Jim Abernethy's Liveaboard

Well, I have to add my two cents.... the boat is a pig, the food is the most tasteless I've ever had on a liveaboard, there is not enough camera space or deck space, the 2 heads were scummy by the end of the week..... and I can't wait to go back again!

Nothing comes close to the shark experiences you get with JASA. You just have to go with the flow and have the best dives of your life!

Fletcher

Oh yes, and I'm a woman. Don't even come close to saying this is a guy's trip! It's just a fantastic trip for any diver wanting adventure!

Fletcher

I've been complaining about the food on the Shearwater for years, but I hear the new chef ACTUALLY COOKS. Is that true?

OK! At the risk of being labelled "impropritious", I will tell u.

 

Imagine meeting a lady and treating her so, and then within the first 15

minutes of meting being told that, "Men are no good. Don't pee all over

the toilet seat."

So did you pee on the toilet seat? I guess with rough seas we guys need to sit and pee.

Anyway, what guy ever uses the head on the Shearwater to pee. Sorry Fletcher.

I've been complaining about the food on the Shearwater for years, but I hear the new chef ACTUALLY COOKS. Is that true?

New Chef's food rocks! Prime rib dinner one night and on and on. Good guy too!

Jim has been know (rarely) to return to port & ask this type of person to get off his boat. Bet she was getting real close to that.

Prime rib + oreo & ice cream cake. We ate very well.

Most of us can adapt to a different environment for a few days, some cannot.

Most of the guys just whizzed off the stern .... no problem to me unless I'm climbing back on the ladder! :-P

Fletcher

I am booked on a trip aboard the SW (my first), and I am taking my girlfriend ... In the end, she is only worried about only having a small plastic tube to "defend" herself of tigers etc...

 

...what slighty worries me, is having days without diving etc... Is that common?

David,

Actually, the smal plastic tube is more than enough if you abide by the rules. Heck, you don't even use it to poke sharks (which is what I assumed when I first saw one) - you hold it vertically and let the shark bump it; they dislike the feeling and veer away. And even that is unlikely to be necessary unless you/she are within 15 feet of the bait crate when there's lots of action...which no one will encourage you to do. One of the nice things about Shearwater is that no one is required or encouraged to do anything they're uncomfortable about. You can stay plenty far from "the action" and simply watch in awe from a distance. On my first time on the boat, a fellow in our group (an extremely experienced non-photographer diver) just hung out a ways out, sat back against his tank, and used his stick jammed in the sand for support - he was perfectly happy just watching the big tiger sharks swim by 20-50 ft away.

As for days without diving, that only tends to happen if Mother Nature whips up the seas...or when first arriving and waiting for the scent from the crates to spread down-current and attract something worth seeing. Even with that, you'll have oodles of uw time...and if your girlfriend is prepared for "roughing it" a bit, you'll both have a GREAT time.

Is this the same Diana with lighting strikes tattooed down her leg and lives in Guam?

That's Diane Strong. I don't think so.

Ahh yes, she's awesome

The new Chef Mike is well sorted - a real nice guy and he can cook whaaaaaayhey!

Crikey he even dives!

For the occasional laugh he has even been caught trying to feed Jim green stuff (well disguised) - a brave move - would rather face a shark myself than face jim with any small vegetable.

Paul C

well, well, well.......all I can say (or add) is that I am a GIRL and I've been on the SHEARWATER 5 times and I've LOVED it each and every time. I can't wait to go again. Each time I have been totally comfortable on that boat and don't find any of it a problem. The boat has always been clean, with good food and enough space for me and my gear. I especially enjoy the fact that most of the time the boat is filled with men : ) hey that works for me!! I think maybe people's "bad" experiences revolve around their level of expectations. I have learned over the years to keep my dive travel expectations in check and that way I won't ever be disappointed and most times I'm pleasantly surprised with a better than expected experience. True, the SHEARWATER isn't for everyone.....and thank God, cause that leaves more booking space for the rest of us that enjoy Jimmy's unique adventures, an experience that you'll get nowhere else in the world!!

There are plenty of boats out there with warm towels and chocolates on the pillows and people who want that should go enjoy that. All I can say is that I'd rather spend my money to get the best possible dive/photo experience I can before I leave this planet......I can get warm towels and chocolate at home.

thanks for all the priceless adventures Jimmy!!!!

xoxoxox

I resisted replying yesterday, to avoid being one of many jumping to the defense of the Shear Water. Too many boisterous responses are sure to put off any posters wanting to express a counter view, which is not too constructive for a debate.

That said, like many here I am a big Shear Water fan, but I do understand that coming onto the Wetpixel forums and saying you didn't enjoy a trip - can elicit a response from the community akin to if you posted saying "that underwater photography is a waste of time".

The Shear Water offers a truly unique experience in diving and I cannot think of any other trip where you have so much great subject matter sitting on your dome, day after day. I love it and I am going again in a couple of weeks. But I think that the original poster raises an important point - that the Shear Water trips aren't for everyone, indeed aren't for the majority of divers. And it is important that these views are expressed - so that people can understand if Shear Water trips are for them.

Alex

Pass the koolaid...

Here's another girlie that loves the Shearwater experience.

Before I went on my first trip I read through a lot of reports and exchanged mails with several women asking about their experiences on a boat that's so small and attracts mostly men I would hope that anyone considering a trip on the Shearwater would ask a lot of questions before booking so as not to be surprised. It's small, cramped, untidy, smelly, and there is no way to avoid stubbing toes, shins, or knees. I wasn't excited about the bathroom situation, but it turned out not to bother me. The only time the food has really disturbed me is when someone mixed M&M's and Skittles.

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad trip Diane, hopefully your next diving adventure will be better.

My 19 yo son hasn't been diving for a couple of years. He is a very good diver when he does dive (he is a good navigator and I suck at it ). He is nitrox and AOW certified. I was thinking of taking him to the Bahamas in August for some shark diving but now I'm kind of interested in Jim's trip.

We were on a shark dive in Roatan where you stay at the bottom and the sharks come to you. Is that what Jim's trips are like? He would enjoy whizzing off the side of the boat and he burps very loudly.

I'm just a little concerned that the diving might be too advanced for him if he's been out of the water for a couple of years. He could take a refresher course before we go.

Sounds like this will be a very informative and helpful thread for people considering a trip of this type. I did a bare bones "liveaboard" in the Sinai in 96' and it was all about the diving. Mattresses on the deck, Pringles, beer, the mechanic was the cook and we were boarded by armed authorities who were about to try and shake us down until we produced our MFO ID's. They couldn't get off the boat quick enough! We had a great time and is a trip I will always remember. If you put the acommadations and the photography aside for a minute what kind of diver would you recommend this trip to? Is it more a matter of one's nerve more than diving ability? Or is it a matter of both? People need to know this whether they are photographers or not. I took a quick look at the JAVA site and this may well be covered?

Sounds like a great trip!

Jeff

Sounds like this will be a very informative and helpful thread for people considering a trip of this type. I did a bare bones "liveaboard" in the Sinai in 96' and it was all about the diving. Mattresses on the deck, Pringles, beer, the mechanic was the cook and we were boarded by armed authorities who were about to try and shake us down until we produced our MFO ID's. They couldn't get off the boat quick enough! We had a great time and is a trip I will always remember. If you put the acommadations and the photography aside for a minute what kind of diver would you recommend this trip to? Is it more a matter of one's nerve more than diving ability? Or is it a matter of both? People need to know this whether they are photographers or not. I took a quick look at the JAVA site and this may well be covered?

 

Sounds like a great trip!

 

Jeff

Jeff. i was not afraid of the sharks, but i was afraid of jim! diana

My 19 yo son hasn't been diving for a couple of years. He is a very good diver when he does dive (he is a good navigator and I suck at it ). He is nitrox and AOW certified. I was thinking of taking him to the Bahamas in August for some shark diving but now I'm kind of interested in Jim's trip.

 

We were on a shark dive in Roatan where you stay at the bottom and the sharks come to you. Is that what Jim's trips are like? He would enjoy whizzing off the side of the boat and he burps very loudly.

 

I'm just a little concerned that the diving might be too advanced for him if he's been out of the water for a couple of years. He could take a refresher course before we go.

weellll, the diving for the tiger sharks is done in 16ft of water. they come to you. no, i would not say it is advanced, but they do require advanced certification. diana

Pass the koolaid...

 

Here's another girlie that loves the Shearwater experience.

Before I went on my first trip I read through a lot of reports and exchanged mails with several women asking about their experiences on a boat that's so small and attracts mostly men I would hope that anyone considering a trip on the Shearwater would ask a lot of questions before booking so as not to be surprised. It's small, cramped, untidy, smelly, and there is no way to avoid stubbing toes, shins, or knees. I wasn't excited about the bathroom situation, but it turned out not to bother me. The only time the food has really disturbed me is when someone mixed M&M's and Skittles.

 

I'm sorry to hear you had a bad trip Diane, hopefully your next diving adventure will be better.

I resisted replying yesterday, to avoid being one of many jumping to the defense of the Shear Water. Too many boisterous responses are sure to put off any posters wanting to express a counter view, which is not too constructive for a debate.

That said, like many here I am a big Shear Water fan, but I do understand that coming onto the Wetpixel forums and saying you didn't enjoy a trip - can elicit a response from the community akin to if you posted saying "that underwater photography is a waste of time".

 

The Shear Water offers a truly unique experience in diving and I cannot think of any other trip where you have so much great subject matter sitting on your dome, day after day. I love it and I am going again in a couple of weeks. But I think that the original poster raises an important point - that the Shear Water trips aren't for everyone, indeed aren't for the majority of divers. And it is important that these views are expressed - so that people can understand if Shear Water trips are for them.

I believe you are right, Alex. I was more afraid of jim than the tiger sharks.!!!!

[EDIT by moderator - format only]

Is this the same Diana with lighting strikes tattooed down her leg and lives in Guam?

no no no no