lisajade
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Has anyone done the Nekton at Cay Sal's Bank? If so how was it? I am considering it this summer for my first liveaboard grad school graduation present.
Nekton Cay Sal's Bank
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Sharky1948
Contributor
Lisa,
I haven't been to the Cay Sal Banks with Nekton, but I have dived with them on seven occasions and will be diving the Cay Sal Banks from July 22-28. Nekton is a great outfit and I have thoroughly enjoyed each trip. From what they tell me, the Cay Sal Bank itinerary is wonderful. I am sure you will have a great time with them, regardless of which itinerary you choose. If you end up going the same time as we are, let me know and we'll introduce ourselves!
Mike
I haven't been to the Cay Sal Banks with Nekton, but I have dived with them on seven occasions and will be diving the Cay Sal Banks from July 22-28. Nekton is a great outfit and I have thoroughly enjoyed each trip. From what they tell me, the Cay Sal Bank itinerary is wonderful. I am sure you will have a great time with them, regardless of which itinerary you choose. If you end up going the same time as we are, let me know and we'll introduce ourselves!
Mike
Sharky1948
Contributor
DiveMaven
Contributor
We'll be on the Pilot to Cay Sal July 7-14. The thread Sharky referenced helped me decide....in addition to seeing the itinerary profiled on ScubaCore's DVD. 
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We did it last summer. It's a great trip. Most days you do two dives at two different dive sites as they move the boat during lunch. Then the night dive is typically done at the second site.
We did four dives per day and several night dives. There was only one night dive that most people just stayed on the boat, the currents were fierce. But we ran into a storm later that night so that probably was a factor.
The dives are really varied. Our trip started at Bimini diving the Strip - most don't but due to weather = we did the normal route backwards. It was a good first couple of easy dives -on the first one we saw big puffers, a sleeping shark, and several stingrays.
Then we moved down towards Cay Sal. One of the highlights of the trip for me was diving with the Reef sharks at Big Hole. Big Hole is a blue hole, and it's also the site of the shark feed done later in the week. But the sharks don't know that so when the boat moors there, they're waiting. We actually dropped through them, swam into the Big Hole - it was silty - and then swam around it into a school of jacks and about a dozen barracuda.
Coming back to the boat we were surrounded by non-aggressive reef sharks, I filmed at least a dozen different sharks that passed almost close enough to touch. They just did slow circles under the boat till we ran out of air - in about 15' of water. That afternoon we went back down and sat on the bottom in the grass as they swam by.
Later that week we did the shark feed at the next mooring over. It was pretty interesting but frankly was over in about 15 minutes. You sit on the bottom and the sharks are fed above you via a bait ball that's dropped from the surface. They get pretty agitated and tear into it so you see(and hear) them as they tear it apart. Then they swim among you looking for scraps. After the feed as a group you return to the boat and leave the area, it's not safe to do a second dive there.
I also really liked the dives off Tuna Alley. The boat moors on top of the wall and you swim to Tuna Alley - it's a deeper rift in the bottom. There's a really involved chain of swimthroughs in one area, you can't tell where someone's going to come out in a couple of places and then you spend the rest of the dive in shallower water with lots of fish/coral nearby.
If there was one downside to the diving it was that a lot of it wasn't exactly the clearest. We did some dives off the Bahamas Banks and due to the tidal exchange I'd put the viz at just over 30-40' with lots of particles in the water. The depths in some areas weren't 25' also so it could've been clearer. And most of the blue hole dives were murky or silty. Even when it was clear topside.
We had a full boat (31) so the dive deck was a little crowded. You set your gear up once and they refill your tanks with a whip so you never have to change it. Also they dive steel 95's so you use less weight than normal.
You have a 4 hr. window at both the morning and afternoon sites so it's really easy to get four dives in daily. We were allowed to do our own thing completely, dive our own profiles without anyone from Nekton in the water, except for the shark dive and the two drift dives. Every dive starts with a briefing on the top deck by one of the crew. They show you the position of the boat on the mooring relative to the site. So it's easy to find your way back.
The Pilot was showing her age a little when we were onboard but I've read that it was refurbished this fall. And that they finally fixed the a/c condensation problem in the lower cabins. The food is excellent, Arminda does miracles given what she has to work with, and the crew really goes out of their way to be accommodating. They carry your gear on/off, help you in/out of the water, even dive with you if requested in advance - they also dive and sometimes have to dive the moorings so they have to watch their nitrogen loading for the week.
The SWATH idea really works, the boat is so stable that once during lunch we didn't realize we were moving until we saw an island go by out the windows. Only once was it rough overnight but instead of pitching and rolling, it kind of goes up and down front to back. A few people were sick that morning.
And the boat couldn't be better setup for diving, they have a hang bar underneath for safety stops, two sets of stairs that go right into the water and two side exits off the divedeck also. And they hang a line from the stairs around to the mooring at the front of the boat so you can follow it around and descend down the line if desired. We found it easier just to swim under the boat usually. And there were often barracuda in the shadows there. One thing that does take a little getting used to is that the mooring line is about 30-40' in the air when tied off on the Pilot end so if you follow the line up, it's a swim to the back of the boat - it's why they run a line from the mooring on every dive.
It's not the fanciest accommodations but certainly worth what you pay. I'll do it again.
Get there early when you see someone with cookies, they go fast.
Things to bring if you go:
Less clothes than you think. I wore microsuede boardshorts with a couple of different shirts for the week. The only time I wore pants was to/from Ft. Lauderdale.
Several swimsuits/wetsuits/skins.
Between dives hang them up to dry on the top deck.
A hat/sunscreen/glasses. When you get out to CaySal you're the tallest thing out there so you get cooked.
Bring an extension cord if you want to charge things in your room. The power in the rooms is on the opposite side of the sink from the beds and windowshelves which are the logical place for chargers etc. Luggage should be collapsible to store under your bunk.
When you arrive in Ft. Lauderdale call them for pickup. Within about 15-20 mins. someone will get you and take you downtown for dinner. They take your luggage to the boat and then pick you back up that night. Quick stop at a food/liquor store - there's no alcohol or carbonated drinks on the Pilot - on the way to sailing.
On the return we had a mid-afternoon flight back. And the Ft. Lauderdale airport is so small that you can't check your luggage in more than about 2 hrs. before your flight. We were through customs(they do it onboard) and at the airport by about 10am so we rented a car for the day. There's a really big mall about 15min. away, lots of stores/restaurants. Also just down the highway from the airport is the best Divers Direct store I've ever seen.
PM with other questions,
We did four dives per day and several night dives. There was only one night dive that most people just stayed on the boat, the currents were fierce. But we ran into a storm later that night so that probably was a factor.
The dives are really varied. Our trip started at Bimini diving the Strip - most don't but due to weather = we did the normal route backwards. It was a good first couple of easy dives -on the first one we saw big puffers, a sleeping shark, and several stingrays.
Then we moved down towards Cay Sal. One of the highlights of the trip for me was diving with the Reef sharks at Big Hole. Big Hole is a blue hole, and it's also the site of the shark feed done later in the week. But the sharks don't know that so when the boat moors there, they're waiting. We actually dropped through them, swam into the Big Hole - it was silty - and then swam around it into a school of jacks and about a dozen barracuda.
Coming back to the boat we were surrounded by non-aggressive reef sharks, I filmed at least a dozen different sharks that passed almost close enough to touch. They just did slow circles under the boat till we ran out of air - in about 15' of water. That afternoon we went back down and sat on the bottom in the grass as they swam by.
Later that week we did the shark feed at the next mooring over. It was pretty interesting but frankly was over in about 15 minutes. You sit on the bottom and the sharks are fed above you via a bait ball that's dropped from the surface. They get pretty agitated and tear into it so you see(and hear) them as they tear it apart. Then they swim among you looking for scraps. After the feed as a group you return to the boat and leave the area, it's not safe to do a second dive there.
I also really liked the dives off Tuna Alley. The boat moors on top of the wall and you swim to Tuna Alley - it's a deeper rift in the bottom. There's a really involved chain of swimthroughs in one area, you can't tell where someone's going to come out in a couple of places and then you spend the rest of the dive in shallower water with lots of fish/coral nearby.
If there was one downside to the diving it was that a lot of it wasn't exactly the clearest. We did some dives off the Bahamas Banks and due to the tidal exchange I'd put the viz at just over 30-40' with lots of particles in the water. The depths in some areas weren't 25' also so it could've been clearer. And most of the blue hole dives were murky or silty. Even when it was clear topside.
We had a full boat (31) so the dive deck was a little crowded. You set your gear up once and they refill your tanks with a whip so you never have to change it. Also they dive steel 95's so you use less weight than normal.
You have a 4 hr. window at both the morning and afternoon sites so it's really easy to get four dives in daily. We were allowed to do our own thing completely, dive our own profiles without anyone from Nekton in the water, except for the shark dive and the two drift dives. Every dive starts with a briefing on the top deck by one of the crew. They show you the position of the boat on the mooring relative to the site. So it's easy to find your way back.
The Pilot was showing her age a little when we were onboard but I've read that it was refurbished this fall. And that they finally fixed the a/c condensation problem in the lower cabins. The food is excellent, Arminda does miracles given what she has to work with, and the crew really goes out of their way to be accommodating. They carry your gear on/off, help you in/out of the water, even dive with you if requested in advance - they also dive and sometimes have to dive the moorings so they have to watch their nitrogen loading for the week.
The SWATH idea really works, the boat is so stable that once during lunch we didn't realize we were moving until we saw an island go by out the windows. Only once was it rough overnight but instead of pitching and rolling, it kind of goes up and down front to back. A few people were sick that morning.
And the boat couldn't be better setup for diving, they have a hang bar underneath for safety stops, two sets of stairs that go right into the water and two side exits off the divedeck also. And they hang a line from the stairs around to the mooring at the front of the boat so you can follow it around and descend down the line if desired. We found it easier just to swim under the boat usually. And there were often barracuda in the shadows there. One thing that does take a little getting used to is that the mooring line is about 30-40' in the air when tied off on the Pilot end so if you follow the line up, it's a swim to the back of the boat - it's why they run a line from the mooring on every dive.
It's not the fanciest accommodations but certainly worth what you pay. I'll do it again.
Get there early when you see someone with cookies, they go fast.
Things to bring if you go:
Less clothes than you think. I wore microsuede boardshorts with a couple of different shirts for the week. The only time I wore pants was to/from Ft. Lauderdale.
Several swimsuits/wetsuits/skins.
Between dives hang them up to dry on the top deck.
A hat/sunscreen/glasses. When you get out to CaySal you're the tallest thing out there so you get cooked.
Bring an extension cord if you want to charge things in your room. The power in the rooms is on the opposite side of the sink from the beds and windowshelves which are the logical place for chargers etc. Luggage should be collapsible to store under your bunk.
When you arrive in Ft. Lauderdale call them for pickup. Within about 15-20 mins. someone will get you and take you downtown for dinner. They take your luggage to the boat and then pick you back up that night. Quick stop at a food/liquor store - there's no alcohol or carbonated drinks on the Pilot - on the way to sailing.
On the return we had a mid-afternoon flight back. And the Ft. Lauderdale airport is so small that you can't check your luggage in more than about 2 hrs. before your flight. We were through customs(they do it onboard) and at the airport by about 10am so we rented a car for the day. There's a really big mall about 15min. away, lots of stores/restaurants. Also just down the highway from the airport is the best Divers Direct store I've ever seen.
PM with other questions,
divebri
Contributor
and it was AWESOME!
diving is good for beginner to advanced, more than all the diving you can handle, big sharks, lobsters, just about anything you'd want to see, including underwater topography that was pretty cool (including the blue hole, and some other sites).
The dive boat is huge, with a jacuzzi, and pretty stable (although any claims that it's puke-proof is pure BS). Bring your nausea meds.
Staterooms are very large, the dining room and salon are too. Food is pretty good, too, although certainly not gourmet. they'll accomodate special diets (We had two vegans on board). BYOB, and bring plenty. Sodas too - I get my caffeine in the morning from diet Pepsi. and they don't have any soda on board.
All in all, reasonably priced, going out of FLL is relatively easy, and diving, I did 21 dives. I miseed several as well.
Have a great time!!!!!
diving is good for beginner to advanced, more than all the diving you can handle, big sharks, lobsters, just about anything you'd want to see, including underwater topography that was pretty cool (including the blue hole, and some other sites).
The dive boat is huge, with a jacuzzi, and pretty stable (although any claims that it's puke-proof is pure BS). Bring your nausea meds.
Staterooms are very large, the dining room and salon are too. Food is pretty good, too, although certainly not gourmet. they'll accomodate special diets (We had two vegans on board). BYOB, and bring plenty. Sodas too - I get my caffeine in the morning from diet Pepsi. and they don't have any soda on board.
All in all, reasonably priced, going out of FLL is relatively easy, and diving, I did 21 dives. I miseed several as well.
Have a great time!!!!!
I did the Roquel Cay Sal Bank about a year and a half ago ,had a great time. Got in 30 dives for the week. If you want to dive this is the way to go. The Blue holes were outstanding wall dives. Night dives I almost got tired of taking pictures of Octopi. Note I said almost.
robint
Contributor
we did the Nekton Pilot to Cay Sal Bank last summer and loved it. Our trip report and pics are here: http://www.rnrscuba.net/NektonCaySal.html
I have videos there also.
It's a great trip and the crew and divers all have a great time together. Lots of fun and lots of diving.
It isn't the best vis we have ever seen but then if you want to see sharks it is the best way to do it.
robint
I have videos there also.
It's a great trip and the crew and divers all have a great time together. Lots of fun and lots of diving.
It isn't the best vis we have ever seen but then if you want to see sharks it is the best way to do it.
robint
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