People booking diving vacations on liveaboard
boats often overlook the fact that conditions might
be very different to those found at a resort securely
set on terra firma. However, as big or seaworthy as a
vessel is, it still operates at the mercy of the weather.
The ocean is bigger than everything.
This can mean that itineraries get changed at
short notice due to changing conditions. The safety
of the vessel and its passengers are the priority, and
when it comes to diving, the safety of those once in
the water is equally crucial. For that reason, skippers
must always maintain the right to adjust an itinerary
as necessary.
Changes can lead to disappointment when
people have expectations of visiting certain dive
sites on advertised routes, and they don't get to see
them. More disappointing are changed itineraries
that were so changed to suit the requirements of the
crew or operator rather than the paying passengers.
Some of us have been on liveaboards that were
under-booked and didn't venture far from home
port to save the cost of fuel. Or what about a liveaboard
that spent a lot of time around one island
because a crew member's wife was about to deliver
their baby there. It's not fair but it happens, and
passengers have every right to complain.
Adam Preston, A British national living in
Thailand, booked a 2016 full charter of the Fiji
Aggressor in 2014 for customers of his Koh Samui
dive operation, with the intention to explore what
is known as the "soft coral capital of the world."
The Aggressor website map and description included
the Bligh Channel between the main islands of
Vitu Levu and Vanua Levu. However, by 2015 the
website route map had been changed. The Bligh
Channel had been removed, and instead, the route
was diverted to Kadavu Island but still included
the north-east islands. The website description and
video still called it the "The Soft Coral Capital of
the World." Even though Preston had paid for a
full charter, he was never notified of the itinerary
change.
In February 2016, Cyclone Winston ripped
through Fiji, causing a lot of devastation. When
Preston and his group boarded the Fiji Aggressor, they were taken on yet another route that spent all
six days at Kadavu Island, south of Vitu Levu, the
main island. He says that at no time was he warned
of this alternate itinerary and reported they spent
the six days "searching for any signs of marine life."
The reason for this route change, he was told in
Fiji, was that "the Soft Coral Capital of the World"
had been destroyed by Cyclone Winston." but he
had not been pre-warned of this despite paying the
second 50 percent of the charter fee in May.
After the liveaboard segment of their vacation,
his party stayed at Wananavu Beach Resort.
"Imagine our surprise when we saw the lovely pictures
of healthy reefs and colorful corals other divers
were bringing back from their scuba dive trips
in the Bligh Waters," he says. "This in the area we
were told by Fiji Aggressor staff had been completely destroyed and nothing left to see."
Undercurrent looked at the current video on the Fiji Aggressor website and noted that although it mentioned soft coral in the commentary, there was
little in evidence in the visual material. Neither
is the area most notable for vibrant soft coral,
between Vanua Levu and the island of Taveuni, featured.
Undercurrent was unable to elicit a response from the Aggressor Fleet, so we contacted other liveaboard
operators in that part of the world, notably
those who operate the well-established Nai'a and the Fiji Siren.
Rob Barrel of Nai'a said that although the reefs had sustained some damage, "Often, relatively
undamaged patches of reef could be found within
150 to 300 feet (50 to 100m) of severely damaged patches. While prior to Cyclone Winston, you could
throw a diver pretty much anywhere on the best
reefs in Bligh Water and Namena and they would
have a great dive, after the cyclone we had to work
a bit harder to make sure our passengers saw the
best aspects of each reef. We extended Nai'a's route after the cyclone to include the Rainbow Reef near
Taveuni."
He directed us to a video shot in March immediately
after the hurricane. www.naia.com.fj/post.php?healthy_reefs-197.
Mark Shandur for Siren Fleet said, "Although it's
true that there has been some destruction of the
reefs from Hurricane Winston, there's still plenty of
good diving."
Both suggested that some vessels embarking out
of Suva are probably only restricting operations
around Kadavu Island because of the prohibitive
fuel costs for traveling farther afield. We still wait to
hear from the Aggressor office, which markets the
Fiji Aggressor.
In a separate case, Stephen Murvine (San Diego,
CA) told us how he and his buddy booked a trip
aboard the Bahamas Carib Dancer (Aggressor Fleet) and paid a $200 premium to dive Tiger Beach off
Grand Bahama. Tiger Beach is a stretch of shallow
low-lying reefs fed by the Gulf Stream that is famous for its preponderance of tiger sharks and a
large lemon shark population. The Shear Water of Jim Abernathy's Scuba Adventures, Dolphin Dream and Stuart Cove's Dive the Bahamas regularly visit
Tiger Reef.
"We went to a site they called 'Shark Paradise'
on day one and saw a tiger shark on dive #3, so
they called that 'Tiger Beach' on the dive debrief
at the end of the trip. [Although there were plenty
of lemon sharks], this was the only tiger shark seen
during the seven-day trip. We never hit the Tiger Beach we paid for, and we both [later] contacted
the Aggressor [office]. They gave some half-hearted
excuse and said the whole Grand Bahamas west end
was considered Tiger Beach and the extra $200 was
because they came out of a port that charged more
for this trip. My buddy has taken five Aggressor trips
in the last year, and she only received this answer."
Again, Undercurrent waits to hear from the
Aggressor office for their side of the story! Have you
ever been disappointed in this way?