Vessel Indo Siren Fire?

[Howard Baker]

You meant Palau Siren:

Palau Siren liveaboard

The Palau Siren liveaboard is a 40-meter vessel that offers luxury diving holidays and scuba itineraries around the islands of Palau

masterliveaboards.com

Yes apologies.

 

[John Bantin]

I suppose I should have written: "The customer base is to blame, for demanding low prices (in exchange for poor safety standards)."

 

[boulderjohn]

I suppose I should have written: "The customer base is to blame, for demanding low prices (in exchange for poor safety standards)."

And I will repeat what I have said many times. The poor safety issues that have caused the very serious problems in the past few years would have cost the boat owners little or nothing. You are blaming the wrong people.

 

[ontdiver]

I suppose I should have written: "The customer base is to blame, for demanding low prices (in exchange for poor safety standards)."

With respect, the customer does not demand low prices. Competitive pricing is driven by boat owners.

 

[Wookie]

With respect, the customer does not demand low prices. Competitive pricing is driven by boat owners.

Hahahahahaha!!!

Let me tell you a story of when I owned 2 liveaboard dive boats, as managing partner.

In the beginning, when we bought the boats, both operated in exactly the same fashion, using exactly the same pool of crew members, using the exact same diving procedures and schedules. The 2 boats would tie to adjacent moorings. Same price for the trip.

Then one boat was sent to a new destination. The distance offshore was similar, the length of the trip was the same, none of the operating parameters changed, only the location. I thought I would try a new approach, with the advice and encouragement of the chef. So I reduced the passenger count by 10 (34 to 24), installed a head on the dive deck, (4 heads instead of 3), installed a fire detection system that monitored all spaces on the vessel, added SOLAS life rafts, made a number of upgrades to the vessel. The other boat had no such upgrades made to it. I raised the price by $100 to cover the cost of losing 10 passengers. To make it not sting as badly, I chose to offer the passengers free beer, free soda, and free Nitrox. I hired a professional crew and trained them in firefighting, watch keeping and seamanship standards.

I then returned to the same destination, at least for part of the year, but instead of docking in the cheesy little craphole of a town the other boat was in, with a bizzilion mosquitos at the dock during boarding, I moved down to the next major town, where there was a Joe’s Crab Shack, asphalt parking lot, and a dive shop where they could buy a trinket or a pair of fins if they forgot theirs.

I lost my ass. The other boat continued to run full, I ran about 75% full. When I asked why, every response said price was the factor. It didn’t matter that the boat I’m talking about was cheaper overall if you drank 2 beers, it was 100% initial price. Same reason my mom flies Allegiant Airlines. It is 100% the price.

Don’t let anyone blow smoke up your ass. People don’t care about safety, Nitrox, night watches, monitored battery charging stations, or any other BS. The initial price is the only consideration for a very large percentage of people when booking a dive trip.

 

[iointerrupt]

There are a lot of things one can blame cheap customers on, I'm not sure this is one of them.

I always figured it was in my interest, and the crews interest, and the boat owners interest, to not have the boat burn down. As such, I could assume all boats would make some attempt at, ya know, not burning down.

Now I just assume the opposite, and pay whatever the price is for a "no wooden hull" and "no sleeping below deck" boat. It's a start.

 

[Wookie]

There are a lot of things one can blame cheap customers on, I'm not sure this is one of them.

I always figured it was in my interest, and the crews interest, and the boat owners interest, to not have the boat burn down. As such, I could assume all boats would make some attempt at, ya know, not burning down.

Now I just assume the opposite, and pay whatever the price is for a "no wooden hull" and "no sleeping below deck" boat. It's a start.

What ships don’t burn?

 

[John Bantin]

FYI : MY. Hurricane had a steel hull. MY. Royal Emperor had a steel hull. They both burned spectacularly.

 

[jabc]

delete

 

[Russjstewart]

Hahahahahaha!!!

Let me tell you a story of when I owned 2 liveaboard dive boats, as managing partner.

In the beginning, when we bought the boats, both operated in exactly the same fashion, using exactly the same pool of crew members, using the exact same diving procedures and schedules. The 2 boats would tie to adjacent moorings. Same price for the trip.

Then one boat was sent to a new destination. The distance offshore was similar, the length of the trip was the same, none of the operating parameters changed, only the location. I thought I would try a new approach, with the advice and encouragement of the chef. So I reduced the passenger count by 10 (34 to 24), installed a head on the dive deck, (4 heads instead of 3), installed a fire detection system that monitored all spaces on the vessel, added SOLAS life rafts, made a number of upgrades to the vessel. The other boat had no such upgrades made to it. I raised the price by $100 to cover the cost of losing 10 passengers. To make it not sting as badly, I chose to offer the passengers free beer, free soda, and free Nitrox. I hired a professional crew and trained them in firefighting, watch keeping and seamanship standards.

I then returned to the same destination, at least for part of the year, but instead of docking in the cheesy little craphole of a town the other boat was in, with a bizzilion mosquitos at the dock during boarding, I moved down to the next major town, where there was a Joe’s Crab Shack, asphalt parking lot, and a dive shop where they could buy a trinket or a pair of fins if they forgot theirs.

I lost my ass. The other boat continued to run full, I ran about 75% full. When I asked why, every response said price was the factor. It didn’t matter that the boat I’m talking about was cheaper overall if you drank 2 beers, it was 100% initial price. Same reason my mom flies Allegiant Airlines. It is 100% the price.

Don’t let anyone blow smoke up your ass. People don’t care about safety, Nitrox, night watches, monitored battery charging stations, or any other BS. The initial price is the only consideration for a very large percentage of people when booking a dive trip.

I am not sure what is more of a worry. The fact there are people out there that are dumb enough not be able to work out how much free Nitrox and beer saves on a trip, or the fact that the standard for dive courses is that low that they passed the theory