Fiji Liveabaord advice

I'm tentatively booked on Peter Hughes Island Dancer for a week in July. I love the fact it's a small boat with only 5 cabins/10 divers max.

But I keep hearing about how wonderful The Nai'a is...

They take 18 divers -- It just sounds like too many people, all crashing into each other.

I've only been on one liveaboard (twice) --The Shakti in Raja Ampat (10 max) -- so I really don't know what criteria to base my decision on.

It's not too late for me to switch, and the dates are exactly the same...

Help?!

Having been on the Nai'a and Shakti, I'd say you're looking at a vast difference in boats. The Nai'a is more luxurious and better equipped. Crewwise, both are enthusiastic and good. I think you'll definitely be happy on the Nai'a from a boat perspective, esp with the camera room. Smaller vs bigger boat dilemma I'll let you sort out yourself

Having been on the Nai'a and Shakti, I'd say you're looking at a vast difference in boats. The Nai'a is more luxurious and better equipped. Crewwise, both are enthusiastic and good. I think you'll definitely be happy on the Nai'a from a boat perspective, esp with the camera room. Smaller vs bigger boat dilemma I'll let you sort out yourself

Drew, are you comparing Nai'a and Island Dancer...or Nai'a and Shakti?

Well, the boats aren't exactly the same size:

Nai'a: 120 ft, 30 foot beam, 240 ton displacement, 12 crew

Island Dancer II: 101 ft, 22 ft beam, no displacement or draft given, 5 crew.

Granted a motor sail setup loses some space both on deck and below due to the mast structure, but 20 feet longer by nearly 10 wider makes for a considerable difference in interior volume. And I can't tell as I didn't find layouts for the Hughes boat, but looks like the Nai'a has an additional deck for crew/captain/wheelhouse. So the guest count difference might not be as noticable as the raw number would indicate.

I've been on neither but admit I've been eyeing the Nai'a myself for a future trip. Only suggestion I'd have is to read trip reports if you can find them from people who've been on one or the other, and see how their comments (complaints or compliments) mesh with what your desires are. That and look for layout photos.

Having been on the Juliet in the Mona Passage (off Puerto Rico) which is a 3-masted, 106' boat that took 12 passengers (5 crew), I'd have to say the dive deck area wasn't remotely crowded and cabins were cramped, but sufficient. If I had any complaint at all about them (and this is petty, which means I was quite satisfied) it was that I wish they had a lower, wider rinse bucket vs. the typical Rubbermaid 'trash can' size, and that the smaller oval hatches in the belowdeck hallway were a bit tight to wriggle thru while carrying a rig with strobes on arms (I'm 6' 1.5", running 240ish lbs).

The other 2 liveaboards I've done (TX Flower Gardens) are the Spree, which takes 24 divers, and the Fling, which takes 32, (both excluding any shop divemasters). Those dive decks can definitely feel pretty crowded, and 'cabins' are really just enough room to stand and change between 4 bunks. i.e. Spartan!! But just fine if you're after 2-3 days of dive/sleep/eat and don't ever have time to consider how tight things can be.

Thanks rtrski,

I've been looking for reports, but since PH just started doing Fiji, all I can find is glowing reviews of Nai'a and not much comparison shopping.

Happy T-day over there in TX. I'm next door in NM.

correction: Island Dancer has 22 diver. that's a lot.

We were on the Nai'a for 10 days last month. Thanks to LAUPS for such a great prize! They use two inflatables and split the divers among them. Then go to different dive sites. There were only 13 guests on our trip so I think we had 6 or 7 each but they do 4 dives a day and different people would sit out a dive so it was even less some dives. I did two dives with just 3 people.

The crew is top class. The Camera room is fantastic. rows of outlets and 3 shelves high so you can store below and charge on the 2nd while assembling on the top shelf.

The best part for me was the 70 minute dive times (longer if you just inform them that you'll be down longer) and dive freedom to move at your own pace. So to me, it didn't matter how manner people were on the dive, they are usually very large pinnacles so for macro, never a problem, wide angle at times required patience because of the bubble streams.

Everything is taken care of for you, from your tank and BC at the ready in the dive boat to the crew hauling your camera system back and forth from the pangas. Just grab your masks and fins and hop on.

The staterooms were large, food excellent and you get free beer or wine at dinner!!

It really is a first class operation.

Rand

Thanks rtrski,

 

I've been looking for reports, but since PH just started doing Fiji, all I can find is glowing reviews of Nai'a and not much comparison shopping.

 

Happy T-day over there in TX. I'm next door in NM.

 

correction: Island Dancer has 22 diver. that's a lot.

Thanks, hope your T-day was good too. Recovering my distended stomach with a cup of coffee this a.m. And not leaving the house for any remotely 'commercial' or shopping venue on pain of death by crowd insanity....

Are you sure about the 22 divers? I can only find references to 10 when I search with respect to Fiji information, but they're also all for the Island Dancer II

For example: http://www.peterhughes.com/fiji-TripReport-July09.shtml

and I finally found the layout I was too silly to see last night somehow: http://www.peterhughes.com/fiji-islanddancer.shtml

Maybe you read the "22" for beam, just above # of divers???

Island Dancer is 10 divers/5 cabins. That's what I'm booked on right now.

The Nia'a has 22 divers/9 cabins (2 are triples).

The other thing is, so far we are the only ones on the PH boat, and it won't go unless there's 5 pax.

Nia'a is already half full.

It could be just because the Nia'a has such a great rep, and PH is new to the area.

But I've heard things...

I've heard PH refuses to pay bribes to the local villages, and therefore doesn't have access to the best dive sites, whereas the Nia'a people have been there for so long they know everyone.

I hate making decisions without enough info. And I despise booking trips 7 months ahead! That's the reason I don't usually do liveaboards.

There are people I know booked for 2012 already. That's nuts.

I hear ya about not leaving the house today -- those freaks were shopping since midnight!

Cheryl, i worked on the Fiji boat before.. back when it was called Aggressor or more properly, the Sere-ni-Wai (my spelling could be off ) The boat itself is not new to the area, nor is the crew, just the owner/name on the boat.

Lots of rooms in the cabins especially if you have your own, spacious eating area lounge.

Cool back deck with the sweeping stairs, easy jump off and back on the back deck when doing dives from the main boat.

Not a whole heck of a lot of deck space but not too bad.

Only complaint is its not the best in rough seas as the beam is quite narrow

Not sure about the Naia, haven't been on it.

So yea, it would come down to numbers of divers for sure. Not sure if the Naia splits up the groups into different tenders for different sites?

Mikey baby! how the hell are ya?

That is just the kind of advice i need. Thanks!

Didn't know you were in Fiji too -- you get around for a boy your age.

Yes, the Nia'a splits group in 2 tenders and goes to diff sites.

Now I can really pick your brain....

Here is another dilemma. Week after liveaboard: Do something like Beqa and be able to do that shark dive thing? (it sounds cool but soooo contrived and commercial)...

OR, fly to Tonga and swim with humpbacks in Hai'apai.

It would be week of July 11, and i hear it may be early in the season for them.

????

Oh that's the Sere-ni-Wai? Well then I've been on both and can tell you the rooms on the Sere are slightly bigger than the rooms in the Nai'a.

From what you've said, you already have enough information to make your decision about the boats. If the dancer can't hit the good sites, and it seems if you've been on the Shakti, the luxury bit doesn't matter as much AND both boats have a good crew, then what else is there to consider? No brainer to me.

As for humpies, go to Niue instead. The humpies get there early... in July even

Yes! Thanks to you guys for helping me with this!

We'll go with the Peter Hughes -- we have the owners cabin held and it looks fantastic. Hopefully others will sign up and it will sail.

Anyone else up for July 3 - 7?

Niue, huh? Looks like not so easy to get to from Nadi and we only have 1 week. Air Pac doesn't fly there -- unless I'm missing something?

I was looking at Sandy Beach Resort on Foa. Ha'apai Divers (who specializes in the humpback trips) is based there.

Curious: Niue is north of Ha'apai/Foa..... why do the whales get there first if they're coming from Antarctica?

Bula - I own NAI'A in Fiji and have no intention of hijacking this conversation with promotion of our operation. I only wish to correct some facts so readers of this forum are accurately advised as they choose the liveaboard journey that is right for them.

1. NAI'A carries a MAXIMUM of 18 diving guests in eight full size staterooms with private ensuite bathrooms, plus one smaller cabin with ensuite. The rooms that look like triples on our website are set up for two people either sleeping together or in separate beds.

2. Our mast takes up merely half a square meter of deck area. The vessel has three decks: accommodation deck, main deck and bridge deck.

3. Because we dive from two independent skiffs, rather than from the main boat, we do not put all divers on one site or limit dive times. Guests are free to make short or long dives as they please. We do encourage divers who enjoy significantly extended dive times to simply notify us of their habit. Divers who surface early don't have to wait in the skiff for the others; they are taken back to the ship.

4. Payments to traditional owners of reefs are common in some parts of the Pacific. We pay "dive rights" in some places but not in others. This a very complex local issue, perhaps worthy of a separate forum. But we certainly do not consider these payments "bribes". Dive rights are a function of many factors including the relationship between the operator and the local people, conservation management, the type of activity that takes place in an area and the frequency of visitations. Consider by way of example that what began as our "dive rights" many years ago around Namena, has now become Fiji's largest marine reserve network <http://www.namena.org/>

5. Early July is a bit early for humpback whales any place in the South Pacific, but there will be a few around, mainly juveniles. From Antarctica, humpback whales follow a variety of migratory routes along the coasts of New Zealand and Australia and into the Pacific Islands. Recent tagging research has also revealed some humpback movement east and west between island groups during the southern winter breeding and birthing season.

Vinaka vakalevu,

Rob

Hi Rob

Thanks for clearing up the "bribes" issue. I do support paying the locals something to keep them interested in protecting their reefs, rather than seeing it as extortion and a hit to the bottom line. It should be happening everywhere where there are local populations who use destructive fishing practices. It's very common place in Indonesia and it is effective on the most part.

wow Rob, Thanks for that info. I know your operation gets fabulous reviews. I will seriously think about it before I lay down my deposit to PH.

sorry for the poor use of the word "bribe". I just didn't know what else to call it and certainly didn't mean it in a bad way -- actually, i thought of it as a plus in your favor. IMO local people have every right to make some extra money off rich western tourists.

re humpbacks. yes i know it's the luck of the draw, but i always wanted to go to Tonga since i was a kid -- can't explain why. something in that name. I can't get that close and NOT go.

And I'm sure the diving is decent enough that I won't get bored, with or without whales!

Any suggestions on where to go? Was set on Sandy Beach Resort in Ha'apai, but just found out a big group has the whale boat chartered same days.

for Tonga

Contact Karen at divevavau.com she is also a member here and learned to put up with me for years...

Thanks Mike, I'll do that.

wow Rob, Thanks for that info. I know your operation gets fabulous reviews. I will seriously think about it before I lay down my deposit to PH.

 

sorry for the poor use of the word "bribe". I just didn't know what else to call it and certainly didn't mean it in a bad way -- actually, i thought of it as a plus in your favor. IMO local people have every right to make some extra money off rich western tourists.

 

re humpbacks. yes i know it's the luck of the draw, but i always wanted to go to Tonga since i was a kid -- can't explain why. something in that name. I can't get that close and NOT go.

And I'm sure the diving is decent enough that I won't get bored, with or without whales!

Any suggestions on where to go? Was set on Sandy Beach Resort in Ha'apai, but just found out a big group has the whale boat chartered same days.

Bula Cheryl:

You definitely should go to Tonga, even if you are a bit early for the best of the humpbacks. It's a lovely and very interesting country, particularly as they prepare to retire the monarchy and move to democracy. During whale season we operate only in Ha'apai, the middle group in the country (where Sandy Beach Resort is located), so I don't know about Vava'u first hand. But I know there are several good operators up there and some gorgeous little island resorts. As Mike mentioned, Paul and Karen at Dive Vava'u are great folks and I've heard they run a first-class operation. Another we often hear good things about is Mounu Island Resort (www.mounuisland.com). Have a great time! Best fishes, Rob

Bula Rob!

I got talked out of Tonga and now I am looking at Taveuni or Kadavu for the week after the boat.

I hated I'd have to spend 2 nights and all day (Sunday!) in Nuku'alofa and everything appears to be closed. I will save Tonga when I have more time and can do it right -- with whales. Easy to get there now on Continental.

BTW, I am pretty swayed towards Nai'a after reading amazing reviews all day. You'll be hearing from my agent next week, I'm pretty sure.

(At least so she can find out who the other nine divers are -- a big group or FITs on July 3?)

Bula Rob!

I got talked out of Tonga and now I am looking at Taveuni or Kadavu for the week after the boat.

Bula!

I have been to both Taveuni and Kadavu but I am certainly no expert on them. Let me know if there are any questions and I will try and help. We loved both both they are considerably different.

There have been several threads recently relating to Taveuni so a search should provide some good reading.

Dave