Enjoy waking up on the reef

The Liveaboard scuba diving tours have been an essential part of the scuba diving industry for decades.

In the past the Scuba dive Liveaboard was utilitarian, its only function was to support the scuba diver with a place to sleep and eat till the next scuba dive.

The modern Liveaboard generally provides comfortable accommodations as well as chef-prepared meals.

This article is about what to expect onboard. However, the focus will mostly be on the scuba diving itself as opposed to the function of the vessel.

What To Expect Scuba Diving On A Liveaboard

Australian liveaboards you are shown to your room, given a safety briefing, and your scuba gear is ready for you to start scuba diving.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef provides excellent scuba diving conditions, and the azure blue waters are generally crystal clear and warm.

Once onboard there are generally two-day dives followed by the night dive. An early start, the morning dive, is worth waking up. Capture both the nocturnal and diurnal marine life, and the waters are generally the calmest.

All meals are chef-prepared and delicious, and the dining room is always full of exciting scuba stories what everyone saw.

On a Liveaboard, things are a bit more casual

Safety rules are, of course, enforced, but things are more relaxed.

Many Liveaboards have what is sometimes called an open gate policy.

Imagine that a boat is on a dive site for two hours, the gate may be open for an hour, meaning you can start your dive any time in that time frame.

It gives you the option of taking more time for breakfast or if it is not the first dive to extend your surface interval before diving again.

A Liveaboard gives you the flexibility, on a full day, scuba divers have the option of scuba diving four times with a choice of a total of six different water sessions.

After breakfast and before lunch, the dive gate is open twice for additional scuba dives or snorkelling.

After lunch, there are two more sessions.

After dinner, the scuba diver has the opportunity for a night dive.

Every Liveaboard is different, and some are small with space for as few as four divers, some even sailboats.

Others are large Mega-yachts with all the comforts you can imagine.

However, the one thing that you can say about Liveaboards is that they take you scuba diving where the day boats can not.

Dive Computers

Many Liveaboards require the use of a dive computer, even if it is not needed it is an excellent tool to have

Reef Encounter certified dive packages include a dive computer.

If you do not have one and are not ready to purchase one consider renting or borrowing one.

If borrowing, ensure that the previous dive was at least 48 hours before you use it.

Scuba Dive computers allow better tracking of your dive profiles and with the number of dives available, each day can make a big difference.

Consider Purchasing An Underwater Camera

The amount of marine life you will see in Australian waters and the excellent visibility on most dive sites are natural for photography.

Liveaboards and dive centres near departure points often provide the opportunity for digital camera rentals.

Unless you are a student diver, purchasing a camera before going on a liveaboard is a great option.

These rentals are often top of the line models, and most scuba divers who do not own their cameras will not need all features.

For the price of a 4-day rental, you can get an excellent entry-level camera.

One word of caution makes sure that it is a scuba diving camera.

Many camera manufacturers are selling underwater cameras that only work to 3 metres/10 feet.

To achieve the best underwater photography camera should be rated to at least 30 metres.