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Scuba Diving
Caribbean, Bahamas and Mexico
Diving Aboard the Ship
Many divers are satisfied visiting a destination, getting a few dives in and moving to other diversions such as shopping and sightseeing. For these divers, a land-based hotel with dive day trips is just right. However, the divers who want to make their time underwater the focus of their travel, the best option may be a live-aboard ship that offers intensive dive safaris lasting anywhere from a weekend to two weeks. Because live-aboards are free to wander out far from home base, they can get out to more remote sites and offer as many as five or six dives per day.
However, live-aboard undergoing big changes in terms what they offer passengers. Traditionally, hard-core divers have not cared about the kinds of luxury amenities that nondivers associate with yacht holidays. Live-aboard divers were satisfied with dormitory-style beds and communal bathrooms, as long as the boats featured the basic items that enhanced their dive experience, such as E-6 slide-film processing, battery charging stations, video monitors for viewing the tape shot underwater and plenty of scuba tanks.
Increasingly, however, divers are seeking ships that offer more in terms of traditional luxuries. The new generation of live-aboards is evolving into more luxury-oriented craft, with an emphasis on quality food, more privacy, friendlier crews, larger cabins with private bathrooms and more spacious public areas. Even a lot of older boats are getting refitted to meet higher standards. They now have private bathrooms, individually controlled air conditioning and Internet access. And quality of food is improving.
Below are some examples of luxury live-aboards.
The Aggressor Fleet features 11 ships scattered from the Caribbean to the South Pacific. Belize, the Cayman Islands, Costa Rica’s Coco Island, the Bay Island off Honduras, Fiji, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, Palau, Turks & Caicos and the Solomon Islands are all covered by the Aggressor Fleet. The fleet constantly features air-conditioned private salons and carpeted cabins with queen, double or single berths, hot freshwater showers, well-appointed dining rooms backed by sophisticated galleys, and entertainment centers with books and videos.
Most Aggressor ships feature en-suite bathrooms, hot tubs and sophisticated equipment and training for advanced divers seeking to learn or use Nitrox equipment or rebreather equipment. The latest ship, the 100-foot Turks & Caicos Aggressor, launched in February, accommodates 14 divers in staterooms with en-suite bathrooms and one four-person cabin. The 110-foot Cayman Aggressor IV, launched in late 1998, hosts 18 divers and features VCR’s and a personal computer station that allows for Internet connection and email capability.
An example of an Aggressor package will put divers on the Belize Aggressor III, January8-15, 1999. Priced from $1,895 per person double, the package includes transfers, meals and dives.
Peter Hughes’ Deluxe Trips offer diving trips in Belize, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, Koror (Palau) and Turks & Caicos. The 120-foot Star Dancer, for instance, carriers up to 16 divers through the waters of Papua New Guinea’s New Britain Island on seven- and 10-night itineraries , for $2,195 and $3,095 respectively (prices as of 2000). .
The ship features individual climate-control air conditioning and private bathroom/showers in three levels of accommodations – two master staterooms, five twin deluxe staterooms and the owner’s suite. The ships galley provides breakfast to order, buffet lunch and gourmet dinners daily. Midmorning and afternoon snacks are also served and morning coffee is delivered to the cabins.
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