Nekton (Bad News)

[diverdoug1]

Don, thank you for being a voice of reason. I am incredibly sorry that you lost your $2200. I know that if it happened to me (and it has before for a planned trip to
Bikini Atoll) I would be very angry and I would be inclined to say some nasty things about the company that "ripped me off." That has been the overwhelming response on this thread, and I consider it only natural--it's hiuman instinct. I also feel for former crew members who should have been paid their salary and tips that they were owed. I know what it is like to work my arse off on a liveaboard and while I only had pay withheld for a about a year (we had our salary decreased 50% immediately after 911, but JD did pay us retroactively once the business picked up again), I understand the anger this has generated. Once again it is only human nature. I also feel for JD. He put his heart and soul into this company, and back when I was on the boat he outworked all of us--he was often down in the bilges alongside crew members (and he was always dirtier than any of us). When I worked in the office it was not unusual to see him pull all nighters trying to fix problems that arose on the boats.

I think that people need to keep in perspective that the economy is really in trouble and that many businesses are failing all around the world. Some are due to mismanagement, some are due to forces outside of management's control. All of these business failures hurt owners, employees, customers, suppliers, etc. Because Nekton's demise affects those of us in the dive industry specifically (customers, crew, etc.) this failure affects us more than (lets say) the closing of an auto parts manufacturing facility in Detroit. Unfortunately, the results are the same, owners, customers, employees all suffer. Nobody wins when businesses go under. I now own my own dive related business, and the effects of the economy are taking their toll on my business. There are just not as many people travelling/diving as there used to be. There are many threads on Scubaboard about excellent dive shops who have failed in the last few years. I worry daily about making payroll, being able to repair/replace outboards, compressors, and dive gear, and paying my bills. It is very stressful, but I am blessed to be able to do what I love.

An open letter to Cappyjon
Jon, I apppreciate your input as a dive operation owner. I also really enjoyed geting to spend time with you as a Nekton guest. I would like to comment as a liveaboard "prosumer" (I spen 6-8 weeks per year on liveaboards). Most of the liveaboards I travel on have maintained the level of service they provide over the past 10 years. They are also usually nearly or fully booked when I travel on them (albeit at peak travel times). Thay are considered some of the nicer liveaboards (Aquacat/Agrssor/Mike Ball/Peter Hughes). I think that these higher price point boats have felt the impact of the declining economy less. I would have spent more money for a week on a well maintained Nekton Pilot in Caymans or Belize than I spend on any of these other "high end" liveaboards. Unfortunately, I think Mr. Dixon misjuged the market by trying to maintain profit margins by going "on the cheap". I am fortunate enough to be able to afford many nice dive vacations, and many of the people I dove with in my 25 Nekton trips were in my same situation. Now I meet a lot of the people I previously met on the Nekton on other liveaboards. We all remember the glory days of Nekton, when they were a high level of sevice operation (like when you were on the boat), and how we wished that we could find a nice boat like that to dive on now (with the combination of service/itineraries/ and stability). From 1997 to 2003, I told every diver that I met that they should dive on the Pilot (I always thought the Rorqual was slapped together by the "Apple Dumpling Gang"). After 2003 I repeatedly sent messages to Mr. Dixon that the boats were going down hill,and after 2007 I no longer recommended them. I kept going back from time to time, in hopes that they would improve.
So Jon, I see that you remember how Nekton was, and that you defend that "apple" of a memory, but please see that as former loyal customers, many of us regret/ resent the direction the bussiness was taken. In my opinion, Nekton went from being one of my favorite places to spend my time, to being a festering cat turd. When you use your time on the Nekton as a basis for commenting on the bussiness in the past few years, it is like comparing apples to cat turds.
I agree with Roatan, that we are beating a dead horse here, and the only reason for my post is that I hope other dive operations are following this post. I hope that when they see times are getting tough, that they will not immediately decrease the level of service to thier loyal customers, but consider accepting a lower profit margin OR risk increasing the price of the trip. Don't think that you can get away with decreasing your level of service, while keeping the price the same (your loyal customers will notice, and it WILL end up affecting future bookings!)

 

[cappyjon431]

So Jon, I see that you remember how Nekton was, and that you defend that "apple" of a memory, but please see that as former loyal customers, many of us regret/ resent the direction the bussiness was taken. In my opinion, Nekton went from being one of my favorite places to spend my time, to being a festering cat turd. When you use your time on the Nekton as a basis for commenting on the bussiness in the past few years, it is like comparing apples to cat turds.

Doug, I am not quite sure where your letter is coming from. While I have frequently defended Nekton in the past and I do tend to hark back on the "glory days" of Nekton, in this thread I have acknowledged repeatedly that there was mismanagement, that I felt Nekton's treatment of former crew (pay issues) and guests (taking deposits for trips that were not going out) was unethical, that the company took too many shortcuts, that there were serious maintenance issues, etc. In that respect, I don't think I was comparing my time on the Pilot with the fairly recent (lets say the last 5 years for argument's sake) decline of the company.

 

[underwater life]

I lost my $2200, others are in the same situation.

Don

But you didn't lose your money. You were able to take a trip on the CEXII thanks to the generous offer from Clay.

 

[diverdoug1]

Doug, I am not quite sure where your letter is coming from. While I have frequently defended Nekton in the past and I do tend to hark back on the "glory days" of Nekton, in this thread I have acknowledged repeatedly that there was mismanagement, that I felt Nekton's treatment of former crew (pay issues) and guests (taking deposits for trips that were not going out) was unethical, that the company took too many shortcuts, that there were serious maintenance issues, etc. In that respect, I don't think I was comparing my time on the Pilot with the fairly recent (lets say the last 5 years for argument's sake) decline of the company.

Jon, as I said, the purpose of the letter was to clarify (for other operators who might be reading this thread), that one of the best liveaboards can quickly become one of the worst by using decreased level of service to maintain profit margin. I just don't think this tactic works for a high end liveaboard. It seems that the liveaboards that take another tack , and maintain the product they give to the customers , fair much better. I like to use a restaurant analogy. If you own a "Don Shula's", it is better to increase your prices than to start to use crappy meat. If you own a McDonalds, you can probably get away with using stale chicken in your McNuggets to keep the price the same. The reason I directed this letter to you is that you have frequently brought up the positive aspects of the company in it's earlier stages, and it is a good illustration of how far the company fell. I did not mean to impune you in any way!

 

[robint]

I too hope all the liveboard companies are following this thread. They can learn alot about their customers wants and needs. They can also see that there are lots of liveaboard "loyals" out there...

robin

 

[donhealy]

Sorry, my cruise was on May 15. This was before Clay was offering the trip cost reductions. Lost the $2200.

Don

 

[robint]

Sorry, my cruise was on May 15. This was before Clay was offering the trip cost reductions. Lost the $2200.

Don

have you contacted Explorer Ventures or Aggressor? They might still honor it since you lost the money.

robin

 

[donhealy]

Robint and underwaterlife:

Actually I called right after the thread post. They will honor the 50% of Nekton's cabin price for the Rorqual May 15 trip.They had originally offered it for sailings on or after the 22nd.

These guys are great to work with. They remembered me by name and my initial situation with Nekton. I'm booking with the the T&C II for mid next year.

Don

 

[CaboJim]

The Aggressor and Explorer fleets have offered to honor Nekton’s unfulfilled reservations. Aggressor will take payments made to Nekton toward future trips on their Caribbean liveaboards; divers pay the price differences between the Nekton and the Aggressor reservations (Aggressor Fleet | The ultimate in live-aboards since 1984). Explorer Ventures will give a 50 percent discount for Nekton divers who paid for trips in full (Explorer Ventures: Adventures in Live-Aboard Diving).

 

[cappyjon431]

Jon, as I said, the purpose of the letter was to clarify (for other operators who might be reading this thread), that one of the best liveaboards can quickly become one of the worst by using decreased level of service to maintain profit margin. I just don't think this tactic works for a high end liveaboard. It seems that the liveaboards that take another tack , and maintain the product they give to the customers , fair much better. I like to use a restaurant analogy. If you own a "Don Shula's", it is better to increase your prices than to start to use crappy meat. If you own a McDonalds, you can probably get away with using stale chicken in your McNuggets to keep the price the same. The reason I directed this letter to you is that you have frequently brought up the positive aspects of the company in it's earlier stages, and it is a good illustration of how far the company fell. I did not mean to impune you in any way!

No offense taken. Perhaps I was a little grumpy this morning. I think your comments are spot-on when it comes to how quickly a quality operation can fall to the ranks of mediocrity (or worse). I think that it all boils down to three things: 1. The company must maintain its boats. 2. The importance of a good crew can not be overstated. 3. Companies cannot nickel and dime their customers to the point of alienating them.

I have always appreciated your balanced reports of your Nekton experiences. There are those out there who continually slammed Nekton, even when they ran a great operation. There are also those out there (myself included) who always defended Nekton, even when it should have been obvious that the company was in a downward spiral. You always provided a fair assessment of what was happening with the company.