Bilikiki Liveaboard
To start with, the office staff and the boat staff provided incredible customer service. We missed our flight in Los Angeles (first day of U.S. government sequester and not enough Air Traffic Controllers to get us into LA in time...) and they coordinated the boat so that it was close enough to pick us up when we arrived 2.5 days late! Amazing service. Once on board, the crew and staff continued the great service.
This is a comfortable, interesting boat. Not a cookie-cutter dive boat, it has lots of wood trim and unique touches. It was very comfortable for the 7+ days we were aboard. The food was very, very good - locally grown produce bought on stops at the villages, and an incredible variety of offerings. Multiple entrees and salads for lunch and dinner. Good vegetarian options. The camera area was in the lounge and maybe not up to par for lots of big rigs, but everyone made do just fine, I think.
The diving included a wide variety as well. Wrecks (do the tuna boat - it is upright, bow down, along a wall!) (we missed some of the wrecks because we were late...), walls, pinnacles, coral gardens. Lots of fish and a wide variety; lots of nudis and small stuff, too. Caverns and caves, and an incredible site 20 miles from an underwater volcano that you can hear - a deep rumbling noise! I think the marine environment has declined in recent years - that was my impression - but also true of many other sites. I'd say that overall marine life was still very good.
The village visits were definitely worth it - from just pulling up to canoes selling produce and flowers, to having a traditional dance performance for us. A great opportunity to see incredible art/crafts (and purchase some, of course) and learn a bit about how people on small isolated islands live.
