Bahamas
'Bahamian Rhapsody'
Diving : Accommodation : How, Why & When : Prices
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Aqua Cat is a luxury liveaboard that's a great option for divers wishing to experience the best of Bahamian diving. Every Saturday, the boat cruises from Nassau to the Exuma Islands taking in blue holes, sharks, wrecks and sheer walls along the way. The Aqua Cat is 31m long and has a beam of just under 11 metres making her not only a spacious and comfortable catamaran but also an extremely smooth ride on the water. Her eleven passenger cabins are some of the largest of any liveaboard in the world and all have private bathrooms, individually-controlled air-conditioning and bar refrigerators. There are various room options, from those with king-sized beds to others with queens and singles and most room configurations can be catered for. Three large decks allow guests plenty of room to spread out and relax and there are even hammocks if you feel like pushing your relaxation to the limits! Nowhere on the boat are you very far from the self-serve bar area with beer, soft drinks and ice on-tap 24 hours a day. There's always a member of crew nearby who will be delighted to serve you if making it to the bar is too much like hard work. The boat has a 28-ft motor launch, ‘Sea Dog', which shuttles guests to pristine beaches and secluded coves for snorkelling, fishing and kayaking. Needless to say, the gourmet food on board is excellent and is matched only by the diving. The itinerary includes up to 27 dives each week and guests are likely to see stingrays, eagle rays, huge groupers and turtles as well as taking part in some form of shark-feeding activity which presents excellent opportunities for photographers. Among the sharks likely to be seen during the week are Caribbean reef, nurse, and lemon sharks, sometimes in large numbers. Don't think of the Aqua Cat as just a boat, think of it more as a hotel that just happens to be on the water!
The Caribbean Explorer I runs weekly liveaboard trips out of George Town on the island of Grand Exuma . Since the inception of Rodale's Scuba Diving's Reader Survey Awards in 1995, the Caribbean Explorer I (in her previous base of operations in the Northeast Caribbean) has rated in the top ten liveaboard dive boats worldwide in terms of customer service. Completely renovated in 2003 and carrying 18 passengers and seven crew, the Explorer features four upper-deck staterooms, each with a queen-size bed and private bathroom and shower. A comfortable seating and entertainment area with VCR/DVD, CD stereo and wet bar is also located on the upper deck, just forward of the sundeck and barbeque area. The main deck features an indoor dining area, as well as the expansive dive deck where there is a freshwater shower and wide ramp-style stairs to the dive platform itself. On the lower deck are five double cabins with private sink and vanity unit and two shared bathrooms and showers. Depending on the week and the conditions the boat cruises to San Salvador , Rum Cay, Conception Island , Cat Island , and Long Island – sites that are remote and rarely-visited. Divers will experience beautiful walls, spectacular swim-throughs, caves and tunnels, as well as some excellent pelagic action including the chance to see hammerheads at Conception Island and San Salvador . Five dives are day are scheduled (including night dives) and the trip includes 5 ½ days of diving each week.