JRO:
Looking for a mid-Novembers trip and I'm thinking of Belize...
I've been on the Rorqual when it was in the Bahamas and thought it was a fine boat and I had a great time.
I have not been on any Peter Hughes boats.
I guess I'm looking for some feedback from someone that has been on both to help me decide.
Thanks much,
Jeff
Jeff, I think you know the real story in the posts that mention 'overcrowding' on the Nekton. As you know, for the first dive, it is crowded. After that, divers tend to vary their entry times. If you have to be the first one down when the breifing is over... or if you can wait 4.78 minutes... a world of difference.
I have been aboard pretty much so every dive boat in the Caribbean, if not as a diver guest, then just for a real hard look-see. When my SO wanted to go live-aboard, without question, I took her aboard the Nekton.
In the Belizian route, she does not make the Blue Hole dive. I have always considered this to be a 'log book dive' and not of much real worth. I also always found that the excessive recreational depths at this extremely remote location are a dubious pursuit in terms of viable rescue- if need be.
I have done maybe 6 trips on the Nektons, and would gladly go again. I will go on other vessels if they service unique dive opportunities (ie: Cisne, Los Roques, Grenada). These may go to islands that have some land based ops, but are not servicing areas that are of real interest, Grenada being the best example, as the short lived dive boat served the exciting cays off the North East (versus the SOS day dive ops on the SW end). Conversely, I see no need to go live aboard on Tobago- the day dive ops are great! I make the same argument for the Galapagos at
http://www.geocities.com/johnofrancis/galapagos.htm
Belize, to be fully seen, must be done by live aboard. To date, I don't believe that any Nekton has flipped over, much less at anchor.
I like 'em. And, no, they're not crowded on the dive deck.
