liveaboard first timer

[ecudiver]

hey guys and girls my roommate and i are looking into our first liveaboard and i am curious about a few things. we are looking at the nekton and aggressor but what is whales of the silver banks and where is this? has anyone been to cay sal bank bahamas on the nekton and does the dive charters fill up on most dives?

 

[diversteve]

hey guys and girls my roommate and i are looking into our first liveaboard and i am curious about a few things. we are looking at the nekton and aggressor but what is whales of the silver banks and where is this?

It's a snorkel trip with Humpback Whales.
http://www.nektoncruises.com/Destinations/SilverBank.aspx

has anyone been to cay sal bank bahamas on the nekton

Yes last summer. Anything specific you'd like to know? I wrote a small trip report here

and does the dive charters fill up on most dives?

Our trip had 31/32 spots filled. But it was one of two pre-hurricane season summer trips.

 

[sdwho]

Just got back from the Silver Banks this past weekend. We were on the Turks and Caicos Aggressor. Snorkeling with the humpbacks is an amazing experience, but keep in mind (1) that the humpback trips occur for a limited period of time Jan - March and thus fill up quickly and (2) there is no diving.

Depending on where you are starting out from and your level of diving experience, you have a lot of choices when it comes to liveaboards. We are big fans of the Aggressor fleet. If you're on the east coast, carribbean locations may be more convenient. The Cayman Aggressor gives you a chance to dive both sites off of GC and sites off of LC, assuming that they are able to make the crossing (on rare occasions, the weather can limit their flexibility). I'd particularly encourage you to think about the Turks and Caicos Aggressor, which has an absolutely fabulous crew, great food and is a fairly new and well appointed vessel.

From the west coast, you might think about the Kona Aggressor for some pretty easy and nice diving. Or you could head out on one of the other Pacific aggressors --we've done Palau and Kona and are booked on Fiji this coming November.

One of the nice things about the Aggressors is their size: typically you have around 18 divers, although I've been out on an Aggressor with as few as 9 divers, which was very sweet indeed.

 

[Nursediver]

We did the Cay Sal Bank with Nekton, and I'm sorry to say, can't recommend it. Visibility was usually poor and current was iffy. We were told that is just the way it is there. The shark dive was unforrgetable, though. Nekton crew was fantastic and food was pretty good, but the boat was falling apart and like I said, the diving was ok at best. If you like the Nekton line, try their Belize or Cayman route.

 

[DiveMaven]

We were on the Nekton Pilot in Belize a little over a year ago and loved it so much that we're booked for 2 weeks this summer on the NW Bahamas and Cay Sal Banks itineraries. Last I heard, the NW Bahamas week was only 1/2 full and the Cay Sal one was nearly full.

I've read a lot of trip reviews about both itineraries and it seems like about 50% of the reports I've read include comments about current at one or more of the dive sites in the Bahamas, so that's something to take into consideration. Since it isn't something anyone can control or predict, I'd rather risk having current at a fabulous site than no current at a yucky site. But that's just my personal preference.

The Pilot recently spent around 6 weeks in drydock being spiffed up, which I have confidence addressed some of the cosmetic problems she was having.

The one thing that is very obvious when you've been on the boat for a day is that it is a working dive boat. It's not a cruise ship or a yacht and it doesn't try to be. But you'll have a large cabin (by liveaboard standards), a private ensuite bathroom, lots of room to move around, a smooth ride, good food, an outstanding crew (IMO), and lots of fun.

Not one liveaboard (or dive op) will satisfy everyone, so it's a matter of figuring out which one meets your needs. Nekton meets our needs perfectly as we have the space and privacy we want as well as a good price, but to say they are for everyone is silly. Do your research and pick the one that fits you best...you won't likely go wrong that way.

 

[ecudiver]

thanks for the post guys my room mate and i have decided to go out on the aggressor fleet to the caymans cant wait

 

[mjarens]

Greetings ecu diver,

You will love the Cayman Aggressor. I went last Sept with just 25 dives in my log book and finished the week with 51 dives logged. The crew was wonderful. The diving was spectacular. You will want to stay at Little Cayman forever!! No problems with the boat during the week. Food was adequate and plentiful. Enjoy.

mjarens