So... long ass flight, spent a night in Dubai on the way over and a night on a resort island before boarding the Emperor Explorer.
Meet and Greet- 5/5 Fairly organized, good communications, definitely wear hot weather clothes for arrival, airport is hotter than dog balls in August. Maybe a bit more information, this could be our trip leader not communicating, so not going to ding here.
Customer Service- 5/5 Absolutely phenomenal. A mix of UK/Scotland, French, Sri Lanka, and Male that I could distinguish. DiveMasters were absolutely top notch, knowledgeable of local area, put in 110% effort, with a smile at almost all times. Absolutely committed to safe diving first, enjoyment second. Constant evaluation of dive sights, questioning the customers for feedback, just can say enough. The food, drink, dhoni, housekeeping staff was also first class. We had two separate groups, ranging in age from 27-73.
Diving 4.75/5 Exceptional diving consider my time has been spent in FL/Caribbean. The night time Manta dive was absolutely stunning and unbelievable, even the crew was amazed at the numbers and size of the Mantas. Coral was bright, varied, and only a few areas of bleaching, fish life was amazing, pelagic numbers were a bit low, but did swim with Whale Sharks twice, cool. Current was challenging on a few dives, like literally almost had my camera ripped out of my hands twice, I dive in Jupiter and it was like the most current Jupiter and Cozumel combined could throw at me, definitely some new ideas on reef hook design.
BOAT- 3.5/5. Beautiful spacious boat, shocked at how large my room size was, however there were several leaks through out the main salon which were annoying. Note, end of May, the boat was going to dry dock for some lengthy maintenance.
Gear, Diving Assistance, and Dive Protocol- 5/5 As I mentioned, a large age of divers, and without came some mobility issues, so when needed the boat crew would help with gear donning and removal. Dive briefings were thorough detailed, and supported by AV aids. At the conclusion of the dives, the crew rinsed and dried all customer gear. Just exceptional service.
What I would change- 100% do the Southern route. 100% avoid the water when snorkelers are around from resorts, total no talent assclowns.
Overall Score- 5/5 Will head back, will do another Emperor Liveaboard. Sunsets are stunning.
Meet and Greet- 5/5 Fairly organized, good communications, definitely wear hot weather clothes for arrival, airport is hotter than dog balls in August. Maybe a bit more information, this could be our trip leader not communicating, so not going to ding here.
Customer Service- 5/5 Absolutely phenomenal. A mix of UK/Scotland, French, Sri Lanka, and Male that I could distinguish. DiveMasters were absolutely top notch, knowledgeable of local area, put in 110% effort, with a smile at almost all times. Absolutely committed to safe diving first, enjoyment second. Constant evaluation of dive sights, questioning the customers for feedback, just can say enough. The food, drink, dhoni, housekeeping staff was also first class. We had two separate groups, ranging in age from 27-73.
Diving 4.75/5 Exceptional diving consider my time has been spent in FL/Caribbean. The night time Manta dive was absolutely stunning and unbelievable, even the crew was amazed at the numbers and size of the Mantas. Coral was bright, varied, and only a few areas of bleaching, fish life was amazing, pelagic numbers were a bit low, but did swim with Whale Sharks twice, cool. Current was challenging on a few dives, like literally almost had my camera ripped out of my hands twice, I dive in Jupiter and it was like the most current Jupiter and Cozumel combined could throw at me, definitely some new ideas on reef hook design.
BOAT- 3.5/5. Beautiful spacious boat, shocked at how large my room size was, however there were several leaks through out the main salon which were annoying. Note, end of May, the boat was going to dry dock for some lengthy maintenance.
Gear, Diving Assistance, and Dive Protocol- 5/5 As I mentioned, a large age of divers, and without came some mobility issues, so when needed the boat crew would help with gear donning and removal. Dive briefings were thorough detailed, and supported by AV aids. At the conclusion of the dives, the crew rinsed and dried all customer gear. Just exceptional service.
What I would change- 100% do the Southern route. 100% avoid the water when snorkelers are around from resorts, total no talent assclowns.
Overall Score- 5/5 Will head back, will do another Emperor Liveaboard. Sunsets are stunning.
