Adventure #236

t r a v e l
LIVEABOARD DIVING:
A GREAT WAY TO SEE THE WORLD
Do you LOVE waking up on the water?
Want to see a different place every day
on your holiday? Want to spend a week
with a group of like-minded individuals?
As a diver do you want uncrowded,
pristine dive sites?
Sounds like liveaboard diving is the
way to go for your next dive holiday.
Liveaboard diving (where you live
on the boat you dive from) offers the
ultimate dive experience, with up to 5
or 6 dives per day including night dives.
In general the boats have a range of
double or twin share accommodation,
full dive facilities, nitrox and are the way
forward for real dive enthusiasts!
The best way to try liveaboard diving is
to try a shorter trip somewhere like the
Great Barrier reef in Australia. There
are 4, 5 and 8 day itineraries on various
boats from Cairns and Port Douglas.
These trips explore dive sites further off
the beaten track like The Cod Hole and
the renowned Ribbon Reef and will give
you a taste of what liveaboard diving is
all about.
Mantas Shrimp
Sa Pa - Image by Aaron Joel Santos
Once you have whetted your interest
with one of these closer trips it may
be time to explore further afield.
Most liveaboards are between 7 – 10
nights and there is a huge variety of
destinations and boats!
Where you choose to head all
depends on what kind of diving you’re
interested in, below is a summary of
the best sites around the world:
Wreck diving – Truk Lagoon, The
Thorfinn is a legendary boat based
in Truk lagoon. Truk is where a huge
Japanese fleet was ambushed in
WW2 and has an incredible range of
wreck dives.
The Solomon Islands has Bilikiki
liveaboard and the Solomons Master,
both of which are based out of
Honiara. The diving is a mix of coral
gardens, remote dive sites and WW2
wrecks. Once again there is a vast
range of wreck diving opportunities
including Kennedy’s PT boat, aircraft
wrecks and both shallow and deep
shipwrecks.
What better way to explore the ocean than on a
liveaboard boat - Image by Marcelo Ogato
Muck diving, small creatures, coral gardens
–Micronesia which is close to the equator,
doesn’t get the big storms like much of the
South Pacific, so the dive sites are incredible.
Indonesia offers Komodo, The Forgotten
islands and Raja Ampat which all have remote
dive sites with extraordinary nudibranch action,
beautiful coral gardens and unique wildlife.
Big Pelagic fish and open water diving – the
legendary Galapagos has a mind blowing
range of species to be seen on one dive
trip. There are many boats operating out of
Galapagos, so you just need to find one which
will suit your budget and time frame. Palau is
also well known for sharks, mantas, turtles and
large fish.
Remote dive sites – If you really want to
get off the beaten path French Polynesia has
some incredible experiences. Generally with
smaller ships and sailing catamarans these
expedition style craft offer itineraries from
Tahiti to Rangiroa, the Tuamotos’s and the
Society islands. There is also diving available
in Antarctica for the really intrepid diver. The
Hondius has itineraries which offer hiking,
sea kayaking and diving on their Antarctic
journeys.
Papua New Guinea is another serious
destination where I wouldn’t want to be living
ashore, but a dive boat is perfect and Febrina
and Oceania are two liveaboards which have
almost cult status in the dive fraternity. These
boats have a range of itineraries which make
the most of the local weather conditions.
So if you wish at add a little adventure to your
diving, if the call of a more dive lifestyle holiday
appeals to your sense of Adventure. The a live
about could be right for you.
If the idea of a before breakfast dive, or a late
night after dinner dive appeals a liveaboard
might be for you!
bugdreamer.com | Marcelo Johan Ogata
Experts at adventure travel since 2000
Your dive travel specialists, with over 20 years
experience ensures you have a fantastic
trip, crafted by people who really care.
New Zealand owned and operated
"We live what we sell"
0800 623 872
info@madabouttravel.co.nz
madabouttravel.co.nz
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