Nekton boats may come back!!

[Shasta_man]

Each person is different and there isn't a right answer here, but I was surprised that someone very prone to seasickness would not have any problem, but I'm thinking the crossing is what makes the difference. I did the Rorqual to St Croix trip on the Nekton and it was indeed the open water crossing that was the the problematic part. Going there was OK (so some crossings can be better than others) and staying there was OK mostly but coming back we were pitching around a lot, and lying in bed, I was getting a cylical motion that would quickly lift the rear of the boat up, then slowly let it down, quick up, then slower down, quick up, slower down, etc. Having not been seasick in the past, I also found it was somewhat psychological in that if I started worrying about getting seasick, I would start getting seasick. Keeping my mind on doing things I would avoid getting seasick. Before you say it, I agree it's not all in your mind, but thinking about it can help bring it on all the quicker. I saw we were pitching around and was concerned but just focused on packing our stuff for getting home and I never got seasick.

One place I did nearly get seasick was on San Francisco Bay! I was on a dinner cruise and they seated me facing the window looking straight out the side of the boat. With the roll of the boat, it was going up and down a lot. It wasn't long before I started not feeling well, so I quit looking outside and focused on a stationary spot in the boat. I was lucky enough to recover.

As for the Dewi size/style, I can imagine that such a boat is normally in the bobbing cork category, but I don't think the Dewi is built the same way. Most of the transit on it is within the islands or around islands so that helps, but there can be a couple of transits between islands that are longer. I'm not exaggerating when I say there was lots of time when I couldn't tell the boat was moving. The pictures also make it difficult to picture it's size. My experience is that most liveaboards (which you have undoubtably not been on due to your problem) are ~100 feet long, while the Dewi is 187 feet long, That's a pretty big difference. The luxury cabin is 140 sq ft by itself. I think it would be better than it appears but you'd have to go all the way to Indonesia to find out. My point was just that you may be able to go on more boats but I can see it would be a painful thing to find out. Really enjoyed the Komodo Dancer too but had a few interesting trips on that including waking to heavy seas and big water dispenser bottles rumbling around the salon at 2 AM, and video from my coming back to Bali with BIG swell would put multiple people off of liveaboards, but we had some priceless experiences on them.

 

[daniel1948]

The Dewi is a three-masted tall sailing ship (presumably with engines also), from the picture. This places it in the same category as the Lord Nelson, which I sailed in once. The Lord Nelson is not a dive boat; rather it's a ship where you pay to be crew and work. Great fun, except that I got so seasick. Of course, as you mention, the big factor is the condition of the sea.

OTOH, a web search says that the non-stop flight time from Seattle to Jakarta (assuming there's even is a non-stop flight) is 17 1/2 hours. And that doesn't even count getting to Seattle from Spokane, or getting to the ship from the international arrival city. Without a girlfriend to help alleviate the stress and boredom of the trip, I won't be going to Indonesia. The Caribbean is a lot easier to get to. And Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada (for hiking, not diving) is only a six-hour drive for me. Now, if I had a girlfriend...

 

[Shasta_man]

but the diving man, the DIVING. The entire fish ID book is right there in front of you, with the coral book too. Waking up at new idyllic location, eating delicious local fruit after another beautiful night on the ocean away from the bugs...the absolute WALL of fish in front of you, with the silversides flowing as one enormous WALL while the mobular rays flit through them....another seasnake at your feet... lionfish so numerous that now you just ignore them...ok, ok, my memories overtake me. I

Looking up the Lord Nelson, I see you had some serious guts to go on that. Going on, ok, but working and if you were in the rigging, you've blown away what you would encounter on the Dewi. I think those are sailing all the time ships. The engine propulsion of the Dewi does make a significant difference in the experience due to cutting through the water rather than sort of wallowing around like sailing can be.

BTW, the flight to the boat is piece of cake: 12 hours to Hong Kong, then 6 hours to Jakarta. Overnight in the in-airport transit hotel, then 6 hour flight out to Sorong. The amazing part is the flight to Hong Kong is so competitive that it can cost only a bit more than a cross USA trip. Last trip, I couldn't sleep on the plane or in the transit hotel either, and stupidly worked the day of the midnight flight thinking it would tire me out. I was up 30+ hours. Never been so exhausted but unable to sleep, but you forget it all when you finally get there. Take off your shoes because you won't need them for two weeks. Then you have to switch to island time and forget all those silly worries from "civilization". Good luck on your future diving...

 

[daniel1948]

I believe you about the diving. But you've just described 24 flying hours, not counting layovers, each way. And I can neither read nor sleep on the plane. At best I can doze for a few minutes at a time, listen to music, and watch the movie. If I had a girlfriend who wanted to go there, I'd buck up and (with companionship for the grueling trip) I'd do it. Alone, I don't think I could handle it.

As for the Lord Nelson, yes, I went up into the rigging, which was utterly terrifying. I can overcome my fear, given sufficient motivation. Even more terrifying than climbing the rigging on the Lord Nelson was rappelling down a couple of waterfalls on Maui. And I never signed up for another trip on the Lord Nelson because I got more seasick than I'd ever been in my life. I wish it had been all sailing. We sailed when the wind was good, and we motored otherwise. I climbed the rigging, helmed the ship, scrubbed the decks, pulled on ropes, scrubbed potatoes in the galley, and, since I was the only Spanish-speaker on the ship and we were in the Canary Islands, I interpreted for the captain with the harbormaster when we docked at one of the islands. It was one of the most fun things I've ever done, and I really wish I could do it again, but at the height of my seasickness I thought seriously about jumping overboard, as drowning seemed the lesser evil compared to the seasickness.

So, when I see how similar the boats are, even the spectacular diving does not convince me to go on the Dewi. For the right woman I'd probably do it. Otherwise, probably not.

 

[DSR-3]

I have been known to get seasick too, and can't sleep on most flights, and I have a wife... But I do love diving, and Indo. is as good as it gets. My recipe for enjoyment;
I take a 1/2 pill of Bonine for the first 2 days of a trip- all good. I save miles and fly business or first class on them on CX. I go by myself. Cathay bus/first is so good that you can sleep, work, watch more "TV" than I ever have. One trip I felt guilty because I slept through a great dinner (they will re-serve you up front). The reduced stress of travelling alone (wife's not a diver) is a welcome departure as well.

I like vacations with just my wife, and with my kids, but my last 6 really good dive trips followed recipe the above- and were awesome!

 

[daniel1948]

Kwells is a lot more powerful than Bonine. I take Kwells (the same active ingredient as the Scopolamine patch, but in pill form) and if the sea is calm, I don't get sick enough to spoil the fun. But if the sea is rough, nothing will prevent my getting so sick I want to die. I love seeing all the fishes and corals, but nothing is worth getting seasick.

And I'm extremely susceptible. I once lived for a few years in a furnished apartment that happened to have a rocking chair. I thought, Cool, I've always wanted a rocking chair. But I couldn't use the darn thing. Within a minute of sitting on it and starting to rock I was getting sick! Same with porch swings. I even get a little bit sick on elevators. If it's not more than 7 or 8 floors I'll take the stairs. Exercise is good.

Everyone says that motion sickness is caused by a disconnect between the ears and the eyes. But nobody has any idea why a disconnect between your ears and your eyes should make your stomach go bonkers. Or why some people are susceptible and others not. Or why closing your eyes doesn't make it go away. Focusing on a fixed point helps, but doesn't eliminate it. I usually don't get sick if I'm driving, but even then, if I accelerate hard enough, especially in a tight turn, I'll get a bit sick.

So I limit my diving to places where rough seas are unlikely, and where I'm on land after the day's diving, and preferably between dives. I know I'm missing some great diving, and I envy people who can dive those places, but you make the best of the hand you're dealt. I can snorkel from shore or from a kayak, and I can hike in the mountains, which I actually love even more than diving.

When this thread began it actually looked as though there was a small chance the Nekton boats could return to service. I gather that now it's out of the question. Perhaps my scuba diving days are over. I'll still snorkel/freedive. Where the water's calm. The leeward side of Maui is nice for kayaking and snorkeling/freediving in the mornings before the wind comes up. Kayaking is good exercise also, if you really put your back into it.

 

[Shasta_man]

Wow, feeling sick when accelerating through a tight turn or in a rocking chair, your seasickness is in another league. I have to push you up another notch in guts after knowing you had such a severe problem then scheduled yourself on a sailing ship. And the rigging...oh, man , I would love to go, but that would be beyond my abilities, but luckily only my head is holding me back. Incidentally, I take a full Bonine every morning of the trip to ensure no problems but sea legs come on and then I really don't need it. but that method won't do you any good. The two week trips have me feeling the rocking for a couple days after returning.to land. Kayaking is great but I'm still not flexible enough to fit in that little hole for long. We've all got our limitations.

 

[daniel1948]

After my one week on the Lord Nelson, I was "land sick" (it felt like everything was moving) for a couple of months. I was afraid I had done permanent damage to my inner ear. Fortunately, it finally subsided and I was back to normal. Climbing the rigging was terrifying but fun. I had not yet reached the extreme of seasickness that I got to later in the voyage when we were in rougher seas. It didn't help at all that I was in the foremost bunk in the forecastle. The thing is, I love the sea. I love being on it and I love going under it and I love watching the waves break on shore. I'd love to go on one of those deep-sea submersibles, but the trip to get there is too daunting. The Nekton Pilot really did make the liveaboard experience more tolerable for me. If you like kayaking but the enclosed kayaks are too cramped, off the leeward coast of Maui they use sit-on-top kayaks. From January to March you can paddle out to see whales, and at other times of year you can paddle to snorkeling spots, or just paddle for the sale of paddling. It's calm enough in the mornings that I'm good if I take a Kwells.

 

[Mroe11517]

I was the chief engineer on the Pilot, would LOVE to see the ship(s) come back. Would be willing to physically help restore it or them

 

[Wookie]

I was the chief engineer on the Pilot, would LOVE to see the ship(s) come back. Would be willing to physically help restore it or them

So the reason the pilot couldn't pass inspection is that the scantlings in the engine room were rusted through. Wouldn't it have been easier to take care of it when you were Chief?