Juliet trip report (Page one)

[Dive-aholic]

Re tipping: If this is a crewed charter (and my info about the Juliet says it is) I'd suggest treating it as such. The "industry standard" is to tip as a % of the charter. Yes, it would be more BUT you get so much more.

BTW, I'm generally about as cheap as they come -- but the crew really works their buns off for their guests and they deserve the tip.

Peter, industry standard or not, I also believe industry standard is if a liveaboard advertises unlimited diving, which the Juliet does, then diving should not be limited to 4 dives a day. I'm there to dive, not to be pampered on deck by a crew. If I wanted pampering, I'd go to a land-based resort.

I'm planning on bringing the tip recommended by the shop we're booked through, but if I'm stuck on the boat 20 hours a day, the tip-o-meter is going to read low.

The Capt/Owner is a reasonable guy (at least I thought so). You may have to sacrifice variety of sites in order to fit more dives each day, if no other passenger opposes to that, I imagine he'll go along with true unlimited dives.
I didn't care for all the rules they had for drift dives and thought I had to miss them since I wasn't going to comply, however, they allowed me (and my husband) to do them our way.

Dive at 7am
2 hr SI
Dive at 10am
2 hr SI
Dive at 1pm
2 hr SI
Dive at 4pm
2 hr SI
Dive at 7pm

Very conservative. Actual profiles will probably allow shorter SIs and a 6th dive. Unless they only go to 100+ ft deep sites, I don't see why a sacrifice needs to be made. I've done 8 dives in one day - all less than 35 feet deep and never exceeded the limits. I'm planning on diving nitrox, which will give me even more time. Our trip leader wants to dive a lot. I'll be talking to him tomorrow, so I'm sure everything will be resolved...at least for our trip.


BTW, I just e-mailed the Juliet regarding my concerns. Hopefully, this will be resolved quickly.

 

[scubamickey]

I just phoned the Juliet, and it was confirmed that four dives per day is it. BUT, apparently they have been receiving emails today about unlimited diving vs. limited diving and it has them possibly willing to reconsider.

I emailed about paying for Nitrox in advance of the June 10th trip and slipped in the question about the unlimited diving .
It sounded like they didn't even realize that the website used the word unlimited and that they were limiting the dives.

I think we'll be fine. They are very nice and helpful.

This has been some serious thread hijacking. This was supposed to be a trip report .

 

[Peter Guy]

Dive at 7am
2 hr SI
Dive at 10am
2 hr SI
Dive at 1pm
2 hr SI
Dive at 4pm
2 hr SI
Dive at 7pm

And when does the boat sail? Are you planning on diving the same reef over and over and over again? And what if there is someone else on the boat that doesn't want to be bound to your strict schedule? Are you going to be able to compromise your wants and desires?

 

[Dive-aholic]

Peter, this is just an example of how the diving can be done. It's not a strict schedule by any means. In fact, it's not even a schedule. It's an example of how diving can be done within the limits. I may get up at 5 and splash by 6. I may want to do an 11pm night dive because you know most of the life comes out later anyway. Believe me, I'm not one for itineraries. I just don't want to be limited. I want to DIVE! I also don't expect we'll be sailing much more than an hour at a time during the day. I'm expecting 2, maybe 3, reefs each day. Most of the distance sailing will be at night.

[DIR HIJACK]

And just ask Lynne, there is no compromise. Resistance is futile! I have found out half of the boat will have long hose configurations...

[/DIR HIJACK]

 

[del_mo]

I noticed with other liveaboards, they read something like "unlimited diving while dive station is open". Not exactly unlimited diving either. As Peter Guy said, the boat has to travel, thus I would think the dive station would be closed.

Perhaps this is much ado about nothing.

 

[scubapolly]

It's an example of how diving can be done within the limits. I may get up at 5 and splash by 6. I may want to do an 11pm night dive because you know most of the life comes out later anyway. Believe me, I'm not one for itineraries. I just don't want to be limited. I want to DIVE!

We soooo need to go diving together. I've been known to distribute my sleep during SIs so that I can do a dusk dive, a night dive (or 2) and a dawn dive.

 

[DiveMaven]

Our Nekton cruise earlier this year offered a dawn dive and a night dive just about everyday, so you could easily get 6 dives a day if you wanted. Their policy was that the dive deck was open from 8:00am to 11:30, then 1:00 to 5:45, then again for a night dive at around 8pm. During those times you could dive as much as you wanted. The dawn dive was by sign up at 6:30am, but if you didn't sign up you could join the group as long as someone signed up.

 

[WOODMAN]

OK, folks, I have managed to upload a few photos of the Juliet into my photo area. I have not figured this completely out yet, so there are a few shots of Cozumel at the end of the list from a previous upload. But I think you will figure out when the Juliet shots stop. I hope this is of use to you guys. Woody

 

[TSandM]

You know, I love to dive, and anybody who read my whining in February knows that one or two dives a day doesn't cut it. But there ARE other pleasures in life . . . great food, good conversation, fine wine. AND sailboats are slooooooowwww . . . and quiet. If you choose a sailboat for a dive trip, seems to me you'd realize that having the luxury of travelling under sail is going to involve some compromises. The motor yachts which are liveaboards can move much more expeditiously from one site to another, and if diving alone is what you are making the trip for, they look like the way to go.

Me -- I'll enjoy the wind across the deck and the creaking of the rigging, suck down a wonderful dinner and several glasses of wine, and laugh myself silly at somebody's great stories. And go to bed, to do tomorrow's four dives!

 

[scubamickey]

OK, folks, I have managed to upload a few photos of the Juliet into my photo area. I have not figured this completely out yet, so there are a few shots of Cozumel at the end of the list from a previous upload. But I think you will figure out when the Juliet shots stop. I hope this is of use to you guys. Woody

Great pictures Woody. Thanks for posting them