jamga02
Registered
We went on a liveaboard trip in the Philippines in October 2014. I have waited awhile to post my review, hoping that the trip would grow on me with time. Since it has been awhile since the trip, I will only post some overall impressions.
The boat is an average metal boat that needs some more updating and maintenance. There were multiple issues with air conditioners failing, one cabin flooded, the sewage smell caused one passenger to switch cabins, and there were several other general issues. A little more than what you expect on an average liveaboard trip from my past experiences. I usually expect to have some problems on the boat; when diving you can put up with a lot. Depending on how great the diving is relates directly to the level of issues you can put up with!
The diving was generally good. One really highpoint was the number of giant frogfish. On the trip, I know we saw over 50 of them, all different colors. I was able to photograph one of the large light purple ones yawning! This was great fun.
Weather became a problem due to a freak storm that made us vary the trip significantly. Due to the change, we were forced to dive closer to the big islands, where we saw a total of only one school of big fish the entire trip. This is very sad, and lends to the argument that the area is over fished. We can't blame the weather on the crew, but the two captains on board (a Canadian and an American) were very new to the area and thus didn't have good backup plans.
The dive setup and tenders were very nice, with no issues there. The crew, other than the captains, were very good and helpful.
Now to the captains. The American was a nice guy that looked like he enjoyed what he was doing. The Canadian was a smart man that had issues. He tries very hard to show you that he knows it all to the point of being rude. He also seems to have a slight problem with women. One example from the Canadian: we were eating dinner with him on the first or second night. I and one of my dive buddies have worked/lived in the middle east for the last 5+ years. The Canadian found out where we were living, and proceeded to tell us all about the Middle East; his opinions were stated as fact. Not the best table mate for the trip. We tried to avoid him after the first dinner, with some measure of success for a small group of 10 divers.
Also, there was friction between the two co captains. First off, I don't think you should have co captains, this can cause issues. One captain thought about reacting to the weather with plan a, the other thought that plan b was the right course of action. Not a great situation.
One of the dives was a snorkel with the whale sharks near an island I don't remember the name of. The fisherman feed them, so the experience is not seeing them in their natural state. However, it was still amazing and awe-inspiring. Where else can you see 7 or 8 of these creatures, swimming underneath and beside you for the full hour? This was great for videos and pictures. I have seen them on dives where they were encountered randomly, so I have now seen both situations. Both are awesome.
Last thing, the diving at the Atlantis Resort in Dumaguete was really great. Some awesome muck diving, and the resort is really nice, similar to Lembeh Resort (not quite as nice but similar) and to Maluku Divers in Ambon. On one dive, we were able to see a hairy frogfish and a blue ring octopus side by side!
I will give the Philippines another try, but probably not with this boat. I think the negatives outweighed the positives.
The boat is an average metal boat that needs some more updating and maintenance. There were multiple issues with air conditioners failing, one cabin flooded, the sewage smell caused one passenger to switch cabins, and there were several other general issues. A little more than what you expect on an average liveaboard trip from my past experiences. I usually expect to have some problems on the boat; when diving you can put up with a lot. Depending on how great the diving is relates directly to the level of issues you can put up with!
The diving was generally good. One really highpoint was the number of giant frogfish. On the trip, I know we saw over 50 of them, all different colors. I was able to photograph one of the large light purple ones yawning! This was great fun.
Weather became a problem due to a freak storm that made us vary the trip significantly. Due to the change, we were forced to dive closer to the big islands, where we saw a total of only one school of big fish the entire trip. This is very sad, and lends to the argument that the area is over fished. We can't blame the weather on the crew, but the two captains on board (a Canadian and an American) were very new to the area and thus didn't have good backup plans.
The dive setup and tenders were very nice, with no issues there. The crew, other than the captains, were very good and helpful.
Now to the captains. The American was a nice guy that looked like he enjoyed what he was doing. The Canadian was a smart man that had issues. He tries very hard to show you that he knows it all to the point of being rude. He also seems to have a slight problem with women. One example from the Canadian: we were eating dinner with him on the first or second night. I and one of my dive buddies have worked/lived in the middle east for the last 5+ years. The Canadian found out where we were living, and proceeded to tell us all about the Middle East; his opinions were stated as fact. Not the best table mate for the trip. We tried to avoid him after the first dinner, with some measure of success for a small group of 10 divers.
Also, there was friction between the two co captains. First off, I don't think you should have co captains, this can cause issues. One captain thought about reacting to the weather with plan a, the other thought that plan b was the right course of action. Not a great situation.
One of the dives was a snorkel with the whale sharks near an island I don't remember the name of. The fisherman feed them, so the experience is not seeing them in their natural state. However, it was still amazing and awe-inspiring. Where else can you see 7 or 8 of these creatures, swimming underneath and beside you for the full hour? This was great for videos and pictures. I have seen them on dives where they were encountered randomly, so I have now seen both situations. Both are awesome.
Last thing, the diving at the Atlantis Resort in Dumaguete was really great. Some awesome muck diving, and the resort is really nice, similar to Lembeh Resort (not quite as nice but similar) and to Maluku Divers in Ambon. On one dive, we were able to see a hairy frogfish and a blue ring octopus side by side!
I will give the Philippines another try, but probably not with this boat. I think the negatives outweighed the positives.
