Favorite SoCal boat

[h2omammal]

As said elsewhere in this thread, you can't go wrong with the LoisAnn for a short 'day trip'. Good boat, excellent crew and customer service. Another good day boat is the Blue Escape (just up the marina from the LoisAnn).

The only liveaboard out of San Diego is the "Horizon". IMO, this is the best dive boat and crew in SoCal. Excellent boat, crew, customer service etc etc. All Horizon captains know their way around all the Southern Channel Islands and Baja. They will always put you at the best possible site.

Only problem is that there are only 2 or 3 "day trips" per year. Leaving on Friday or Saturday night to return the next night, they usually try for San Clemente Island (5 hours or so) but occassionally have had to go for Catalina (an 8 hour boat ride from San Diego!)

Anyway, if you get a chance, go out with the Horizon folks -- you can't go wrong.

JT

 

[h2omammal]

Anybody been out on the CeeRay lately? I started boycotting it a few years ago when they were, shall I say "lacking" when it came to customer service. Some of the classes I took out on the CeeRay for a while had some very bad experiences with them.

So, I'm wondering if things have changed over time. Anybody know?

JT

 

[DrySuitDave]

I have always liked the Peace as they used to give me 3500 psi fills till I switched to a rebreather.....The crew was always good and the food good....

Vision is a nice boat...I like the dryer for my undergarment...that means drysuit insulating undergarment, not lingerie in case any of you had your doubts.....

Pac Star is a nice boat, clean, newer, good crew.....however I would be willing to pay more for better food, same goes for all the boats. When the SSA crews go out, there is boosted oxygen on board for those that forget to fill their 02 cylinders and to be used to blend different nitrox mixes. Just don't dive near the store crew or you will get skunked for lobsters as all lobsters within a 100 foot wide swath of their dive path get
On that note, many gripe about the cost to go on these boats, but as a businessman with a handle on overhead, I have to tell you they sure aren't into dive boat operations for the money, and the crews are really just guys and girls doing it for the love of their hobby.....turnover is high as pay is measley...if they paid the crew professionally, my fellow divers would complain about the price.....

I think the crew tips should be higher.....and if they charged $10-$15 more a day the food could be better....

Some of these electric stoves need to receive less use, and fire up a barbecue on the upper deck to get everyone in the mood....

It also bothers me that so many take beers and don't mark themselves down as having taken them.....it is really low to steal from guys busting their ass and putting themselves way out on a financial limb to aquire and crew a boat away from home on weekends for chump change.

Ok, that's my rant, and I am sticking to it,

 

[Mo2vation]

I can say I've been on the Peace.