nekton question

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docmartin

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Location
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i am thinking of going for a week on the nekton pilot or rorqual. during the time in question i would have a choice between the Bahama Adventure or the Cay Sal Bank itineraries. any advice?
 
I cruised Cay Sal Bank aboard the Nekton Pilot back in August 2002 and overall found it to be a very enjoyable experience. Mind you, however, we got lucky on two fronts in particular:

1. We had beautiful weather for each day and all but one night.
2. The boat only had fifteen passengers.

With a full passenger load (31-32), I think the dining / lounge would've been packed.

The Pilot is not new and my cabin, at least, reflected this. The accomodations are fine, but expect water stains on the carpets, and interesting molds, etc, in the corners.

The cabin AC is effective, but condensation from the unit has a VERY annoying habit of pooling on the ceiling tiles and dripping onto the bed(s) / floor (hence the water stains, I expect.)

Food was fine and very plentiful.

Diving on Cay Sal Bank-- visibility tended to be 50-60'. Blue holes constituted the 'core' of the dive experience. I found these to be rewarding, easy-to-navigate, dives with lots of healthy coral and fish. Lots and lots of sharks if that's your thing...

Crew was very friendly and knowledgable.

Tough to beat diving with a steel 95 tank. Airtime was basically a non-issue.

Was it a good trip? Yes. Would I dive the Nekton Pilot again? No-- I think I've experienced them under optimal conditions already and anything else (bad weather, full boat) would be a disappointment.

I'm off to try the Kona Aggressor II in two weeks.
 
doc.....whichever one you go out on please do a trip report..

i hope to do the nekton next year and my plan is to do the bahamas one just because i could drive down to the boat versus fly and save a little.

look forward to hearing from you
 
I've been on three Nekton itineraries: Belize, Cay Sal Banks, and Southern Bahamas.

My order of preference: Central Belize with Southern Bahamas as a very close second.

I was not impressed with Cay Sal Banks dive sites and would not recommend it to others. The fish life and reef life weren't much to talk about and we had significant currents to fight on several occaisions.

Belize and So. Bahamas were both excellent! I loved both and would do either of them again in a heartbeat.
 
nquandt once bubbled...

Tough to beat diving with a steel 95 tank. Airtime was basically a non-issue.

Are you saying they use steel 95 tanks on board the Nekton Pilot? Are all the tanks steel or do they also use the smaller Aluminum tanks too?

The other question I was wondering about is do they have Nitrox available on the boat?

We will be on the Nekton Pilot beginning July 5th for a week in the Bahamas. We are really looking forward to it!!!
 
If you don't request anything special, you dive with a steel 95 on the Pilot (and I believe the Rorqual as well). My recollection from the Nekton literature / conversations with booking office is that they can provide an alternate tank type/size if you request one in advance of departure. I imagine it would be best to contact them now if this is a concern.

For what it's worth, the layout of the Pilot's dive deck is such that you're never more than a couple of steps from an entry point into the water. Accordingly, though I'm no Hercules, I can honestly say that the added tank weight just wasn't an issue for the (very) brief interval that you're dealing with it above water... Once in the water it's an advantage-- it gives you a larger gas supply and the tank remains negatively buoyant for the duration of the dive.

Neither Nekton boat had nitrox as of August 2002, though we were told they're considering adding it.

Have fun!!

Regards,
Nate
 
I've been on the Nekton twice, Northern Bahamas and Belize (previously posted here) and found both trips to be fantastic. Heavier tanks mean 4lbs less lead. Dive platform unbelievable. No nitrox. Dining room holds everyone; our first trip was full (30) and second was 12. BYOB and soda. Wife only snorkels and they took care of her needs, more so in Belize. With diving off platform instead of chase boats, you can dive at almost any time instead of going in groups.
 
We have done two trips on the Nekton Rorqual during the past two years, once to Cay Sal and recently to Cay Lobos.
Trip reports for these can be found at www.narkedsharks.org
under the photos section.

I liked both trip. The Nekton is like diving off land and you don't get sea-sick. (Speaking from experience).

The steel 95's means more bottom time and less on your weight belt.

abe
 
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