Boaters Go Overboard
© Boat/US Magazine written by Becky Squires
The world above the water is reason enough to go boating. Getting away from
it all to sheltered coves that no four wheel drive vehicle can ever reach
feeling the rhythm of the water dancing against your hull even the
adrenaline rush that comes from experiencing a sudden thunders from
experiencing a sudden thunderstorm from under a canvas dodger are all unique
to the boating life.
But for many boaters this world only skims the surface. Some 55,000 BoatU.S.
members are among the 3 million Americans who are certified scuba divers.
Once I you get a glimpse of what's down there, they say, your perspective of
the "real" world is forever changed.
Scuba diving is at its most fascinating -- not to mention most comfortable
-- in warm waters full of coral reefs and marine life, and both the eastern
and western Caribbean fill this bill. While there are literally hundreds of
land-based resorts from which you can dive -- or learn to dive -- many
divers opt to stay on a boat. In the eastern Caribbean, these boats are
generally crewed charter boats; in the western Caribbean, they're
live-aboard dive vessels.
What's so great about taking a dive vacation on a boat? First, the crews are
diving professionals. Many are instructors, so you can get certified if you
need to, or get checked out if it's been awhile since you last dived. The
charter captains know all the most popular dive spots and have a few
not-so-well-known favorites of their own. Second, all of the boats have dive
equipment on board and most have compressors to keep the dive tanks full.
In addition, while land-based vacationers may have to travel in a
small open boat for an hour or more to get to a dive site, you're already
there in a charter or dive boat, and you aren't limited to a certain area.
On a crewed charter boat in the eastern Caribbean, you can dive from one
island one day and another the next -- all you have to do is head on over.
On a live-aboard dive boat in the western Caribbean, you'll travel more than
100 miles over the water during a typical seven-day trip.
Finally, depending on the boat and the number of guests, it's often less
expensive to charter -- with food and drinks included -- than to stay in a
hotel or resort. The "little" extras that hotels usually tack onto your bill
-- like rental fees for snorkel gear, windsurfers, fishing rods and scuba
equipment - are almost always included in the charter fee.
The Learning Curve
There are a number of scuba training and certifying groups to teach you the
sport -- PADI, NAUI and the YMCA are the largest. Open Water certification,
which includes classroom sessions, a pool dive where you learn to use the
scuba equipment, and four open-water dives, can be obtained in as little as
four or five days, but that's really pushing it.
Instead, consider this increasingly popular certification method: Take the
classroom portion and pool instruction at home, and then have your
instructor write a letter of referral to a dive instructor in the Caribbean.
Doing this, says Marty Rayman, owner and PADI course director of Aquatic
Adventures in Alexandria, VA, means you get the best of both worlds.
"You get all the time you need to learn about the science of the sport and
to get your questions answered in class, and then practice using the
equipment in a pool until you're comfortable," Rayman said. "Once you have
that knowledge under your belt, you'll be prepared to do your four
open-water certifying dives in tropical waters."
Diving in the Eastern Caribbean
In the eastern Caribbean, especially the U.S. and British Virgin Islands,
there are at least 40 yachts available with a certified diving instructor so
you can learn right on board, and another 75 or so with a dive-master aboard
(divemasters are diving experts but they aren't yet certified to teach).
The kinds of boats available range from 80-foot motor yachts and sprawling
catamarans to smaller sailboats that cater to couples. And while each boat
and crew is different, they all have one thing in common - they want their
clients to have a great time.
Don't worry if everyone in your party isn't prepared to take the scuba
plunge, or is just too young (you have to be at least 10 for PADI
certification). Snorkeling is a wonderful way to get a window on what's
below. In St. John, USVI, there's a terrific marked snorkeling trail in
Trunk Bay maintained by the U.S. National Park Service.
In the British Virgin Islands, probably the most popular diving site is the
1867 wreck of the 310-foot mail ship R.M.S. Rhone, which broke in half
during a hurricane. Snorkelers can have a grand time floating just 30 feet
above the stern, watching the divers below and the thousands of fish that
live in the wreck.
One more benefit of crewed charters is the ability to dive after the sun
goes down. Since 80% of all marine life emerge only at night, consider a
night dive. With underwater flashlights, you'll see colors you'd hardly
notice in the daylight shining forth in the dark like neon signs. Coral
polyps extend tentacles from their protective cups as they feed on
planktons, lobsters scoot across the bottom and gorgeous parrot fish that
surrounded you during the day snooze in their mucus cocoons at night. Shy
and beautiful moray eels, mostly hidden in coral nooks and crannies in
daylight, slither about the reefs in search of a meal.
When you're through with your night dive, staying on board means all you
need to do is hop back aboard, perhaps enjoying a nightcap in the cockpit
before heading to your cabin below.
Diving in the Western Caribbean
Diving in the western Caribbean -- especially Belize and Honduras' Bay
Islands -- is less crowded and more pristine than the eastern Caribbean. And
like that area, there are dives to suit every taste, from wall dives, where
you literally dive up and down a rock wall teeming with different kinds of
marine life at different levels, to drift dives, where you start in one
place and let the current carry you along until you resurface to meet your
boat. Night, cave and wreck dives are equally popular. No diver would ever
complain about the clarity of the water or the diversity of the sites in
this part of the Caribbean.
However, the boating is a bit different. Instead of a variety of charter
boats in all sizes, boats are limited to what are known as "live-aboard dive
vessels." In the western Caribbean, these boats range from 80 to 120 feet,
and they are definitely odd looking. Built on twin hulls modeled on the same
technology used to build offshore oil platforms, the boats are very stable.
Live-aboard dive boats have private cabins equipped with individual heads
and showers. With the increasing popularity of diving, most accommodations
have evolved from "spartan" to "really comfortable."
Most boats go out for a week at a time, carrying 20 to 30 passengers. You
can get fully scuba-certified or upgrade from one level of certification to
the next. While truly avid divers can go below four to six times a day,
there's abundant snorkeling, jacuzzis, sun decks and other entertainment for
non-divers. Almost all live-aboard dive boats have nightly education
presentations and underwater photography labs to process your film daily.
In Belize, you'll be diving mostly off two coral atolls -- Turnieffe Islands
and Lighthouse Reef -- staying each night on moorings right above your dive
site. You'll have a chance to dive the Blue Hole -- the world's largest --
made famous by Jacques Cousteau. This dive begins at 110 feet, which means
you'll have much less time on the bottom than you would at 50 feet. However,
it's worth it: Exploring this collapsed underground cavern and swimming
among its remaining stalagtites is an unforgettable diving experience.
Live-aboard dive vessel operators say you're four times more likely to see
large marine animals like manta rays, dolphins and whales than if you stay
at a land-based resort. That makes sense, because once you get out on the
water, trips to shore are rare. And while you'll have your own cabin, the
privacy of a crewed charter yacht isn't there -- recreational and dining
areas are shared by all. If you feel like staying up and partying all night,
chances are you'll be greeted with glares from your fellow passengers in the
morning.
But, like crewed charter boats, you'll probably wind up paying less, not
more, than you would at a resort -- even a dive resort. Prices generally
include all meals and snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine and, of course, the
diving: equipment, tanks, air and divemasters (instruction may be extra,
depending on the boat). Most live-aboard dive boats offer discounts for
passengers who don't dive.
Beyond the Caribbean, there are almost as many charter and live-aboard dive boats around the world as there are beautiful places to explore underwater. The South Pacific, the Maldive Islands and Thailand all beckon. A bit closer to home are Panama's San Blas Islands and the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.
Once you decide to take the plunge, so to speak, the term "sea change" will take on a whole new meaning for you.
© Boat/US Magazine written by Becky Squires