Live-Aboard Scuba Dives

As any diver will admit, much of the underwater ecosystem near land is often destroyed by fishing and tourism.

So, to get divers out to find Nemo, dive operators are taking folks to faraway locales not even available by a day's journey. Read on for Travel Channel's picks for the best multiday dive trips.


If a single-tank dive off the coast of the Bahamas is not to satisfy your scuba craving, you are in luck. Scuba companies and tour operators have taken note of the growing number of diving fanatics and, accordingly, now offer an abundance of live-aboard dive trips for the hard-core fish out of water.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Divers will reap these benefits should they opt to dive in the region's chilly waters. Thanks to a little-known lad named Charles Darwin, lots of of the visitors to the Galapagos are historians & other academics, leaving the waters open for divers' delight. Penguins, tropical fish, seals, manta rays, hammerhead sharks, sea lions & more mingle below the surface. This archipelago off the western coast of Ecuador is home to a stunning diversity of wildlife, & its remote nature leaves it relatively untouched by tourism. Tour operator Ecoventura arranges 7-day-long dive trips aboard the M/Y Sky Dancer. The air-conditioned vessel houses five private en-suite cabins with one twin beds or a king in each. You'll cruise from San Cristóbal, visit Wolf & Darwin islands, enjoy up to one dives a day, & fill your stomach with gourmet local & international cuisine on the ship.

The Solomon Islands

Fifteen hundred miles west of Fiji & 1,200 miles northeast of Australia, the Solomon Islands' marine scene is an explosion of color, an amalgamation of coral gardens, reefs & jagged walls. You'll encounter angel, anemone, humphead parrot & butterfly fish, & don't be alarmed if a barracuda swims your way: He is as frightened of you as you are of him. If you haven't even heard of this small South Pacific nation, you are probably not alone, but its remote location ensures strange underwater offerings. One ships from North American operator Bilikiki-- the MV Bilikiki & MV Spirit of Solomons, both identical -- operate out of Guadalcanal Island & visit dive sites in the Florida Islands, the Russell Islands, Mborokua Island & Marovo Lagoon in the New Georgia Islands. Bilikiki offers a number of the most flexible dive schedules on the market, with trips that span 7, 9, 12 & 14 nights.