News
Top Liveaboards for New Divers
Learning to dive is an exciting time and almost every diver remembers their first breath underwater and the first dive site they explored. There are many great destinations for new divers to experience once qualified, including liveaboard safaris perfect for gaining confidence and skills amongst world-class dive sites.
Here are our top 10 liveaboard destinations for new divers:
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef, stretching for 2300 kilometres along the coast of Queensland, is perfect for new divers. There are numerous Australian liveaboards to choose from and many don’t require a minimum number of dives to participate. Diving is possible all year, with the summer months (December/January) offering the best visibility and a water temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. With water visibility averaging over 40 metres in the Coral Sea and diverse marine life at numerous sites, this area of Australia offers an ideal introduction to liveaboard diving.
The Bahamas
The Bahamas is known for easy and consistent dive conditions, making it perfect for new divers. It is a shark hotspot where diving with inquisitive Tiger Sharks in crystal clear water is the norm. Divers can join a Tiger Beach Liveaboard off Grand Bahama and enjoy dive sites ranging from 6m to 30m depth, with little or no current. Some companies will request an Open Water certification with a minimum of 30 dives. There are also dive companies that offer Tiger Shark diving with less dive experience required. October to January are the best months to visit for peak Tiger Shark season.
Red Sea
The Red Sea is known for colourful dive sites with soft and hard corals, great visibility, and an abundance of fish life and shipwrecks. There are numerous day boats from Sharm el Sheikh that visit well-known Ras Mohammed Marine Reserve and the Straits of Tiran, plus accessible shore dives. The best way to explore off-shore sites and avoid the crowds is on an Egypt liveaboard departing from Sharm el Sheikh or Hurghada. Diving is possible all year and there is an abundance of dive sites and liveaboard itineraries to choose from. Check dives are common on Egypt liveaboards, helping staff to ensure they plan the right dives for all experience levels.
Thailand
Thailand is a favourite for new divers and the combination of diverse dive sites, affordable liveaboard diving, and stunning landscapes, attracts divers each year. Dive sites include reef diving, walls, wrecks, pinnacles, caverns and more. There is abundant marine life to enjoy including Manta Rays and Whale Sharks, plus diving is possible year-round. Both short and long liveaboard itineraries are available, making it a great destination for gaining an Open Water certification and hopping aboard.
Seychelles
The Seychelles is a great destination for divers to experience sailing aboard a modern yacht or traditional schooner, whilst enjoying reef diving amongst this archipelago of 115 islands. Dive site depths of the Inner Islands are 8 to 30 meters, with easy conditions, making it ideal for new divers. The marine life is diverse, with octopus, moray eels, nudibranchs and sharks commonly seen. Diving is possible year-round and a Mahé liveaboard in October or November offers the chance to swim with visiting Whale Sharks.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, a small island off the coast of India, has liveaboard dive safaris in the Northwest Kalpitaya that offer incredible diving for both new and experienced divers. The coral reef at Northwest Kalpitaya has blacktip reef sharks and the chance to see Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Sperm Whales, and diverse reef fish species. The liveaboards are luxurious, check dives are conducted to ensure new divers are placed within groups of similar abilities, and the water visibility is up to 40 meters. Liveaboards set sail during November to February.
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands is made up of an archipelago of 922 islands and has pristine reefs with over 500 species of coral, plus numerous wrecks from World War II to explore. There are over 600 aircraft and 200 varieties of other wreck to explore in the waters off the Florida Islands and some of the wrecks can be enjoyed by snorkelers and recreational divers alike. Both short and long liveaboard safaris are available, from 2 to 15 days’ length, and there is no minimum logged dives requirement on many of the liveaboards.
Cuba
The Cuban government only permits a certain number of people to dive there each year, resulting in healthy and unspoilt marine reserves such as the Jardines de la Reina or ‘Gardens of the Queen’ and Canarreos Archipelago. Diving in Cuba is suitable for new divers, has easy dive conditions, and is known for excellent night diving. The diversity of life is staggering; with over 700 species of fish, including 100 shark species, and mangroves with resident manatees. The best season to visit is December to April.
Belize
Divers visiting Belize can enjoy the Belize Barrier Reef, the largest in the Northern hemisphere, and the famous Blue Hole. The dives include shallow coral reefs, wall dives, drift dives, and deep dives in the Blue Hole. There are plenty of sites suitable for new divers and marine life including groupers, jacks, Eagle Rays and turtles. Whale Sharks can be seen at Placencia from April to June.
Turks and Caicos
This archipelago of 40 coral islands is rich in marine life, with Caribbean Reef Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Hawksbill Turtles, Bottlenose Dolphins and Eagle Rays being commonly seen. It is also possible to see Humpback Whales during January to March. Liveaboard diving is available all year and the Turks and Caicos have calm seas and consistent water temperatures year-round. It is a great destination for new divers and non-divers are also welcome aboard.
Discover more liveaboard diving holiday solutions around the world at Liveaboard.com.
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
-
News3 months agoHone your underwater photography skills with Alphamarine Photography at Red Sea Diving Safari in March
-
News2 months agoCapturing Critters in Lembeh Underwater Photography Workshop 2024: Event Roundup
-
Marine Life & Conservation Blogs2 months agoCreature Feature: Swell Sharks
-
Blogs1 month agoMurex Resorts: Passport to Paradise!
-
Gear News3 months agoBare X-Mission Drysuit: Ideal for Both Technical and Recreational Divers
-
Blogs2 months agoDiver Discovering Whale Skeletons Beneath Ice Judged World’s Best Underwater Photograph
-
Gear Reviews2 months agoGear Review: Oceanic+ Dive Housing for iPhone
-
Blogs3 months agoThe Thrilling Encounter with Tiger Sharks at Beqa Lagoon’s ‘The Colosseum’ with Coral Coast Divers