16 replies to this topic

[nextariel]

As divers arrive in Ft Lauderdale they call Nekton and their van comes to get them and drops them at Riverwalk for eating, drinking, and shopping and takes the luggage to the ship. A bus arrives at Riverwalk at 7:00 pm to pick up the divers for both of the Nekton’s and stops for a liquor run. We arrive and climb the steps to the salon to have our pictures taken and posted on the board so everyone can figure out who is who. I was with my local dive club, so 13 of the 25 knew each other. Then we were shown to our rooms, where our luggage has already taken up any space we could use to turn around. Lets just say the room was not as spacious as anticipated. Fortunately, there is room under the bed to store suitcases. We have the general rules of the boat meeting and off to bed
I’m an early riser, so I find the decaf pot, at least I thought it was decaf, only to find out the decaf is in the green pot not the orange pot. I’m not used to caffeine, and now on my second cup before I discover the err. WIRED. There are 3 waterspouts brewing off of Bimini, got one good photo. The ocean is like glass, so no chance of finding out if this boat is as stable as they say. First am briefing is the general dive rules. No pink towels or wetsuits allowed in the salon or rooms. This means I can’t use the wetsuit shampoo I always use after each day of diving. BOO HOO. (And not because of …. You know that other thread. I guess I would be put in the ‘liar’ category, but I’m not lying). They split the group in half to go set up gear. Down one set of stairs to the room to get gear, down another set of stairs to dive deck. If the dive deck has been lowered to water level it is another set of stairs. Did I mention anything about stairs. The second day I was doing calf stretches because my shins and calves were in pain. I ate stuff I don’t normally eat like cookies freshly baked after the first dive and dessert after dinner and lots of food. Yes, the food was incredible. Didn’t gain any weight so I guess I should keep quite about those stairs.
Dive briefings included great sketches of the site with what to look for, but there are some unwelcome words – Current mod to strong. Pools open and everyone rushes to the dive deck – can you say crowded. Most days it was using the granny line to the mooring. Sometimes with you hand in front of your reg to keep from free flowing in the current. I’m not one to wear gloves, but boy am I glad I brought them. The gloves have more use in week thatn in 13 years. The two things I was most disappointed in were the vis and the current, which the Nekton didn’t have any control over. Every night they did an educational program, with the exception of the video night, which was very funny and the photo contest the final night.
The diving got better as we went south. We stopped at a site called the Playground, wonderful swallow dive and great night dive (best safety stop I’ve had). On that night dive I got to watch a conch walk, the biggest gray angel I’ve every seen (and they grow large in FL), hermit crabs galore, and my first peppermint shrimp, and lots of lobster. My roomie and dive buddy really got into feeding worms to the coral, she became a maniac. We arrived in Cay Sal Bank at the ‘Big Hole’, where the feeding was to take place the next day. The sharks didn’t realize we arrived a day early. There were at least 6 circling below the boat when we jumped in. And plentiful on both our morning dives. Finally got a photo of a yellowheaded jawfish. We moved to afternoon and evening site called ‘Sistine Chapel’ another hole, which you could circumnavigate twice on one tank. We thought for sure we would be finding an octypus that night. Didn’t happen, but did find a measled cowrie and a 3 ft beaded sea cucumber. Also had my most hair raising encounter on the night dive. My petite buddy and myself are on the opposite side of the hole of the boat and two reef sharks start circling quickly and in and out around us. I discovered sharks eyes glow in the dark and looking them in the eye does not make them go away. There were no other diver’s lights or boat lights to be seen. We moved further away from the hole, and they finally left. Neither one of us realized the other was intimated until we got back on the boat. Shark feeding was the next day. The water was so murky by the time we got down could hardly see the feeding. The best shots I got were over my head and turning behind. We were able to dive to an island with a swim thru to a lagoon, take off our gear and walk around the island. Ahhh land. Got some good photos of chiton.
Some one had put a soccer ball on the end of a fishing pole (Wilson). On the way back there were hundreds of juvenile doctor fish, oh were they cute.
Overall we saw lots of schooling fish, up to 4 lobsters in a hole, lots of shark, rays, one ssight filled with tunicates in every color, and tons of different tropicals. I was using a digital camera for the very first time. It or I was out of focus most of the time, but I did learn a lot. Will post photos after Photoshop arrives.

Edited by nextariel, 17 June 2004 - 06:18 PM.

[Bubble2Bubble]

Thanks Jill
For that report
I've dove with sharks before but never did they come check me out. Glad you made it a fun and safe trip. why would they not allow certain colors in the salon or rooms?. to Funny about Wilsons Head

B2B

[chinacat46]

Thanks for the report. I've often wondered about diving on the Nekton. Was the boat full cause it sounded a bit crowded on the dive deck.

[nextariel]

why would they not allow certain colors in the salon or rooms?.

The towels used on the dive deck were not allowed inside, just as our wetsuits. They don't want any microbacteria escaping in the salon and dining area. But they let us where our swimsuit in. I guess they were trying to keep the carpet new. And I will say the inside of the boat was very clean.

[nextariel]

Was the boat full cause it sounded a bit crowded on the dive deck.

No, the boat wasn't full. There is room for 32 and we had 25. However, they had 3 rooms empty which were all next to each other. So there was a large empty spot since your room # and tank corresponded. The tanks are set in tank holders right next to each other. There were 10 tanks on our side of the boat. So to get your tank on, if your roommate was your buddy, you were right next to each other. No spare tank for the next dive, because they refill. It would have helped if not everybody rushed to the dive deck right after the briefing. But almost everyone was doing both morning and afternoon dives. To get a good surface interval you pretty much had to get into the water right away. You did have a cubby underneath and then another on the sundeck for dry stuff.

[Latitude Adjustment]

I did Cay Sal Bank last May and pretty much the same however we did have rough seas and the Pilot does rock but not roll so none of those prone to turning green did.
Those on our trip soon learned to stagger their times on the dive deck to miss the crowd except on the drift dive when everybody goes in at once.
The Big Hole aka Shark Hole is interesting but you really can't see much of the shark feeding, the video looked better and yes the sharks did get a little pesty on other dives there.
Water Key doesn't have much to see but going through the swim thru and surfacing inside the island is neat, a little James Bond music please. Here's the view from the island.

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[nextariel]

Water Key doesn't have much to see but going through the swim thru and surfacing inside the island is neat, a little James Bond music please. Here's the view from the island.

This was fun and where Wilson has been installed. Also where I found the chiton. I see you are heading back, are you doing the same itinerary? And that you intend to join us for the FL dives in August.

[nextariel]

this is one of the waterspouts off Bimini the first morning. And a big thanks to B2B for his help with the photos.

Edited by nextariel, 19 June 2004 - 09:23 AM.

[nextariel]

Any guesses as to what this is ? It was rolling around with the surge at about 20'. It looked almost tranparent and someone had stretched it out to about 4' when we were on our way back to the boat.

[nextariel]

These are chiton and they were on the walls of the lagoon in lattitude adjustments photo of Water Cay.

[Bubble2Bubble]

Jill
I have thought about it and thought about it again! is it possible that it is a egg sack from a large fish. I wish some of our senior Ahemm experienced members would coment on this pic ( where's Walter when you need him!) He might not know the answer but he could make something up thats beleivable for sure

B2B

[triggerfish]

re: nekton.....
i did the rorqual in march (np did too).

'inside' towels differ in color from 'outside' colors. they try to keep the inside towels separate, hence the 'no pink towels' rule.

the boat itself, a big box, is pretty roomy. the dive deck, however, was very small. especially since a few of the people on the trip were big folks with lots of gear, and very little sense of 'personal space'. my buddy and i ended up just waiting til th majority of people got into the water then suited up.
all in all tho, i really liked it and would most certainly do it again (even if mark weren't there!)

[Latitude Adjustment]

What I loved about those outside towels was they were kept warm right next to the deck shower

[nextariel]

What I loved about those outside towels was they were kept warm right next to the deck shower

Except that they only wash those pink towels at night. They just keep throwing the used ones back in the dryer.

[Marvel]

Sounds like a great trip Jill! Loved the pic of the waterspout, BTW. Any dirt on YOUR trip, hmmm????