The Best Scuba Liveaboard Trips to Go Diving in August

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Planning on going on a scuba diving trip this August? Consider going on a liveaboard trip. Also known as the Dog Days of Summer, August is considered as one of the best months of the year for outdoor activities. The weather is great and the sun is always shining with all its might. For scuba diving, this good weather condition significantly contributes to diving-conducive parameters. Generally, this is the month where you can experience the greatest visibility since it is the dry season and no freshwater run-off or plankton bloom can disrupt your underwater visibility.

For dive sites located in the North Pacific, August is considered as the Large Marine Vertebrate season where you can see and interact with some of the biggest marine inhabitants such as sharks, whales, rays and sea turtles. If you want to see the greatest population of these large marine vertebrates in their wild environment, then book for a liveaboard cruise where this custom-built dive vessels will take you to a week-long journey to far-flung areas where this large marine vertebrates abound.

Table of Contents

The Best Liveaboard Trips to go Scuba Diving in August: At a Glance

Scuba Liveaboard	# of Rooms	Nitrox	Wifi	Length	Cost	PADI Travel	Liveaboard.com	DiveBooker
Socorro Vortex	7	Yes	Yes	45m	$$$	NA	Check	Check
Avalon I	8	No	No	33m	$$$	NA	Check	NA
Argo	9	Yes	No	39m	$$$	Check	Check	Check
Galapagos Aggressor III	8	Yes	No	32m	$$$	Check	Check	Check
Belize Aggressor IV	10	Yes	No	42m	$$	Check	Check	Check
Gaia Love	11	Yes	Yes	40m	$$$	Check	Check	Check
Manta Queen II	9	Yes	No	24m	$	Check	Check	NA
Kona Aggressor II	6	Yes	No	24m	$$	NA	Check	NA
Febrina	7	Yes	No	22m	$$$	Check	Check	Check
Atlantis Azores	8	Yes	No	33m	$$	NA	Check	Check

The Best Liveaboard Trips to go Scuba Diving in August: Reviewed

1. SOCORRO VORTEX

Year of Commission: 1981 (renovated 2019)
Capacity: 14 guests
Area of Operation: Mexico
Dive Destination: Socorro and Guadalupe Islands

Formerly serving in the Canadian Coast Guard, the Socorro Vortex is now a 45 meter (148 feet) long liveaboard vessel that specializes in sailing the waters around Socorro and Guadalupe Islands of Mexico. It has 7 cabins that can accommodate up to 14 guests where your room choices includes the Luxury Staterooms, Junior Suite and the Master Suite. It has onboard amenities such as the main lounge, bar, open-air lounge on the upper deck that is fitted with jacuzzi and an al fresco dining area that serves gourmet cuisine. For the August itinerary of the Socorro Vortex, Guadalupe Island is its primary destination where it usually disembarks on a 4-day journey. While your dive sites involves interacting with manta rays, hammerhead sharks and silky sharks, the highlight of your trip with the Socorro Vortex is cage diving with great white sharks. For Nitrox divers, this is the liveaboard vessel to be since this is classified as an all-nitrox dive operation.

Check prices and trip dates: Liveaboard / DiveBooker

2. AVALON I

Year of Commission: 1995 (renovated 2015)
Capacity: 18 guests
Area of Operation: Cuba
Dive Destination: Jardines de la Reina Marine Park

The Avalon I is a 33 meter (108 feet) long luxury liveaboard that sails the waters of Cuba. It has 8 cabins that can accommodate up to 18 guests where your room choices includes the Bunk Bed Cabins, Twin Cabins, Triple Cabins and the King Bed Cabins. Its onboard amenities includes the main saloon that is equipped with a PC station, a bar, a sun deck fitted with jacuzzi and a dining area that serves Continental, Italian and traditional Cuban dishes. Every August, the Avalon I disembarks on a 7-day journey towards its premier diving spot – the Jardines de la Reina Marine Park where it is known for its healthy aquatic ecosystems like mangrove stands, seagrass beds and coral reefs. All of its reef dive sites around Jardines de la Reina are known for great shark interaction where you can see a healthy population of blacktip and whitetip reef sharks. You can even go snorkeling in the seagrass beds and do marine reptile interaction where you can see American crocodiles that are often motionless at the surface.

Check prices and trip dates: Liveaboard

3. ARGO

Year of Commission: 1985 (renovated 2008)
Capacity: 18 guests
Area of Operation: Costa Rica
Dive Destination: Cocos Island

The Argo is a 39 meter (128 feet) long luxury liveaboard vessel that specializes in sailing the waters of Cocos Island in Costa Rica. It has 9 cabins that can accommodate up to 18 guests where your room choices includes the Double Twin Bed Cabin, Double Queen Bed Cabin and the Owner’s Cabin. It has onboard amenities such as the main air-conditioned saloon that is fitted with a television, a bar, a sun deck and a dining area that serves International cuisine. For its August trip, the Argo will usually set sail on a 10-day journey towards Cocos Island and explore world-renowned dive sites like Bajo Alcyone and Manuelita that are both known for a large population of schooling hammerhead sharks. You can even go deep-sea diving through its onboard DeepSee Submersible where you can go as deep as 300 meters (984 feet) and visit the abyssal depths without getting wet.

Check prices and trip dates: PADI Travel / Liveaboard / DiveBooker

4. GALAPAGOS AGGRESSOR III

Year of Commission: 1993 (renovated 2011)
Capacity: 16 guests
Area of Operation: Ecuador
Dive Destination: Galapagos Island

The Galapagos Aggressor III is a 32 meter (105 feet) long luxury liveaboard vessel that sails the waters of Galapagos Island in Ecuador. It has 8 cabins that accommodate up to 16 guests where your room choices includes the Deluxe Staterooms and the Master Staterooms. Its onboard amenities includes the spacious saloon, a sun deck that is fitted with a bar, grill, jacuzzi and a dining area that serves American cuisine. During August, the Galapagos Aggressor will usually sail on a 7 or 10-day journey towards Galapagos Island and visit its top diving sites like Wolf and Darwin Island. Aside from the regular sighting of hammerhead sharks, what is good when you go diving in August is that whalesharks also abound in Galapagos Island as they are attracted to the nutrient rich and cold water.

Check prices and trip dates: PADI Travel / Liveaboard / DiveBooker

5. BELIZE AGGRESSOR IV

Year of Commission: 2002 (renovated 2012)
Capacity: 20 guests
Area of Operation: Belize
Dive Destination: Painted Wall, Half Moon Caye Wall, Quebrada and the Blue Hole

The Belize Aggressor IV is a 42 meter (138 feet) long luxury liveaboard vessel that specializes in sailing the waters surrounding the largest barrier reef system in the Northern and Western Hemisphere – the Belize Barrier Reef. It has 10 cabins that can accommodate up to 20 guests where your room choices includes the Deluxe Staterooms and the Master Staterooms. It has onboard amenities that includes the main saloon, a sun deck fitted with loungers, a wet bar, a photographic center and a dining area that prepares western dishes and local food specialties all served in buffet style. For its August trip, the Belize Aggressor usually disembarks on a 7-day journey towards the top diving sites of Belize like the Half Moon Caye Wall, Quebrada and the world-famous Blue Hole.

Check prices and trip dates: PADI Travel / Liveaboard / DiveBooker

6. GAIA LOVE

Year of Commission: 2017
Capacity: 22 guests
Area of Operation: Indonesia
Dive Destination: Komodo Island

The Gaia Love is a 40 meter (131 feet) long modern luxury dive yacht that specializes in sailing the waters of Komodo Island in Indonesia. It has 11 cabins that can accommodate up to 22 guests where your room choices includes the Lower Deck Cabins and the Upper Deck Cabins. Its onboard amenities includes an indoor saloon, an outdoor lounge, a partially-covered sun deck, Al Fresco bar and a dining area that serves freshly cooked foods. For its August trip, the Gaia Love usually disembarks on a 10-day journey towards Komodo Island and visit its top diving sites that are all known for drift diving and large marine animals like sharks and manta rays.

Check prices and trip dates: PADI Travel / Liveaboard / DiveBooker

7. MANTA QUEEN II

Year of Commission: 2003 (renovated 2016)
Capacity: 20 guests
Area of Operation: Thailand
Dive Destination: Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon and Koh Tachai

The Manta Queen II is a 24 meter (79 feet) long budget-friendly liveaboard that operates the waters of Thailand. It has 9 cabins that can accommodate up to 20 guests where your room choices includes the 4-bed Shared Cabin, Twin Bed Cabin and the Double Bed Cabin. It has onboard amenities that includes the air-conditioned saloon, a sun deck and an open air dining area that serves buffet food. Every August, the Manta Queen usually disembarks on a 4-day journey to Similan and Surin Islands where this time of the year is known to be the best month to dive with the biggest fish in the world – the whalesharks.

Check prices and trip dates: PADI Travel / Liveaboard

8. KONA AGGRESSOR II

Year of Commission: 1992 (renovated 2015)
Capacity: 14 guests
Area of Operation: Hawaii
Dive Destination: Kona

The Kona Aggressor II is a 24 meter (79 feet) long luxury liveaboard that specializes in sailing the waters of Hawaii. It has 6 cabins that can accommodate up to 14 guests where your room choices includes the Quad Staterooms and the Deluxe Staterooms. Its onboard amenities includes the main saloon, a wet bar, a moon deck bar, a sun deck with jacuzzi, a swim step at the bow and an air-conditioned dining area that serves freshly made Hawaiian dishes. For the August trip of the Kona Aggressor II, it usually disembarks on a 7-day journey towards the top dive sites of Kona like Paradise Pinnacle, Tubastria Tunnel, The Hive, Turtle Pinnacle and Rob’s Reef. On top of the diversity of fish and corals that you can see in these dive sites, exploring the unique topography of Kona’s terrain, which are volcanic in origin, will surely add up to your underwater satisfaction.

Check prices and trip dates: Liveaboard

9. FEBRINA

Year of Commission: 1972 (renovated 2013)
Capacity: 12 guests
Area of Operation: Papua New Guinea
Dive Destination: Kavieng, Kimbe Bay, Rabaul, Madang, Tufi and Milne Bay

The Febrina is 22 meter (72 feet) long boutique liveaboard vessel that sails the waters of Papua New Guinea. It has 7 cabins that can accommodate up to 12 guests where your room choices includes the Single Cabin, Double Cabin and the Twin Cabin. Its onboard amenities includes an air-conditioned saloon, a dive platform, sun deck and a dining area that serves freshly prepared foods. For the August trip of Febrina, it usually disembarks on an 8-day journey to the popular diving spots of Papua New Guinea like Kavieng, Kimbe Bay, Rabaul, Madang, Tufi and Milne Bay. Aside from marine exploration, the Febrina will also sail up-river and visit a freshwater blue hole that goes 60 meters (197 feet) deep.

Check prices and trip dates: PADI Travel / Liveaboard / DiveBooker

10. ATLANTIS AZORES

Year of Commission: 1989 (renovated 2015)
Capacity: 16 guests
Area of Operation: Philippines
Dive Destination: Cebu, Bohol and Palawan

The Atlantis Azores is a 33 meter (108 feet) long liveaboard yacht that sails the archipelagic waters of the Philippines. It has 8 cabins that can accommodate up to 16 guests where your room choices includes the Deluxe Staterooms and the Owner Stateroom. It has onboard amenities like the main saloon fitted with flatscreen TV, a library that has a long list of Fish Taxonomy books, a wet bar, a shaded sundeck and a dining area that serves Western and Asian cuisine prepared by their onboard chef. For the August trip of the Atlantis Azores, it usually disembarks on a 9-day trip for a Visayan tour and visit some of the country’s top diving spots like the Monad Shoal in Malapascua Cebu where you can go diving and interact with Thresher sharks.

Check prices and trip dates: Liveaboard / DiveBooker