diverdoug1
Contributor
Nekton Rorqual trip report 3/20/2010 – 3/27/2010
This was our 24th trip on one of the nekton boats, but our first trip to Mayaguana. Saturday, we flew into Provincials, Turks and Caicos. The transportation cop at the airport told us to wait under the “Beaches” gazebo in the airport parking lot until he could fill a cab. After an hour, we flagged down one of the local cabbies, and made him a deal (some of the other passenger waited over 2 hours for ground transportation). After stopping at a liquor store for beer & sodas, we had the cab take us to the south commercial pier. We were previously told by the Nekton office that we would be able to drop our luggage off at the pier after 1pm. When we got to the pier we were told that we were not allowed to drop off our luggage, and the Nekton would not be in till 7:30. I called the boat, and a crew member recommended that we go to a local resort called “Las Brisas”, which was a 5 minute walk from the south pier. I asked the crew member if Nekton would be able to pick up our luggage from Las Brisas, they said that that might be a possibility. The cab dropped us and our luggage off at Las Brisas. We spent a pleasant 5 hours at the pool bar and eating dinner. During this time, some of the Rorqual crew came by to pick up our luggage. We walked to the commercial pier after dinner, and were allowed on the boat at 7:30. Customs forms, liability releases, C-cards, and $30 per diver (for the shore excursion) were collected from each passenger. Saturday night we made the crossing to Mayaguana.
Sunday we arrived at Mayaguana at about 11am, so after gear setup, we did not have time for any morning dives. We did 2 afternoon dives after lunch, but the night dive was cancelled because of rough weather. I am not sure why we were unable to reach our dive site in time to do our morning dives.
Monday was again quite windy, but 5 dives were able to be offered.
On Tuesday, we moved to the other side of Mayaguana to be more sheltered from the wind. During the day, the wind shifted and the seas became rougher. During the night dive, the coral head we were chained to snapped. The Rorqual got very close to shore while the captain was waiting to start the engines (to make sure all divers were clear of the props). The crew all did a very good job of getting the divers out of the water safely, and avoiding grounding the boat. At this point, the captain elected to reposition to the other side of the island.
Wednesday and Thursday proved uneventful, both offering the usual 5 dives per day.
On Friday, the dive deck closed at 11am, to facilitate the shore excursion to Mayaguana. I did not go on this excursion due to non-dive related illness. Lunch was served on the shore excursion, but the engineer was nice enough to make us a grilled cheese sandwich (the tastiest culinary creation we had all week). Dinner was served on board Friday night. After making the crossing back to Turks and Caicos Friday night, we were required to be off the boat at 7am Saturday, and paid for transport back to the airport.
With respect to the diving, our visibility was consistently good (ranging from 60 to 100 feet). The topography was interesting, with lots of swim through, and nice walls. Water temperatures ran from 75 to 79 degrees. The bio-density was somewhat disappointing. I don’t know if this was due to habitat, overfishing, the pervasive Lionfish, or other reasons. Compared to the fauna seen 100 miles farther up the Bahamas chain, I think species seen are very similar, except more Indigo Hamlets. There just was a lower density of fish. There is a fair amount of sea lettuce on the coral, so kill-off of Spiny Sea Urchins continues to be felt in this area.
As far as the condition of the boat, I would refer you to the many postings already made about the decay and maintenance short-comings on the Nekton boats. If you have specific questions about the boat, you can PM me. It should be noted that the night before we boarded the boat, one of the generators caught on fire, and was out of commission. Also, there was only one skiff, because the other one sank in some rough weather. The mattresses were paper thin, so it felt as if you were beaten with a baseball bat when you woke up. Lastly there was a new cook on the boat, and his dishes were hit or miss (actually all miss). This was the first time I lost weight on a live aboard. We even used the waffles as wedges to level the tables on the sun deck. I think he was asked to leave the boat.
The crew was motivated, and did a very good job. The Nekton office staff was poorly informed, and should really put more effort into keeping up with the logistics of the itinerary. The crew even suggested that passengers call the boat directly, prior to any future excursions. Unfortunately, the problems with the boat are no longer just cosmetic, and really affect the quality of the live aboard experience (with respect to comfort and safety). After a discussion with my wife, we decided our next trip with Nekton will be only after the Nekton Pilot is finished with its refit and put back in service, or the Rorqual goes through a complete refit. Having said this, I feel that some of the lower priced itineraries on Nekton still provide a stable dive platform at a relatively low price point. If this is your primary concern, Nekton may be a viable option as a live aboard.
This was our 24th trip on one of the nekton boats, but our first trip to Mayaguana. Saturday, we flew into Provincials, Turks and Caicos. The transportation cop at the airport told us to wait under the “Beaches” gazebo in the airport parking lot until he could fill a cab. After an hour, we flagged down one of the local cabbies, and made him a deal (some of the other passenger waited over 2 hours for ground transportation). After stopping at a liquor store for beer & sodas, we had the cab take us to the south commercial pier. We were previously told by the Nekton office that we would be able to drop our luggage off at the pier after 1pm. When we got to the pier we were told that we were not allowed to drop off our luggage, and the Nekton would not be in till 7:30. I called the boat, and a crew member recommended that we go to a local resort called “Las Brisas”, which was a 5 minute walk from the south pier. I asked the crew member if Nekton would be able to pick up our luggage from Las Brisas, they said that that might be a possibility. The cab dropped us and our luggage off at Las Brisas. We spent a pleasant 5 hours at the pool bar and eating dinner. During this time, some of the Rorqual crew came by to pick up our luggage. We walked to the commercial pier after dinner, and were allowed on the boat at 7:30. Customs forms, liability releases, C-cards, and $30 per diver (for the shore excursion) were collected from each passenger. Saturday night we made the crossing to Mayaguana.
Sunday we arrived at Mayaguana at about 11am, so after gear setup, we did not have time for any morning dives. We did 2 afternoon dives after lunch, but the night dive was cancelled because of rough weather. I am not sure why we were unable to reach our dive site in time to do our morning dives.
Monday was again quite windy, but 5 dives were able to be offered.
On Tuesday, we moved to the other side of Mayaguana to be more sheltered from the wind. During the day, the wind shifted and the seas became rougher. During the night dive, the coral head we were chained to snapped. The Rorqual got very close to shore while the captain was waiting to start the engines (to make sure all divers were clear of the props). The crew all did a very good job of getting the divers out of the water safely, and avoiding grounding the boat. At this point, the captain elected to reposition to the other side of the island.
Wednesday and Thursday proved uneventful, both offering the usual 5 dives per day.
On Friday, the dive deck closed at 11am, to facilitate the shore excursion to Mayaguana. I did not go on this excursion due to non-dive related illness. Lunch was served on the shore excursion, but the engineer was nice enough to make us a grilled cheese sandwich (the tastiest culinary creation we had all week). Dinner was served on board Friday night. After making the crossing back to Turks and Caicos Friday night, we were required to be off the boat at 7am Saturday, and paid for transport back to the airport.
With respect to the diving, our visibility was consistently good (ranging from 60 to 100 feet). The topography was interesting, with lots of swim through, and nice walls. Water temperatures ran from 75 to 79 degrees. The bio-density was somewhat disappointing. I don’t know if this was due to habitat, overfishing, the pervasive Lionfish, or other reasons. Compared to the fauna seen 100 miles farther up the Bahamas chain, I think species seen are very similar, except more Indigo Hamlets. There just was a lower density of fish. There is a fair amount of sea lettuce on the coral, so kill-off of Spiny Sea Urchins continues to be felt in this area.
As far as the condition of the boat, I would refer you to the many postings already made about the decay and maintenance short-comings on the Nekton boats. If you have specific questions about the boat, you can PM me. It should be noted that the night before we boarded the boat, one of the generators caught on fire, and was out of commission. Also, there was only one skiff, because the other one sank in some rough weather. The mattresses were paper thin, so it felt as if you were beaten with a baseball bat when you woke up. Lastly there was a new cook on the boat, and his dishes were hit or miss (actually all miss). This was the first time I lost weight on a live aboard. We even used the waffles as wedges to level the tables on the sun deck. I think he was asked to leave the boat.
The crew was motivated, and did a very good job. The Nekton office staff was poorly informed, and should really put more effort into keeping up with the logistics of the itinerary. The crew even suggested that passengers call the boat directly, prior to any future excursions. Unfortunately, the problems with the boat are no longer just cosmetic, and really affect the quality of the live aboard experience (with respect to comfort and safety). After a discussion with my wife, we decided our next trip with Nekton will be only after the Nekton Pilot is finished with its refit and put back in service, or the Rorqual goes through a complete refit. Having said this, I feel that some of the lower priced itineraries on Nekton still provide a stable dive platform at a relatively low price point. If this is your primary concern, Nekton may be a viable option as a live aboard.
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