Everything people ask us before they book.

Find the departure you want and hit Request dates. We check the cabin with the operator, come back with the exact price and what is included, and hold it while you decide. When you are happy, the operator sends you their own secure payment link. Nothing is charged until you say yes.

The boat, for the trip. Us, only for membership. Your deposit and balance go straight to the operator under their payment terms. We are never holding your trip money, which is the single most important thing to understand about how we work.

Because we would rather show nothing than show a number we cannot honour. Liveaboard pricing moves by season, cabin deck and occupancy, and the operator feed that carries live rates is not connected yet. Ask about any departure and you get a real, written price the same working day.

The schedule follows each destination's real season and each boat's real trip length, but it is provisional until we confirm with the operator. We verify every departure you ask about before anything is held or paid.

Galápagos, Socorro and Tubbataha go a year or more ahead for the good weeks. The Red Sea and Thailand can be booked two or three months out without much pain. If your dates are fixed, book early; if they are flexible, tell us and we will watch for cancellations.

Almost always, yes, at a single supplement that varies by boat. Some operators will also pair you with another solo diver of the same gender at no extra cost. Tell us which you prefer and we will ask.

The operator's change policy governs, and it varies by boat: some allow a date change up to a certain point for a fee, others treat it as a cancellation. We tell you exactly what that policy says before you commit, and we handle the correspondence for you. Ask as soon as you know something has changed, because on almost every boat the earlier you ask, the more room there is.

Often yes, and it is usually cheaper than cancelling. Most operators will change the name on a cabin for an administrative fee, provided the new diver meets the same experience requirements for that itinerary. It is not universal, so ask us before you promise the cabin to anyone.

Two separate payments. Membership is charged by us in US dollars, once a year, on an international card through Stripe. The trip itself you pay to the operator through their own secure link, in the currency and on the schedule they work with, usually a deposit now and the balance closer to departure. If your card was issued outside the United States, expect your bank's conversion rate and, in some countries, a foreign transaction tax on top of the amount shown.

It depends entirely on the boat. Thailand and the northern Red Sea take genuine beginners. Galápagos, Socorro, Komodo south and the Maldives channels want fifty logged dives and comfort in current. Every boat page states the number the operator expects, and if you are close but not there, ask us rather than guessing.

Three to four dives, spaced through the day, with meals between them and a briefing before each. Most boats run a dawn dive, two mid-day dives and a night dive a few times per trip. You sleep where you dive, which is the whole point.

On a four-dive-a-day itinerary it makes a real difference to how you feel by day five. Most boats we list have it, some include it free, most charge per week. The boat page says which.

Your own mask, computer and exposure suit at minimum. Regulator and BCD if you own them, because rental costs add up fast on a week and you dive better in kit you know. Every destination page lists water temperature so you can pick the right suit.

Usually some, usually slow, and often charged. Starlink has changed this fast on newer boats. If staying connected matters for work, tell us and we will only show you boats where it genuinely works.

Not necessarily, but the crossing matters more than the boat. The 24-hour run to Socorro and the Galápagos northern islands are genuinely rough. The Red Sea, Maldives and Similans are mostly sheltered. Tell us and we will steer you to the calm water, and medicate before you board rather than after.

Rarely, but it has to be said in advance. A liveaboard cooks for a fixed number of people with what was loaded before leaving port, so there is no improvising at sea. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and most allergies are handled routinely when the galley knows a few weeks ahead. Tell us when you request dates and we pass it to the operator in writing.

On most boats yes, and often at a reduced rate since they use no tanks. Be honest with them about the week: the boat sits at dive sites, not at beaches, and the days are built around four dives. It works well for someone who snorkels, reads and likes being at sea, and badly for someone expecting excursions. Ask us and we will say which boats suit a non-diving companion.

It depends on the boat and the destination, and there are two different limits: the operator sets a minimum age to be aboard at all, and the certifying agency sets one to dive. Many boats take families, some are adults only, and a few work better as a full charter than cabin by cabin. Tell us the ages and we check before you plan anything.

Yes. Guides sign and stamp logbooks at the end of the trip, and most boats post the site, depth and time of every dive each day, which is what you copy across. If you are working toward a certification that needs a logged dive count, say so at the start of the week so the guides know.

A lower, members-only rate of around 7% on every cabin we sell. Plus last-minute cabin alerts before they go public, priority on our hosted photography trips, and a person who knows the boats answering you directly.

No. Anyone can request any departure and we will quote it at the operator's public price. Membership is what turns that public price into a member price.

US$ 45 a year while founding places last, then US$ 89. Cancel in one click from your account page, any time, and you keep access until the end of the period you paid for.

Because that is the condition under which operators allow it at all. Their public price has to stay the same everywhere. A discount inside a closed group of members does not break that; a discount visible in search results does, and it would cost us the agency contracts the whole thing depends on.

No, deliberately. Bundling a flight with a cabin would make what we sell a package under European and UK law, with obligations we are not set up to carry. We will happily tell you which routing works and which hotel to use the night before, and you book them yourself.

Many operators will not let you board without proof of it. Get a policy that covers chamber treatment, evacuation and supplier insolvency, not just a generic travel policy. Ask us and we will point you at one that has all three.

The operator's cancellation policy governs the trip, and we tell you exactly what it says before you commit. If the operator cancels, they rebook or refund under those terms and we handle the correspondence for you. This is also why insolvency cover on your insurance matters.

English, Portuguese and Spanish, in writing and on a call. The site itself is available in all three, and the assistant answers in whichever language you write to it in.

Write to <a href="mailto:contact@liveaboardclub.com">contact@liveaboardclub.com</a> or use the contact form. We answer within one working day, and there is no phone tree between you and the person who has actually been on the boat.

The widely used guidance is at least 18 hours after several days of repetitive diving, and most operators build the last day around it by finishing early or making it a no-dive day. Plan the flight home accordingly and never book a departure for the evening the boat docks. This is a safety limit rather than a suggestion, and if you have any doubt about your own case, ask a dive physician, not us.

Most divers check one bag with regulator, computer and exposure suit, and carry the regulator and computer in hand luggage when the checked bag is at risk. Expect to be at or over the standard weight allowance: a full kit is 15 to 20 kilos before clothes. Some airlines sell a sports equipment allowance that is cheaper than excess weight, and buying it in advance beats paying at the counter. Tanks and weights always come from the boat, so those never travel with you.

For the boat: your certification card, a logbook if the operator asks for one, and proof of dive insurance on many vessels. For the country: passport validity and visa rules depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so confirm with the consulate or the destination's official immigration site rather than with us. We will tell you what the operator requires and what we know about the destination, early enough for you to act on it.