Dive Review of Nekton Pilot in
Belize/Lighthouse Reef

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Nekton Pilot, Jan, 2003, by Bill Dausses, OK, USA . Report 368.
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	My third return trip on the Nekton. I just like everything about the boat, the trip, the crew, the food and the diving. This is laid back, easy diving at its best. Nekton just blows everyone away with their steel 95 tanks and the long bottom times. Did 25 dives with a total bottom time in excess of 27 hrs. That may not sound like much but over half the dives exceeded 100 ft and I always had plenty of air left after each dive. Lighthouse reef and Halfmoon Caye are super sites for color, clarity, and outstanding walls. The highlights of this trip were the numerous octopi and green morays. Big grouper and tarpon are still abundant and there were plenty of big lobsters and channel crabs. Night diving is a real hoot here as the reef is simply alive and spectacular both in the shallows and on the walls. Several eagle rays and stingrays were spotted during the week but only one or two sharks. Generally, this is not a trip to see big pelagics like whale sharks or mantas, however, last year I did spot a pod of dolphins and a black marlin cruising the wall. The Nekton Pilot is still in good shape and the food was plentiful and delicious. Fresh baked cookies in the morning, an afternoon snack, and desert or popcorn after the night dive really hit the spot after diving. The crew was particularly great on this trip, quite helpful and a lot of fun. Several new divers were present and they went out of their way to help them with anxieties and safely adapt to bouyancy in saltwater. They also let the veterans dive as they wanted within safety limits. It is hard to come up with many negatives. The plumbing went down for about two hours one day but the crew jumped on it immediately and replaced a pump that went out. This also was the last cruise for Captain John as he was going into business for himself in Key Largo. He was an outstanding captain, quite entertaining, and very knowledgeable about the marine ecosystem. He will be missed. The only other potential problem is the weather in Belize during January. They are not immune to the cold fronts that sweep down from the north and I suspect the outside temps, winds and rain can be a problem. Although we had fairly good weather the trip the previous week was all rain. I have been on this trip in late February and it was in the mid-80's and sunny all week. Our trip temps ranged from 72 to 83 degrees.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Flower Gardens, Cozumel and many freshwater lakes in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, cloudy, dry	Seas	choppy, noCurrents
Water Temp	79-80°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	130 Ft, 24 hr flying after diving rule
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	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	[None]

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Dive Review of Nekton Pilot in Belize/Lighthouse Reef

Nekton Pilot, Jan, 2003,

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 Pilot in
Belize/Lighthouse Reef