OP
indiedive
Contributor
@nudisusie, many thanks for the information! It was quite shocking for me as well, I thought LOB in Raja Ampat at least should have certain standard especially on environmental issue.
Review LOB Euphoria Raja Ampat
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Ids Voerman
New
I did receive via Premier liveaboard diving Ltd another complaint send to them from a German couple on honeymoon of Euphoria Live on Board addressing most items already mentioned by Indiedive. This goes as follows:
Dear Simone and Jez,
we are back home from our Honeymoon and would like to thank you for the great organization and support. The Villa Shamballa was truly like Paradise and we enjoyed the time there very much.
However, we would like to tell you about our experience on the Euphoria from June 13th till 24th 2014.
Unfortunately it did not meet our expectations at all.
At the Airport the Manager Arthur picked us up. We found him very grumpy but didn’t think much of it then.
Once we where on the ship, we found out that the toilet flush didn’t work. As the Manager Arthur was running errands in Sorong, we told the crew. They came with a bucket of water, flushed the toilet and ensured us that it would be okay later. Supposedly there was some kind of switch, which Arthur had not activated. Well, the toilet flush didn’t work for the whole cruise.
In the description of the Master Cabin we understood that we would have a private balcony. The balcony we had was to share with the other Master Cabin, so it was not private at all.
The first day the air-condition was on but it didn’t really cool down the cabin and was smelling very bad on top of it. A couple of days later the air-condition was not working at all anymore. The solution to not suffocating was to leave all doors open … privacy was not possible!
The TV which is supposed to be in the common room is not existing.
We were not offered any kayaking, waterskiing, wakeboarding or fishing.
The other passengers told us, that the crew did spearfishing in the harbor of Sorong when they got on the boat about 3 hours before us … isn’t that illegal in Raja Ampat?
The first day we did not have fresh water because they forgot to fill the tanks in the port.
A couple of times we had water leaking through the ceiling onto our bed. After talking to Arthur about it we found out that this is normal. He said: „Normally its another cabin but today it was yours and mine. Thats because it’s a wooden boat.“
Seriously, we have been on wooden boats before and none of them had leakages!
The food was okay but very basic. Mostly it was fish with rice in all kind of variations. Heiko does not like fish (as we told on the guest information sheet in advance) so it was not very enjoyable for him.
The snacks before the morning dive and in the afternoon where not existing as well.
On a couple of days the Generator broke down which also meant that we didn’t have electricity to fill the tanks. Although there are supposedly 44 dive tanks on board and we were only 7 guests we had to miss the next dive. Surprisingly the next morning we did get full tanks without our used ones being filled … why did we have to miss the dive the day before? By that time the generator was working again.
Also because of the Generator we were asked to safe fresh water. Apparently the Generator was not working 100% so there was not enough fresh water being produced.
There was no hot water to shower. After asking Management about the situation we where told that nothing can be done about it. Not even an apology, just the statement that the water in the pipes is warm if you are the first to shower.
If we had booked a survival trip we would not have had any problem with the uncomfortable things but as we did pay a lot of money and it was supposed to be a „once in a lifetime“ trip, we did mind the missing comfort.
Now to the diving side of the trip. Plainly said it was unsafe!
The dive guides are all Rescue Divers which in itself would not be a problem if they had group leading abilities. On every dive there where small situations but two of them I want to tell you about.
1. We where on a wall dive with a group of 6. The first 30 minutes I didn’t see where the guide was but as I am very comfortable leading a group I just started looking out for everybody and keeping the group together - this should not have been my job! After 30 minutes the guide came to me from below and signaled that he has to go to decompression stop for 12 minutes and that he is low on air. After the dive he told me proudly that he went to 50 Meters!
2. I had bad air in the tank, it was tasting of diesel fumes and I got a headache. Since I didn’t have a buddy, I signaled the guide that my air is bad and I had to surface. He signaled ok and continued the dive … so I surfaced alone! After the dive I told the crew about it but nobody asked if I was okay. I got the impression that this was a normal situation.
Also nobody checked any dive certifications or requested waivers to be filled out.
The briefings where held to the absolut minimum. We knew which lens to put on the camera and how deep the dive site would be but nothing else.
We found it strange that the route went straight up and back the same way and same dive sites … there are so many dive sites, why do one again if there wasn’t anything special to see?
We don’t know if you have been on the Euphoria or not but we can definitely not recommend this liveaboard cruise and it doesn’t deserve to be called „Premier liveaboard“. We do know that things can break and this itself would not have been a problem but the way the boat is Managed is horrible. The crew is good and they try their best, but they don’t speak sufficient english to communicate. The Manager Arthur doesn’t talk much at all and especially not if there is a Problem somewhere on the ship. On the last day he tried to talk and to apologize for all the Problems we had been having for the 11 days but that was way too late!
For us the cruise means a lost 11 days on our honeymoon which we will never get back, which makes us upset and annoyed.
Dear Simone and Jez,
we are back home from our Honeymoon and would like to thank you for the great organization and support. The Villa Shamballa was truly like Paradise and we enjoyed the time there very much.
However, we would like to tell you about our experience on the Euphoria from June 13th till 24th 2014.
Unfortunately it did not meet our expectations at all.
At the Airport the Manager Arthur picked us up. We found him very grumpy but didn’t think much of it then.
Once we where on the ship, we found out that the toilet flush didn’t work. As the Manager Arthur was running errands in Sorong, we told the crew. They came with a bucket of water, flushed the toilet and ensured us that it would be okay later. Supposedly there was some kind of switch, which Arthur had not activated. Well, the toilet flush didn’t work for the whole cruise.
In the description of the Master Cabin we understood that we would have a private balcony. The balcony we had was to share with the other Master Cabin, so it was not private at all.
The first day the air-condition was on but it didn’t really cool down the cabin and was smelling very bad on top of it. A couple of days later the air-condition was not working at all anymore. The solution to not suffocating was to leave all doors open … privacy was not possible!
The TV which is supposed to be in the common room is not existing.
We were not offered any kayaking, waterskiing, wakeboarding or fishing.
The other passengers told us, that the crew did spearfishing in the harbor of Sorong when they got on the boat about 3 hours before us … isn’t that illegal in Raja Ampat?
The first day we did not have fresh water because they forgot to fill the tanks in the port.
A couple of times we had water leaking through the ceiling onto our bed. After talking to Arthur about it we found out that this is normal. He said: „Normally its another cabin but today it was yours and mine. Thats because it’s a wooden boat.“
Seriously, we have been on wooden boats before and none of them had leakages!
The food was okay but very basic. Mostly it was fish with rice in all kind of variations. Heiko does not like fish (as we told on the guest information sheet in advance) so it was not very enjoyable for him.
The snacks before the morning dive and in the afternoon where not existing as well.
On a couple of days the Generator broke down which also meant that we didn’t have electricity to fill the tanks. Although there are supposedly 44 dive tanks on board and we were only 7 guests we had to miss the next dive. Surprisingly the next morning we did get full tanks without our used ones being filled … why did we have to miss the dive the day before? By that time the generator was working again.
Also because of the Generator we were asked to safe fresh water. Apparently the Generator was not working 100% so there was not enough fresh water being produced.
There was no hot water to shower. After asking Management about the situation we where told that nothing can be done about it. Not even an apology, just the statement that the water in the pipes is warm if you are the first to shower.
If we had booked a survival trip we would not have had any problem with the uncomfortable things but as we did pay a lot of money and it was supposed to be a „once in a lifetime“ trip, we did mind the missing comfort.
Now to the diving side of the trip. Plainly said it was unsafe!
The dive guides are all Rescue Divers which in itself would not be a problem if they had group leading abilities. On every dive there where small situations but two of them I want to tell you about.
1. We where on a wall dive with a group of 6. The first 30 minutes I didn’t see where the guide was but as I am very comfortable leading a group I just started looking out for everybody and keeping the group together - this should not have been my job! After 30 minutes the guide came to me from below and signaled that he has to go to decompression stop for 12 minutes and that he is low on air. After the dive he told me proudly that he went to 50 Meters!
2. I had bad air in the tank, it was tasting of diesel fumes and I got a headache. Since I didn’t have a buddy, I signaled the guide that my air is bad and I had to surface. He signaled ok and continued the dive … so I surfaced alone! After the dive I told the crew about it but nobody asked if I was okay. I got the impression that this was a normal situation.
Also nobody checked any dive certifications or requested waivers to be filled out.
The briefings where held to the absolut minimum. We knew which lens to put on the camera and how deep the dive site would be but nothing else.
We found it strange that the route went straight up and back the same way and same dive sites … there are so many dive sites, why do one again if there wasn’t anything special to see?
We don’t know if you have been on the Euphoria or not but we can definitely not recommend this liveaboard cruise and it doesn’t deserve to be called „Premier liveaboard“. We do know that things can break and this itself would not have been a problem but the way the boat is Managed is horrible. The crew is good and they try their best, but they don’t speak sufficient english to communicate. The Manager Arthur doesn’t talk much at all and especially not if there is a Problem somewhere on the ship. On the last day he tried to talk and to apologize for all the Problems we had been having for the 11 days but that was way too late!
For us the cruise means a lost 11 days on our honeymoon which we will never get back, which makes us upset and annoyed.
Ross1
Registered
Has anyone reported Euphoria to the authorities yet?
Of course it is shocking behavior. However, the real big damage to the Indonesian nature was done while cutting the trees to build these type of boats.
I still surprises me that not more people are aware of this and disagree with building even more wooden boats in Indonesia. In my opinion a wooden lob, built in Indonesia, is the opposite of eco-tourism. Unless the owners can explain that they compensated for the lost forest.
I still surprises me that not more people are aware of this and disagree with building even more wooden boats in Indonesia. In my opinion a wooden lob, built in Indonesia, is the opposite of eco-tourism. Unless the owners can explain that they compensated for the lost forest.
Ross1
Registered
Surely resorts use wood from forests too?
Uli Kunkel
Contributor
I'd wager that the wood to build resorts isn't the same species as being used to create liveaboards, given the structural needs of boats of that size.
Anyway- regardless of all that, sounds like this one is another to stay away from. Its one of the reasons I like to pop in here and search up the names of any operator I am thinking of diving with. Although you can get one or two people who expect way too much from their experience and post a sour review, its good to have a heads up before making a booking.
I am constantly amazed at how often these kinds of trips end up being less than satisfying, to say the least. From my experience I know that a lot of guests just shut up and take the "abuse," hoping that things will get better, and not worse by antagonizing the cruise director/manager.
Anyway- regardless of all that, sounds like this one is another to stay away from. Its one of the reasons I like to pop in here and search up the names of any operator I am thinking of diving with. Although you can get one or two people who expect way too much from their experience and post a sour review, its good to have a heads up before making a booking.
I am constantly amazed at how often these kinds of trips end up being less than satisfying, to say the least. From my experience I know that a lot of guests just shut up and take the "abuse," hoping that things will get better, and not worse by antagonizing the cruise director/manager.
We too, used wood in the past without knowing where it came from. But the last 10 years we use more and more coconut (actually a grass), Gaba Gaba (from the Sago palm) and concrete. Trees we use for building never come from the forest. We planted 20.000 trees and conserve and protect 700 hectares of forest. I think that builders of wooden ships in Indonesia should investigate thoroughly where the wood is coming from and compensate by planting high quality trees and/or by buying forest for conservation.
divenski
Contributor
It would be nice to get this information about to ALL divers considering a RA LOB - I keep telling divers about SB, but there is a huge community out there who needs to be up on this kind of information! Any ideas from you experts?
I understand your point Rob, but short of ceasing boatbuilding, what would you offer as alternatives? What suitable material does not create environmental issues ... steel, aluminum, fiberglass? It's kind of a 'choose your poison' predicament, isn't it? Anyway, we've now hijacked an otherwise important thread ....
Sorry, did not intend hijacking the thread. Think it was related to the topic. And I still hope that divers do not limit their concern about the environment to rays, sharks and coral reefs. Indeed there is no truly environmental way of boat building. But for our forests here in Indonesia the situation is as alarming as for the shark population worldwide. Better no boat, than a wooden boat; unless there are serious efforts for compensating for the used trees. All boats are built of very high quality wood and thus of very slow growing trees.
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