Blackbeard's scuba trip, Sept 2026

27 September 2026

This post has multiple parts:

Trip report / commentary
Photo/video index
Packing advice

I'm in a hurry so it's all going to be a bit terse.

Trip report

Wow, what a trip! I'm in love with Blackbeard's liveaboards, and I can't wait to do it again.

I'm now one of the many people who believe this should be a required trip for all scuba divers. It's cheap (in scuba terms), it's awesome, it's well run, and it's great for all levels of experience. (One of our guys celebrated his 100th Blackbeard's dive, on this trip!)

From my records, I spent about $3,600 overall for this trip, being pretty careful/conservative with my spending. I already had all my gear, but I rented a backup computer and a wetsuit.

Our local dive shop arranged this trip, booking an entire boat (Morning Star, which is the best one) plus a half-dozen or so berths on the sister boat (Sea Explorer - also great).

They offered three classes (navigation, night, deep) but I already had all three. I wish I had done them this way, though - much better than quarry diving!

We had amazing weather - warm, cloudy, and calm. It made for great diving and smooth sailing. We really only had rain one day. And no hurricane! We got really lucky on the weather.

The water was very warm - mid 80's (F) / 30C. Definitely no wetsuit required, although overall skin covering was useful for sun, coral, and jellyfish protection.

The people in my group (18 on my boat) were just awesome. It was so great getting to know all of them.

As were the crew (5 of them) - beautiful humans, all around. (Thanks, Anna, for that phrase!) I feel lucky to know them, and that I got to see them work.

I arrived Friday (the day before departure) because my flight had a layover and I didn't want to risk being late.

I stayed at the Towne Hotel, which was cheap and good enough, especially for a "camping at sea" trip.

I used local transfers arranged by Blackbeard's, and they were good.

I had bunk 9L, in the main salon, which I think was the best bunk on the boat - a double bunk, easy to access, near the coffee, near the shower, near the chargers. The only downside is there's no option to sleep in - the chef starts work before 6am every day, and people all come for coffee and breakfast by 8am. But that suited me just fine.

I brought my Aranet portable CO2 monitor and kept it in my bunk. The main salon has a huge CO2 problem, from the gas stove in the galley! But it was fine. I just went to the deck when it was at its worst, to avoid headaches. Screenshots below, including temperature and humidity (in the A/C).

The boat did 18 dives, because we didn't get out of port soon enough on Saturday to do a dive that day. I did all 18, but some people skipped a few, either for ear issues or not wanting to do night dives. I skipped two of the three beach excursions.

The captain did an awesome job arranging the dives - easy/shallow ones first, then building up to deeper dives, and night dives, and current, and so on. It was really comfortable for everybody, no matter the experience level.

The food was great! (Everybody says that - but it's true!) It's easy to eat well - and important to do so. I ate a reasonable amount for the calories I was burning, and got plenty of fiber (the head on a boat is a finicky thing!), and both choices served me very well.

Drink lots of water! Just make a habit of always having water nearby. And limit alcohol, and take naps!

Those choices, all together, meant I never felt like I was struggling to dive. I was always excited to get up for the next dive.

I learned that a person's dive count is only loosely correlated with their skill as a diver. But I also learned how to work with different dive buddies, and still have great dives. And I got much better at my own dive skills, and breathing, and buoyancy.

Diving is as much about the people you dive with, as it is about what you see and do.

But wow it's great to just pull on your gear and jump in the water, without all the prep and teardown after each dive!

I only showered once on the boat. Some people showered more, some less. It didn't really matter - one way or another you'll smell like ocean all day, and you'll be around people who smell like ocean all day. There's no way to avoid that.

I never shaved on the boat, because I usually shave in the shower, without shaving cream. Next time, I'll bring shaving cream and shave at least once, maybe twice.

This was my first time diving with an underwater camera (an old GoPro 9 that I bought on Ebay). I loved having all the videos and photos, and sharing them with others. But I enjoyed my dives much more when I wasn't constantly thinking about what to photograph. And I saw/noticed more, too. Now that I have a collection of videos and pictures, I'll take far fewer next time.

The boat has Starlink WiFi, and that's a blessing and a curse. I took advantage of it to stay in touch with the real world, but also that meant I was still in touch with the real world. And lots of people were still staring at the phones, lots of the time. (But often that was about pictures, not about doom scrolling or whatever.) I was very good about muting all my notifications, so the world couldn't intrude on me. You should do that too.

Photo / video index

I posted about 250 photos and videos in an iCloud shared album that's publicly accessible. This section is an index into that album - but you can just browse it, if you prefer.

Some of the pictures and videos were taken by other people and shared in our WhatsApp group.

Included is a GoPro-generated montage of most of the underwater footage I took.

There are lots of pictures and videos not linked below - you'll have to browse to see them!

Odds and ends that I like

Sailing into the ocean.
Night lights. And a similar photo.
I like this yellow and blue fish. (Maybe a Chromis?) And another one.
A diver pointing out something other than the shark swimming behind her.
On one dive there was a very strong current and we missed the boat on the way back, and came up a long way away. Some other divers thought we looked like we knew what we were doing, and came to regret that 🤣. Most divers had to be rescued by the dinghy, but I (and a few others) managed to swim against the current all the way back to the boat!
It's not a great video, but I still like the sense of how huge the ocean is, in this one.
These Remora really wanted to glom onto me. (More videos of them in the album, and this great photo that someone else took.)
I saw a few Barracuda. They always seemed quietly curious about us. And here's a great photo of a Barracuda and divers (not my photo).
This photo looks like it's a computer game render - but that's really what the water and clouds looked like, at that moment.
I set this one as my phone's desktop background.
55 feet underwater, in the dark, at night! Seems like it should be scary, but it wasn't.
Braaaaains!
Someone got this great shot of a turtle before the shark feeding.
Up close with the shark feeding! (With plenty more in the album!)
Plenty of sharks at other times, too.
For whatever reason, I really like Grouper.
I also like Squirrelfish.
I saw a few Stingrays; here's one.
Lobster!
We fed Iguanas on a little beach on a little uninhabited island.
A nice photo of a group of divers.
A close encounter with a turtle at night.
Rain on the water, from underneath.
An absolute cloud of fish inside a wreck - a little freaky!
I really like big schools of fish. Like, a lot. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

Life on the boat

My bunk.
Where meals were served.. This one was the first meal - and probably the worst example of what we usually ate! It's just the only meal picture I have. Except these fresh-made snickerdoodles!
Arr, matey!. Oh! And the day we departed was International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Perfect!
A typical moment on deck, between dives.
A typical day's dive schedule.
The Morning Star herself.
Storms in the distance.
Air quality: CO2, temperature, humidity.
The crew. (And here's one with the real Candela.)
I watched the sunrise and sunset, both, nearly every day.

Dive briefings

(And that's all I have. I know others took pictures of the rest, but they didn't post them.)

The days before and after

My room at the Towne Hotel.
The 57-year-old Macaw at the hotel. (More pics and videos in the album!)
A very blurry photo of us making a ruckus by dancing at a nearby outdoor bar.

Me

(Hey, you might not care about this category, but I do, and it's my blog! And hi mom!)

Packing advice

Preparing for this trip, I used the packing list my shop published, the one Blackbeard's publishes, various Reddit threads, and even a phone call with a stranger I met on Mastodon!

I came pretty close to getting it "right", but it still wasn't perfect. So I have some advice.

But first, a disclaimer: I'm a tall (6' 4" / 193cm) male in decent physical condition (weight, strength, cardio) with 24 dives and a bunch of classes under my belt, before this trip. But this was my first real dive trip, and second time diving in the ocean. Your context/situation might be entirely different, so my advice might not be exactly right for you.

And my trip was in September, when the water is warmest, so I didn't need a wetsuit. (More on that below.)

And the weather was awesome, so I might have wanted more gear if it was raining all the time.

(And a tangent: the company is All Star Liveaboards. The Bahamas division of that company is Blackbeard's. The boat we were on was one of three run by Blackbeard's, the Morning Star.)

General advice

Pack less. You don't need as much as you might think you need.

Space is very tight. Everything you take needs to have good justification for the space it takes.

Think about sources of wetness:

The ocean / dives
Rain
The shower

Strategies for getting dry after each of those are necessarily different, because you aren't allowed to go down into the bunks when wet, or with wet gear. And the shower is in the main salon.

The official list

Let's start with the Blackbeard's list. Here are my simple modifications and notes:

Water bottle is optional. They have mugs and you get one for the week. Water bottles are convenient, especially for beach trips (which only last about an hour), but I don't think their space is justified.
Don't take beach towels - they take a ton of room. Take microfiber camping towels. Take three. (Explanation below.)
I was worried about how much sun screen to take. If you have long-sleeve rash guards, a 3oz bottle is plenty. It's not really worth putting it on first thing in the morning (right before the first dive). Generally put it on after the second dive, before lunch. And then maybe after the third dive, before dinner, if it's still sunny. So max twice a day, primarily on face, neck, feet, and maybe legs.
There are three primary motion sickness options:
- Dimenhydrinate (regular Dramamine), which makes you drowsy and only lasts about 4 hours. Avoid.
- Meclizine HCl (Dramamine less-drowsy, Bonine, etc.), which lasts 8-24 hours, doesn't make you drowsy, but takes a few hours to kick in. This is the winner, in my opinion. Take it twice a day for at least the first day or two.
- Scopolamine patches, which takes even longer to kick in, but last for three days - if they don't wash off in the ocean. And they need a prescription. Fine if you prefer it.
The decongestant recommendation is an unspoken hack to try to clear your sinuses if they're clogged. Maybe not the best idea, but maybe you'll want to do it anyway. Take real Sudafed (Psuedoephedrine HCl) that you have to get from the pharmacy counter (but no prescription required). The alternatives (from the store shelves) don't really work.
You won't need many device chargers - the boat has a bunch, and they don't want you charging in your bed.
Find an all-in-one soap and shampoo (like liquid baby soap) and just take a small amount. See my notes about how much I showered, above.
Next time, I'm just taking a single pair of Teva-style sandals for the entire trip. I was barefoot while on the boat, the entire time. So was the crew. And everybody else. The sandals are just for before and after, and for beach excursions.
It's handy to have some cash ($50-100) for travel, but boat purchases and crew tip can be via credit card. US currency is accepted everywhere.
There's no need for snacks, but if you want some there's plenty of time to buy them from the grocery across the street from the marina, after you arrive.
They have plenty of card and board games on board, and they went almost unused. No need to bring your own.
Electronic certification cards (i.e. in the app) are fine.

Dive gear

Consider renting gear from Blackbeard's, even if you already have it. It makes travel much easier, and their gear is decent (but not excellent). It is well maintained and clean.

I rented a backup computer and a 3mil wetsuit just in case I got cold by the end of the day. I didn't need either one, but I was glad I had them. And I was glad I didn't have to transport the wetsuit.

In at least two cases (in our group of 18) people needed a backup computer - and one didn't have one! You should rent one.

Some people rented BCDs and regulators, and their diving was fine!

(Blackbeard's provides tank and weights.)

You don't need sea drops (mask goo) - they provide it (a mix of baby shampoo and water - works perfectly).

Clothing

I think of this as four categories:

Dive clothes
Evening clothes
Sleep clothes
Travel clothes

Dive clothes are easy: two sets of whatever those are for your season (e.g. rash guard + swim shorts), and one wetsuit (if needed). You can just swap dive clothes after each dive, so you'll generally be changing into a dry set.

Generally long sleeves and pants are better for sun, coral, and jellyfish protection. But I wore shorts most of the time, and changed into dive pants when they said it was warranted.

"Board shorts" (i.e. swim trunks without a liner) are easier to put on when you're wet, vs. lined swim trunks or dive pants.

Then bring a spare set of dive clothes, in case both sets are wet (e.g. rain). Dive clothes generally compress down small, so feel free to bring two spare sets. And they can substitute as evening clothes.

Bring three microfiber towels. Keep one hanging on deck, one in your dry bag in your dive locker, and one at your bunk (for showers).

Bring a "changing poncho" or "towel poncho" - really. They take a lot of packing space, but they're awesome for swapping wet dive clothes for dry, on deck, after dives. Just don't let it get caught in any rain!

Bring a hat with a wide brim!

You don't need clips/clamps for hanging clothes - they have plenty for everybody.

Evening clothes are optional. Some people packed separate clothes, some people just wore dive clothes. I brought a few regular shorts and t-shirts, but I never used any of them. (Night dives are after dinner, and I did all the night dives, so I just changed from dive clothes into sleep clothes.)

Bring a rain jacket or waterproof poncho. I didn't use mine, this week, but that's because we were so lucky with the weather.

Sleep clothes are whatever you're comfortable sleeping in. Two sets of whatever it is.

Travel clothes is the trickiest category. It's easy to end up with bulky clothes, especially if you're coming from somewhere cold. And an extra pair of shoes. And a belt. And a dress shirt, just in case.

And if you arrive a day early, you'll need clothes for that.

So you can end up using more luggage space for the travel clothes than for the rest of the week!

None of that needs to come on the boat, though. You can just leave it in your luggage and get it on the last day, when you need it again.

Luggage / bags

Bring a decent-sized dry bag. Keep it in your wet locker (on the deck), with spare deck clothes and a towel in it, so you always have a dry set of clothes available. You can also stash regular/evening clothes in it, to change into after your last dive.

I had a 20L one and it was more than enough. Probably a 10L one would be sufficient.

Then whatever you're going to carry your scuba gear in. It can be large and hard-sided, if needed. It will stay at the dock. But try to find something lightweight - you'll be fighting the 50lb airline weight limit, especially on the return trip when your gear is wet.

I brought a medium-large lightweight suitcase, and it worked just fine. Various others had dedicated scuba travel bags, but those are quite expensive. My suitcase weighed 46lbs on the return trip.

Then whatever bag you're bringing your clothes and toiletries (and camera gear) in. If that's small and soft, it could stay in your bunk with you, on the little shelf. But it's best to plan on unpacking it on the boat, and leaving it at the dock too.

I brought a 40L soft backpack, and kept it on my bunk. Next time I'll bring a carry-on suitcase with wheels, for ease of use in the airports, and leave it at the dock.

You might want packing cubes, or some way of organizing stuff in your bunk.

Those three bags were plenty, but I didn't pack a wetsuit.

Camera gear

I bought a used GoPro 9, with a dedicated (cheap) light, a (cheap) underwater housing, and a few handle styles, from Ebay. I didn't really use the light.

It needed a new battery, plus I took 3 old ones, and a battery charger. I only used one battery, and I charged it inside the camera.

I took two 128GB MicroSD cards. I would have been fine with a single 32GB card, even though I took lots of video. I didn't shoot long videos - those are boring and a pain to edit.

I bought an extendable strap thing so I could clip it to my BCD but still use it with my arm stretched out. It worked great.

The only handle I used was the floating one.

I didn't bring those red underwater filters. I just set the camera's default mode to whatever "raw" mode it has, then adjusted the colors in the Quik app after the fact. That worked great.

I brought a small iPad so I could unload video from the camera onto a device that wasn't my phone, so I wouldn't fill up my phone. (I was really worried about storage space!) I shouldn't have bothered - it would have been nicer to just use my phone, and I had plenty of space.

Next time, I'll save a bunch of weight and space by only packing what I need.

Everything else

In regular life I wear "progressive" glasses (three different prescriptions for different distances).

For scuba I wear a single contact in my right eye, so I can see far with the right eye, near with the left eye (pretty well), and medium is a little blurry.

Then I needed sunglasses without a prescription for when I had the contact in.

Plus my regular glasses for travel and evenings.

And I took my prescription sunglasses, and used those on that extra early day.

Bah!

You won't need entertainment on the boat. There's plenty of free time... but I mostly used it to hang out talking to people, or watch the ocean, or take a nap. It was really nice to not be constantly looking for the next distraction. You should try that, too.

But I did appreciate having a book to read during the travel portions of the trip.

I took swimmer's ear drops (alcohol and peroxide) and used them after the last dive of each day, to reduce the chances of ear issues.

Take some trash bags for carrying home dirty and/or wet clothes.

I took a little folding seat cushion. It was useful the first day for the long briefing. I didn't use it after that. I left it behind for the crew (who were happy to receive it).

I took a battery-powered fan, and ran it at night. It was nice, but it's pretty bulky to pack. I was worried about getting a quiet one but I shouldn't have worried - there are lots of loud boat sounds, all the time, all night. I'll take it again, next time.

I took a travel luggage scale so I could be sure I wasn't overweight on my big bag. I was glad I had it.

Feedback

If you have suggestions, corrections, questions, feedback, or just want to let me know that this was useful for you, please contact me on Mastodon!

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