When you set sail on your liveaboard to destinations
unknown, and with a salty ocean breeze ruffling your hair, it’s
hard to argue with the old proverb about the journey being as
important as the destination. As your skipper plots his course
between the most coveted diving destinations, a liveaboard cruise
allow divers unparalleled opportunities to explore some of the
finest dive sites in the world. Whether you board a traditional
phinisi boat or a luxurious floating five-star hotel; whether
you’re a snorkeller or advanced diver; whether you want to up the
dive count or combine diving with land-based escapades, discover
the top five destinations for liveaboard diving.

Diving Oman

Liveaboard Diving in Oman

Located off the south eastern coast of Oman, the Hallaniyat Islands are a
relatively new destination for liveaboard divers, wherein lies the
charm. Board the Oman Aggressor
to cruise the archipelago, diving in a fish soup of reef species
alongside honeycomb moray eels, dragon morays, giant groupers, sea
turtles and – if you visit between January and March, humpback
whales – all without another soul in sight.

aerial maldives

Liveaboard Diving in the Maldives

Rather than pick one idyllic island paradise in the Maldives, cruise around several aboard
some of the world’s finest luxury liveaboards, dipping into a
different turquoise atoll each day to explore some if the
archipelago’s more remote dive sites, ranging from crystal clear
lagoons to thrilling channel dives. Along the way, dive with manta
rays, sharks, dolphins, groupers and more, spending surface
intervals exploring local islands and picnicking on deserted
sandbanks.

truk lagoon micronesia

Liveaboard Diving in Micronesia

You might wonder where on earth Micronesia even is –
and that’s precisely the point. Located in the pacific, this remote
archipelago is home to Chuuk
Lagoon
, the site of a ferocious airstrike carried out by the
United States on the Japanese in WWII known as ‘Operation
Hailstone’. Only accessible by liveaboard, divers can explore an
underwater museum of over 50 wartime wrecks draped in hard and soft
corals, spotting all manner of cargo including bullets, gas masks
and even bones, a haunting reminder of the lives lost. For the best
of both worlds, hop west to Yap where
diving with mantas is virtually guaranteed year-round in the Mi’l
channel.

Cuttlefish

Liveaboard Diving in Australia

The three swirling atolls that make up Rowley Shoals are the
remnants of a trio of extinct volcanoes, featuring everything from
dramatic canyons and lagoons to thrilling drift dives and plunging
wall dives, are populated by healthy corals and abundant marine
life (over 688 species, to be exact). The Rowley Shoals are located
180 miles west of Broome, so set sail aboard True
North
and explore sites guided by a marine biologist and posse
of underwater naturalists, naturally. Continuing on the ‘three’s
the magic number’ theme, cruising across western Ningaloo
Reef
for whale sharks (winter) or humpbacks (summer) and
exploring the Great
Barrier Reef
are also best done by liveaboard. All aboard!

raja ampat indonesia

Liveaboard Diving in Indonesia

Whether sailing around the traditional favourites of Raja Ampat and Komodo, or exploring the
lesser known (but no less impressive) corners of Alor or the Banda islands, it’s not
unusual to have entire reefs to yourself. Even better, the
remoteness of these sites and limited human interaction means
everything comes supersized. From table corals that could seat a
dozen for dinner to vast cabbage patches, bulbous brains and
highlighter shaded soft corals, all are blurred with bright
flickers in every colour as fish dart about their daily lives.
Above the surface, sweeping vistas reveal a time seemingly
forgotten, with undisturbed glassy watered bays to misty jungles
exhaling thin clouds of smoke from hidden villages. Slip into a
delicious routine of eat, sleep, dive, repeat as you delve a little
deeper into Indonesia’s mind-boggling marine diversity.

Interested in liveaboard diving?
Get in touch
to plan your next liveaboard diving
adventure.

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