Nekton (Bad News)

[Shasta_man]

yep, he was working on hitting the bricks, just like we thought...

And they did an excellent job of convincing me to avoid, like the plague, any future company involved with these owners.

 

[EVFleet]

Hi all -

Wow! Thank you for all of the kind comments, they're much appreciated!

As an update, several of the trips have sold out already today, so please be prepared to be flexible with your travel dates -

Best,

- Clay

 

[Jchoby]

Wow, sad to see this happen! I've been on the Nekton several times and enjoyed their operation very much. I was on the Apr 3-10 cruise and was saddened at the state of the boat. We kind of knew by the end of the trip that there was not much life left in the company. I am bummed and will miss the Nekton boats!!!!

 

[bcaderunr]

I have only been on one Explorer Ventures boat to date (last June) but it won't be our last! Honestly, anyone deciding on what to do now would have a great trip with Explorer Ventures. They had a great crew on their Bahamas boat last June, great pricing, the boat was in good shape and most important (as of late) is that their office is excellent. Even better, they have two new boats and a new location (Maldives)!

I'm already signed up for the June 12 Bahamas cruise -- my second Explorer trip. I sailed with Nekton last May and decided never to darken their gangplank again back then. Class act, Explorer. Now THAT'S how to run a liveaboard company!!!

 

[Wreck Wench]

I think Nekton also removed their Facebook page. Can anyone verify that?

Explorer Ventures is my new hero. I hope those guys get lots of business from their goodwill. I'm a travel agent specializing in dive travel, so I'll be recommending them. It takes a big man (or company, in this case) to step up to the plate when folks like Nekton screw it up. Nekton's actions are bad for the dive/liveaboard industry because it creates a level of distrust. Hopefully, EV's actions will restore people's faith that there are still really good companies out there.

Good Choice! EV is a great company...as soon as you send your clients on their boats you will see! We've done business with them for years and have ALWAYS had excellent results and Clay has never NOT exceeded expectations. This is not unusual for Clay nor his company to step in and help out! Kamala

 

[Pseudocyber]

I was scheduled to go to Medio Reef next month ... I just talked to Bank of America - they said that basically, if I have paid with a check for services I haven't received my money is eligible to be covered by them for a refund.

Call your bank! Unless you sent them cash ... you might be covered - doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[Easy Goin' Scubabuds]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Becky, and my husband, Dan, and I recently bought Paradise Charters, Inc, a 6-pack live-aboard that offers trips to the Bahamas and south Florida from the Fort Lauderdale area. We’ve only been running trips since the beginning of the year, and as far as I know, we have not had had any unhappy customers.

I cannot imagine how terrible it would be to have put energy, time, and dollars into planning a dive vacation and have it turn out like this! We’d like to offer a 10 percent discount to anyone with a confirmed booking on a cancelled Nekton trip. I wish we could do more, but as a one-vessel owner-operator, we have already priced our trips as economically as we can.

We bought the boat because we love diving, especially live-aboard diving, and we love sharing a dive experience with friends – both newly-formed and long-time friends. My husband and I actually met on a scuba diving trip – a weekend motorhome trip to the Keys with 9 other people, many of whom we still dive with regularly. Talk about close quarters The Easy Goin’ (our live-aboard boat) has quite a bit more room. There are 3 guest cabins for six passengers, a spacious salon, and an upstairs deck for lounging around. On all of our longer trips and most of our weekend trips, two of the three crew members will be captains, one a dive instructor and one a divemaster. I like to be the third crew member (cook) as often as possible, but I also have a full-time job as a CPA in NC.

I hope that anyone that has been displaced by the Nekton closure will consider us in their search for dive alternatives. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about our boat or the trips we offer. Our phone number is 864-423-DIVE and our website can be found in our signature line. LET’S GO DIVING!

Thanks, SB members, for your vote of confidence and support! Becky

 

[H2O Gal]

Well, I had just got home from having a colonoscopy when I when found out the news about Nekton. It's not every day you get shafted twice up the butt in one day.....:shocked2:
Becky, I have spoken with Dan about a trip with you to replace the one we lost out on around June 6 so save us two spots, and hopefully some people here will sign on for the other four. I hope we can get it going!
Laura

 

[Easy Goin' Scubabuds]

OUCH!
Laura, AWESOME - THANKS BUNCHES! We'll be in touch. Looking forward to meeting you. Becky

 

[wendyisaac]

I want to thank the Explorer group for offering the trip discount. We have a group of 8 that were devistated by this announcement. Once we read your posting we called & spoke with Wendy & then Mary & have 6 spots booked on the June 12th trip to Turks & Caicos.Both of these gals were very helpful & understanding. 4 of us are return divers with this boat & are very thankful that this has worked out this way.
Again, many thanks.