Nekton Rorqual 7/25/09 - 8/1/09

Just got off the Rorqual - St. Croix trip. We had some great diving. There was so much drama on the boat this week it is not even funny. All of the divemasters quit except for one. They even drug tested the crew while we were aboard. This was my second and last trip with Nekton. Next time I'd like to go somewhere else where the crew is more professional.

It the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to dive on the Rorqual and on the PH SunDancer in Belize.

The crew on the Rorgual were very unprofessional but very personable.
The crew on the PH boat was very professional but not very personable.

Since diving had inherent risks - I prefer the PH approach....

crossroads:

Just got off the Rorqual - St. Croix trip. We had some great diving. There was so much drama on the boat this week it is not even funny. All of the divemasters quit except for one. They even drug tested the crew while we were aboard. This was my second and last trip with Nekton. Next time I'd like to go somewhere else where the crew is more professional.

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Wow! Care to elaborate about what happened? Who was the captain?
You said you had great diving - more details about that?

I am sorry to hear that. Would you provide some details? Not quite sure what you mean by "drama." Having a US flagged vessel means that Nekton crews can be spot tested at anytime by USCG, so I am not sure if this was in response to something that happened onboard (if there is an accident all crew members are tested immediately) or if it was part of the drug testing program.

There was suspicion enough on board to prompt the drug test. Two crew left early morning before the test. Drama meaning there was a mixed crew (males and females) and the captain gave preferential treatment to particular crewmembers so the rest quit. This is what I heard from the other divemasters. It appeared as if the head captain did not gain any respect from his crew. The other two captains, Ryan and Bob were excellent and the cook, Josh although he quit once we got back to port. Another DM said they rarely get their weekly paychecks and they solely rely on tips.

We saw stone fish and seahorses at the Frederiksted Pier. Dove a few tugs and barges both shallow and deep and the wall on the north/northwest side of the island at several spots. The wall was by far my favorite, the fish were at 60' and shallower so you could start your dive deep and work your way back.

crossroads:

There was suspicion enough on board to prompt the drug test. Two crew left early morning before the test. Drama meaning there was a mixed crew (males and females) and the captain gave preferential treatment to particular crewmembers so the rest quit. This is what I heard from the other divemasters. It appeared as if the head captain did not gain any respect from his crew. The other two captains, Ryan and Bob were excellent and the cook, Josh although he quit once we got back to port. Another DM said they rarely get their weekly paychecks and they solely rely on tips.

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Sounds like typical Nekton, we had a lot of 'drama' on our Belize cruise as well a few years ago. Don't think we'll be diving with them again anytime soon. We did the Bahamas with Explorer Ventures a couple of months ago and it was a world of difference from Nekton. I would definitely go on another charter with them.

crossroads:

There was suspicion enough on board to prompt the drug test. Two crew left early morning before the test. Drama meaning there was a mixed crew (males and females) and the captain gave preferential treatment to particular crewmembers so the rest quit. This is what I heard from the other divemasters. It appeared as if the head captain did not gain any respect from his crew. The other two captains, Ryan and Bob were excellent and the cook, Josh although he quit once we got back to port. Another DM said they rarely get their weekly paychecks and they solely rely on tips.

We saw stone fish and seahorses at the Frederiksted Pier. Dove a few tugs and barges both shallow and deep and the wall on the north/northwest side of the island at several spots. The wall was by far my favorite, the fish were at 60' and shallower so you could start your dive deep and work your way back.

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I have a friend who was on that cruise, the story I got was that the engineer found a water pipe (bong) onboard and reported it to the captain. The captain did the right thing in ordering a drug test for the entire crew, which made many crew members angry. Some left because they new they would fail the test, others left in support of their friends. There was no favoritism here, all crew members were subject to the test, but many were angered by it.

Nekton has always had a zero tolerance policy for drug use, and each crew member is advised on this before they are hired. As a former captain on Nekton, I can say that the captain ABSOLUTELY did the right thing given the circumstances. Remember, those folks looking out for YOUR safety must be drug free. As a captain I was often forced to make decisions unpopular with the crew or guests, but passenger safety always comes first. I was once blasted by the guests for putting the boat into Freeport Harbor when we were experiencing 10 foot seas (which coicidently happened the same week as the Wave Dancer tragedy in Belize), but after the guests heard about the WD disaster courtesy of a copy of the Miami Herald picked up in Freeport, each one thanked me for looking out for their safety. It is more important to be safe than popular.

It sucks that passengers had to witness this kind of crap, but hopefully the diving was good and the accomodations and meals were as expected. I worked on the Nekton Pilot for the better part of a decade and I can honestly say that it is probably for the best that the company got rid of the bad apples. Crew chemistry is very important, but not at the expense of passenger safety.

OK, y'all are scaring me--I have a trip going out on the Pilot on Aug 15. I hope whatever happened on the Rorqual doesn't have repercussions on the Pilot trips......

H2O Gal:

OK, y'all are scaring me--I have a trip going out on the Pilot on Aug 15. I hope whatever happened on the Rorqual doesn't have repercussions on the Pilot trips......

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H20 Gal, all is qiet on the Pilot. Go on your trip, do lots of great diving, and please let us know how your trip was when you return. I have done the Cay Sal itinerary hundreds of times, but I am still envious because I love that trip and wish I was going, regardless of what might be happening on the Rorqual.

thanks cappyjon431 - I figured you would get the inside scoop for us. I agree with you, crew quitting because they got busted for drugs is not a bad thing. I want my crew safe, and if they have an issue with doing that, it is best they are gone. I have been on day boat trips a couple of times elsewhere and a bit suspicious of a crew member - it would be 10x worse being on a boat out in the ocean for week with someone you didn't trust. Glad the Capt canned them!

It is a big shame it happened in the middle of a trip and affected the passengers though. :depressed: