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My husband and I are considering doing the 7-night itinerary on the Spirit of Freedom in March 2005. Could anyone help me with the following:
1. What is the water temperature like at this time? I dived in the Bahamas in 24C in a full 5MM suit and was about right.
2. Are there strong currents at this time of year?
3. We like our creature comforts and have done two liveaboards before. One, in Thailand, was like a fishing trawler and was dreadful - although the diving was good. The other, Aquacat in the Bahamas, was great. Is the Spirit of Freedom as nice as it looks?
4. Is there any other useful information we should know about?
1. The temp when I was there in June was about 77-80 degrees F, not sure what that is in C. A 5mm full suit I think is way too much for tropical diving! No use having to constrict yourself in a tight suit if you don't need to. I was wearing a 3mm shorty and felt fine. Some girls were diving just in bikinis, but most were wearing full 3mm.
3. SOF was quite comfortable. I was in a 4 share cabin and it was more than I expected after seeing some budget cabins in other boats. The boat isn't as modern as it looks in some of the photos, but I didn't have any complaints. It was fairly roomy and there was always somewhere else on the boat to hang out when you started feeling contained. The lounge area was nice with a mini bar and books, magazines, and dvds and the sun deck was roomy and comfortable as well. Out all the live-aboards that go to the Ribbons and the Coral Sea, I think SOF is the best value for the money. Although Taka and Nimrod seem like good options as well for cheap and comfortable.
4. They turn off the water soon after docking in the early morning on the last day when you get back to Cairns, so be sure to shower the night before and get your teeth brushed early! I was showering and had the water shut off while still being covered in soap.
Originally Posted by Rosie
My husband and I are considering doing the 7-night itinerary on the Spirit of Freedom in March 2005. Could anyone help me with the following:
1. What is the water temperature like at this time? I dived in the Bahamas in 24C in a full 5MM suit and was about right.
2. Are there strong currents at this time of year?
3. We like our creature comforts and have done two liveaboards before. One, in Thailand, was like a fishing trawler and was dreadful - although the diving was good. The other, Aquacat in the Bahamas, was great. Is the Spirit of Freedom as nice as it looks?
4. Is there any other useful information we should know about?
Thanks very much for the response - particularly the heads-up about the showers! We have looked at the itineraries again and decided to go with Mike Ball instead, as we both like our creature comforts.
My husband and I are considering doing the 7-night itinerary on the Spirit of Freedom in March 2005. Could anyone help me with the following:
1. What is the water temperature like at this time? I dived in the Bahamas in 24C in a full 5MM suit and was about right.
2. Are there strong currents at this time of year?
3. We like our creature comforts and have done two liveaboards before. One, in Thailand, was like a fishing trawler and was dreadful - although the diving was good. The other, Aquacat in the Bahamas, was great. Is the Spirit of Freedom as nice as it looks?
4. Is there any other useful information we should know about?
cheers
Rosie
well rosie if you havent already left, Spirit of Freedom was the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I went on the 7 day trip and it was awesome. The crew is so friendly, especially Cat and the food was great and the shark dive was amazining. Rob is the best cook ever he sure knows how to BBQ. SPRIRT OF FREEDOM ALL THE WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-zach
Thanks very much for the response - particularly the heads-up about the showers! We have looked at the itineraries again and decided to go with Mike Ball instead, as we both like our creature comforts.
cheers
Rosie
Hi Rosie,
I'm looking to go in May and would like to hear your comments about Mike Ball. I'm also comparing it against Spirit of Freedom. Is it true that prices are less if you buy in Australia?
I'm looking to go in May and would like to hear your comments about Mike Ball. I'm also comparing it against Spirit of Freedom. Is it true that prices are less if you buy in Australia?
Here's the Scoop:
We had a great time.
Great dives, the MB crew was great!
The food was wonderful and they were willing to take requests if you could think of one early on in the trip.
The rooms were nice and the showers were always hot. The cruise director Richard from London Rocked!!
The dive masters were Really great about pointing cool stuff out and naming fish that you got photos of afterwards too. Hope you get SuperDave who is Awesome!! They always made absolutely certain everyone was accounted for and that they were meeting their dive chart requirements too.
They have volunteers on the boat doing some diving and helping out cooking. Some of the volunteers were great and some were horrible. I may just be a big baby about diving in the dark but, We went night diving with a volunteer named San that had no regard for the fact my husband had very little air left and that I had lost my flashlight. It freaked the crap out of me.
So only dive with the pros on the boat if you are not the best navigator. Over all I would absolutely go w/MB again and only dive with the MB divemasters per my bad navigation skills.
Have a great time, I know you will,
Christine
Pricing: We met folks on the boat who went there to buy last minute tix and they paid like half of what we paid.
But you are not guaranteed to get on your dream trip if it is full already...
Christine
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Originally Posted by Rosie
