Hi SD fans, and welcome back to the channel. ‘Boat diving or shore diving – which is
the preferred option’ – is a question I get asked many many times, and there are
pros and cons to both forms of diving, so in this video, we’ll have a look at both
and you can decide which works best for you. It is not as clear-cut as you might think,
and often depends on your location – what works in one place won’t necessarily work
in another. If you haven’t been here before, my name
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Now, let’s dive into the video!
Shore diving or both diving. Which is better? Well, there is no straightforward answer to
that one, to be honest. I find that it is all down to where you are in the world, and
where you happen to be diving – in some instances, boat diving might not be even on
the cards, so shore diving it is, whereas in other places, the site might not be accessible
from land and you have to use a boat to get there.
But let’s consider a destination where you can opt to boat dive or shore dive, somewhere
like Bonaire, for example. This tiny Caribbean island is often referred to as the Shore Diving
Capital of the World, and it does have a plethora of sites that are easily accessible from the
shore, including a world-class shipwreck in the Hilma Hooker. However, you can also hit
many of these sites via a boat, and there are also a selection of dive sites on the
nearby Klein Bonaire that can only be accessed by boat. So, why choose one over the other?
Let’s start with the pros of shore diving. One of the main benefits of going for a shore
dive is that you can set your own timetable – if you are just diving with your buddy,
or your own group. If you are diving from the shore with a guide, like you do in Malta,
then you will still be sticking to a schedule decided by the dive centre. But let’s say
it is just you and your buddy. You can choose where and when to dive, and crucially, for
how long. Want a lie in and kick off your diving mid-morning – no problem. Suddenly
got the urge for a night dive after your dinner? Go right ahead. And you have complete control
over what you do in the water. You might have a plan to swim along a reef for 30 minutes,
and then turn round for the return journey, but once you are in the water come across
something unexpected – like mating frogfish, or duelling nudibranchs. You can opt to just
stay in this one location for the duration of your dive and watch the action, you aren’t
having to keep up with a guide. This is why many photographers like to dive from the shore
in this way – as a photographer myself, I know there is nothing worse than trying
to take shots as part of a group. Even if you hang at the rear, you are always feeling
the pressure to keep one eye on the guide and not hold up the group with your activities.
If it is just you and your buddy, you can take your time over your photographs with
no external worries. Another benefit of shore diving is that you
aren’t on a boat – which if you suffer from seasickness, can be a very good thing.
There is nothing worse than being on a dive boat and wishing you were back ashore as the
waves of nausea pass over you. At least when you start and end the dive on terra firma,
you have not got that issue to worry about at all. You can get round this issue by taking
medication, but make sure it does not cause problems for diving.
Shore diving can also be a great way to build confidence as a newly qualified dive team.
A buddy team fresh out of their entry-level classes can safely do shallow, sheltered shore
dives that they plan and execute themselves, and then gradually expand their horizons as
their confidence and skills increase. That’s not to say that shore dives are just
for beginners or even experienced recreational divers. There are places where you can access
deep water close to shore, which means that technical divers can get their depth fix without
having to board a boat. At sites like Middle Finger on Gozo in the Mediterranean, you can
find depths of over 300ft within a short distance of the entry point. Again, all the plus points
of having your own schedule equally apply to technical divers too.
Finally, shore diving is often a cheaper option than boat diving. If you are diving in your
own country with all of your own gear, then a shore dive could literally cost you just
the price of a gas fill. But even on Bonaire, a shore-diving package is cheaper than a boat-diving
package over the same timescale.
Right, the cons of shore diving. Well, first off, you have to walk with your gear on to
the entry point into the water. Now on our example island of Bonaire, many of these are
located not too far from where you park your pick-up truck. However, at many places you
have to contend with walking into the water over loose and uneven coral rubble, which
if you are not that steady on your feet for whatever reason, can be quite a challenge.
On Malta, you will be required to walk much longer distances to get to the water, and
in some cases, over rough ironshore. You need sturdy dive boats and be capable of walking
wearing your full dive kit for sometimes hundreds of feet. This can obviously rule out a lot
of people who are just not up the task for a multitude of reasons.
Getting in is one thing – it normally just involves walking into the water, or maybe
a giant stride. But remember you have to get back out again. It might be a case of just
taking off your fins in the shallows and walking out on a sandy beach, but in many instances,
you might need to climb up a ladder – not too big a chore, it is much the same as getting
back on a boat – or scramble back up rocks, which is a much more daunting challenge.
If you are technical diving from shore, this is obviously even more of an issue, as you
will be carrying multiple cylinders, or even a closed-circuit rebreather. If you are going
tech diving from the shore, in many cases, you need to be seriously fit.
Shore diving does open you up to being at the mercy of the tides with no boat cover.
Off the likes of Bonaire, this isn’t really an issue, but in other places – such as
off the coast of Anglesey in North Wales – you need to consider where you are diving a bit
more carefully. Some sheltered bays can be diving at any time and in almost any conditions,
but others are subject to tidal changes. There have been numerous rescues of divers who went
in for a shore dive, ventured a little too far outside the protection of a bay and were
whisked out to sea by the tide. So if you are diving somewhere that is subject to tides,
talk to the local dive centre and get some sage advice before you head into the water.
It is better to be safe than sorry. Many times when you are shore diving you will
be in close proximity to other water users, from swimmers, kayakers and paddle-boarders
to jet skis, sailing dinghies and motor boats, so it is vital in these instances you let
them know where you are. This means you need to haul an SMB around with you, which can
be a royal pain in the rear, so to avoid this, choose locations where there are not that
many other people.
Let’s move on to boat diving. The first plus for boat diving is that it is dead easy,
especially if you are on a hard boat. You get on the boat at a dock, set your dive gear
up, and when it comes time to dive, you put it on and walk maybe 10 feet before giant-striding
into the water. At the end of the dive, you climb back up a ladder and have that epic
10 feet walk back to your seat. If you are diving from a RIB or other small
boat, it might be slightly more labour-intensive. You will often either travel out to the dive
site with your kit on your back if it is close by, or have to don it once you are at the
location. Getting into dive kit in a RIB is more of a faff than on a big hard boat, but
work with your buddy and it isn’t too hard. The best thing is that once you are kitted
up and ready to dive, getting into the water literally involves just falling backwards
off the boat! Technical divers often prefer boat diving
over shore diving for this very reason. When you are loaded up with a rebreather and bail-out
cylinders, or a twinset and stages, it is much easier to just shuffle a few feet to
the side of the boat and fall in rather than face an epic trek to the dive site entry point.
With more and more boats now having diver lifts, getting back on to the vessel at the
end of the dive is even easier too! The other major benefit of boat diving is
that it can deliver you to sites that are not accessible from the shore. On Bonaire,
while most of the mainland sites can be dived by boat or from the shore, if you want to
experience the sublime reefs around the small nearby island of Klein Bonaire, you have to
do it from a boat. In many locations, all of the dive sites are only accessible via
boat, so even if you are a shore-diving fanatic, if you want to dive, you will have to get
on that boat. Remember I said that photographers love shore
diving because it gives them freedom to take their time and not be playing catch up with
a guide? Well, some liveaboards have got that issue covered. On the Aqua Cat in the Bahamas,
once the boat is moored up at a dive site and you have listened to the briefing, you
can opt to follow a guide or head off with your buddy and go it alone, just as you would
on a shore dive. Likewise, in the Red Sea, some of the boats operate an ‘open deck’
policy on certain charters, where buddy teams can come and go by themselves with no real
constraints.
Right, on to the cons of boat diving. Well, we mentioned one of the main ones before – seasickness.
I remember feeling desperately sorry for two young backpackers in South Africa who excitedly
boarded our boat to go cage diving with great white sharks. Alas, they were lying prone
on the deck before we had even left the dock, and went progressively greener as the day
progressed, especially once we hit the big rolling swells of the open ocean. If you don’t
suffer from seasickness, be extremely thankful! There are a multitude of drugs available to
combat seasickness, but some rule out diving when taking them, so do your research carefully.
When you are dayboat diving, you will be working to the dive centre’s strict schedule. They
need to know exactly when the boats are going out and coming back, to be able to plan different
trips, fill cylinders, fuel boats and more. So you have to be on time for when the boat
leaves – no lie ins for you, unless you opt to forgo a morning dive and wait till
the afternoon session. Likewise, on most dayboats, you will be following
a dive guide, which as mentioned before, can be frustrating for photographers in particular.
Even just experienced divers who are not taking shots can sometimes get fed up of this whole
follow-the-leader approach, especially if dive times are cut short and you still have
plenty of gas left in your tank and no-deco limit on your computer. It is worth checking
with the dive centre what the state of play is with dive guides and dive profiles and
times before you get out on the boat to avoid disappointment.
As said before, diving from a boat carries inherently most associated costs than shore
diving, so you will be paying more to go diving from a boat. If you are on a tight budget
when selecting your next dive destination, this is worth considering.
So, shore diving or boat diving. Which do you prefer, and why? Leave your comments below,
and if you have a question, fire away – if we can’t answer, maybe someone in our community
will be able to. Remember, if you enjoyed this video, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube
Channel, and check out our ever-growing playlist for more educational and inspirational videos.
As always, stay safe – and if you are going diving, enjoy!