Problem guests on a liveaboard

We have not been on a liveaboard for almost eight years, because of the bad experience we had with a few guests who made our ten day "trip of a lifetime" very miserable. There was one retired couple who complained about absolutely everything and spent all their time on the trip trying to convince the other guests that they too should be complaining. Then there was the diving diva with only the very best diving equipment, who knew more about diving than the divemasters and everyone else on board because she only dove the exclusive sites worldwide. Between the retired complainers and the best diver in the world, it was not a good trip for all the others on the liveaboard. The staff could see the friction and told us they sympathized with us, but did not want to say anything to the three offending guests.

Have things changed in ten years where the staff will intervene if necessary, to make the trip as pleasant as possible for the guests? We would love to go on a liveaboard in the Maldives or Seychelles, but are hesitant to be stuck with people who insist on making your vacation hell.

You can run into those types anywhere, but on a small boat (as a liveaboard can quickly become) it's particularly irksome. I haven't experienced anything like that in my travels, just some occasionally obnoxious people on day trips where you only have to put up with them for a few hours.

You could always pack a plank and make the offender walk it if they get out of control....

luckily we haven't been on a boat with people like ruined our trip...

we have been on a trip (Nekton) where one guy, solo cave diver, was so obnoxious that he cleared the room every time he came in. Luckily the boat was big enough everyone could get away from him. He finally got the message and after a few days decided not to open his mouth anymore.

on our Palau liveaboard trip we had one guy who was complaining alot, so I just annoyed him with my "sunshine" philosophy. I see the world with the "glass half full" attitude, no matter what happens. He would start his whining, I would start my magic, then pretty soon he would shut up. He got the message that I wasn't going to let him ruin my trip with negativity so he spent the last few days of the trip in his room between dives. It made everyone on the boat very happy.

robin

Unless it's a very small liveaboard, usually you can find a way to avoid 1 or 2 people. My attitude is always, I'm on vacation diving, it's gonna take a lot to ruin my trip and good diving can make up for a lot of bad other stuff.

My wife and I have been on 7 liveaboards and I worked on one for a short time. I've never had a bad experience. We even had one trip on an older boat that had plenty to complain about but no one did. We've had trips were weather prevented some diving and we were even confined to port but everyone just made the best of it. We always choose liveaboards when we can affort it.

Something for you to ponder...

People who are outrageously obnoxious can be real difficult to deal with. It's rare you encounter them, and it's rare you encounter sociopaths also, but should you cross paths with either one your life could get real miserable real fast.

I've always maintained that not being wherever they are is a real benefit. On a liveaboard that can be tough to accomplish, but a friend told me about his coping mechanism. I suspect that if I ever go on a liveaboard, I will prepare accordingly.

He and his wife bought two of these:
Halcyon: Diver's Life Raft

Initially they bought them because the liveaboard anchored in these pristine sheltered lagoons, and they wanted to grab some boat drinks and drift around on a line attached to the stern. Said sometimes the inability to go anywhere on the boat and be 'alone' drove them nuts, so they intended to just hang out drifting in the late afternoons.

Turned into a lifesaver on one dive trip when 4 divers (, 2 couples from hell,) made life on the liveaboard utterly, relentlessly miserable for everyone else on the boat. My friend and his wife spent a lot of time talking to each other while drifting attached to a loooooong line attached to the stern, whenever diving operations were not in their immediate plans. Said it saved the trip for them.

Something to consider. Air mattresses would probably work also, but these items are pretty burly - a bit stronger and more robust than the average inflatable.

FWIW. YMMV.

Regards,

Doc

ronscuba:

Unless it's a very small liveaboard, usually you can find a way to avoid 1 or 2 people. My attitude is always, I'm on vacation diving, it's gonna take a lot to ruin my trip and good diving can make up for a lot of bad other stuff.

Click to expand...

My philosophy as well.

Besides, if people are just being normal idiots I don't think it's fair to ask the boat staff to try and correct a problem largely created by bad genes and poor parenting.

I've run into lots of fun and interesting people on liveaboards, but no one enough of a problem to ruin a trip. If there is a person or couple that could be considered a problem, I (and most people from what I have seen) treat it as entertainment instead. (So don't be that person cause everyone else will be joking about you behind your back. )

It sucks to have jerks on board but your attitude towards it can make a big difference. I know I wasn't on your trip but a complaining couple and a dive diva, I know I wasn't there but I'd have probably considered it amusing. If I had any witty comments I'd feel free to use them, never gonna see them again anyway.

I consider it the crews responsibility to do something about divers that do stuff like trash the reef, are dangerous to themselves or others, stuff like that. But if they're just jerks, it's not clear to me what the crew can really do.

I have done a lot of trips on open boat trips where most the guests don't know each other before the trip. The majority of the people I meet become friends for many years after. The fun people stay on my contact list for future trips...the PIA passengers don't. I try not to let the moods, attitudes, religious beliefs, political beliefs, and racial biases affect me. However, sometimes it just too difficult to avoid when you're in a confined space.

The worst I've ever seen was a firefighter from No Cal who claimed he was sick because of mold on the boat we were on. He started mouthing off about how he had the same problem on another boat and the owners refused to give him his money back. A bell went off in my head and I knew this was "the mold guy". I had recalled hearing about a previous trip on another boat where he was bragging to other passengers that this was his little trick to get free trips. I know the owners of both boats, so his trick back-fired. Now he is on a lot of black lists.

In the Bahamas there was the loud, obnoxious guy who thought the whole boat wanted to hear his opinions about global warming being a big government conspiracy, and the unhappily married couple in the BVI who complained about everything from the pillows being too soft, the beds being too hard, and the drinks being too fruity. They became the subject of everyone else's jokes. I've seen total cultural ignorance (maybe it was just racism) in PNG. That was just scary. I have in one case (I was the group leader) pulled a fellow passenger aside to let her know that others were commenting on her negativity and that everyone on board, including her had paid a lot of money to be on this trip of a lifetime, so chill out and have fun.

There are some people who just are not happy in life and being on vacation isn't going to change that. In most cases they are the ones that end up secluded by the end of the trip because nobody wants to be around them. Like Damselfish said, using it as "entertainment" is often the best way to deal with them. Its all part of the experience. It makes me angry when they take out their problems on the hard-working crew or boat owners.

My suggestion for those people...maybe next time you should go to Disneyland instead.

oh mygod i think i took that couple diving on MY liveaboard!!!!!! hahahaha jerks are jerks... tell em to shut up and they ussualy do... easier for other guests to do than for staff