liveaboard dive trips

What are the best dive sites accessible from Eilat?

I have a few days to dive in Eilat. Can anyone recommend a 5-star PADI centre that does liveaboard trips that go over the border for the best diving?

I just Googled ‘Eilat liveaboard’, and the first link I clicked on (for the Red Sea Sports Club) offered liveaboard trips across the border–running out of Sharm el-Sheikh!

If this is the standard method of running ‘cross-border’ liveaboard trips out of Eilat, then the Israeli dive centres are simply acting as agents for freelance Egyptian diveboats. If this is what you’ll end up doing anyway, you could cut out the middleman (and his commissions), and organise your trip yourself.

Make your way across the border and down to Sharm (about 180 km by road, with regular scheduled bus runs–taxis will also be available, but the price will be high), where you will find plenty of top-class hotels and 5-star PADI centres (Red Sea Diving College, Ocean College, Camel Dive Club, and Sinai Dive Club are all reputable). If you book your diving through one of these, you can go out on their (contracted) dayboats to Ras Mo, Tiran, or Abu Nuhas (Thistlegorm, etc.).

You will need to to check into a hotel for the duration of your stay, but that shouldn’t be a major issue (or expensive). You will also need to buy a full 3-month Egyptian visa (about US$ 15) if you want to go to Ras Mo or Abu Nuhas though, since they lie beyond the limit of the free ‘Sinai permit’ available to Israelis at the Taba crossing.

You may also be able to do something similar into Jordan, and dive out of Aqaba, but I am not familiar with diving there.

Liveaboard Diving Red Sea Brothers Islands

The Liveaboard Guide $19.49 The romantic dream of downsizing, giving up the ratrace, and living life at 4mph on the inland waterways is proving more and more attractive. But for tens of thousands of people it is not just a romantic dream but an actual lifestyle. Tony Jones is one of those people. He has lived aboard his 50ft narrowboat for over 7 years and in this very practical book he documents what the liveaboard lifestyle is really like, focusing on the practical issues of day to day living for those who want to know what living on a boat actually entails, to see how to manage it for themselves. Topics covered include:- the pros, cons and costs of a residential mooring- power usage and energy consumption (and how it differs from a house)- how to stay warm – the choice of coal, electric, gas or wood heating- boat loos – the pros and cons, and troubleshooting typical problems- entertainment – TV, radio, internet, DVDs- logistical problems – no postal address, GP access, vehicle access or use. The aim of this book is to feed people's dreams by showing that every possible problem that could arise when living on a boat has a tried and tested solution. The dream is perfectly possible, and this book is the complete practical guide to achieving it.

Trips $15.2 Trips

Dive $10 Dive

The Maldives liveaboard diving experience

The Maldives liveaboard diving experience

The exotic Asian island nation of the Maldives is one of the world’s top diving destinations. For divers of all levels, the Maldives offers the combined allure ofa comfortable tropical climate, an incredibly rich and diverseocean life, first class diving facilities and a range of beautifuldiving spots that is second to none.

Though the Maldives is known for luxurious resorts and magnificent white sand beaches, the best diving is found among the some 1,200 coral islands that make up this diver’s paradise. The clearest waters and most ecologically rich diving spots are found by exploring these islandsvia aliveaboard diving vacation.Since the territory of the Maldives is nearly all water, with 26 coral atolls or ring-shaped reefs,liveaboard diving enables visitors to fully experience all this unique island ecosystem has to offer.

A liveaboardexperience provides divers with the opportunity to blendthe comfort and convenience of a resort hotel vacation with the finest full-service diving excursions by literally living on a first class diving vessel. Stays on liveaboard boatscome complete with private en suite, serviced,air-conditioned rooms, buffet mealsand up to three guided dives per day. Both single and double rooms are available and each cabin features outside portholes, offering pleasant sea views.

Combining your diving excursions with resort quality accommodation is not only a way to come in contact with the most pristinelocations the Maldives has to offer; it also makes economic sense. Why pay for both a touristy hotel plus expeditions that cannot reach the more unspoiled, less-traveled and ecologically varied spots, when a full-service liveaboard experience can work out to be considerably less expensive?

What can be seen on a liveaboard diving vacation:

More! Liveaboards in the Maldives give divers the opportunity to experiencean incredible array of marine life and underwater topography. Each coral atoll in the Maldives contains its own distinctive ecosystem and provides a unique diving experience. This variety also means that there are dives suitable for those with skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced. You don’t even need to dive to come along for a trip full of inspiring scenery, crystal clear waters teeming with exotic sea life, and explorations of stunning uninhabited islets, as well asfishing, escorted snorkeling and simply relaxing while feeling the warm sea breeze against your skin.

Why the Maldives?

The different currents that flow through the reefs of the Maldives mean that colorful

shoals of fish are constantly following the movements of their food sources, while stationary flora and fauna including spectacular sea fans, sponges, and coral varieties with names like staghorn, mushroom, star and brain createan otherworldly environment beneath the warm, gentle waves. Amongst the spectacular coral formations, billowing seaweed, assorted mollusks and crustaceanslurk moray and garden eels, while groupers, barracudas, reefsharks, lion-, scorpion-, butterfly- and parrotfish dart about and feed in this breathtaking underwater forest of living towers, crags, mazes, cliffs and caverns.Majestic hawksbill and green sea turtles drift effortlessly through the coral structures, grazing on sponges and seagrass. Further out at sea from the atolls one can find rays, hammerhead sharks, dolphins, pilot whales and even the massive – yet gentle –whale shark.

Besides exploring the natural undersea world, Wreck Diving is another fascinatingactivityfor those both interested in history and scuba. In fact, shipwrecks fuse the historical and the natural worldssince theold wrecks are being reclaimed by the seas they once tried to conquer. Expect to see ancient sunken vessels covered in both hard and soft corals,furnishing a dream-like habitat for species like glassfish and small colorful fish such as blennies, whichmake their nestswithin the broken hulls of old ships.

Convenience, adventure and luxury:

Full-service liveaboard cruises include airport pickup, meet and greet, and transportation to and from your boat.All meals are catered on board, andtea, coffee and water facilitiesare available 24 hours a day. A variety of drinks including fresh fruit juices, cocktails, wine and beer are also available on board.Cruises include a visit to Malé, the capital and most populous city of the Maldives, for shopping and sight seeing activities – so there is more to a Maldives liveaboard holiday than just scuba diving.

Equipment:

Liveaboard boats in the Maldives are multi-decked vessels, with separate levels for guests’ cabins, another for dining and socializing at the bar, and a top deck for relaxing. A stairway at the boat’s stern facilitates easy access to the water whenever you fancy a dip and provides a convenient way to get back on ship.

Dive guides are certified PADI and speak English, which is widely spoken in the Maldives. If you do not own your own dive equipment, there is top quality gear for rent on board. Fishing gear is also available free of charge.

The Maldives is easily accessible via flights into Malé and Gan international airports. 30 day visas are convenient and issued free of charge on arrival.

The best time for scuba diving in the Maldives is January through April, when the seas are the clearest and most calm, but some dive sites remain clear all year round. May and June experience the warmest temperatures and plankton bloom, which is optimal for those who wish to see larger marine life like rays and whale sharks.

liveaboardsdiving.com

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Welcome to the Maldives Boat Club! We hope that you will allow us to help you plan your diving experience in this unique and fascinating country.