I have been on four different live aboard boats so far and had good and bad experiences with them all. I first went on a Peter Hughes trip in Provo and had one of the best vacations I have ever experienced. It was with my local dive club and we booked the entire ship. We then booked the next year in Belize on the last Wave Dancer trip. I survived that trip and it took quite a while before I could get back on another live aboard dive boat.
My wife and I booked the Nekton Pilot out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Cay Sal trip as my return to the live aboard experience. I explained the situation to the booking agent at Nekton and was able to reserve a cabin on the upper level on the bow. (This is mostly because there are large windows in that room and an emergency door immediately outside our room). This is mostly my own baggage and should not be a concern for most people. The rooms at the bow on the top level do have an odd shape for the beds because of the contour of the hull so be aware of this before you reserve these rooms.
We went on the Cay Sal trip in August and had a very nice time. The only complaint I had on the trip was the temperature that particular week was over 100 degrees everyday and there was not even a hint of a breeze. It was HOT! But the water was nice, and the pool was open! There were some deep dives and blue holes so I would recommend advanced certification if at all possible before doing this itinerary. The ship was extremely stable the entire trip, but a canoe would have been stable on the ocean that particular trip.
The following year we went on the Rorqual in the Cayman Islands. This ship was in better shape than the Pilot and felt like it was better planned out for its intended use as a dive platform. (The pilot has to run with the bow higher than the stern for pluming to drain efficiently. At least that is what I was told when I was on the Pilot.) The Rorqual was exactly what I expected. Slow and stable. There was 18 20 guest as I recall, but I never felt crowded. The crew was good and professional. My only complaint was we moored on the Keith Tibbits in the evening for a dawn dive, and a storm blew in that evening that made for extremely rough seas. I woke up by being tossed into the air while I was in my bunk. After I checked on my wife and assessed the situation and realized it was only rough seas I decided to head up towards the bridge and see how things were there. When I left the cabin I found two crewmembers in the salon area. One making coffee and the other available to attend to any needs from passengers. I went upstairs and toward the bridge and found the night captain at the wheel where he was supposed to be and the captain also at the bridge assessing the situation and deciding on staying moored or moving to a more sheltered area on the other side of the island. The captain did come out to explain what was going on and what he was thinking about doing to ensure everyones safety. The decision was made to unhook from the mooring and move to a more sheltered location from the wind and rain. As soon as the boat started moving the ride was much smoother and most passengers were able to go back to sleep if they woke up at all. I managed only about an hour that night. Love the SWATH design, as long as you are not in a hurry. Overall it was a good experience and I will go on the Nekton boats again. Maybe Belize again when I can muster up the courage. Time will tell.
Any way go and enjoy the trip, if you are concerned with this trip or any others, do what you are doing now, and ask questions before you go. If the operator or company will not answer, or is reluctant to answer your questions, it is definitely time to cancel and book with someone else. Sorry for the long rambling post.
Rick Patterson
