Aggressor II to Galapagos - DO NOT GO ON IT.

[dpaustex]

I've done a few live aboards, and like them. Issues do happen, as the owners are trying to "turn" the boat immediately; after the end of one trip, they are starting the next trip. Anyone who has owned a boat knows things go wrong. Sometimes you have to make do.

I dove with Quasar Expeditions (MS Alta) and was overall quite happy. No, not everything was perfect, but it was pretty good, overall. I am not a picky traveler, and really don't want my hand "held".

A few points though, I'd like to comment on. The trip is a service trip: you paid for services as advertised. As is common, if you didn't get what you paid for, you are entitled to off-setting compensation, to the degree you did not get the service. Obviously this wouldn't be a free trip.

On the DM hitting on the gal, I'd probably warn him to lay off. Yeah, he should have known better.

On the DM "leaving" the diver, I only ask was he her buddy? If not, there is an expectation that the divers have a degree of competency and skill to dive within their own limits. Period. As an instructor, I saw people on my own trip who had signed up, and stated they were "advanced" divers, with 100 or more dives. Nothing was further from the truth, and the truly advanced divers got with the head guide, and the group was split into the truly advanced divers, and everyone else. Made for good diving. As an instructor, I will help anyone in distress, but doggone it, you shouldn't be in a ripping current, in the middle of nowhere, if you have 20 dives under your belt. All such people like that do is endanger the group.

There was also a guy on the trip that happened to be an attorney. On one dive, the DM saw him breathing off of his son's alternate air source. The DM told them to surface, as such an action would indicate an out-of-air condition. After surfacing, the guy argued with the DM that he "always" used some of his son's air on a dive because he consumed too much. The DM said that was not allowed. The guy said he would sue the company. The captain had to get involved, and told him the DM was right (which he was).

So sometimes stuff happens outside the norm on live aboards. I don't know about the fleet you mentioned, but understand they are more of a franchise. I think all boats have had some type of problem, or another, but I think it cuts both ways. It is my understanding some fleets cater to the "high rollers", and offer to pamper people endlessly. If that floats your boat, go for it. As for me, I am there to dive and take pictures. Key rules, don't bother the wildlife - or me - and everything will be fine.

But the boat should ensure the safety of the divers (again: the divers HAVE TO DIVE WITHIN THEIR LIMITS), safeguard the wildlife, respect the privacy and personal "zone" of the passengers, and do the best they can in service. But I don't like liveaboards where some passengers are "wannabe" divers, and think their fancy gear makes them a good diver, when they have poor buoyancy skills, poor etiquette, etc. Note I said "some" passengers. For the most part, I love the people I meet on the live aboards, and love chatting with the crew and staff (who are doing a job, after all).

So boards like this do a lot of good for "putting the word out". But I have seen firsthand situations that get out of hand, and see both sides. I'm not defending anyone, but I've been in the "provider" category as an Instructor, and have had students that did not follow directions, rules, safety, etc., then whined and cried about how unfair something was.

But I also like to be vocal - at the time - when a situation happens. I would have gone straight to the Captain of the boat to complain, at the time of the incident(s). As for the guy hitting on the gal, we don't take kind to that where I come from. At the end of my last trip, they took up a collection for tips, with the DM's being separate. I tipped more for the better guide. Money does talk in that respect.

Regardless, it was good to know that all of the hype on some boats is just that. Hype.

 

[Stichus III]

As for the guy hitting on the gal, we don't take kind to that where I come from.

It always amazes me that people travel to the far ends of the earth and expect things to be just like they are at home. When traveling abroad we should take into account the cultural differences that exist. The DM (or rather dive guide?) persistently hitting on the guest, may be attributable to a cultural difference. It is well known that in Latin America, men –as a rule- are more aggressive and persistent than men are in the United States or Western Europe. The Lady involved, IMHO, should therefore had been prepared to deal with such a situation, especially knowing that she would be spending quite a bit of time in the Galapagos/Equador. On the other hand, Aggressor caters mainly to American and West European divers. Therefore Aggressor can be expected to train their employee’s not to hit on guests. No doubt that the fault here lies with Aggressor, for not making sure this did not happen.
The point that I’m really trying to make is that everybody needs to remember that what is deemed to be normal at home, may not at all be normal in Equador or anywhere else. That does not only go for service standards but also safety standards. So when you travel to far away destinations, do your homework and be prepared !

 

[TSandM]

Inexperienced divers often don't understand the importance of synchronization and coordination on the roll and cause head injures to other divers.

What's an inexperienced diver doing in the Galapagos? I've read and heard a lot about diving there, and honestly, I don't want to do it, because the conditions can be so challenging.

On one dive, the DM saw him breathing off of his son's alternate air source. The DM told them to surface, as such an action would indicate an out-of-air condition. After surfacing, the guy argued with the DM that he "always" used some of his son's air on a dive because he consumed too much. The DM said that was not allowed. The guy said he would sue the company. The captain had to get involved, and told him the DM was right (which he was).

I don't want to hijack this thread, but just to observe that there are differences of opinion on this subject.

 

[MikeSK]

I've only been on one Liveaboard. It was in the Channel Islands CA. I wanna say...Conception? Wasnt a big name boat. It was for my daughters school so all the girls were to young for anyone to hit on...thankfully.

the experience was amazing. The boat was great, the crew was great, and the food....dear god the food. I havent eaten that well since i know that. I enjoyed it so much i plan on making just about any and every trip a liveaboard for the ease and the convenience.

I've been looking heavily at the Agressor fleet for several trip ideas. Kona is likely gonna be first, hopefully next year if all works out.

now, I'm realistic enough to know that not every trip will be as good as that one. However...some things are just downright unexceptable.

A wet bunk. gods no. Not tolerable. this is where i gotta sleep for a week? and its wet. Don't think so. A slightly damp floor...maybe. but not a WET floor. Now, IDK what the standard is..but couldnt one sleep in the salon? or on the upper deck or something?

Hitting on passengers.. Unacceptable. These people are there for one thing...the diving. (usually) Unless its a singles cruise, there's no place for it. I wouldn't have bothered talking to the other dive guide, I woulda gone straight to the captain the next time he was outta the wheelhouse. His word is law at sea. ( i'm only guessing that's the case on liveaboards as well)

Striking a critter with the boat...seriously..how can anyone who loves diving and the sea so much even remotely think this is ok?? I mean...even teenage whale sharks are still pretty big yes?

Manhandling the wildlife. Wow. this jerk would have never gotten a tip from me. I would have went outta my way to make sure it was noted that none of it should go to him. Unacceptable. period. Although..there are those trips where critters interact. Like the Mantas, or dolphins...i guess as long as they are a participant..then ok. But when its specifically posted not to?

No email...meh. I go on vacation to get away from real life. As long as there's some sort of emergency contact method, then im fine with being outta touch. I mean..heaven forbid a cat gets run over..what's the captian gonna do? turn the boat around? I don't think so. I love cats (not so much dogs) but if something like that cut my trip short..there'd be hell to pay.

No hot tub. meh again. Would be nice after a long day of diving..but w/e.

Living in the USA there are maybe five destinations that for me personally would be like..the holy grail of diving. GBR is #1...Galapogos is #2...i know it might be unrealistic, but i would expect those faraway destinations to be as close to perfect as possible. It cost as much in airfare, as it does for the trip itself.

I'm sorry the OP had a bad experience. But i would hope they wouldnt fault the entire Line for the behavior of a couple of twits.

 

[ronscuba]

there are maybe five destinations that for me personally would be like..the holy grail of diving. GBR is #1...Galapogos is #2...i know it might be unrealistic, but i would expect those faraway destinations to be as close to perfect as possible. It cost as much in airfare, as it does for the trip itself.

This caught my attention because it goes towards personal expectations, with personal being a key word. What each of us expect and want can be different.

For me, the holy grail of diving doesn't have much to do with other stuff. While I expect to get what I pay for on a vacation, it's the diving that drives me and it takes a lot to get me upset when I just dove with a whaleshark up close.

There are basic levels of service, quality, professionalism, etc., that are expected by everyone. But, you do have choice on how these things affect you.

Not saying the way I think is better or correct, it's just me. Kinda like the glass half empty, half full thing. Both are correct. I like to read trip reviews. Topside and scuba. After you read a bunch of them, you start to see writers that think the same or different from you. Pay attention to those that think like you do. Those reviews will have the most personal value.

 

[ncchuck]

This has been an interesting read. A few thoughts:
I've been on 8 liveaboards and only one had a working hot tub.
I worked in Truk Lagoon and I will tell you that culture definately creates occasional problems. Males in Chuuk (Truk) feel it's their right to dominate and have ever woman. It's a serious issue their and the Piece Corp has special precautions they take for female volunteers. Still there is no excuse and I wonder why someone didn't speak to the captain about this.
Diver instruction never stresses enough that divers are responsible for their own actions. I always explained this to guests but they just don't believe you.
One of my best trips almost killed my wife. She got caught between a very shallow reef and the dingy during a pick up. It was a night and it was an accident. Even my wife doesn't blame anyone. Accidents happen.
If we don't ever want marine life to get injured by boats, we should all stay out of the water. It would be stupid to say that someone purposely ran over a fish. A boat driver has lots of responsibilities and accidents just happen when we invade places with modern technology like motors.
No excuse for harrassing any animals at any time for any reason. Unfortunately previous experience by this guide probably let him know some tourist tip for the "ideal" picture. This almost turned into an internation incedent when one guide (not mine) in Truk was caught moving sacred artifacts (body parts) to impress a photographer that turned out to be an investigator for the Japanese government.

I am really sorry this diver had such a poor experience. I've experienced some of the same issues but never that many at one time. I always address issues as they arise with the boat captain. Sometimes they can help and sometimes they can't. Hopefully the owners respond as best they can after the fact. I've been given good discounts a couple of times for things totally out of anyone's control including the weather. (by Aggressor) I love liveaboards and do them as often as I can afford them. If all this happened to me on owe trip however, I might just change my mind.

 

[mocrumbo]

Stichus III, you wrote:

It always amazes me that people travel to the far ends of the earth and expect things to be just like they are at home. When traveling abroad we should take into account the cultural differences that exist. The DM (or rather dive guide?) persistently hitting on the guest, may be attributable to a cultural difference. It is well known that in Latin America, men –as a rule- are more aggressive and persistent than men are in the United States or Western Europe. The Lady involved, IMHO, should therefore had been prepared to deal with such a situation, especially knowing that she would be spending quite a bit of time in the Galapagos/Equador.

So sad that you think it is ok for Ecuadorian men to be aggressive, and use that as an excuse. You must be a man, because I cannot imagine a woman writing these things. Nobody expected the trip to be "Americanized," in fact, most of the divers were non-Americans which was a very welcome change. But this woman was a paying customer. I don't give a crap about your culture, NO MEANS NO. She repeatedly turned him down, and he repeatedly went out of his way to hit on her. All we expected was to have fun and feel safe. These boats are franchised, and it is the crew's responsibility to be PROFESSIONAL. Whenever I travel to another country, I read about where I am going so that I have an idea what to expect. The Aggressor should have explained to their crew that it is NOT acceptable to behave that way, especially since it will be mostly NON-Ecuadorians who will be on the boat. Scary how you put the responsibility on the DIVER! As if it were HER fault! That is so gross.

The stupid hot tub and satellite were non-issues, but the fact that they were mentioned in the briefing and advertised in the brochure only added insult to injury. It was just two more things to add to the list of problems.

 

[MikeSK]

This caught my attention because it goes towards personal expectations, with personal being a key word. What each of us expect and want can be different.

For me, the holy grail of diving doesn't have much to do with other stuff. While I expect to get what I pay for on a vacation, it's the diving that drives me and it takes a lot to get me upset when I just dove with a whaleshark up close.

There are basic levels of service, quality, professionalism, etc., that are expected by everyone. But, you do have choice on how these things affect you.

Not saying the way I think is better or correct, it's just me. Kinda like the glass half empty, half full thing. Both are correct. I like to read trip reviews. Topside and scuba. After you read a bunch of them, you start to see writers that think the same or different from you. Pay attention to those that think like you do. Those reviews will have the most personal value.

I guess what i meant was that if i pay say 2k for a liveaboard in the GBR and airfare (when i've checked it) has been between $1500 and $2k..then i would expect the boat to be in pristine condition. Obviously, the dive sites themselves can't be controlled, but i would certainly expect to at the very least have a dry bed for the week.

Its more the expense of getting there than anything else. I expect service on par with what i'm paying for. 2k per person is a LOT of money. That, and there are just some places that HAVE to be dove at least once.

Reviews won't help to much cause for the most part, they will always be good. Its trip reports like these that are the most help, but even then, there are people that have said that Solon was a good guide and professional. Did he just have an off week? Hard to imagine if he just got back from a 2 week vacation. But even taking him out of the picture...

The wet bunk thing really ticks me off. Agressor is (from what i've read) a top notch outfit. Now..i know that things break down, but c'mon. They shouldn't have even put out to sea with it like that. Even on a fully booked boat. Perhaps they shouldn't be running constantly. Allow a day or two for refit and repair.

 

[Darnold9999]

The wet bunk thing really ticks me off. Agressor is (from what i've read) a top notch outfit. Now..i know that things break down, but c'mon. They shouldn't have even put out to sea with it like that. Even on a fully booked boat. Perhaps they shouldn't be running constantly. Allow a day or two for refit and repair.

Shouldn't have put out to sea???? You have got to be kidding. If I was a diver having travelled to the ends of the earth and the captain decided to stay in port for a couple of days to fix a wet bunk I would be pissed - even if it was mine. Find another place to sleep for a day or two while they fix the problem. Aggressor should have fixed the problem, but stay in port - no way - I am going out unless safety is comprimised in some way.

I have had a flood in a room on a liveaboard. The captain left a towel on his shower floor and the tap on - flooded my room in the middle of the night. I mean raining from the ceiling flood - standing water on the floor fortunately it missed my bunk. They moved me to another room. If another room is not available then I would want to sleep somewhere else while they dried the room, would expect some compensation for the inconvenience, but not cancel the trip or complain that my entire trip was ruined.

Operating a boat in the middle of nowhere is not simple. The OP has been on exactly one liveaboard. Take the opinion with the grain of salt that deserves. Its a good post that describes what can happen when things go wrong and points out some serious problems that need to be addressed. Sounds like Aggressor tried to deal with the problems but the OP wanted to tell us what happened instead. Her choice.

It tells me that Aggressor has the same problems that every other liveaboard has at one time or another. Physical plant that breaks down and does not deliver all of the amenities advertised, Good DM's that have bad days or even trips and even DM's that need to be fired. Problems having experienced divers and beginners on the same boat, divers lying about their experience level.

At the end of the day it is the diving that counts the stuff you get in on the boat is just trimmings.

 

[Mossman]

I don't give a crap about your culture

Yep, that says it all. I suppose that you wouldn't have any issues with the same lady exposing her bare thighs in public in a place like Yap where that's taboo, or walking around in a bikini in heavily Muslim parts of the middle east or SE Asia. After all, it's only the American perspective that's important in any part of the world, right? Everyone else is just plain uncivilized if they don't do it the American way.