Bahamas Master ceases operations

[also_anon_dc]

I had a trip booked on the Bahamas Master in June and woke up to this email:

Bahamas Master is ceasing operations with immediate effect and your trip is now cancelled. Bahamas Master is a vessel owned and operated by a third party, Holdings Limited, and we have been informed by them that they are no longer in a position to continue operations. As such, with immediate effect, we will no longer be offering Bahamas Master as a Master Liveaboards fleet vessel.

 

[BoltSnap]

Are they giving you a refund?

 

[also_anon_dc]

Are they giving you a refund?

I had only put down a deposit- I think around $500 so they’re giving me a credit towards another trip. I’m waiting on the details. If there’s no expiration and it applies to any boat in the fleet I don’t plan to make a fuss. I prefer liveaboard diving and can see myself on another boat of theirs in a year or so.

 

[Jake 10]

Thank you for the information on Holdings Limited

 

[-JD-]

I had only put down a deposit- I think around $500 so they’re giving me a credit towards another trip. I’m waiting on the details. If there’s no expiration and it applies to any boat in the fleet I don’t plan to make a fuss. I prefer liveaboard diving and can see myself on another boat of theirs in a year or so.

If there was an "equivalent" (same time, same location, same-ish boat) substitute provided and you demurred, a credit is reasonable. Otherwise they should simply refund your money.

Maybe you still want to go to the Bahama and get on the AquaCat or Cat Ppalu which still have some June availability ...

 

[gtrunci]

I had a trip booked on the Bahamas Master in June and woke up to this email:

Bahamas Master is ceasing operations with immediate effect and your trip is now cancelled. Bahamas Master is a vessel owned and operated by a third party, Holdings Limited, and we have been informed by them that they are no longer in a position to continue operations. As such, with immediate effect, we will no longer be offering Bahamas Master as a Master Liveaboards fleet vessel.

Same situation for me... Scheduled for Tiger Beach on December....

 

[DiveProKoko]

I had a trip booked on the Bahamas Master in June and woke up to this email:

Bahamas Master is ceasing operations with immediate effect and your trip is now cancelled. Bahamas Master is a vessel owned and operated by a third party, Holdings Limited, and we have been informed by them that they are no longer in a position to continue operations. As such, with immediate effect, we will no longer be offering Bahamas Master as a Master Liveaboards fleet vessel.

That's odd. Your email says "immediately" and someone posted this a couple of weeks ago (below).....are these the same guys? If so, why are they promoting a trip in three weeks prior to canceling operations "immediately"? I suppose they possibly didn't know, but considering they're taking deposits and not readily offering up refunds......

LAST MIN OFFER BAHAMAS MASTER (INCL. TIGER BEACH!) APRIL 2024

Are you ready for a lot of Shark Action?! Then Bahamas is the place to visit. We have a last min offer on board of the Bahamas Master doing the Grand Bahama Adventure, in which we will visit the best dive sites around this island, including A LOT of diving around Tiger Beach. Dive with tiger...

scubaboard.com

 

[Green Frog]

Sounds to me like “Holdings Limited” is having problems with limited cash flow! I’ll be interested to see what kind of refund (cash or credit, full or partial) they offer. Has anyone here actually had a previous trip with them? Sometimes those “third party ownership” deals can get a little confusing if not downright sketchy.
Froggie

 

[also_anon_dc]

If there was an "equivalent" (same time, same location, same-ish boat) substitute provided and you demurred, a credit is reasonable. Otherwise they should simply refund your money.

Maybe you still want to go to the Bahama and get on the AquaCat or Cat Ppalu which still have some June availability ...

An equivalent trip was definitely not offered- just a credit. Since I booked this trip though (about 8 months ago) I've been less excited about Caribbean diving due to the state of the reefs. That combined with the death of a diver from Bahamas Master at Tiger Beach in November (presumably from a shark attack not a diving accident) made me fine with the trip being cancelled. I was thinking the death may have led to a lack of new bookings which got Holdings Limited into this situation.

 

[also_anon_dc]

I received more info on my credit for the deposit- I had booked the trip through Bluewater Dive Travel so I received my deposit amount back as a credit with Bluewater Dive Travel. I was able to put my credit towards a December trip I already have planned with them. I mistakenly assumed it was a credit with Master Liveaboards. I don't know how Master would have handled the issue had I booked directly with them.