Liveaboard: Nekton or Peter Hughes

[gnarlysb]

Hi, i have the chance to go on either the nekton or peter hughes liveaboards. The prices I have negotiated mean PH is about $500 more expensive. Which one do you think is better value and will be more fun?!? I am a young fairly new diver on my own! Cheers

[berick]

I just got back from a trip to Belize on the Nekton Pilot. I had a great time. That was my only liveaboard experience so I can't compare with the Hughes boat. I'd bet you'll have a great time with either boat.

[Darnold9999]

Both are good operations. I have been on both on the Belize itinerary and have a slight preferance for Nekton - but I am suceptible to motion sickness so Nekton is a much more comfortable trip for me. Just got back from a PH trip and enjoyed myself thouroughly. Would have no hesitation in recommending them - a well run operation and the staff was great but I spent the first couple of days fighting off sea sickness. Not actually sick, but had to be careful to stay that way.

The PH boat is smaller, the food slightly better and there are a few added "extras" included. For example beer and wine are included. Not relevant to me as at 5 dives a day I am not interested in drinking at all.

PH does the Blue Hole, Nekton does not. Personally I thought this dive a complete waste of a dive, completely underwelmed. You go down to 130 feet look at the rock formations for 2 minutes and then come back - a short boring dive IMHO - and then you can't dive until later in the day.

Nekton gives you more dives - 29 possible dives plus the opportunity to do two or three dawn dives. They return to dock late Friday night while PH returns Friday noon and the max is 26 dives and no dawn dives.

PH does more dive sites three a day while Nekton does two a day.

Bottom line PH is a bit more luxurious, Nekton a slight bit more focused on the diving. Is PH worth the extra $500 - not in my opinion. I would save the money and go with Nekton. However if you choose PH you will have a great time as well - you will just have less $ in your pocket.

[Damselfish]

I haven't been on any of the Nekton boats yet, but I've been on the Peter Hughes Belize boat twice and it's very nice. Nekton is usually seen as a better value, but it really depends what you want and how important the extra amenities are to you. I'm guessing the cabins are larger on the Nekton? Amd the Nekton would be more stable if that is an issue for you.

I wouldn't exactly call Nekton more focused on the diving. The PH boat does scheduled dive times rather than open dive deck like the Nekton, but it's 5 a day (most days) so pretty much the same to me. Usually I will stop at 4 a day anyway and am unlikely to get up for a dawn dive.

The Blue Hole might be a big difference in the trips. If you really want to do it the Nekton won't; the boat is too big to get in there. Peter Hughes will do it as long as the weather is ok; if it's really windy or whatever I believe they will skip it rather than chance getting slammed into the reef - they just fit, and have to be pretty careful going in. I did the BH since I was there anyway but I'm one of many who consider it a waste of time. I would have rather done a shallow dive on the rim of the hole where there was some life but they wouldn't let people do that. Also didn't like that they cut the dive schedule back to 3 that day. BH in the morning, picnic and hours of hangout time on Half Moon Cay over lunch, afternoon dive, night dive. Personally I would have preferred to have the option of 5 good dives, and eat lunch on the comfortable boat rather than a hot sandy beach.

[Darnold9999]

Nekton and PH cabins are pretty close in terms of size. PH has TV's and a DVD player in the cabin Nekton does not.

[montychandler]

I just spent a week on the Nekton (2nd week of December) and would highly recommend it. It was my 5th live-aboard and found it to be a great value for diving. I am very susceptible to motion sickness. I wear the patch for the first couple of days - never felt ill at all. Food was very good (remember its a dive boat, not a cruise ship), room was large - very large for a live-aboard, and the lounge areas were very nice and comfy. Dive platform is a little small. Entry / exit points are great.. Crew is fabulous - they make the trip even nicer.. Should have my photos up in a week or so..

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

We just got off the Pilot (which is the only liveaboard we've been on) but we had a chance to check out the PH Sundancer II at the Radisson dock. It is far superior in terms of accomodations. The queen size room we saw had the bed in the middle of the room (not against the wall like Nekton), I would say that because of the wall the room was laid out it actually was a little bigger or more room to walk around. Nice wood and flat screen tv's with dvd player in every room. Bathroom was a lot nicer with built in hairdryer which Nekton does not have. Basically it looked more like a mini cruise boat. Galley was beautiful and had a big screen tv. Nekton galley and lounge are bigger but much more dated looking. I totally agree about the stability on the Nekton, you still feel waves but probably not nearly as much due to the pontoons. While you do have to gear up and walk down a few stairs to jump in the water on the PH, I really liked the fact that everything was on one level (dunk tanks for gear, cameras, showers, wetsuit hangers, camera table and the best feature was that there was a huge space (at least a foot) between you and the next tank. It was not as conveinient on the Nekton that you hang the wetsuits two levels up on the sun deck, the camera table and dunk tank are on the second level and the showers are on the first level just off the dive platform. I took photos of both boats but it will take me a little time to get them all online. Food was great on the Nekton, it looked pretty nice on the PH though too. They also dock the Aggressor III there but they already had guests showing up so we didn't bother to check that one out.

[gnarlysb]

thank you all, as ever, for the great advice. just a few more questions if you don't mind!

- will it be ok doing the liveaboard on my own as a relatively new diver??

- is the liveaboard diving likely to be a lot better than what i would experience, for example on ambergris caye

- finally (!) does anyone know the approximate price a week on AC or CC with diving, food, accom would be and how this compares to the liveaboards

Thank you in advance!!

[Gale68]

Gnarlysb:

I was on the Pilot in Belize over Xmas, and the Sun Dancer II about three years ago. Both are great. The decor in the cabins and public areas is definitely more upscale on PH, but I found them both to be about equally comfortable in terms of accommodations. The crew on both boats were professional and great to spend the week diving with. The big thing I love about the Nekton boats is they are MUCH more stable (not to the point where you can't even tell you're on the ocean, but way better than a single-hull boat). To me the biggest advantage to this is when everyone's getting geared up and ready to get into the water -- much easier to cross the dive deck with a tank on your back if the boat's not rockin' & rollin'.

New diver on your own on a liveaboard.... If you're not bringing your own buddy, you'll be looking to find others on the boat to dive with. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes insta-buddies don't work out so well. Both boats will provide DMs to dive with at least some of the time (I don't know if they can spare DMs to dive with someone five times a day, though). As a new diver, I'd recommend trying to get to know the other guests as much as you can early in the trip to figure out who's going to be compatible to dive with. I try to look for people who have experience, know what they're doing, and have a real love of diving. I think you'll be fine.

I've never been diving from Ambergris Caye, so I can't speak to the dive sites. To me the main advantages of liveaboard diving over resort diving are: more dives per day, access to more remote sites, and no schlepping gear all week long. Just roll out of bed, grab breakfast, and go diving!

FWIW

[ronscuba]

A liveaboard is probably the best place for a solo traveller to dive. You will definitely meet with other solo travellers and finding a dive buddy will not be a problem. If there is not another guest for you to buddy with, a crew member will be your buddy. From a social standpoint, liveaboards are much easier for solo travellers to meet and talk with others than at a landbased resort.

Being a new diver is also not a problem and doing 4-5 dives a day will surely increase your confidence and skill level.

I've never dove Ambergris, but I believe it's widely accepted the diving at Lighthouse and Turneffe Atolls (liveaboard areas) is superior.

[Darnold9999]

Agree with all - liveaboard is a better place to go as a solo diver. I have been on five live aboard trips as a solo diver and have had great buddies on all. We had to go as a team of three on one trip as there were 3 single divers, but this worked well.

The diving off the Belize liveaboards is quite a bit better than the diving from AC and once you take in the hotel bill, cost of food, transportation etc. the liveaboard is probably cheaper per dive. The only down side for some is that that is all you do - dive/sleep/eat. Personally I think it is great - I take a couple of days after to sightsee.

[Desert_Diver]

thank you all, as ever, for the great advice. just a few more questions if you don't mind!

- will it be ok doing the liveaboard on my own as a relatively new diver??

- is the liveaboard diving likely to be a lot better than what i would experience, for example on ambergris caye

- finally (!) does anyone know the approximate price a week on AC or CC with diving, food, accom would be and how this compares to the liveaboards

Thank you in advance!!

I have been on two Nekton trips, one on the Pilot and one on the Rorqual, but neither was in Belize. I certainly enjoyed both Nekton trips.

I dove Belize while staying in the Mayan Princess and dove with Amigos del Mar. That trip was so long ago that I honestly don't remember the prices and I suspect they are badly out of date by now. I had a great time in Belize and there was nothing bad to say about Ambergris Caye. You will dive more on a liveaboard but the town has a unique flavor that you will miss on the boat.

I was a reletively new diver during my Ambergris Caye trip. I had probaly in the neighborhood of 25 to 50 dives. I dove with instabuddies but had no problems. Blue Hole is a waste of time, however the other two dives we did that day were great. Unless getting the T shirt is important, skip the Blue Hole. Badly overhyped.

Both of my Nekton liveabord trips were as a single diver. I had no problems finding dive buddies. On the Cayman trip, very few divers did the night dives, so I tended to dive in a threesome (same group each night). The only exception was when the captain of the Rorqual did a guided night dive at Atlantis, another badly overhyped dive. Then there were probably 10 t0 12 divers in the water.

The only significant difference between the liveaboard and the resort diving is probably the number of dives you will do. Both offer great dives and a memorable trip.

Dive safe.

Art

[UnderwaterBumbleBee]

thank you all, as ever, for the great advice. just a few more questions if you don't mind!

- will it be ok doing the liveaboard on my own as a relatively new diver??

You'll be fine on the live aboard as a new diver. Do as many or as little dives (up to 6 a day) as you feel comfortable with or up to.

- is the liveaboard diving likely to be a lot better than what i would experience, for example on ambergris caye

We stayed on Ambergris for a few days before going on the Nekton. We didn't dive but we did a day snorkel at Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley which is about a 15/20 minute boat ride away. As I understood it, most of the diving was a good ride away from AC (which is mostly where the Live aboards are around Turneffe, Lighthouse, Half Moon Caye, etc..). So you would probably see similar sites but you'd spend a lot more time getting there and back. I wouldn't classify any of the sites we were at as difficult for a new diver.

- finally (!) does anyone know the approximate price a week on AC or CC with diving, food, accom would be and how this compares to the live aboards

I would say you'll get better overall value/cost on the live aboard because all your food/diving/board is already included. We loved Ambergris but it's not that cheap. Food for 2 people was almost always $75-$100. The Blue Hole trip which includes two other dives nearby is about 2 or more hours away and costs around $250-300 per person to give you an idea. Unless you stay near town, you have to pay to rent golf carts or the water taxi which adds up.

Thank you in advance!!


Not sure if this is your first dive trip or just live aboard but you'll love the convenience of everything on the boat. Almost makes it hard to want to go anywhere else when you have to take apart all your gear and stuff it in a locker overnight. Sleep, Eat, Dive, Eat (maybe suntan, Dive, Eat....It's pretty great. As for going alone, we had about 15 people on board and I think only 6 of us had a spouse/relative. All the single/nitrox people seemed to hook up at the beginning of the week and usually all went out together so don't worry at all about having someone to dive with. My husband and I never mind if someone wants to tag along with us as long as they aren't crazy. We've all met those ones...:wacko:

[castawayds]

I have friends who work on both the Nekton Pilot and the Belize Agressor. The friend on the nekton pilot has had mostly bad things to say about the captain and the ship, and my friend on the Aggressor has had mostly praise for his crew and company. Both individuals are friends who I know who don't exaggerate or speak in overdramatic fashion. I don't know if this helps, but I too am trying to make the same decision for next year.

[flyndive2003]

Had a great week on the Nekton Pilot 3/8-3/15/08. See the trip report posted by another guest by searching the forums under "Nekton Trip Report"

[rossandmaureen]

As flyndive2003 mentioned above I did submit a trip report for my recent trip on the Nekton and it is in the Live Aboard Forum. I also did one about my land portion spent on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.

I did have a great time on the Nekton and considered it good value, very stable, comfortable and staffed by a responsible and friendly crew. Both the Peter Hughes and Aggressor ships look great, get good reviews and are also worth considering and a lot will depend on you and your needs. Nekton is less money and, depending on when you go, you might be able to get a private room if their load factor is low. The dive deck configuration didn't bother me since we were lightly booked and I thought hanging my wetsuit on the upper sundeck was a good idea since it received the most sun and the suit dried very quickly. As a result I was able to rotate between two toasty dry suits for the week. Motion sickness is not a concern for me so I doubt that I would have been unhappy on either the PH or the Aggressor and do hope to try both brands on different itineraries in the near future.

As for cost comparison between the Pilot (or PH/Aggressor) and land based diving....here are some rough numbers:

On Ambergris Caye you can pay anywhere from $30.00/$25.00 per day for basic accommodation such as Pedro's or Rubys or in the $70.00 area for mid-range places like the Spindrift and then around $125.00 and up for the better hotels and resorts. Factor in meals at approximately $35.00/$45.00 a day (you have to stay away from the well known restaurants). Then there is diving....on San Pedro you will be able to negotiate the operators down to about $30.00 to $35.00 per dive for local dives if you are purchasing a lot of dives with them. The better ones will keep and wash and set up your gear between days so you won't be lugging it back and forth every day. Based on these prices you can probably do a land based trip, with basic accommodation, simple meals and with as many dives for similar dollars to a live-aboard. Tipping, as a percentage, I have left out as it would work out to be around the same.

But...would you want to? While I very much enjoyed Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker and hope to return, I do think a solo diver is better served on board a live-aboard. Over the course of the week you will likely fit in socially much easier than being on your own ashore and the environment is relaxed and easy. I also think live-aboard diving allows you more freedom than diving with a land based operator as you (as long as you have a buddy) are free to explore on your own with the only limits being air and deco time. Most land based operators offer guided dives. (which is not terrible since they do know where to take you and what to show you but most people seem to prefer to be on their own).

I didn't do enough dives off of San Pedro to qualify as an expert but I must say that the walls we dove off the Nekton in the southern atolls were very impressive.

When I travel as far as I do from the West Coast of Canada I find that one week is insufficient and, if you have the luxury of adding some days, then I would do a live-aboard and then a bit of time on land.

Either way...go and have a great time.

Ross

[torqd]

I have friends who work on both the Nekton Pilot and the Belize Agressor. The friend on the nekton pilot has had mostly bad things to say about the captain and the ship, and my friend on the Aggressor has had mostly praise for his crew and company. Both individuals are friends who I know who don't exaggerate or speak in overdramatic fashion. I don't know if this helps, but I too am trying to make the same decision for next year.

I will have to second the opinions expressed here. The crew makes ALL the difference in the world for having a good time aboard any liveaboard. I was just on the Pilot and was disappointed with the condition of the boat, a smell of cigarette smoke in the guest cabins, and the chronic condensation problems of the boat. One guest room had a reported six layers of towels on the floor to absorb the moisture all week long.

Now, two years ago I was aboard the Aggressor and had a much more favorable experience. The staff worked very well together and took care of all the guest needs, and the extra money was well worth the upgrade. This, for me, was a classic case of getting what you pay for.

I would expect that the Peter Hughes boat would be a similar experience to the Aggressor, so my recommendation would be to spend a bit more money, and go for the extra 'pampering'.