Snorkeling with the aid of a liveaboard boat has become increasingly popular over the years. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of snorkeling, allow me to explain. A liveaboard is a large boat built and equipped for the sole purpose of taking people snorkeling. Not only that, but it also functions as a sort of floating resort. They boats are large, usually one hundred feet or more, and will have enough space for each couple to have their own air conditioned cabin and ensuite bathroom. A restaurant or dining area is also something you’ll find on board as well as indoor/outdoor lounging areas and sun decks for those of you who are working on that perfect tan. Many liveaboards will have even have their own camera room. You will by no means be roughing it should you choose the liveaboard option for your snorkeling holiday.
Why would someone choose a liveaboard over a resort? Well, it depends a bit on the location, but certain snorkeling destinations have reefs that are just not accessible from the land based resorts. Belize wold be a great examples of when a liveaboard would be a good option for your snorkeling safari as the barrier reef in Belize is not only far from the mainland, at least an hour by speed boat, but also because the reef is so extensive you’ll only be seeing a small portion of this fantastic reef system. With a liveaboard you’ll be able to cruise to the next site in comfort and dry cloths while enjoying a nice meal, or taking a siesta in your private cabin.
Yes, despite the large size of the vessels there will be a bit of rocking compared to the stability of a land based resort. However, if you take the proper precautions and wear one of those patches or take the necessary anti sea-sickness tablets before you jump onboard then all will be well. Before I joined Snorkel Venture I lived and worked full time on a liveaboard in Indonesia for five years and I can tell you for certain that those that knew they were prone to motion sickness or even thought there was the slightest chance of getting it, and came prepared had no noticeable effects from the motion of the ocean.
In short snorkeling via liveaboard can be an absolutely amazing and novel experience. There is nothing like waking up to see the sun rise from aboard a luxurious boat and knowing that the only effort you’ll have to make in order to get to the areas best reefs is to simply jump off the back of the boat. On top of that, after each snorkel session you’ll have a nice hot shower and an awesome meal is the icing on the cake. Actually let me take that back, the real icing on the cake is watching the sun dip below the blue horizon after an incredible day in the water while sipping your cold beverage of choice as the boat makes it’s way to the next day’s remote location.
