GreggM
Registered
Just returned from an Aqua cat cruise 12-20/12-27-2008.
Overall a great experience!
It was my first time with Aqua cat and my longest live aboard experience. I can say without reservation that it was the best time ever! The ship is very comfortable, great size cabins w/ private bathroom, I didn't spend much time in the cabin but it was nice, plenty of fresh hot water for showers.
Nice dive deck with lots of entrances make diving super easy. Crew was always there to help you out after the dive and hose you off with warm water. Their was always a drift line in the water. The ladder is the kind that allows you to climb with your fins on if you prefer, weird at first but I got used to it.
The crew was FANTASTIC, gave good briefings, helped out any way you needed and then got out of the way and let you dive. I did several dives by myself and also joined others when I felt like it. Went on a tour with the divemaster several times as well. You use the dan tag system to check on and off the boat at the dive site and I thought it worked really well. The range of divers tended towards the very experienced, I think there were like 5 instructors and several divemasters among us. There was also a couple who were newly certified, we had a couple of very serious photo geeks too. I thought the crew did a great job supporting a very diverse group of divers. I didn't hear any complaints.
The water temp ranged from 73f to 77f and I was comfortable with my full 3mm suit, I also had a 1mm hooded vest that I added when I was feeling chilled. I generally don't get too cold, due to my *ahem* extra insulation. Some folks were wearing full 5mm with hoods and others with 3mm shorties.
We did have some rain and rough seas on the first night and the 2nd day, so we didn't get as far as some cruises, we spent a lot of time hiding on the lee side of Eluthera island. The rough seas also reduced vis, I'd guess it was 75 - 100ft most days. I was kind of dissapointed at the algea on some of the reefs and also didn't see as much life as I had hoped. Really just a sad statement on our stewardship of the oceans and nothing that could be controlled by the crew.
Having the Seadog chase boat with its low draft jet propulsion meant we could do some beachcombing trips and go feed the Iguana's on one of the island trips. Nice option to have when you don't feel like diving.
The food is top quality and plentiful, usually served buffet style. Fresh baked cookies and muffins three times a day ensure that you will not lose weight on this trip. Chef Kirk is able to whip up award winning food every day, simply amazing.
The best part for me was meeting all the other like minded people, since I usually travel alone on my dive trips it was a nice change to have folks to visit with after the dives. We watched movies, told tall tales and conquered the world several times in marathon PC Risk tournaments.
To sum up the trip, I would do it again in a minute!
Any questions, just ask
Overall a great experience!
It was my first time with Aqua cat and my longest live aboard experience. I can say without reservation that it was the best time ever! The ship is very comfortable, great size cabins w/ private bathroom, I didn't spend much time in the cabin but it was nice, plenty of fresh hot water for showers.
Nice dive deck with lots of entrances make diving super easy. Crew was always there to help you out after the dive and hose you off with warm water. Their was always a drift line in the water. The ladder is the kind that allows you to climb with your fins on if you prefer, weird at first but I got used to it.
The crew was FANTASTIC, gave good briefings, helped out any way you needed and then got out of the way and let you dive. I did several dives by myself and also joined others when I felt like it. Went on a tour with the divemaster several times as well. You use the dan tag system to check on and off the boat at the dive site and I thought it worked really well. The range of divers tended towards the very experienced, I think there were like 5 instructors and several divemasters among us. There was also a couple who were newly certified, we had a couple of very serious photo geeks too. I thought the crew did a great job supporting a very diverse group of divers. I didn't hear any complaints.
The water temp ranged from 73f to 77f and I was comfortable with my full 3mm suit, I also had a 1mm hooded vest that I added when I was feeling chilled. I generally don't get too cold, due to my *ahem* extra insulation. Some folks were wearing full 5mm with hoods and others with 3mm shorties.
We did have some rain and rough seas on the first night and the 2nd day, so we didn't get as far as some cruises, we spent a lot of time hiding on the lee side of Eluthera island. The rough seas also reduced vis, I'd guess it was 75 - 100ft most days. I was kind of dissapointed at the algea on some of the reefs and also didn't see as much life as I had hoped. Really just a sad statement on our stewardship of the oceans and nothing that could be controlled by the crew.
Having the Seadog chase boat with its low draft jet propulsion meant we could do some beachcombing trips and go feed the Iguana's on one of the island trips. Nice option to have when you don't feel like diving.
The food is top quality and plentiful, usually served buffet style. Fresh baked cookies and muffins three times a day ensure that you will not lose weight on this trip. Chef Kirk is able to whip up award winning food every day, simply amazing.
The best part for me was meeting all the other like minded people, since I usually travel alone on my dive trips it was a nice change to have folks to visit with after the dives. We watched movies, told tall tales and conquered the world several times in marathon PC Risk tournaments.
To sum up the trip, I would do it again in a minute!
Any questions, just ask
