Nekton Rorqual 7/25/09 - 8/1/09

[HouseofCards]

Oh I know fully well I'm not going to change either of their minds, but thats not what I'm after. I'm just defending myself and fellow crew members from the usual trolls that every forum has. Glad I could help out with your post counts guys.

Oh and as far as Scuba Board being used as a sledgehammer, pull your head out and go re-read the earlier posts. Did a crew member start this thread? Besides defending himself and providing the facts did he trash talk the company? No he did not, but even from page one we have people like the likes of cappyjon out to make the 10 ex crew members all look like pot smoking drunks who "got whats coming to them". Unfortunately when we describe some of the reasons for leaving it's called mud slinging, when in reality it's the truth. Im honestly dissapointed in you CappyJon. You've been there before, you know how things work(or don't work) on board, but still you oppose every word of ours? And for what? I think you and Jonathan would have been great friends, almost 2 in the same if you ask me.


I've said it before and I'll say it again, Nobody left because of the drug test. Go re-read my firs post on this thread on page 8 all the facts are there, we all had 2 different opportunities to leave before it happened. Well we all stayed and took the drug test, why? because there was nothing to hide.

Hmm... seems like I'm arguing a dead point here. Shasta your right in the case of these two. Hopefully you and other level headed thinkers like you will be able to make an educated decision based off of the facts at hand.

 

[uncleavi]

I worked for Nekton and also for Aggressor. It is really tough work out there.
I will say that they are very different from each other to work for.

 

[cappyjon431]

Oh I know fully well I'm not going to change either of their minds, but thats not what I'm after. I'm just defending myself and fellow crew members from the usual trolls that every forum has. Glad I could help out with your post counts guys.

Oh and as far as Scuba Board being used as a sledgehammer, pull your head out and go re-read the earlier posts. Did a crew member start this thread? Besides defending himself and providing the facts did he trash talk the company? No he did not, but even from page one we have people like the likes of cappyjon out to make the 10 ex crew members all look like pot smoking drunks who "got whats coming to them". Unfortunately when we describe some of the reasons for leaving it's called mud slinging, when in reality it's the truth. Im honestly dissapointed in you CappyJon. You've been there before, you know how things work(or don't work) on board, but still you oppose every word of ours? And for what? I think you and Jonathan would have been great friends, almost 2 in the same if you ask me.


I've said it before and I'll say it again, Nobody left because of the drug test. Go re-read my firs post on this thread on page 8 all the facts are there, we all had 2 different opportunities to leave before it happened. Well we all stayed and took the drug test, why? because there was nothing to hide.

Hmm... seems like I'm arguing a dead point here. Shasta your right in the case of these two. Hopefully you and other level headed thinkers like you will be able to make an educated decision based off of the facts at hand.

I think you are due an apology. I will accept your word that none of the crew members came on this board to publicly embarrass the company. In return, I would ask that you understand that my intention was not to paint ALL ten crew members as pot smoking, alcohol drinking ner'-do-wells. I never meant to imply that ALL crew members who left were using drugs (In fact, my earlier posts say that some left in solidarity for other crew members). The fact that a bong was found onboard disturbs me greatly, even if it was only used by one or two crew members. I am sorry if I have a hard time believing the theory that it "might have been" a guest's that was put in a crew only area, it just does not ring true to me. The fact that I heard from some crew members that people were using illegal drugs on the sundeck disturbs me greatly. The fact that I heard from ex-crew members that some crew were drinking in their cabins disturbs me greatly.

You are correct, I have been there and I do know how things work (and don't work). While the drugs and the alcohol disturb me greatly, so does the fact that you guys have not received the pay that you are owed. I think I was very open about the fact that if it happened to me, I would have been pissed too (I even explained that I used it for child support).

 

[Doc]

I think that anyone who has worked on a liveaboard has my high respect. I enjoyed the communications both here and as PM's. I hope I get to dive with you former employees (as well as the current ones).

 

[scubapal]

I've previously worked for nekton for over a year. Like most liveaboards, the turnover rate is very high. I have seen many crew who were very professional and others who were clowns (like any other job). Nekton is a great opperation. The boats are ideal for diving and the office strives to keep the boats professional. Nekton was not just a job to me, it was home. I took great pride in what I did, as did most of the crew. This does not exclude the new captain. The new captain was enthusiastic and brought new ideas. However, he made many errors in judgement. Firing crew and leaving crew stranded away from home port multiple times as well as sleeping with crew is not ok. Cursing in front of 3 juvinile guests is not ok.
As for the bong, I really don't know how I would have handled that if I were in his shoes. He was required to give the drug test and most of us took it without complaint. Why would we take it if we did not feel we were going to pass?
It was heartbreaking watching those guests get neglected the way they did. It was embarrassing to be a part of the crew that week. I've had good weeks and bad weeks but that was the first time I was embarrassed to be a part of the company. And that is why I left. That and the lack of pay. That week was in no way the norm and I encourage return guests to remain exactly that. I pray that the new captain learns from his mistakes and Im sure he will one day be a good captain. Im sure the office is dragging my name through the mudd but I refuse to retaliate. I have fond memories of Nekton and wish the crew would show more class than we have been shown in the past. Say what you want, I worked DRUGFREE and with integrity. This will be my last posting.
God Bless.

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

Leave it to SB to have an icon for the exact emotion I'm feeling after reading some of these posts. Talk about sugarcoated...

 

[scubapal]

Interesting direction of the thread. The company owes crew members money for months (but they keep working), then some paychecks start trickling in, then they stop again, but ex-crew still stay on board, even though some of them are owed money. Then the captain calls for a drug test and many of them bolt. Maybe it was all about the money, but the catalyst seems to be the drug test.

actually 4 people got kicked off and when the parents of crew members who were onboard found out what happened they all helped to get us off the boat. Thank God for parents

 

[agwatts]

Believe it or not...this thread HAS got attention by Nekton. I have received coorespondence from the Nekton office about back pay and have been assured someone is looking into the matter. Great news.

So, in reality using Scubaboard does make a difference as Nekton does read the posts about their company.

I agree with those posting and keeping their real identity unknown, as they too have issues with the company and are still aboard.

I stayed as long as I did, because I simply loved what I was doing...well, let's keep this in perspective, I did not enjoy cleaning heads and making beds, or the night watches...none-the-less, being aboard was an adventure one that very few get to take. I still love to teach and dive and may in the future look for another adventure, whether it's looking to buying property and opening a dive shop, or going to work for a resort...diving and teaching is the main motivator.

So, to make a long story longer...not all is is vain and some times pulling up a few rocks gets the job done.

Thanks for all the input as I feel this thread has done some good for all concerned.

Greg

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

That's good to hear agwatts. From most of the posts, it appears there were several factors as to why people quit, I really don't care if the money was the last straw. Personally I don't think it's acceptable for a company to not pay their employees and to stiff them on their hard earned tips. It's not acceptable as a guest or a human being to simply ignore this factor like it's not my problem. If I were aware of any company I do business with shortchanging their employees and outright not paying them I wouldn't give them my money. Not to mention that I would anticipate some hostility on board a boat with a crew that isn't getting paid. That's not the crews fault, it's management. It does not appear when they hired you they did not stipulate that at times you would be working for free.

I work on 100% commission and I know that a lot of people can put up with problems within a workplace until one MAJOR factor ceases: getting paid. It's a lot easier to try to put aside your frustrations about how a company works and the condition of things until you are no longer getting paid which last time I checked is why most of us work. I think whipping out a magnifying glass and dissecting all your previous posts was extreme as well. I don't see how the path you took to get you to where you are today is really relevant to this conversation. You pursued something you are passionate about and did whatever you could to do it. I don't know many people who stick to the the straight and narrow path without something altering their plans. I hope you can find something you love to do and get paid doing it in the near future!

 

[PropWash]

Wow....just wow. I am a former Nekton crew member and I served under Captains John, Ephey, Nelson, and even Captain Chris when I first started. Those of you who have been around a while can tell that was a while ago. Times have truly changed since then. I think I am among a very short list of folks that have been crew and have actually sailed as a guest afterwards (I was on board the Rorqual a week prior to all of this, as well as a trip last year on the Pilot). I have to say that it was a novel experience, being a guest after having been crew.

I saw a lot of drama even as a guest the week I was there, although nothing like what went on based on what I read in this thread. I can say that in the months (about 9 months all together between the two boats) that I was crew, we had our share of squabbles between crew, but I consider myself lucky that I worked for such great captains. Being a crew member on a live aboard is like a family, true enough. But it is also like living with your in-laws as well. Friction is inevitable, and it is the character of the Captain that keeps things running smoothly.

I will say that I have seen some of the things that the crew from the Rorqual have posted myself, including violations of Coast Guard Regs, but for the most part they were accidental in nature, not premeditated, and were mostly redressed appropriately. As for the pay, there were times back in the day that checks would be a bit slow coming, but we always did get our pay eventually (and not months late, maybe a week or three). Of course I worked out of Ft. Lauderdale, so the logistics of getting paid were much simpler than working abroad.

I guess I just wanted to chime in my 2 cents worth here. The thing that stands out the most to me about this thread is some of the comments from HouseOfCards and ScubaPal. I can completely empathize with them, as it wasn’t the pay that got me there, or kept me on board, it was doing the thing I am most passionate about in my life. We all put up with a lot of crap to have that wonderful adventure. I have many good memories from those days, many exciting times (running from a hurricane not the least of them!), and a few bad ones as well, but all in all I would not trade it for anything…and I will continue to be a guest whenever the opportunity presents itself. Thanks for taking time to let me ramble here, and best wishes to both the crew in getting your pay as well as hopes that Nekton will take note and make the improvements that it needs to in order to become what it was in better times.