Back in the '80s, my wife and I were avid Scuba enthusiasts. I had heard of this 'new concept in dive vacations' offered by an upstart cruise line called Ocean Quest International. They boasted a freshly refitted ocean going ferry whose car deck had been converted to carry approximately a dozen high speed dive boats. Their special feature was self contained diving experiences going to such places as Belize, Roatan, Honduras, Mexico and even offering certification for 'diving' their on-board chamber! Diving was intense, often offering 4 dives each day and even offering a night dive on one night. We had the option of going landside, but that wasn't our purpose aboard this fantastic dive ship. True she was old, and yes she had more than her share of mechanical problems (loosing an engine on return to New Orleans leaving the Miss whatever, beauty queens fuming on the pier for hours! But at the end of the experience (yes we sailed her multiple times) it was politics that killed her. She was barred from launching her own fast boats in Mexico, relegating us to hire those decrepid mexican taxis that took most of the time just getting to our dive walls and having to pay extra for 'port fees' in Belize even though we never tied up. It was a fantastic concept that unfortunately ran into insurmountable difficulties - including running into the stern of another ship at dock on her last cruise arriving at St. Petersburg, Florida. The shame is that it was a sound idea built on a worn out, poorly refitted ship that never gave them a fighting chance! So glad we got the chance to experience her while she sailed here.
What Happened to the NCL Sunward?
in What Ever Happened To........???
Posted
Back in the '80s, my wife and I were avid Scuba enthusiasts. I had heard of this 'new concept in dive vacations' offered by an upstart cruise line called Ocean Quest International. They boasted a freshly refitted ocean going ferry whose car deck had been converted to carry approximately a dozen high speed dive boats. Their special feature was self contained diving experiences going to such places as Belize, Roatan, Honduras, Mexico and even offering certification for 'diving' their on-board chamber! Diving was intense, often offering 4 dives each day and even offering a night dive on one night. We had the option of going landside, but that wasn't our purpose aboard this fantastic dive ship. True she was old, and yes she had more than her share of mechanical problems (loosing an engine on return to New Orleans leaving the Miss whatever, beauty queens fuming on the pier for hours! But at the end of the experience (yes we sailed her multiple times) it was politics that killed her. She was barred from launching her own fast boats in Mexico, relegating us to hire those decrepid mexican taxis that took most of the time just getting to our dive walls and having to pay extra for 'port fees' in Belize even though we never tied up. It was a fantastic concept that unfortunately ran into insurmountable difficulties - including running into the stern of another ship at dock on her last cruise arriving at St. Petersburg, Florida. The shame is that it was a sound idea built on a worn out, poorly refitted ship that never gave them a fighting chance! So glad we got the chance to experience her while she sailed here.