working on livaboard?

[atldiver]

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Has anyone ever worked on a livaboard? I was just considering it..Nekton or Peter Hughes??

 

[Doc]

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Has anyone ever worked on a livaboard? I was just considering it..Nekton or Peter Hughes??

This has gone a while without a reply, so I'll offer up.

You live close enough to the home base of the Nekton to go take a look see. The HQ is in Ft. Lauderdale Florida just South of the Cruise Ship port, and I have never seen a more tightly banded group of shipmates over many trips on both vessels. This is a family in the truest sense. As you may know, the two vessels, the Rorqual and the Pilot are in the Bahamian and Belizian islands.

I've been aboard scattered and various Hughes boats, and they are all (of course) different not only in itinnerary but in vessel configuration (and degrees of crew comfort). The crews seem more transitory, but then again, it is a large company.

Diving on one of these boats is a treat. Working on any of them is a true test of your endurance, will, and inhibitions against homicide, whether needed or not. Let's face it, some people just need killing- guests and maybe even co-workers... the trick is to just laugh about the guests quietly with your shipmates. In general- this is absolutely a non productive environment to find your soul mate. I have seen staff+passenger, passenger+passenger, staff+staff... and it never went well. I have seen one staff marriage broken up after one mate stabbed the other with a fork. It goes downhill from there.

The accomodations are the worst. Some liveaboards offer such dreadful crew quarters that you might be tempted to sleep above decks to get some air, quiet or breathing room, but that isn't allowed. In the Maldives, our all male crew (totaly incapable of cooking) was forced to sleep above the engine room. Hot and noisy much?

You have to be at a minimum DM and better an OWSI level. Being well versed in marine ecology and the local environ is a plus. Can you cook? That's not a bad job at all, comparatively. Otherwise you're wet and diving and doing SCUBA prep stuff, the next minute you're making up rooms, serving dinners, waking up at 0300 for the night watch, swimming out to the mooring at 0500 in a storm to untie the ship, swabbing the poop deck... and more.

On the turnaround day that means scraping the evidence of the prior weeks guests away and preparing anew. Don't forget luggage detail.

It's an absolute panic... but some find it well worth the hardship. Do it while you're young.

Give Nekton a call, tell Jon Dixon that I sent you.

 

[atldiver]

This has gone a while without a reply, so I'll offer up.

You live close enough to the home base of the Nekton to go take a look see. The HQ is in Ft. Lauderdale Florida just South of the Cruise Ship port, and I have never seen a more tightly banded group of shipmates over many trips on both vessels. This is a family in the truest sense. As you may know, the two vessels, the Rorqual and the Pilot are in the Bahamian and Belizian islands.

I've been aboard scattered and various Hughes boats, and they are all (of course) different not only in itinnerary but in vessel configuration (and degrees of crew comfort). The crews seem more transitory, but then again, it is a large company.

Diving on one of these boats is a treat. Working on any of them is a true test of your endurance, will, and inhibitions against homicide, whether needed or not. Let's face it, some people just need killing- guests and maybe even co-workers... the trick is to just laugh about the guests quietly with your shipmates. In general- this is absolutely a non productive environment to find your soul mate. I have seen staff+passenger, passenger+passenger, staff+staff... and it never went well. I have seen one staff marriage broken up after one mate stabbed the other with a fork. It goes downhill from there.

The accomodations are the worst. Some liveaboards offer such dreadful crew quarters that you might be tempted to sleep above decks to get some air, quiet or breathing room, but that isn't allowed. In the Maldives, our all male crew (totaly incapable of cooking) was forced to sleep above the engine room. Hot and noisy much?

You have to be at a minimum DM and better an OWSI level. Being well versed in marine ecology and the local environ is a plus. Can you cook? That's not a bad job at all, comparatively. Otherwise you're wet and diving and doing SCUBA prep stuff, the next minute you're making up rooms, serving dinners, waking up at 0300 for the night watch, swimming out to the mooring at 0500 in a storm to untie the ship, swabbing the poop deck... and more.

On the turnaround day that means scraping the evidence of the prior weeks guests away and preparing anew. Don't forget luggage detail.

It's an absolute panic... but some find it well worth the hardship. Do it while you're young.

Give Nekton a call, tell Jon Dixon that I sent you.

Thanks for the info. I have talked with John, he's a cool guy. And I have a freind that works for Peter, so I wanted another perspective. I was just considering some options, because #1 I am jobless right now and #2 I want more experience. I am a OWSI (PADI). I haven't been able to teach really. Most shops in ATL are SSI. So, back to the drawing baord. I appreciate your help!