As to your other point, forget about the Peace as a standard: I would actually put the Sundiver second to last on my list...
Which is absolutely fine (altough you haven't mentioned any LA boat, just the Peace), But I guess I don't feel the need to convince you why you are wrong,,,I think the Peace is a fine boat. (It was last on my list due to location. I did not list boats -- of which there are a number-- that I simply would not go on
That said, you also wrote....
Actually, you shouldn't have deleted your response. I'm interested in your arguments
With the caveat that these are not my "arguments" but my opinions and responses to your complaints. As the old saw saays, "arguing on the internet is like..... " I'll be PC and not include the rest...
1. Distance - I cannot ignore the 1.5 hour drive and/or sleepover in Ventura and the 2 hour drive home, after a long day of diving, compared with the 20 minutes it takes me to get to Los Alamitos. I think it's absolutely relevant to my opinion of boats, and it does not even need to be said that my preference is relative to my location..... Physics always getting in the way, and ensuring that I am simply not going to drive 4 hours to day dive unless its a special trip..
Plus, I prefer Catalina diving to Anacapa / Santa Cruz diving SO it does not make sense to spend a 1/2 tank of gas and four hours for diving a less desirable spot... IMHO, YMMV etc etc
2. DIve sites. Like you, I take dive boats for the dive sites. On the SUndiver, I've done sites I've never even heard mentioned on the Great Escape. (And FB was an example, I am not aware of many boats that will go there on an open trip upon diver request, as happened to us). SImply put, Ray takes you to sites where the conditions are good, not what's near, even if that means another 1/2 driving around on his gas.
3. Food - On the Peace is better. But I don't go on dive boats for the food (and frankly a lot of stuff that would be c**p on land is good stuff on a dive boat
And the a la carte stuff doesn't bother me. I eat less, I spend less. I eat more, I pay more. I pay for what I eat.... Or [gasp] I can even bring my own food -- heresy on boats.
4. Travel time to Catalina - I wish I would have addressed this, since I don't want any boat -- Peace, Sundiver, whoever - to lose business on a misperception. It may have taken you 3 hours (Ray has had engine trouble in the last couple weeks), but in my 10+ trips it takes about 2:15, give or take, depending on the site. Don't want people thinking that 3 hours is the norm.
5. Crew - Altough there has been a change recently, there is always crew on the dive deck helping those to gear up, gear down, etc.
Simply put, I go on dive boats to dive. Choosing good dive sites are therefore prominent. In ny experience, I have ad the best dives sites on the SUndiver than any other boat in LA.
I seem to recall from an earlier post that you were taking the SD recently for the first time. I have done the Peace once. Perhaps if either of us had done it more than once our opinins would be different.
Probably the reason why I like te SD so much is that usually I am on it with 5-6 buddies and we just ave a great tme. We'd have a great time on the Cee Ray, the Encore, The GE.... wherever
Understanding
Chris
