Liveaboard Boats and Roaches

[427Dave]

Here in Florida we have a few extras. They love the palm trees and multiply there like crazy. Now if your friend would like to get over their fear of them we could round up a few and ship them to play with a become friends, maybe even break one or two to saddle em up and ride through the neighborhood

At one time I worked on diesel powered oil tankers. We never had roaches or rats or anything. It was not really because it was clean, it is the smell of the diesel fuel they do not like. May have the same effect on the metal hulled liveaboards.

 

[NTSilver]

3 different boats, no roaches

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

I'm going next week on one so I'll let you know if I see any. As long as they don't crawl into bed with me I'm okay.:sofa:

 

[Kleppta]

Ok so I have forwarded him the link to this thread. He is not a member but maybe he will join after reading some of your comments.


Thanks for your replies.

Keep the poll going as it will be more accurate the more responses we get.

Kleppta

 

[tambir9]

Hi, I am the guy Kleppta is referring to. My wife and I have been on 2 different live aboards, Aqua Tiki in French Polynesia, and the Aggressor in Hawaii. Both had roaches, both boats told us that roaches are normal on boats, because of how they bring supplies on board. While in Hawaii after the Aggressor boat, I dove with other dive operators around the big island. One dive master I met used to work on the Aggressor boat and said it is always full of roaches, he finally couldn't take it anymore so he left the organization. Staff on the aggressor told us it is normal on all of their boats.

We have never had a problem with land based accommodation though, including Indonesia, Bali, Rangiroa, Moorea, Bora Bora, and the Carribbean.

I am amazed that these boats do have roaches and that people don't see them or don't care. Given the sleeping quarters on most of these vessels, if they are crawling around the shelving, why wouldn't they be in/near the beds.

As far as just not wanting to go, or not wanting the expense. We just returned from 2 weeks in Rangiroa and Bora Bora, and I can't wait to get back in the water. Live aboards make the most sense, because you are always on the water, and you are with people who are there for the same reason. But I can't sleep knowing roaches are crawling around. So when Kleppta decided to ask the question of others who dive, I was interested in the responses.

 

[vladimir]

We have never had a problem with land based accommodation though, including Indonesia, Bali, Rangiroa, Moorea, Bora Bora, and the Carribbean.

I was in Sipadan in '95. I think Borneo divers was still the only operator, and we stayed in huts right on the high water mark, with wooden slatted floors. No roaches, but one of the guests did get bitten by a rat one night. More recently, I stayed at the Lembeh Resort in '05 and had rats scampering around the dining area every evening. No roaches though.

 

[Shasta_man]

Here in CA, we would just smoke'em and say thanks, man.

I've never seen them on liveaboards, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. Your exposure is no higher than staying at a typical hotel.

I've been to Rangiroa, Bora Bora, Fiji, etc too and the cool geckos on the ceiling were eating the bugs you didn't notice. (They did however come down and lap the Amaretto out of my wife's glass on the deck in the dark until we noticed something moving. Got Nightshot video of our Amaretto Gecko. No we did not drink from it again) Bugs don't want you. They're hanging out in the kitchen area. You too tired from 5 dives to worry much about bugs. If you knew more about the exposure you have every day in products and food and doorknobs, it would put a roach touching you to mere insignificance. People are literally living in the sewer in India and the Phillipines. While it's not something to welcome, you've got much bigger fish to fry.

 

[Cacia]

They love the palm trees and multiply there like crazy.

It is so much better to just call them palmetto bugs like they do in West palm Beach. It's a mindset. I don't like to see rats crossing the bow lines at night....that is my thing.

 

[vladimir]

People are literally living in the sewer in India and the Phillipines.

And the subway tunnels in NYC.

 

[tambir9]

Just to clarify, we are not talking about the large variety like a "palmetto bug", we are talking about the small brown ones, these guys are usually not out in the open, and are small enough to hide, so they are not often seen, but we found them in the "library" area of the Aqua Tiki, (the library being beside the kitchen) and the upper deck and the bathroom of The Aggressor. They were found, by simply moving something off of a shelf. Both boats were very clean, but they had roaches