Peace Boat Preparations

This is my 6th trip on the Peace Boat, and for those of you who are new to the Peace Boat experience, here are some of my personal recommendations to make your trip comfortable. This is somewhat geared more towards the gals in the group, but hopefully, you guys will also find some of the suggestions helpful.

Be sure to pack the following…

• Travel Dive Bag and Gear (If you plan on doing a night dive, be sure to bring your two dive lights, glow sticks and zip ties or whatever you use to tie the glow stick to your tank or BC).
• One pillow and sleeping bag
• One tank
• Dry Kit (It can get wet on the deck. This is a good place to stash those things you need access to that you want to keep dry; things you need to access during the day, such as meds, motion sickness pills, antacid tablets, sunglasses, etc. You cannot go down below to your bunk in wet suits or wet gear. Period.
• A beach towel
• A warm jacket that fits over your wet suit. My PADI dive jacket is perfect.
• A small (with the emphasis on small) bag with your change of clothes, etc. I bring a gym bag. You have to store all your personal items in your bunk, so less truly is more. I usually bring a T-shirt and leggings for sleeping, and a couple of T-shirts, shorts, a swim suit, and one pair of sweats (top and bottom) in case it gets cold. Flip-flops are perfect for top side.
• A very small cosmetic bag that holds your comb, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a small face towel. You store this up in a common area off the galley, and it is a very small space. Given that this is a fully-packed-with-divers boat on this trip, bring as few toiletry items as possible. You won’t be showering daily, girls. There is a hot tub for getting the salt out of swimsuits, skin and hair. You will most likely be taking a shower after your last dive of the trip on Sat, so you only need to bring enough shampoo for that one shower. Leave the make-up at home. You don’t need it and it takes up valuable space. They really ask you to be conservative in your use of water, as we are limited to what we have stored aboard for the entire trip.
• Of course, bring sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
• A good book to read in case you are too tired to dive, or just want to chill out on deck.
• A camera
• Be sure to bring sufficient cash for a good tip for the crew. They have a common jar, shaped like a shark, that they put out in the galley on the trip back to Ventura. Be generous. This is a hard-working crew and they work non-stop in making sure we are well-fed, comfortable and safe. They really earn their keep!
• You may want to bring some earplugs in case you are bunked near a snorer. I usually find that I am so tired that I couldn’t hear a cannon blast, but be prepared in case you are a light sleeper. An iPod will also help to drown out any bothersome night noise, but really, I have not found this to be a problem.

Anything else you want to bring is, of course, up to you. Just remember, space is a very, very limited.

Let’s go diving!

Joan Lord