Seadoors, Philippines

This trip had only 6 divers on board (guests), which was a very nice surprise - smaller groups for diving, more space on the boat, less noise, etc. The highlight of this trip was the dive with whale sharks in Oslob. All the dives were incredible and during one night dive, I lost my GoPro, but our guide found it for me! The food was always delicious - although there was some confusion with some of the dietary restriction requests. I really enjoyed watching the sunrise/sunset from the sundeck. The cabin was quite small and I was not a fan of the toilet/shower room. Also, because the cabin door didn't close completely, we could always hear noise from the corridor especially when the crew were using their phones at night. Finally, I think the dive brief and the itinerary could be better organized, but all in all, I really enjoyed the trip.

Just completed a liveaboard with them, and going back for another one next week - they were even so kind to keep some of my belongings in the meantime, need I say more? As someone with a very sensitive stomach and somewhat medically restricted diet, I was very impressed with the fact that there was always several dishes served. Breakfast is the common type with eggs, bacon/sausage/hot dogs, toast/pancakes/french toast, and fruit, while lunch and dinner each had several options - with chicken, pork, beef, and fish dishes served completely separately buffet style, so everyone could pick and choose. On the side there's always rice/potatoes, as well as some veggies (think this veggie mix was the same throughout the trip). But the soups & smoothies they serve, oh those are just to die for! The diving was good, with quite detailed briefings which I appreciated. The divers were split into French- and English-speaking groups. Someone mentioned that this added to the sense of exclusion between the groups, but honestly I think it was probably more efficient this way. I'm not sure if they'd normally do one or two briefings, two briefings worked very well logistically - neither the lounge was too crowded, nor the dive deck. I really liked the designated individual shelves and drawers for the "small stuff", and the rest of the gear you needn't worry about - it's all handled by the crew. They have two chase boats, and we were collectively impressed with skills of their drivers. There's also two showers in the back, as well as two large rinse tanks. All of our gear was rinsed for us at the end of the trip. Speaking of the crew, they were all super nice, courteous, and helpful. The cabins seemed new, while the bathrooms didn't quite compare... I don't know if it's simply due to different materials or something (I'm definitely no expert in this area), but they didn't seem as neat or clean as the cabins. No cause for concern, though, they're still fine, the two just somehow seem at odds with each other. Daily housekeeping was done. Oh, it said here on Divebooker that toiletries are provided, but they're not so make sure to bring your own. Towels abound, even though the ones in the cabin have not been changed during the trip. The ACs work great, and the water pressure is good, and each cabin has its own mini water heater. The lounge area is big and comfortable, and I gotta say I totally dig the bean bags & cushions! Actually I loved the overall color scheme onboard - white/turquoise in the cabins, colorful in the lounge! There's an open sundeck with sunbeds, as well as a covered outdoor lounge area. There's a charging station with a million (American type) sockets and non-slip mats, with some storage shelving underneath. This was also the only thing about the boat that made me cringe a little every time I brought my camera in or saw others do it... They're wet, and even though we did put down towels, the fact that we're handling wet stuff right next to chargers, cables, sockets... Maybe they could consider adding covers to sockets and a smaller shelf above them, simply so that the sockets are away & chargers at least on a physically separate surface from wet housings, neoprene covers, etc. Mind you, no problems happened at all, I'm just afraid this might be a matter of "when" rather than "if", so going with he proverbial better-safe-than-sorry. There's a bunch of fire extinguishers on board, even if clustered together behind the bridge, with the rule to shout "fire" if something were to happen and then crew would bring them. First time I've encountered this approach, but I see the point - takes away from people panicking and either forgetting about the extinguisher or freezing/using it improperly. There's also a lot of oxygen stored on board (I forgot how much exactly, but plenty in case something were to happen). Oh, even though the Divebooker details say there's no tech diving, they actually do support it, and even offer a rebreather discovery, which I think was also the first time I've seen that offered on a liveaboard. The owner was onboard, and I have a feeling he usually is. Pierlo seems chill and relaxed, and the crew didn't seem uncomfortable around him, which told me they must be treated well. He is a tech diving instructor, and also does UW photography. He doesn't run the show, though, Axel does that - and was very knowledgeable about the dive sites, while also friendly and chill. Pierlo mostly dived with the tech divers we had onboard, and Axel went out with the 2nd briefing group, which ever one that was on a given day. Overall, I had a good time and am definitely looking forward to my next trip with them in a few days! :)