Trip report on Bahamas liveaboard 'Easy goin' from Paradise Charters

[WOODMAN]

Well, folks. here we go with another long winded trip report- be warned! We recently got back from a week cruising the western Bahamas on the small liveaboard 'Easy Goin', which is a 6 passenger dive boat based right off the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is accessed on the web at "Paradisecharters.com". I was first attracted to these folks a couple of years ago while researching Bahamas liveaboards, but for some reason it didn't jell untill this year, when they came to my attention again. I had tried most of the other boats in this area, including a memorable trip on the Juliet last year, but I always felt something lacking, somehow.
I tend to gravitate toward the smaller boats, and was really looking forwards to this one, as it only serves 6 passengers at a time in 3 double cabins. It is a 62 ft. converted oil rig crew boat, and captain Chuck and his wife (first mate) Peggy really rebuilt her from the bottom up. They designed her as a dive boat, with lots of room on the covered dive deck and a nice dive platform just above the water's edge with a good sturdy wide ladder for water exits. A warm fresh water shower hose is available, and arranged so that it can be used either from the dive platform or from the corner of the dive deck. They also designed built-in rod holders on the back deck for ocean fishing, and more about that later. There is ample seating for all 6 divers on the dive deck, with a roomy secure bin for gear under each seat. They provide 2 aluminum 80cf cylinders for each diver, but normally only use one and leave your gear set up on your chosen tank for the whole trip. Tanks are refilled with whips between dives, and Chuck pumps an honest 3200 psi if needed. Nitrox is available, but we did not use it this trip. All the tanks are held in secure sockets at the back of the seats, with bungee cords across the valves for extra security, with the exception of two tank slots. As those who have read my previous reports know, I am a certified airhog, and an 80 cf tank just doesn't cut it for me. I made arrangements to bring along a 130 cf rental tank (the same dodge I employed last year on the Juliet with great success), and Chuck had anticipated this long ago. He omitted the tank sockets on two of the tank slots, and arranged extra bungee cords so that a larger size tank could easily be accomodated. My 130 cf tank was right at home, and served me well for the whole trip. A water cooler and a plate of orange or pineapple chunks was always waiting for us when we came up, and was highly appreciated. A large dedicated rinse tank for cameras and a smaller rinse tank for masks and such was placed on the dive deck also.
The main lounge doubles as the dining area, with ample seating for all around a large table. At the back of the lounge was found the entertainment area, with large TV, DVD, CD, etc. The beverage center was also here, with a muscular icemaker and a liquor cabinet. They used 2 liter bottles for soft drinks, and had a large supply of several different kinds. Beer was available in cans, and was kept on ice up in a large cooler on the upper sun deck. The sun deck also featured a grill, which Captain Chuck made good use of during our trip, and also stored several comfortable deck chairs and a special storage area which housed the Zodiac chase boat, which we never needed on this cruise.
The cabins are smallish, but intelligently thought out. There are two bunks in each, a nearly full sized lower bunk and a twin sized upper bunk. The beds were plenty long enough for my 6'3" frame, and also include a small storage area at the head of each bunk with ready access to 110 V. outlets for battery charging. There is also a nice adjustable reading light at the head of each bunk. There is ample storage under the main bunk for dive bags and soft luggage, and they included a small storage cabinet in the corner of the cabin for clothes and such. There are various hooks to hang toiletries bags, clothes, etc, and we had no trouble dressing while standing next to the bunks. They also have numerous clips fastened to the railings all around the sundeck on top, to facilitate drying swimsuits and towels. (This was a really smart idea, which I have never seen anywhere else) They provide all room linens and towels, but ask that you bring your own beach towel for use on the dive deck. The entire boat is completely air conditioned, with higher capacity coolers than usual, and was very comfortable. There is one bathroom, with a marine toilet, shower and sink, and everything on this boat has been lovingly and tastefully decorated (well, maybe except for the Elvis figures that Chuck has in the bridge.) END OF PART ONE.

[Scubagal]

Wonderful trip report so far, looking forward to part II!

[WOODMAN]

Part two of report-
Speaking of the bridge, it was always open to visitors, and Chuck even installed a bench seat off to one side where you could sit and converse with him as he piloted the boat. He was always ready to explain various aspects of shipcraft, and was extremely skilled in handling the 'Easy Goin'.
Meals were served family style at the big table, with an ample supply of extremely good and unusually interesting dishes. Peggy has obviously been polishing her recipies for a long time, and she even made special dietary arrangements when needed. Home baked bread and other goodies were also available, and much appreciated. Desserts were creative, and eagerly devoured.
As for the diving, we were handicapped by unseasonably bad weather, and I figure we lost almost two days of diving to Mother Nature, including one memorable night spent hiding behind Gunn Caye, in order to try and stay out of the wind. Captain Chuck worked hard to compensate for this where he could, always keeping safety uppermost in mind. He always kept us informed of what he was going to do, unlike a few other captains I could think of, which was most appreciated by all. We were always consulted on dive site planning, and he strove to accomodate our wishes. Divemaster (Mistress?) Krista was fairly new with the boat, but she also worked hard to help find critters and such for us, and was most agreeable. We did manage to visit several tried and true western Bahama sites, such as Tuna Alley, the Victories, the Miami, etc, and even managed to visit our old friend the Sapona, which has really taken more of a beating recently. Due to weather conditions and other concerns, we decided to pass on Bull Run, although they normally do a modified shark dive there on most trips. Visibility was only fair due to the weather, but I got several interesting photos, including a juvenile moray eel eating an arrow crab! We did a nice mixture of drift dives, static reef dives, wrecks, walls, and night dives, and we also did a fair amount of ocean fishing off the back deck. The boat is fully supplied with all kinds of fishing gear, and one of us usually had a line in anytime the boat was moving, resulting in some memorable battles with dolphinfish, pompano and jacks. One of us even caught a nice jack on a piece of steak (!) in an area where no one else thought anything was to be found, and while he left us to commiserate over his catch during a potty break, the durn thing flipped out of the bucket we had it in and neatly flopped down the dive platform stairs and back into the drink right in front of our horrified eyes. ARGGH! We had to do some fast talking when the fisherman came back up on deck a minute later.
My overall impression of this trip was that this has been one of my most satifying liveaboard trips ever. In spite of weather problems, I felt more welcome and at home here than almost anywhere else I have tried. I can't put it better than captain Chuck's own words-"You came on board as guests, but you are leaving as family". Will I be back? Count on it. Woody

[DiveMaven]

Wow, sounds like an excellent trip!! Thanks for posting a report.

[Scubagal]

Excellent report! Any pictures to share? Chuck and Peg are the best. Last May we did a short trip with them, headed back this June for a week. Can't wait!

[WOODMAN]

I will have several pictures of the trip soon and will post them in my album here when I get a chance. Hold on, they're coming! Woody

[WOODMAN]

Hokay- the pictures are up and in one of my albums. Enjoy! Woody

[deepstops]

If you really liked the trip, the business and the boat could be yours for just $330k. Scroll down until you get to the 62' liveaboard: http://www.diveshopsforsale.com/html/home.html# (click on USA dive businesses for sale)

[WOODMAN]

If you really liked the trip, the business and the boat could be yours for just $330k. Scroll down until you get to the 62' liveaboard: http://www.diveshopsforsale.com/html/home.html# (click on USA dive businesses for sale)

Interesting... I wonder what happened? They gave me no indication that they were getting out of the business when I was down there. However, neither Chuck nor Peg are kids anymore (neither are we, for that matter), and I suppose that the rigors of running a liveaboard can get to you after awhile. Sorry to see this, however. I will have to talk to them about this. Woody

[deepstops]

Interesting... I wonder what happened? They gave me no indication that they were getting out of the business when I was down there. However, neither Chuck nor Peg are kids anymore (neither are we, for that matter), and I suppose that the rigors of running a liveaboard can get to you after awhile. Sorry to see this, however. I will have to talk to them about this. Woody

It's been listed for a while and I don't think they are in a hurry to sell but I have to agree, doing liveaboard trips week after week after week has got to be tough. I think I'd be burnt out doing this in six months.