Anyone been to the Channel Islands on a live-aboard?

[diveduo]

We are thinking of a trip to the California Channel Islands in the fall on a 3 or 4 day live-aboard. Does anybody have suggestions, experiences, comments (good or bad.) We'd appreciate any. Thanks

[deep diver]

I have been several times on the Truth Aquatics. They have or had 3 boats..truth conception and vision. They are nothing fancy. Bunk berths, doubles and singles with just a curtain the you can pull for privacy.
All food was included and you bring you own booze if you want any. As long as the boat is stopped you can continue diving all you want. When you take your tanks off they air them off right away. They do lock the gates if the weather gets too rough until it clears up. It's great, they let you load the night before and your at the dive sites first thing the next morning.
They have freezers for your catch, heaters for your suits.
I've always had a great time as the crew has been fantastic.

Here is their web site
http://www.truthaquatics.com/index.html

[airsix]

Get on this boat and go straight to San Miguel.

[enchantmentdivi]

I have been several times on the Truth Aquatics. They have or had 3 boats..truth conception and vision. They are nothing fancy. Bunk berths, doubles and singles with just a curtain the you can pull for privacy.
All food was included and you bring you own booze if you want any. As long as the boat is stopped you can continue diving all you want. When you take your tanks off they air them off right away. They do lock the gates if the weather gets too rough until it clears up. It's great, they let you load the night before and your at the dive sites first thing the next morning.
They have freezers for your catch, heaters for your suits.
I've always had a great time as the crew has been fantastic.

Here is their web site
http://www.truthaquatics.com/index.html

Me too! Highly recommend them. I also highly recommend you spend the extra money to do one of their "limited load" trips. On the Conception and the Vision, a full load is about 40-44 divers. A limited load is 24 divers if I'm remembering correctly. Trust me--it is so worth the extra money!

[Waynne Fowler]

9 trips. The last 5 with Truth. They're the best I think. And I'd second the "limited load" trips..

[Grateful Diver]

I do a trip on the Peace every year ... along with a few other regulars from this board. Liveaboards in the Channel Islands would more accurately be called bunkaboards ... they aren't like liveaboards you get in the tropics. But the diving's fantastic, they feed you well, and it's an awesome great time.

I highly recommend it ... just set your expectations accordingly ... you won't have a "cabin" ... you'll have a bunk ... that's just how the roll down there ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[Sounder]

Yes, as Bob said, there are a bunch of us here who do an annual trip down there on the Peace Boat. The Peace is a smaller boat, which we charter and fill ourselves. We like to take between 18-22 divers, though the boat can hold up to 26 I believe. This allows for extra deck and bunk space for storage and mobility. We bring a lot. We bring scooters, cameras galore, party gear, and lots of other stuff... we "bring our own fun."

Below are some videos from past trips. The parties aren't included on the boats, but nothing stops you from throwing your own. We like to coordinate with the Peace chef, Joe, so our dinner matches our party theme. In addition to dinner, we bring costumes and beverages to match as well (tequila tasting for "taco night," etc.), and of course we bring proper stemware.

We have a lot of fun, and the diving is spectacular. On our boat, there is one extra cautionary item you must be aware of... "the rubber chicken brigade!!" At any one time, there are between 4-6 small rubber chickens (with bolt-snaps tide on them) floating around the boat in people's pockets. The game doesn't really have a winner, loser, or even really a point at all other than to "chicken or be chickened (usually both throughout the course of the weekend)!!" The rules are simple... if you find a chicken clipped to you, you must then try to get rid of it by clipping it on someone else without them knowing it. Chickens have been clipped on spg's just before people jump off the boat or just after gas-checks in the water, they've been put on butt-rings, one was even placed on compass bungie without the victim noticing. Silly nonsense, but a lot of fun.

These videos show the diving, the boat, and the "part 1 of 2" one shows the bunks (among other things) around the Peace. You'll get the flavor of our trips from them.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH99ZxDYUAw[/youtube]

Part 1 of 2
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZakZERwrXbU[/youtube]

Part 2 of 2
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeELSKGlqLA[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZouV0SJ0wbY[/youtube]

[dlh]

I did a Channel Islands trip on the Nautilus Explorer in 2008. It was pretty darn awesome! No doubt the best way to do this trip, with get support and accomdations.

Lots of photos here: Channel Island Slideshow

[LCF]

I simply can't say enough good things about the Peace.

As stated, this is not "liveaboard" diving as one would expect in the tropics. The SoCal "liveaboard" boats have bunks -- the Peace has the most wonderful polarfleece blankets for theirs -- and not staterooms. Since the trips are only a few days, it suffices.

The crew of the Peace is practiced and efficient. They know how to help get divers into the water quickly and smoothly, and how to retrieve them. Eric knows the Channel Islands like the back of his hand -- no matter what the weather or water conditions are, he will find you a place to dive and be comfortable, and see as much as you can.

The layout of the boat is efficient and easy, and they do quick, accurate fills.

And the final dreamy wonderful thing about the Peace is the food. Imagine getting on board to bagels, bread, butter and jams. You think you have had breakfast, but you do the first dive and come up to Spanish omelets, bacon and ham. You stuff yourself and maybe take a quick nap, and dive again, and get out to homemade soups and rolls. Another dive is followed by grilled Portabello mushrooms with walnut and blue cheese stuffing, and herbed pork loin. You dive again, and come out to dinner, and freshly baked brownie sundaes. The food on the Peace, especially when Joe is running the galley, would make Canlis groan with envy . . .

Book the Peace. You won't go wrong.

[diveduo]

Thanks for all the info and the video clips!!

[loanwolf]

I like to dive off the Sand Dollar out of San Pedro, George runs the boat 24hrs a day, especially during lobster season. His policy is "the boat is yours and the gates never close" so you can do as many dives as you like and they will move the boat at any time day or night at your request. During lobster season we were getting 6+ dives a day. We also do our Deep Tech trips off this boat as well. Great crew and you will weigh more when you get home than when you arrive, the food just keeps coming.

http://sanddollarcharters.com/

[Grateful Diver]

A few of my favorites from the Channel Islands ...

... they look like bathtub toys ...



If you see one of these, don't give it a hug ...



... a carpet of brittle stars ...



... they get into everything at some sites ...



... the surge can make it seem "windy", even at 80 feet ...



Those were all from the northern Channel Islands ... we're going south this year, hoping for some sea lion encounters ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[loanwolf]

You have to make it to Farnsworth bank. It is a great dive, covered in Purple coral. It is on the west side of the Islands, a open pacific ocean dive. Sail rock is another polynomial dive. And a stop at the oil rigs for a dive with the sea-lions.

[dlh]

You have to make it to Farnsworth bank. It is a great dive, covered in Purple coral. It is on the west side of the Islands, a open pacific ocean dive. Sail rock is another polynomial dive. And a stop at the oil rigs for a dive with the sea-lions.

You'll do all of these things on the Nautilus route:

Farnsworth Banks:


Eureka Oil rig:

[loanwolf]

You have to make it to Farnsworth bank. It is a great dive, covered in Purple coral. It is on the west side of the Islands, a open pacific ocean dive. Sail rock is another polynomial dive. And a stop at the oil rigs for a dive with the sea-lions.

You'll do all of these things on the Nautilus route:

Yes you will as well as several of the other boats down their go to the same places. I was just saying if you are going down there they are great dive sites to hit.

I like to night dive and most of the boats will only do one night dive and then close the gates for the night. the Sand Dollar will let you dive all night if you want to and move to new sites in the middle of the night as well if the guests want to. No one else down their will do that from what I have seen, especially during lobster season. You can do as many dives as you want to a day as long as you stay within safety limits, and the food keeps coming around the clock if divers are diving. Last time down we were splashing at midnight on the way out and diving moving to new sites until sunrise, ate breakfast took a nap then in the water again. Their were basically 8 or more opportunities to get in the water every day depending on the run time between sights. So when you felt like it you just suited up and went for it day or night. It was nap eat dive and do it again around the clock for 3 days in a row on the last recreational trip I was down their on sharing the boat with a great group from Dixie Divers in Utah.

Just a suggestion,

[Sounder]

We typically do up to 5 dives per day, one being after dinner. That is a low-attendance dive for us as the theme party is often rolling by then, however there are still a number of people who do it.

[airsix]

From what I'm told the average dive duration permitted and time-per-site can vary greatly depending on the group. I'd be wary of getting stuck on a boat full of 30min. BT wetsuit vacationers. That's not from me. That was the warning I got from a good friend in SoCal. The nice thing about filling a boat with people you know is having some control over that sort of thing.

-Ben (does the night dives and shows up wet for the after-party.)

[seainggreen]

-Ben (does the night dives and shows up wet for the after-party.)

Me too, me too!!! Can I be your late-to-dinner-buddy?

[airsix]

-Ben (does the night dives and shows up wet for the after-party.)

Me too, me too!!! Can I be your late-to-dinner-buddy?

Totally! My experience is NEVER say no to a night dive.

[seainggreen]

-Ben (does the night dives and shows up wet for the after-party.)

Me too, me too!!! Can I be your late-to-dinner-buddy?

Totally! My experience is NEVER say no to a night dive.

Done and done.

[LCF]

I love night dives, unless two friends hijack me in my underwear and put me in the hot tub, and a third plies with me Crown Royal. Just saying . . .

[dalcodiver]

I would definitely say the Peace , I have dove with Eric & Kevin for several years and have always had a good time. Joe's cooking is always excellent and the hot tub quite relaxing.

[lavachickie]

So far, I'd have to say the trip I took last September/October with Truth Aquatics aboard the Vision was my favorite dive trip yet. Yes, moreso than Cozumel, even. [To be fair I've only been diving for 16 months, coming up on 100 dives, have only been to Oregon, Washington, Cozumel x 2, Florida, Channel Islands.]

The boat was basic but comfortable (not fancy, not lavish, but I really don't vacation that way). We ended up with what amounted to a "limited load" and agree that would be the way to go -- at full capacity it would be a bit cramped, but we had about 24 on board and it was comfy. Food was good. Crew was friendly and helpful. Showers were basic but usable. Top deck was my favorite place.

It was like the most awesome summer camp ever. I mean, seriously -- on a boat, the only thing to do is sleep, eat, and dive. 16 dives in four days (two were 5 each). The days were awesome. wake, eat, fall off the boat. Get back on when the tank runs out, take a break, fall off the boat again. Repeat one to two more times for the day.

The diving was good; diversity in live and structure. Rays, sea lions, kelp forests, oh my. It was not as warm as usual there then, but even so it was easy drysuit diving (minimal undergarment, no hood, no gloves for most dives).

Price was good, and I had a blast road tripping down there with two other friends.

I'm not saying anything that someone else hasn't already. Sorry. But there's strength in numbers.

[LCF]

minimal undergarment, no hood, no gloves for most dives

Wow -- what time of year did you go? In all my LA trips, I've NEVER even considered going without a hood, or even without gloves! (Water temps below about 20 feet have always been no better than the 50's, and sometimes into the 40's deep.)

[airsix]

minimal undergarment, no hood, no gloves for most dives

I couldn't do the Channel Islands without hood and gloves. No way. Maybe for 1 dive. When I was there in '09 we did 5 one-hour dives per day. I dressed just like I do for Puget Sound and never got too warm.