is pretty much the same, eat-sleep-dive-repeat!

The daily dive schedule is generally three dives per day, plus one optional night dive all lasting around 60mins. Although you can dive up to four times a day on most liveaboards, just remember it’s not compulsory, so if you feel like skipping a dive or even taking a whole day out to read and relax on the ocean, go for it!

You’ll usually start your first dive at the crack of dawn, followed by breakfast on the boat. After which, you will take your mid morning dive, followed by lunch and some spare time to read a book or sunbathe, right before putting your wetsuit back on for the afternoons dive. After your third dive you can either call it quits and relax for the rest of the day or head out on a night dive! Night dives are my absolute favourite and I’ll never miss the opportunity to go on one as there is just so much more to see! Different marine life come out under the shelter of darkness and you get to witness some fantastic behaviours, from hunting to stunning mating rituals. 

The end of the day is rounded off with dinner and as with all meals, guests are encouraged to dine together on communal tables. This is one of my favourite parts of the trip as you get to meet so many different people from all different backgrounds, yet you all have one thing in common, diving! I met some of my closest friends on a liveaboard and now we go back to the same boat every year together!

 

What you should know before heading on your first liveaboard diving trip

An important thing to know about liveaboards, is most will require you to have an advanced open water certification, as the diving can be slightly more challenging with stronger currents and depths of up to 30m/100ft. 

As you’ll be diving up to four times a day I would highly recommend diving on Nitrox as opposed to air. Not only is it healthier, because it has a higher mix of oxygen, thus less nitrogen absorbed by your body during the dives, it’s going to give you more bottom time by extending your no decompression limit, thus giving you more time to hunt out those beautiful marine critters. I did my Nitrox training whilst on my first liveaboard in Thailand, so there was no need to get the certificate beforehand, but do double check with your boat before you head out.

My most important and final liveaboard tip is… you need to have a dive insurance. It’s a MUST and I cannot stress how important it is! No reputable liveaboard will allow you join the trip without it and in some countries it is obligatory by law. 

Well, now that you know what liveaboard diving is, here is a bonus for you: the most extensive packing list on the web full of useful tips for a tropical scuba safari. Happy bubbles!

 

About The Author

Michelle is passionate underwater photographer and pink obsessed, London based content creator who loves to help others discover the best places to dive and spot wildlife around the world, through enticing stories and photography over on her blog, Coconut Odyssey.

The ocean and wildlife play a big part in Michelle’s life and her diving and safari adventures have taken her around the world, from Indonesia to Hawaii, Bora Bora and India, The Serengeti to Uganda and The Philippines just to name a few. 

Be sure to check her Blog and Instagram or Facebook channels for your daily dose of the underwater world with a few wild leopards and gorillas thrown in.