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

[deepstops]

I have asked captains if they prefer the tip in cash or on the card--they always say it doesn't matter. From now on I will just tip in cash. Presumably the captains can be trusted to distribute it properly.

No they can't. Neither can trip leaders.

 

[cappyjon431]

Cappy Jon the two crew members you are refferring to weren't even on the vessel at the time of the infraction if they were guilty of smoking pot it was while they were on their own time on vacation. As far as others I personally have no knowledge of others smoking. I'm not what you would call Mr. Social. I do my work and go to sleep. As far as reporting what others choose to do or what codes, or laws they break... who cares? Not me, I know I commited no crime and I don't care about a company that doesn't pay me. I also didn't report to the coast guard when a improperly trained crew member was told by the captain to pump a propshaft bilge resulting in an oil slick behind the vessel.

By sticking around for half pay you set a precident that said it is okay for you to pay people when you can get around to it. You may be a loyalist and not value your work but I do. No pay, no work. And there was no agreement with the office about "hey just pay me when you can get caught up." If that was their terms of payment I never would have taken the job in the first place. I have no time for half ass, and would have walked from the boat long ago if I didn't have to stick around just to make enough off of the cash tips to be able to fly out from the boat.

Divie, I appreciate you being honest and posting your side of the story. Regardless of what others think about my posts being biased, I think it is important that you are able to voice your account of what happened, along with your opinions on the subject. I also want to make it very clear that I had no intention of slamming you personally, as I truly value what you have to say--you were there, I was not.

Regardless of the two crew members smoking pot on their off time, it does seem like there was a problem with illegal drugs on the boat. While I truly have a "who cares" attitude towards what crew members do on their time off, the USCG views it very differently. Was it true that the engineer found a bong on the boat (along with a towel smelling like weed)? If so, it would seem that their was a problem with illegal drug use onboard, not just during time off the boat. I believe you when you say you had no knowledge of others smoking on the boat, but it is disturbing that no one else knew. The boat is a VERY small community, and it seemed like I always knew what was going on with my fellow crew members (and all the other crew members always knew my business as well). I think that taking a "who cares" attitude about fellow crew members behavior on the boat is potentially dangerous, not just for guests, but for fellow crew members as well. It might be more comfortable "looking the other way", but when safety is involved, it is more important to speak out (and the same holds true for illegal dumping of oily bilge water). You don't have to care about a company who doesn't pay you, but you should care about the guests' safety as well as the safety of your fellow crew members.

As for the withholding pay, that sucks and I would not blame you for being angry. I know I depended on my paychecks to pay my child support, and without them I would have been in a very difficult position. As for my own experience when they cut our pay 50% after 911, I was very unhappy about it and almost quit over it, but the company demonstrated good faith and I trusted them (which turned out to be a decent gamble, but it was a gamble nonetheless). We had to work out the agreement, and it was not easy, but sometimes negotiating does pay off.

As for valuing my own worth, I don't think it is fair for you to pass judgement on me--I worked my ass off for the company and was rewarded for doing so. Those guests that were on the boat when I worked there saw how hardworking I was and they valued me as an instructor/mate/captain. The hard wok and the work ethic I had on the boat was something that allowed me to apply it to going back to grad school, and now helps me in owning/running a very successful dive operation.

It is unfortunate that you did not enjoy your time with Nekton. I have always said that the liveaboard life is not for everyone. Throw into the mix the unfortunate incidents you encountered and i could certainly understand why you would leave. I hope that you find another job soon, hopefully one with less drama.

 

[Travelnsj]

Hmmmmmm....I am about ready to book a trip for October on Monday with the Nekton......Perhaps I may look at Cozumel again!

 

[Doc]

Cozumel is lovely in October. Go for it.

 

[robint]

Hmmmmmm....I am about ready to book a trip for October on Monday with the Nekton......Perhaps I may look at Cozumel again!

hmmmm..... you say you hate all liveaboards and you get seasick walking in the rain, yet now you want to go on the Nekton. :dropmouth:

 

[vladimir]

hmmmm..... you say you hate all liveaboards and you get seasick walking in the rain, yet now you want to go on the Nekton.

Is that surprising? I thought people who get seasick walking in the rain were Nekton's target demographic.

 

[Travelnsj]

hmmmm..... you say you hate all liveaboards and you get seasick walking in the rain, yet now you want to go on the Nekton. :dropmouth:

LOL....But it says on their home page No seasick......And YOU have talked me out of going back to Cozumel!!!!!...LOL...I wanna go diving somewhere before Indonesia....Suggestions?

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

All the old Nekton Haters have come out of the woodwork..

I realize you didn't point me out specifically and there are plenty of people on here that also don't care for Nekton but I find statements like this offensive. Last I checked you weren't a guest on the trip we took with Nekton so I don't see how you could possibly know what our trip was really like for the majority of guests. By your statement above, you infer that my comments/beliefs are not as legitimate as yours because you've experienced nothing but greatness with Nekton. That is great for you. I don't wish on anyone that they have a bad experience on a vacation.

Regarding "coming out of the woodwork", the same thing can be said about a lot of pro Nekton supporters on here. I personally feel like many of them have NEVER left and are constantly present in every single thread about Nekton trying to assure everyone that any negative comments are being falsified by the posters. I don't think I've earned the right to be taken with a grain of salt when almost everything I have posted on here about other dive experiences have been good to great. In fact, I have largely stayed away from responding to most of the Nekton threads since our trip because the same arguments keep coming up between the differing opinions. Have a great vacation, I hope by the sound of things they are still financially afloat. There are a lot of liveaboard options out there and Nekton might not be for everyone.

Cappyjohn, I appreciate your comments and believe me I completely understand how unreasonable people can be in general. I hear ridiculous stories on a regular basis about what people think they deserve because something didn't end up perfect. It's really sad to see people get so worked up about things that can be so trivial in the grand scheme of life. Got to love high maintenance people...

I thought the former crew member that just posted sounded pretty authentic and I hope they all get the money they are owed. Good point to always pay your tips in cash regardless of the boat you are on.

 

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

I hope someone who works in management from Nekton is reading these posts. I know that people hiding behind the anonymity of the internet can get a bit overexaggerated with their stories, but there is still some good information here that can be used to improve things for their company.

I won't hold my breath, I can't recall ever seeing anyone from management addressing anything on here about Nekton over much more serious complaints. in 2007 a crewmember was lost and never found during our trip, upon returning home we immediately sent an email to Nekton with our condolences while also addressing some concerns we had about the lack of professionalism we observed during our trip. You would expect a relatively timely courtesy call from management after 16 guests vacation was very tragically impacted. Many guests were pretty upset about what happened. It took them more than 20 days to send us a letter of apology followed up by $800 worth of future trip credits (unused to this day and before anyone asks, no you can't have them). Neither my husband nor myself ever had any direct conversations with anyone from Nekton after this incident. Suddenly, one night in February while I was attending my very first political caucus I received a very confusing message from John Dixon (owner) around 7pm MST. Again, I had never spoken with him but his message seemed to indicate that he thought he had spoken with me prior and he understood I was still upset about our experience and he wanted me to call him back. Only furthered my belief that they were totally unorganized and not very concerned about the experience their guests had just had. I am sure they were upset about the loss of this persons life as well but they still had an obligation to their customers. I know I wasn't the only one that was wondering why they took so long to contact people.

But don't take my word for it, I'm probably considered a Nekton hater by some. You can read about how at least 3 others guests felt as well here. Loss in Belize

 

[robint]

LOL....But it says on their home page No seasick......And YOU have talked me out of going back to Cozumel!!!!!...LOL...I wanna go diving somewhere before Indonesia....Suggestions?

You might really enjoy the Nekton, and yes it does say "no seasick" but I can tell you that only means that your chances of getting seasick are far less than on a monohull boat in the same sea conditions. The boat does still have a bit of motion but it is a much slower gentle roll rather than swaying back and forth. After a day or two most people don't even notice it at all. BUT The crossings are always rough (first night and last night) and some people do get seasick on those, most people take meds and sleep through them.

Where should YOU go? I have no idea. Since you love Palau and Indonesia so much, I don't think you are going to find anyplace in the Caribbean to compare. Not at one single destination anyhow. The best diving in the Caribbean for US has been at CCV resort in Roatan, Bonaire, and the Nekton Cay Sal and Medio Reef itineraries. Cozumel this past year rates waaaaaay below all 4 of those trips.