Dive Report: Nekton Pilot during Tropical Storm Fay

[scubafanatic]

According to the Bahamas Travel Packet they sent me and the 'Are there any itinerary changes?' portion of their website, no refund, no credit. I poked around and couldn't find anything else, but if someone finds something different, please post.

Based on their policy, I'll be buying trip insurance on Tuesday for the following week's departure.

annasea, are you REALLY doing the Bahamas in mid-Sept ??? !!! Sept is the absolute peak hurricane season, and I was watching the weather news today, and there's a virtual stream of new hurricanes/tropical depressions sweeping in from across the Atlantic, like a massive production line pumping them out....reminds me of '04 when 'Charlie' was the first of FOUR hurricanes to hit Florida in only a 6 week period ! I suspect, if you signed up on Nekton/Bahamas for Sept, you got some sort of special deal to do it.....I think you now see why such deals exist. Good luck to you ! Karl

 

[Doubler]

You are going to LOVE it. Did that trip in March 07 on the Natilus and it was awesome.

 

[britusa]

Someone already mentioned that the Nekton's policy is to just change the Intinerary and not offer a credit/refund. However, since even this did not keep us diving, they did give us an adequate credit toward another trip between now and Dec 2009. I was happy to receive it and will not be using it in Aug or Sep!! I'm thinking of their St. Croix charter, but don't know anything about St. Croix yet.

 

[robint]

Someone already mentioned that the Nekton's policy is to just change the Intinerary and not offer a credit/refund. However, since even this did not keep us diving, they did give us an adequate credit toward another trip between now and Dec 2009. I was happy to receive it and will not be using it in Aug or Sep!! I'm thinking of their St. Croix charter, but don't know anything about St. Croix yet.

Excellent! I had heard from others in past years that when diving is disrupted due to a named storm that they give a credit towards another trip (much like Aggressor does).

St. Croix is a new location and they went there last Nov-Jan for the first time. This year it looks like they are going earlier, and staying later and with both boats there, then also leaving one boat there for summer 2009. When we did the Rorqual back in April, the crew on the boat had done that first season in St. Croix and said they all loved it. One crew member absolutely raved about a couple of the dive sites and said they were her favorite dives she has ever done in the Caribbean (I don't know where all she has been though). They crew raved about frogfish and seahorses and all kinds of macro life. Sounds very interesting. They also said there were some nice wrecks. Anyhow, that is all I have heard about the St. Croix itinerary.

 

[Andy_G]

So sorry to hear you had a spoiled trip. I did the Cay Sal itinerary with Nekton the week before you boarded and thought how lucky we were to have fitted it in before the first of the big storms came through. I can reiterate what you said regarding the Pilots crew - great group of people who couldn't do enough for us. Better luck with the next one

Regards

Andy

 

[DiveMaven]

Great to know you got a credit since you missed so many dive days!! I've heard mixed reviews about St. Croix, but since it's so new, there aren't many reviews overall. Now that Nekton will have such a strong presence there, we'll likely hear a lot more about it.

 

[Scubasw]

I just returned from the Aug 31 to Sep 7 trip on the Nekton Pilot. We had a full week of diving the Cay Sal Bank even dodging 2 hurricanes, Gustav to the west and Hannah to the east and North. We lucked out and seemed to be right between both storms in the calm. Had at most 2-3 foot seas all week on the Bank. Nelson, the Captain did a great job of reading the Hurricanes and keeping us diving. I hopr e to write up a full trip report in the next week or so. We did 24 dives over the week, and while the visibility was not the greatest averaging 30 to 40 feet most days/sites, the weather was sunny and 95 every day. We only saw rain one day for a very short period as the Hurricanes seemed to be avoiding us. Got back to Ft. lauderdale ahead of Ike, while the keys were already starting their mandatory tourist evacuation. Flew home to what was left of TS Hanna in maryland on saturday afternoon. Got wetter getting from airport to home than we saw all week on the Nekton Pilot. Having done Blackbeard's sailboats and the Cat Ppalu, the Nekton has both beat for accomadations and the dive deck arrangments, but I think Blackbeard's beats them for meals. I'd still do any of them again. Oh yeah I'm booked for the Nekton Rorqual Aug 1, 2009 on their St. Croix trip.

 

[JDenning]

It's good to hear they do come through. But I would feel better if they had a good stated up front policy, i.e. Aggressor.

I am seriously considering one of their trips. I'd like to do Bahamas, but the next years schedule looks like they are going to be elsewhere much of the time. I'd think spring would be great for the Bahamas.

 

[robint]

It's good to hear they do come through. But I would feel better if they had a good stated up front policy, i.e. Aggressor.

I am seriously considering one of their trips. I'd like to do Bahamas, but the next years schedule looks like they are going to be elsewhere much of the time. I'd think spring would be great for the Bahamas.

one of the boats will be in Bahamas and one in St. Croix much of the spring/summer. We did the Bahamas-Medio Reef in April this year and it was fantastic. The water was still a bit cooler (78-80) and vis was excellent. Medio and Cay Sal (we did that one 2 years ago the last week of May) are both great trips and there is no other dive boat in sight for the week, reefs are much more pristine for that reason. We have not done the NW Bahamas itinerary but it sounds good too (though may be more beginner level diving and more dive boats so reefs not quite as pristine). I have heard regarding all Bahamas trips that mid-summer the water is much warmer but vis is lower, so it all depends what you want. Sharks are there regardless as are the dolphins and turtles!

 

[JDenning]

Yup, think I wanna go to the Bahamas. So early summer is the best time to go? I don't mind the COLD water.

Let's all plan a trip...