Our Bahamas liveaboard trip entailed living and sleeping on a boat for 6 days, sailing around the beautiful Bahamas and scuba diving 3-4 times a day. It was one of the coolest and most relaxing trips i've ever been on, and although living on a boat for 6 days sounds like quite a long time, it really wasn't enough and I would have happily stayed for longer. 

We travelled down from Vancouver to our starting point at the port in Nassau in the Bahamas, and from there, we travelled over to the Exuma Islands to some of the most stunning waters in the Caribbean and over 15 dive sites. It was honestly the best week - I’ve never done a liveaboard diving trip before so I didn’t quite know what to expect, but everything was organised so well, the diving was phenomenal and it was the best way to just unplug and unwind. This was actually my first proper holiday (with no work or WiFi) in about 2 years, so it was much needed and I already want to sign up for this year!

If you want to learn more or you're considering scuba diving from a liveaboard in the Bahamas, here’s all you need to know about what to expect, the diving conditions, what gear to take and how you can get involved.

About the trip

Flights to the Bahamas are not included in the trip price and you’re responsible for transporting you + your gear down. However, flights can be found with Westjet for as little as $600 return from Vancouver.

The trip was actually led by Matt, and with it being so popular he stayed down for 2 weeks to host 2 different groups. On my week, there were 20 of us divers in total (plus 5 crew), and the group was such a great mix of people of all ages so we had a wicked time. My favourite time of day was always first thing in a morning, as often we'd sail after dark and so the morning was the first time we'd lay eyes on our new location. I can't tell you how magical it was to wake up surrounded by the calmest, bluest of blue waters, with nothing on the agenda other than diving, eating and chilling!!

As well as diving, you can also go spearfishing in certain spots and if you manage to catch a lionfish or lobster the chef will actually cook it for you which is awesome. We weren't that lucky and didn't find anything, but it was really cool to try. Depending on weather and everyone's preferences, the boat can stop off at different islands around the Exumas and you can snorkel and free dive too. 

This year's date is finalised for November 10th-16th, 2018 and if you book your spot before April 31st you get a $100 discount. The deposit is $500, and the remaining balance is due by August 31st, 2018.

About the diving

The Bahamas is about as tropical as you can get when it comes to scuba diving, so you can expect beautiful clear blue water, an abundance of wildlife and 26/27 degree (C) water. The dive sites were a mix of shallow dives, reef dives, shipwrecks, plane wrecks, wall dives, shark dives and even a blue hole, so you get to experience a whole variety of different sites.

We saw a range of wildlife on each dive, with everything from sharks (nurse sharks & Caribbean reef sharks), to turtles, to different types of rays, to loads of fish and hundreds of types of coral. The underwater life is so beautiful and colourful and my favourite dive was definitely the one where we were surrounded by dozens of sharks!

You have the option to do up to 4 dives a day (the 4th being a night dive). I did 16 of the 18 dives, but there's no pressure to do every dive so you can easily chill out or sunbathe on deck instead. The 1st dive was usually 8am, the 2nd at 11am, the 3rd at 2pm and the 4th around 5pm at sunset. Meals and snacks are provided in between each dive so we literally followed a routine of “Sleep, Eat, Dive, Repeat” every day. 

The diving was the easiest I’ve ever done in terms of how lovely the dive sites were but also in terms of the gear set up. The gear stayed set up on the boat the whole time, and the crew filled the tanks up between dives, so all you’d need to do is slip on your wetsuit, buckle up your gear and get going. Matt was teaching specialities and courses for those who wanted to do those during the trip too.

What to pack for a liveaboard trip

It can be quite hard to know what you should pack for a liveaboard trip especially if it's your first one. You probably won't have a lot of room & weight in your suitcase if you're transporting your dive gear down, so you have to be practical with what you take. The Diving Locker does provide you with a packing list pre-trip, and that is super useful and includes pretty much everything you need to take. However, from experience, here are a few of the absolute essentials: 

• Conditioner, and LOTS of it! Take a good sturdy brush and lots of conditioner. The water was really salty so my hair got super matted and tangled after every dive, so conditioner was a lifesaver.
• A waterproof jacket. If the skies open up or you experience a storm, a waterproof jacket is a must-have. 
• Sea sickness tablets. Even if you don't usually get sea sick, make sure you take tablets with you as you don't know what the conditions will be like! I recommend taking a natural Ginger tablet first thing every morning, and then having something stronger like Gravol at hand in case you need it. The natural tablets aren't as effective but still do a good job. Gravol is pretty strong and if you take more than 1, it can make you very drowsy, so be careful taking them when you're diving. 
• Jogging bottoms /leggings. It can be quite chilly in a morning and at night, so joggers/leggings are so good to have. The dorms are air-conditioned and got pretty cold at night so I wore them a lot.
• Hoodie. Take 1 or ideally two hoodies to throw on when it gets chilly. 
• A thick face cream. Your face will get really dry from the sun and salt water, so make sure to take a good face cream (and/or a thick night cream) to protect your skin. I actually took some sheet face masks too to keep my skin super nourished. Don't forget your SPF as well.
• Face wash. There's a lot of bacteria and life in the water, and even though I wasn't wearing makeup I found I was getting a lot of pimples, so face wash is essential. 
• Personal products. Ladies, if mother nature takes over during the week remember you won't be making any stops off at land, so it doesn't hurt to have some feminine products with you just in case. 

Things to leave behind:

Everything ends up getting salty and clammy because of the humidity in the air, so the last thing you want to wear is jeans or any of your best clothes. In terms of footwear, all you need is a pair of flip flops on the boat. You won't need or use any makeup or hairdryer etc, and remember that you'll end up wearing things multiple times so try to pack with this in mind. 

It was such an amazing week and I would do another liveaboard trip in a heartbeat. Hopefully, this post has been useful if you're interested in scuba diving from a liveaboard in the Bahamas, and you can find more info about the trip on the Diving Locker's website. They also run other tropical dive trips (such as to Cozumel & Grand Cayman) as well as local scuba diving trips around BC throughout the year. If you have any queries about what the trip is like, drop me a note in the comments & i'll be happy to answer any questions you have! 

(Disclaimer: This post was created in partnership with The Vancouver Diving Locker. All opinions & recommendations are my own :))