Turks and Caicos - Aggressor II or Explorer II

[robint]

Thanks for the great reply.

Actually, this will be my second trip with the housing, but I just picked up another rig and was considering having my wife use it. She's much smaller and i'm worried about both of us having big rigs and boarding the boat.

We just got back from Curacao and some dives had lots of surface current. We were hanging on the line and pulling ourselves towards the ladder. Let go of the line and fight the current to the ladder. Some divers only held the line with only one hand, which means they were drifting parallel with the line. This means tanks and fins slamming the person downstream with each wave. This was not pleasant at all with some folk's mask coming off. I decided not to take the rig down on these dives. I don't see how I could hold the line with the rig, pull myself along the line, and swim to the ladder.

But it sounds like the boat swinging isn't the same thing. however i am concerned about finding a swinging boat, especially at night, without a dive master to follow.

It's probably better we take only one camera rig. The problem is we only get one or two dive trips a year and we try to make the most out of it. I shoot wide, she shoot macro. Maybe I should sell the 5d housing for a point and shoot for her.

still deciding which live aboard to choose.. or maybe we should just do Bonaire to be safe.

I know exactly what you are talking about.... swinging boats trying to handle camera gear is a NIGHTMARE! Our last dive trip was to Coz, and with really rough seas and wave action, getting back onto the boats was difficult for me (I am a smaller woman). This trip I was not shooting video, like I usually do... so I can't imagine how much problems I would have had on that trip if I had been trying to get back onboard with my big camcorder housing. Uggghhh!

We have done a couple of liveaboards but never had problems with them swinging. Our last Nekton trip the boat rocked a bit at a few sites because of wind/surface chop. The Calif boats we dive from each summer on a trip are rough to negotiate in rough water but I have survived those with only bruises and bumps.

I wouldn't personally try to do a liveaboard with a swinging boat and a camera rig. My husband is also shooting photos now, so we both have huge rigs. Although we loved Bonaire, some of the shore entries were rough with ironshore, loose coral, little drop-offs, etc. I crashed and burned trying to get in or out of the water a few times carrying my camcorder rig. I ended up with a couple of big scratches on my red filter, but luckily it was only the filter and NOT my housing lens.

The easiest place we have been diving with our huge rigs wasn't even a liveaboard - it was the closest thing to it though. CoCoView Resort, Roatan. The diving there has very little current and the shore entry/exit is a sand channel so no issues there. The boats are a piece of cake, too. Loved it. It is definitely a photographer's heaven.

Anyhow, I do get what you are saying about the swinging boat. I have read about that in several trip reports and it does concern me. I have enough problems getting back on a stable boat!

robin

 

[fda483]

many of the reviews i've read on the Explorer mention the swing of the boat and the difficulty of getting on the boat. is it the design of the boat? would the Aggressor be any different?

i'm trying to come up with a trip where my wife and i can practice shooting our new dslr housings. big and bulky. i'd rather not be stressed about hanging on and fighting surface currents to get onto the boat with one hand holding the rig.

thanks!

Did the T & C Explorer about a month ago. Great trip, and great crew. The boat swing was not a problem after you understand what is going on. When you return from a dive and find the boat look up 30 seconds later and it is gone. Gone to the point where you see no sign of it at all. Was a real weird experience on the first day. But if you find the boat, pick out a landmark like a coral head the boat will sure enough swing right back over it again. After a dive or two you get the hang of picking a spot towards the middle of the swing which seems to make it easier. I also dive with a housed DSLR, the swing will not be a problem for you as long as you time coming to the surface close enough to the boat to grab one of the tag lines. Book the trip you will love it!!

Joe

 

[Damselfish]

But it sounds like the boat swinging isn't the same thing. however i am concerned about finding a swinging boat, especially at night, without a dive master to follow.

as far as night dives, the winds tend to die down at night so boat swinging isn't really a problem. Or they would find someplace sheltered enough or whatever so it wasn't a problem. And I expect there would be a DM in the water to follow if you wanted to.

 

[BTravlin]

Here is what the swing is about.

 

[johnspierce]

I dive with an SLR, 8" port and two Ike DS-125 strobes, the T&C Explorer is not difficult to get back on. It's not the same as a strong current which *is* difficult. The reason the Explorer does it more than most other liveaboards is because it is a pretty large, tall boat. If you do a night dive from it the best way is to get in, go to the bow line and follow it to the mooring. Do your dive then find the mooring, follow it up and go to the stern. I've been on that boat twice and I'd do it again in a shot.

One thing to note is the boat will "pause" at the end of each arc. It's not hard to figure out where the end of the arc is and that's the best time to get on. Honestly, there is no need for concern, I have seen some fairly new divers on this boat both times and nobody had a problem.

Flying the line behind the boat when it's swinging on the arc is actually great fun! Here's what it looks like:

Here's the entire album from our T&C trip last March 15th, 2009
Picasa Web Albums - John - BestOfT&C

 

[Papa_Bear]

I know exactly what you are talking about.... swinging boats trying to handle camera gear is a NIGHTMARE! Our last dive trip was to Coz, and with really rough seas and wave action, getting back onto the boats was difficult for me (I am a smaller woman). This trip I was not shooting video, like I usually do... so I can't imagine how much problems I would have had on that trip if I had been trying to get back onboard with my big camcorder housing. Uggghhh!

We have done a couple of liveaboards but never had problems with them swinging. Our last Nekton trip the boat rocked a bit at a few sites because of wind/surface chop. The Calif boats we dive from each summer on a trip are rough to negotiate in rough water but I have survived those with only bruises and bumps.

I wouldn't personally try to do a liveaboard with a swinging boat and a camera rig. My husband is also shooting photos now, so we both have huge rigs. Although we loved Bonaire, some of the shore entries were rough with ironshore, loose coral, little drop-offs, etc. I crashed and burned trying to get in or out of the water a few times carrying my camcorder rig. I ended up with a couple of big scratches on my red filter, but luckily it was only the filter and NOT my housing lens.

The easiest place we have been diving with our huge rigs wasn't even a liveaboard - it was the closest thing to it though. CoCoView Resort, Roatan. The diving there has very little current and the shore entry/exit is a sand channel so no issues there. The boats are a piece of cake, too. Loved it. It is definitely a photographer's heaven.

Anyhow, I do get what you are saying about the swinging boat. I have read about that in several trip reports and it does concern me. I have enough problems getting back on a stable boat!

robin

Robin, I have been there done that! Dry mine wights in at 45lbs! So I always carry a 15ft lanyard in case of bad weather or Clocking! I tie it off on deck a mid ship is best, less clocking, and clip it off during the safety stop! Then once on board you can retrieve the camera or the crews catch on quick and had it in the rinse tank by the time I was on the swim deck! It works for my still camera as well and the up and down of big swells doesn't present a problem!

I would recommend this trip as one of the top Ten in the Caribbean!

 

[SpiderSense]

thanks for the pics! awesome.

the ladders extend deep into the water. very nice. the swing isn't sounding so bad at all anymore. i think one reviewer mentioned so much swinging, your 15ft safety stop can suddenly be at 3ft.

is there generally someone on the platform to hand the camera to? i guess with ladders that deep, i can probably step up (with fins?) and put on the camera platform (rocking boat?).

btw, if we did bonaire, it would be boat diving and shore diving at captain dons. easy stuff. i wouldnt want to drive the island and do shore diving with a big camera rig. besides, i can't immediately rinse it and i'm very ana.. careful.. with my gear. if i can place my housing inside another housing that contained fresh water, i would!

coco view sounds like it will do as well.

 

[johnspierce]

There is a nice bar on the swim platform of the T&C Explorer to grab onto. When either getting/handing off your camera, A member of the crew is always there to help you. I would giant stride in, swim back to the platform and somebody would carefully hand me my camera. Getting out, I would swim up between the ladders, grab the bar and hand it up to a crew member.

I gave them special instructions to take my rig and dunk it carefully once in the camera tank, then cover it up with a towel on the camera table. I don't want my big dome getting scratched by another camera in the tank. The crew took *very* good care of my rig.