Which Liveaboard Itinerary is Right for You?
With so many exceptional liveaboard itineraries around the world, choosing the right one isn't always easy. In this guide, we'll help you compare the options and identify the best fit for your interests, diving experience and travel style, with recommendations ranging from accessible first liveaboards to more adventurous itineraries.
Our advice comes from genuine first-hand expertise: our team includes former liveaboard cruise directors and dive crew, and every member of the team has experienced liveaboard diving. Together, we have also book hundreds of liveaboard trips for our clients, so we understand what makes an itinerary work for your individual needs. Read on to discover our recommendations.
Best First-Time Liveaboard: West Coast Explorer
With accessible diving, excellent sites and a welcoming atmosphere on board, Thailand’s West Coast Explorer is an ideal introduction to liveaboard diving. This itinerary combines a shorter 4-night sailing offering a taste of life at sea, with resort stays in Khao Lak and Phuket providing plenty of time on land. Explore the Similan and Surin Islands, including Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon and the coral gardens of Koh Tachai.
Best for Biodiversity: Raja Ampat Liveaboard
Venture into the heart of the Coral Triangle and explore one of the most biodiverse marine environments on Earth. Raja Ampat’s vibrant reefs support an astonishing variety of life, from pygmy seahorses and wobbegong sharks to manta rays, turtles and enormous shoals of fish. A liveaboard provides the perfect base for discovering this vast and remote archipelago.
"The manta cleaning station experience was simply awesome! The Emperor Raja Laut boat crew and guides could not have been more helpful, efficient and friendly. What more can I say?" - Derek B
Best Snorkel & Dive Combo: Magdalena Bay Sardine Run
Experience Mexico’s spectacular Sardine Run, when immense bait balls attract striped marlin, sea lions, dolphins, whales, sharks and seabirds to Magdalena Bay. Combine five days of snorkelling with up to six scuba dives, enjoying an exhilarating mix of surface and underwater encounters on this liveaboard adventure.
Best for Wrecks: Truk Lagoon
More than 45 ships were destroyed during Operation Hailstone in 1944, leaving Truk Lagoon with an extraordinary collection of warships, aircraft and military cargo. Tanks, jeeps and fighter planes remain frozen in time, while colourful corals and tropical fish now cover the wrecks. A liveaboard is the ideal way to explore this remarkable underwater museum.
Best for Sharks: Cocos Island
Just over 500 kilometres off Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, Cocos Island is accessible only by liveaboard. Its volcanic pinnacles attract vast schools of scalloped hammerheads alongside bull, silky, silvertip, Galapagos and whitetip sharks, making it one of the world’s finest destinations for shark diving.
"Great diving from the comfortable and efficient liveaboard, Sea Hunter. We had encounters with hammerheads, Galapagos and silky sharks, mantas and eagle rays". - John D
Best for Mantas: Socorro
Journey by liveaboard to Socorro, one of the world’s most reliable destinations for giant oceanic manta rays. These inquisitive animals often approach divers and stay with them for extended periods, creating remarkably close and unhurried encounters. Socorro also attracts dolphins, humpback whales and up to seven shark species, making it one of the Pacific’s most thrilling big animal diving destinations.
"Great marine life, good company onboard, everything ran smoothly. The diving highlights were tiger shark, countless giant mantas, false killer whales and dolphins". - Arthur J
If you're feeling inspired, browse all our liveaboard itineraries to find your perfect adventure. To start planning your holiday, contact our team of divers today.
