Aqua Cat liveaboard: cabins, Bahamas itinerary and dated costs

Who Aqua Cat suits

Aqua Cat suits divers who want a cabin bathroom, a larger dive deck and more diving opportunities than Blackbeard’s shared-bunk programme. It also has a separate launch for shore outings and snorkelling trips, useful when travelling with someone who does not want every dive. It is still a dive-centred week, not a guarantee of a particular island or shark encounter.

The vessel page lists a 900-square-foot dive deck with assigned stations and storage, 11 main-deck cabins with private baths, an indoor dining/lounge area and outdoor deck space. Sea Dog, the 28-foot launch, supports excursions; diving is normally directly from Aqua Cat.

Choose the cabin category before comparing prices

The bedding is not uniform: the vessel page describes king, queen, oversized twin beds and additional bunks/pulldowns. The rate schedule distinguishes ocean-view double, triple and quad occupancy from cabin 11, a skylight cabin with twin bunk beds. Do not treat the lowest advertised category as an ocean-view double cabin.

The trip page says single travellers can be paired with a same-gender guest. Sole occupancy carries a published 65% surcharge on the rate, fuel surcharge and port fee, rather than an assumption that paying one berth price reserves the whole cabin. Obtain the exact cabin, bed and final sole-use calculation for the departure.

The Saturday-to-Saturday programme

Board at 17:30 Saturday at Hurricane Hole Marina on Paradise Island for check-in, dinner, orientation and the safety briefing. Departure for the Exumas is early Sunday, usually before first light; that does not make the Saturday briefing optional.

The sample itinerary offers four daytime dives and one night dive Sunday through Wednesday, four daytime dives Thursday and two dives Friday. Thursday has the captain’s dinner; Friday returns to Nassau, normally 14:00–17:00, with dinner ashore at your own expense. Disembark by 09:00 the following Saturday. The first and last nights are port nights, so seven nights does not mean seven full diving days.

Up to 26 dives and four night dives are programme maxima, subject to weather and conditions. The Exumas and/or Eleuthera routing is flexible. Plan the flight home from your final dive and applicable no-fly guidance, not simply the printed disembarkation time.

Self-guided diving, Nitrox and training

Aqua Cat describes its diving as generally self-guided. An instructor is in the water on every dive and may be followed, but tell the instructor beforehand if you want navigational assistance. A dedicated private guide is a separate advance arrangement. Bring your certification card and an individual dive computer; do not assume that an onboard instructor means continuous personal supervision.

The operator offers 32% Nitrox, rental equipment and courses. Nitrox use requires the appropriate training; onboard training and open-water referral completion need prior arrangements and the relevant medical paperwork. Night dives require a primary light plus another qualifying light source. Yoke valves are standard, with a DIN adapter available by request.

Snorkelling is not supervised, according to the FAQ, and snorkellers must complete the required medical form before boarding. The launch and included excursions add options for non-divers, but do not establish that every water activity fits every passenger.

What the fare leaves out

These are All Star’s year-specific rates checked on 24 October 2026, not live availability or a confirmed booking quote. Ocean-view double occupancy plus the listed fee is US$3,790 in 2026 or US$3,900 in 2027 before extras. The trip page separately prices Nitrox at US$150 per person per trip, payable aboard.

Accommodation, meals except Friday dinner, listed beverages, shore excursions, tanks/weightbelts and internet are included. Flights, transfers, rental equipment, insurance, gratuity, taxes/fees and Nitrox are excluded. The published individual deposit is US$1,000; balance and port fees are due four months out. The cancellation penalty window begins nine months before departure, earlier than that final-payment deadline. Do not confuse the two.

Safety evidence: what the operator states, and what it does not prove

The FAQ lists main-deck cabins, steel partitions between cabins, smoke detection reporting to a bridge alarm panel, CCTV, liferafts, engine-room fire suppression, oxygen supplies and regular emergency drills. It also states the vessel was built to Lloyd’s Register standards and certified by Lloyd’s. These are operator statements, not an independent inspection or confirmation that a current class certificate has been reviewed here.

For a booking that depends on current survey, inspection or emergency-equipment records, request the dated documents for this vessel. On board, attend the safety briefing and identify your exits and assembly arrangements. Cabin comfort and a published equipment list are not a safety guarantee.