Dive Review of Nekton/Rorqual in
Bahamas/Cal Sal Bank

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Nekton/Rorqual, Jun, 2008, by Randy W. Saffell, OK, USA ( Reviewer 4 reports). Report 4176.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Boat The Rorqual was delivered into service for Nekton in the fall of 2001 and since then has been “rode hard and put up wet”. She is in need of new carpeting on all decks from stem to stern, new upholstery and needs old paint/rust sandblasted off and completely repainted, inside and out. The lack of upkeep was a real shock to me upon boarding, apparently there has been no maintenance in these areas since she was launched. One of her two rudders is missing. Food The food on the Rorqual was excellent, and I do mean excellent. The chef had gourmet meals for dinner, prime rib, salmon, pork and pastas. This was some of the best food we have ever been served on a live a board. There were plenty of salads, vegetables and fruit. All served with a special quality that made each meal something to look forward to. Breakfast and lunch was equally well prepared and served, all you can eat, served buffet style. Crew All of the crew members were instructors for various certification agencies, except for one which was a divemaster. They were very helpful with every request and did an excellent job of getting you in and out of the water. All were fun to interact with and made a real effort to learn your name and get to know you. I really enjoyed the crew. Both the captain and first mate were very easy to interact with and relaxed during the trip. The crew really worked to make sure you had a good time. Dive Deck The dive deck on the Rorqual is very small for the number of tanks and divers they try to cram onto it. Tanks are as close together as possible and you cannot gear up while divers on either side of you are gearing up. I would expect this type of arrangement on a day boat carrying as many divers as possible, not a live a aboard like the Rorqual which is advertised as a first class dive boat. Several of us were diving Nitrox and there was only one 02 analyzer, normally there was a wait for it to go around. The dive deck is a weak spot on the Rorqual, to many tanks and divers for the size. Diving The normal dive day was two morning dives on a site and move the boat during lunch. Afternoon dives and the nigh dive were done at the next site. That makes five possible dives a day at two sites. The dive sites are big enough and varied enough that repeating them was not a problem. I did like making the night dive on a site that I had been at twice that day. The critters are all different and I know the lay of the land. We visited three Blue Holes (Silver Sides, Ladies Secret & Big Hole) and an airplane wreck (Water Cay) with the rest of the dives on reefs. There were lots of sharks at Big Hole. Two of the dives were drift dives on a deep reef (Elbow Cay) with each dive lasting about 30 minutes. The drift dives were my least favorite due to the depth of 100’ and current there was no time to explore the reef or take pictures. Most of our dives for the week averaged between 60 and 80 minutes with the steel 95’s provided. We dove Nitrox and the crew was very good about changing the gas mixture for each dive, less 02 for deep stuff, more for shallow, up to the max of 32%. There is a hang bar with tank and regulators at 15’ for safety stops. Over the course of 6 days I managed 26 dives with a good variety of bottom topography. Visibility was between 30’ to 50’ with lots of particulate in the water. All and all it was a good trip, but the Rorqual is severely lacking in upkeep and being upgraded, lack of camera facilities and the dive deck being too small for the number of divers. The diving, the crew and the food made the trip.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Flower Gardens, Cozumel, Saba, Bonaire, Truk Lagoon, Thailand, Florida, Sea of Cortez, Isla Guadalupe
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	84-86°F / 29-30°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	30-50 Ft/ 9-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Do not go into deco.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There are four outside camera tables on the boat with air hoses, there are no electrical outlets. The Rorqual seems to be still in the age of film cameras and has no facilities for cameras larger than point and shoot. My wife and I both have larger systems with multiple strobes and numerous batteries to be recharged. Our room had only one two outlet receptacle. The only other receptacles are in the salon, near the floor if you want to charge your batteries where everyone is walking and sitting. Personally I do not like to put my camera equipment on the floor for everyone else to walk around. There was no table or chairs in our room so one of us worked on our camera on the bed and the other in the floor. We took turns sharing the single outlet, getting up in the middle of the night to change chargers. The Nekton really needs to upgrade the indoor space and facilities for larger camera systems; systems like Ikelite, Gates or Light & Motion do require some space and battery recharging facilities. However, the crew was excellent in camera handling, both in and out of the water. Again, kudos crew!

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Dive Review of Nekton/Rorqual in Bahamas/Cal Sal Bank

Nekton/Rorqual, Jun, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Nekton/Rorqual in
Bahamas/Cal Sal Bank