Anyone got info on the French Polynesia Master liveaboard, launching 2016?

[WetPup]

At the very least, it now appears to be in the water...

Time will tell on the rest.

 

[nwflyboy]

Actually, they have not...they only reinforce my skepticism and questions.

I am familiar with the Sirens. In fact, I almost booked a trip on the Palau Siren last year (until I found out the boat was "wrecked" on a reef - then apparently re-floated, and I was surprised to see it moored in Koror this past winter). I see it's back in service - good for you all.

I'm not trying to be snarky (really, I'm not), but this seems...unusual. Maybe I'm not used to playing in this part of the luxury liveaboard market (this would be news to my wife, who tells me our previous trips on luxury liveaboards were wildly extravagant...). Maybe my skepticism is driven by the fact that I've been burned before by an operator who showed off drawings (and even photos) of their brand-new luxury liveaboard we booked, but upon arrival at the other side of the world, we were told sorry, the new boat is not quite finished yet, but don't worry we've arranged for this fine older ship for your trip...

"The French Polynesia Master was at first going to be a refurbished yacht, however, due to the demand we decided to switch in a bigger boat, that’s why we decided to build a brand new one."
How's that build-a-new-boat project going?

"Most of our trips have already been chartered by big groups and agents."
This seems odd. Is this a common practice in the industry for "groups and agents" to buy up two whole years of bookings? On a boat that has never touched water yet? Do they set their own prices, kind of like ticket brokers for sports and concerts ("scalpers" is the term used in my country)? Is this an accepted/ethical practice? The starting prices for this boat seem as high as any I've ever seen, anywhere. Do these "groups and agents" add their own markup for the services they render (ie controlling all the bookings) on top of those prices?

Sorry if I seem negative, this just seems v e r y sketchy to me. I think I'll try to reserve judgement until 1) the actual boat is seen in the water, and 2) there have been some independent reviews and trip reports from people who don't have any skin in the game and who have actually been on the boat.

Am I being unfair? Not trying to be. Just...skeptical. Is it just me?

 

[Wingy]

You are not the lone ranger in having a little bit of skepticism. Cant find any sign of it being registered/flagged anywhere yet.

Someone once asked me a question - Has there ever been a successful LOB in FP...to the best of my knowledge no other than the Paul Gaugin which is not a LOB but a small cruise ship with some diving offered in some ports...Im keen to see if this one ever eventuates as there are a lot of rumours around. Seems a bit like a dodgy timeshare condo bought off the plan scheme.

 

[cephalopod2]

Someone once asked me a question - Has there ever been a successful LOB in FP...to the best of my knowledge no other than the Paul Gaugin which is not a LOB but a small cruise ship with some diving offered in some ports.

I'm sure the Aqua Tiki II would consider themselves a successful FP liveaboard on the basis that they've been operating there for 16 years (according to their website). They offer only "up to 2" dives per day so how you or I would assess them is a different question, but I am sure they have loyal customers who are very happy with the programme they offer.

The Aggressor Fleet ran the Tahiti Aggressor for several years as well. That boat's departure had nothing to do with a lack of divers - I was told by the former captains that it ran at 100% capacity every week (suggesting some of the pent up demand for a 4 dive a day LOB in the region IMHO).

My take on the FP Master:
The Siren fleet has a very active marketing department. There is definitely demand for an FP liveaboard - lots of liveaboard divers worldwide, lots of people who want to dive a "new" destination by liveaboard, plus those who already love FP who would consider a liveaboard option - and the logistics of FP mean you could cut some flights and dive more than 1 top area with a LOB as your base, as I understand the Aggressor used to. Having had one of the co-owners of the Siren Fleet on a LOB I was diving for a few days, I have my own theory about a further reason he would want to launch a LOB there, but that's neither here nor there.

I believe the dive shops have booked it because they have anticipated the demand from their customers, especially given the lack of any other 4 dive LOB options there, and because they can make a profit by filling an entire week at rack rates (the shops keep the discounts) and/or get free berths for their staff or owners - no crime in that. A bit of googling can turn up some of the dive shops that have booked the boat. It's always possible some of these shops will not fill enough places and will release berths back to the operators. But as long as they do so before the penalties start, they can still earn money or free berths on half boat charters much of the time.

Now will the FP Master dive French Polynesia well? I'm completely with you two on that - I will wait for the independent reports from very experienced divers. And even then, I have experienced LOBs where the cruise director was off work that week, where the cruise director was brand new, where the best DM was off that week and a weak one was working in his place, where the cook or DM just quit, etc. etc. -- lots of factors beyond the general reputation of the boat (and all completely unrelated to nature) can impact whether you experience great diving even on a liveaboard with a consistently good reputation.

My 2 PSI.

 

[Wingy]

I do stand corrected if we want to call the Aqua Tiki 11 a dive boat Cephalapod - I did look at that when I went to the Tuomotos and wrote it off as a sailing boat per se not a dive LOB. As a person who sails It did tweak my interest but time constraints and being a solo traveller made the Aqua Tiki not a viable option for me.

The 4 dive a day LOB style boat is what I would love to see desperately in the Tuomoto's too - totally agree there is a huge demand. Who ever gets a boat in the water and gets it right will do very well, no shortage of divers who would be interested in the Tuomotos.

Out of interest what years did the aggressor run?

 

[cephalopod2]

Out of interest what years did the aggressor run?

A quick google search turned up Tahiti Aggressor trip reports from 11/2003 to 1/2006 as a rough ballpark. And wow the Tahiti Aggressor Captain's Logs are actually still online - there are logs through to Feb. 17-24, 2007. If you have the patience to scroll backwards that might give you a more accurate start date for the boat.

I was neither knowledgeable nor wealthy enough to take that boat when it was operating, but I have an instructor/photo pro friend who did.

 

[Wingy]

Only ten years too early for me - thanks for the link

 

[cephalopod2]

Wingy I thought you were born diving.
Quick correction: my first source actually shows trip reports back to 11/2002.

 

[Wingy]

If my mother could have equalised im sure I wouldve been born diving alas twas not to be

It is interesting..The captains logs show they mainly did diving around what I found to be the poorest areas of FP - IE BB Raiteia Moorea rather than the Tuomotos those years.

I did find the press release which perhaps goes a little way to explaining why they closed down -


Ia orana, Just received :



<<News from the Tahitian waters

In 2002, the Tahiti Aggressor made way to the Tuamotu Islands then theSociety Islands in search of a new frontier and found incredible diving. Since that time, it has become cost prohibitive to continue to operate there and we regret that the Tahiti Aggressor will cease operations March 10, 2007. She will relocate to Fiji after being dry-docked and will resume operations as the Fiji Aggressor starting May 12, 2007. The Fiji Aggressor will explore new dive areas that will be announced soon.



We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you and your clients. It was decided to move the vessel instead of increasing the charter rate and passing on these costs to our clients. We will miss the beautiful Polynesians, thrilling diving and breathtaking scenery. We regret any difficulties this may cause between you and your clients and we are trying to make this transition as easy as possible. As always, our staff is available to assist you with these changes.>>



Meherio

Economics

 

[cephalopod2]

It is interesting..The captains logs show they mainly did diving around what I found to be the poorest areas of FP - IE BB Raiteia Moorea rather than the Tuomotos those years.

Very interesting. I had thought the boat dove the Tuomotos including Rangiroa and Fakarava, but it sounds like that may only have been at the end of its run. Did they run alternate itineraries by week or by season?

I did find the press release which perhaps goes a little way to explaining why they closed down -
"Since that time, it has become cost prohibitive to continue to operate there..."

This is exactly what the captains had told me. Running at 100% capacity every single week but not able to produce any kind of decent margin. They said provisioning food and alcohol was incredibly expensive - another reason why a FP LOB is so attractive for divers vs. land-based resorts.