New Liveaboard Booking Platform Blue Rides Builds Dive Insurance and Human Support Into Every Trip

Founded by two underwater image-makers, Blue Rides targets a gap in adventure travel: costly, remote dive trips sold with little support when plans go wrong.

GAINESVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Blue Rides (bluerides.com), a new booking platform for liveaboard scuba diving trips, today announced its launch with a model that treats traveler protection as part of the trip, not an upsell. Every booking includes DAN Short Term Dive Protection at no additional cost to the diver, plus access to real people who understand diving.

Liveaboards are multi-day trips aboard boats that serve as floating hotels. They carry divers to remote reefs, seamounts and offshore islands that day boats can’t reach. That remoteness is the draw, and it is also the risk. A missed connection, a medical issue or a booking problem can leave a traveler far from port and far from help.

Co-founder and CEO Erol Buchholtz learned that firsthand when he was stranded without support on a dive trip booked through another platform. He was left standing on the side of the road with his dive gear and luggage on the opposite side of the planet. Blue Rides was built around the support he didn’t get.
“I’ve been the diver stuck on the far side of a booking with no one to call,” said Buchholtz. “When you’ve traveled halfway around the world for a liveaboard, help has to come from a real person who understands diving. That’s why every Blue Rides booking comes with human support and dive insurance built in, not sold as add-ons.”

The details divers actually ask about:

Blue Rides also lists information most travel sites leave out. Travelers see transparent pricing before checkout. They can also see whether a boat has a dedicated camera room for underwater photographers, with photos where available. Each route includes extensive seasonal and animal migration information, so travelers can plan around the conditions and species they’re traveling to see.

Co-founder Kimber Greenwood leads branding, marketing and partnerships. She is an award-winning underwater portrait photographer and owner of Water Bear Photography with more than 24 years of diving experience. Greenwood holds a bachelor’s degree in marine biology, is a registered nurse, and worked on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. She also spent more than a decade as a lifeguard and swim instructor teaching water safety.

“Divers plan these trips around a narrow season, a specific migration, or the camera gear they’re carrying across the world,” said Greenwood. “We built Blue Rides to answer the questions we always had: what the trip really costs, whether the boat works for underwater photographers, and when to go to see the animals you’re traveling for.”

Built for dive shops and group trip leaders:

Blue Rides offers an affiliate program for dive shops and instructors who host group trips. It gives them a way to book their travelers through the platform and earn commission on those bookings.

As a new company, Blue Rides is building its reputation in public. Travelers can read and leave verified reviews on Trustpilot and connect with the founders on social media.

Blue Rides at DEMA Show 2026:

Greenwood will present at DEMA Show 2026, the annual trade-only event for the scuba diving and dive travel industry. Her session is on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Her talk will occur on the main floor at 1pm during the Snapshot Sessions.

Available for interview:

Greenwood and Buchholtz are available to discuss:
Why Blue Rides includes dive insurance in every booking instead of selling it as an add-on
What can go wrong on remote dive trips, and how travelers can protect themselves
How underwater photographers should choose a liveaboard
Planning dive travel around seasons and animal migrations
Greenwood’s path from nurse and marine biologist to underwater photographer to travel founder

High-resolution underwater images available on request.

About Blue Rides:

Blue Rides (bluerides.com) is a liveaboard scuba diving booking platform founded by divers Erol Buchholtz and Kimber Greenwood. Every booking includes DAN Short Term Dive Protection at no additional cost, along with transparent pricing and human support.

Media Contact:
Kimber Greenwood
Co-Founder, Blue Rides
+1 614-354-0256
kimber@bluerides.com

Kimber Greenwood
Blue Rides
+1 614-354-0256
kimber@bluerides.com
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Introduction to Blue Rides- Come Explore the Underwater World With Us!

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