Nekton dive cruises?

[divinggirl]

I am curious if anyone here has ever gone on a Nekton diving cruise out of FLL. It looks interesting and they have some great itineraries, I would love to hear some of your experiences and opinions!

 

Thanks,

Nikki

[sddiver]

Nicki,

 

 

Doubt there are many people on this board who have done Nekton. That is a liveaboard dive boat not a "cruise" per se. Go to www.scubadiving.com and under "community" is a message board. Search that board for "Nekton" and you will find hours of reading and reviews ect.

 

Have Fun

Rich

[bruce-r]

I am curious if anyone here has ever gone on a Nekton diving cruise out of FLL. It looks interesting and they have some great itineraries, I would love to hear some of your experiences and opinions!

If you are considering a Nekton cruise, I would consider you to be a fairly hard core diving since that is the major focus of their trips. You do want to dive 2 to 5 times a day for a week, right? Like SD said "That is a liveaboard dive boat not a "cruise" ". The big thing to do each night is to look at other divers underwater photos or videos. Anyway, I'd love to go on a Nekton trip, if I could persuade DW to let me "off" for a week.

 

Here is one Trip Report from the scubadiving.com message board. Here is a second report.

 

Hope this helps

[Hilary]

We have a Nekton cruise booked for this year in Belize. After diving from a cruiseship, we're excited to do the liveaboard for a totally different experience. Talk about polar opposites! I agree with Bruce-r though, you really have to want the trip focused 99% on diving to enjoy a liveaboard experience. The Nekton boats are nice because they do have a huge sun deck and kayaks for alternative things to do, and at least in Belize, they stop so you can beach comb in deserted areas, which will be fun.

 

If you're interested in a trip that provides diving, but isn't solely focused on it, check into Cuan Law in the Caribbean. They only provide for 3 dives a day, but also for lots of other activities.

[divinggirl]

Thanks everyone. We are hard core divers, when we're anywhere near warm water there's nothing else we'd rather be doing. That's why I'm having such a hard time convincing my husband to do a "normal" cruise. He thinks if we're on the ocean we should be able to jump in anytime, and I sort of agree! And the only reason I considered it a "cruise" is because cruises.com books them at a discount...I will check into Cuan Law, however, never heard of them and I appreciate the info. Hilary, when are you doing your trip? You will love diving in Belize, if you've never been there. The Blue Hole is a bit overrated, IMO, but it is exhilarating to have a whole bunch of sharks circling underneath you in the dark depths...the second dive (wall dive) we did at Half Moon Caye National Park was not to be missed...ANyway, I'd love a trip report on this forum when you get back, if you'd consider it!

 

Thanks again, off to Panama in two days! I'll be sure to post info when I return!

 

Nikki

[silkismom]

We were on the Nekton Pilot, Belize, in Dec. They do not do the Blue Hole, did it on the Aggressor several years ago & it was a waste of time & air, couldn't do other dives that day since it was so deep. Nekton is weird looking, more divers, but other than that we had a good time. One day it was quite rough so the Capt. moved us, another day the water was like split pea soup, so we moved again. Very accomodating. Food was good-not cruise ship good, but very good. We didn't do any night dives, but 4 day dives most days. We are booked on the Nekton Rorqual for So. Bahamas in Apr. The price is better than Aggressor-done Fiji, Kona, Belize, Bay Islands.

[scuba dad]

I have done Nekton several time, out of Belize and Fort Lauderdale. I agree that you will get a lot of comments from ScubaBoard, I watch them too. Let me tell you that I have had a great time with Nekton and do recommend them. The ship if weird looking, but stable. The crews are great and let you dive your profiles. Service and food are good, but I would not call it luxury.

 

If you want to dive than you can't go wrong with any of the liveaboards. I am always watching for a deal, but there are not many deals to be had. Thankfully Nekton does have nitrox now which makes it easier.

 

Enjoy your liveaboard, eat...sleep...dive...eat...sleep...dive...

 

It does not get much better!

[bruce-r]

If you're interested in a trip that provides diving, but isn't solely focused on it, check into Cuan Law in the Caribbean. They only provide for 3 dives a day, but also for lots of other activities.

Also, I think that the luxury level of the Cuan Law is a big step up from Nekton. This is the trip I'd do if I was taking my non-diving family. Here is the website http://www.cuanlaw.com/

 

I have also read some glowing reports about the Aquacat cruises. The boat looks like one of the Mike Ball catamarans in Australia. Probably a little more upscale than Nekton as well. http://aquacatcruises.com/

[big bertha]

:) Yes, we have gone on a Nekton cruise and it is diving, not luxury. Very comfortable, met some great people, crews very accommodating, we did not dive all the time, maybe once a day. Enjoyed it, small group 30 at the most. I would do it again.

[Hilary]

Another reason we chose Nekton over others, and we considered both the Caribbean and Belize, is because Nekton is extremely reasonably priced. The Aggressor Fleet is reported to be very nice, but the price was about $1000pp more for the same trip. Since reviews for both tend to be excellent, we didn't see the point of spending that much more money for a slightly more upscale trip. When we're ready to spend close to $2500 for a liveaboard, it's going to be either on the GBR or the Truk Odyssey!!

 

I'll definitely post a review when we return, though we aren't going until December. We have Maui first this summer, then Belize. <G>