Empress II or Mikumba

[Dan]

Haha what do you mean by getting through the trip comfortably? This may be a meme but I swear on the fact if I dive air I feel wiped out. Nitrox I feel better.

I think it's worth the extra money, you should get significant better bottom times at the end of the trip...

Nitrox works fine for me too. I made 25 dives in 6 days no problem. I saw guys dove with air got tired and skipped dives.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Still considering it but Empress is a lot more likely right now.

Blue Manta seems to cater towards more creature comforts and that's fine. I just don't know if it's worth triple the price...
I'm in the Navy, so basically anything is nice to me that isn't a rusty old ship.

Blue Manta looks so good but I don't know if the price is justified. At least maybe not for my budget. I could do A LOT with an extra 2k.

Go with the liveaboard the has the exclusive safety feature of a 5bar capable full size Recompression Chamber:
Boat specification | MV EMPRESS - Dive Safari Komodo Ambon Alor Raja Ampat on the liveaboard EMPRESS

 

[Centrals]

There aren't that many LoB can boast a chamber on board! This safety feature is PRICELESS.
I put safety well above comfort.

 

[Satto95]

Go with the liveaboard the has the exclusive safety feature of a 5bar capable full size Recompression Chamber:
Boat specification | MV EMPRESS - Dive Safari Komodo Ambon Alor Raja Ampat on the liveaboard EMPRESS

Have you been on board?

 

[Satto95]

There aren't that many LoB can boast a chamber on board! This safety feature is PRICELESS.
I put safety well above comfort.

Yeah, I really liked that feature. Did you ever go on the Empress?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Have you been on board?

Yes in 2006, M/V Empress liveaboard off of Kuantan Malaysia, technical diving the WWII Battleship Wrecks HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales.

The Recompression Chamber was an invaluable safety asset to have in the case of a DCS/AGE diving casualty. Also the stern lift was a nice feature to have, no climbing up a ladder with heavy dive gear to get back onboard, or worst case -easy to recover a diving casualty from the water.

 

[Satto95]

Yes in 2006, M/V Empress liveaboard off of Kuantan Malaysia, technical diving the WWII Battleship Wrecks HMS Repulse and Prince of Wales.

The Recompression Chamber was an invaluable safety asset to have in the case of a DCS/AGE diving casualty. Also the stern lift was a nice feature to have, no climbing up a ladder with heavy dive gear to get back onboard, or worst case -easy to recover a diving casualty from the water.

Those two features alone make it trump Blue Manta in the aspect of dive safety. Blue Manta does cater to the posh type though. It just looks luxurious...
I really want to go but I think I'll save my money. My only concern now is that it wont fill up...

 

[Centrals]

Yeah, I really liked that feature. Did you ever go on the Empress?

Three tec wreck trips on both side of Malaysian coasts yrs ago.
You should ask any operators who are running any kind of luxurious trips to Raja Ampat or Komodo what happen if their rich clients suffer a DCS hit?
As for the lift......it is head and shoulder above any methods of getting back to the boat even under heavy sea.
You should ask the operator what would happen if they could not fill the boat.

Good luck.

 

[Satto95]

I

Three tec wreck trips on both side of Malaysian coasts yrs ago.
You should ask any operators who are running any kind of luxurious trips to Raja Ampat or Komodo what happen if their rich clients suffer a DCS hit?
As for the lift......it is head and shoulder above any methods of getting back to the boat even under heavy sea.
You should ask the operator what would happen if they could not fill the boat.

Good luck.

So this boat has an interesting story...
Why did the original captain end up selling her?
Yeah, the lift looks like a really nice feature. Walking up stairs with scuba gear is annoying.

I really hope they know how to operate the chamber though.

 

[Centrals]

I
So this boat has an interesting story...
Why did the original captain end up selling her?

No one can work forever.
Vidar probably decided it was time to retire to his pot of land in Lombok. Enjoying his favourite gin and tonic and his wife cooking without worrying any tec divers might got trapped inside the wreck or whatnot.