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What's this? |
Dive Review of
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| Reporter | |||
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Dive Experience
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51-100 dives | ||
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Where else diving
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Tanzania - Mafia island and Pemba island Gulf coast of Florida Lake diving |
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Dive Conditions |
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Weather
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windy, rainy, cloudy |
Seas
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choppy, surge, currents |
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Water Temp
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24 to 27 ° Celsius |
Wetsuit Thickness
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6 |
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Water Visibility
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15 to 30 Meters |
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| Dive Policy | |||
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Dive own profile?
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no | ||
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Enforced diving
restrictions
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National 30m depth limit 50 minute max Must dive with guide |
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Liveaboard?
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yes |
Nitrox Available?
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N/A |
| What I saw | |||
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Sharks
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Lots |
Mantas
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None |
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Dolphins
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Schools |
Whale Sharks
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None |
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Turtles
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> 2 |
Whales
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None |
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Ratings 1
(worst)- 5 (best):
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Corals
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 |
Tropical Fish
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 |
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Small Critters
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Large Fish
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 |
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Large Pelagics
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| Underwater Photography 1 (worst)- 5 (best): | |||
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Subject Matter
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Boat Facilities
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Overall rating for UWP's
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Shore Facilities
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N/A |
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Comments
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They have many powerpoints - both 110 and 220 v Wash tank on board dive boat |
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| Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst)- 5 (best): | |||
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Accommodations
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Food
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Service and Attitude
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Environmental Sensitivity
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N/A |
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Dive Operation
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Shore Diving
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Snorkeling
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N/A |
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Overall Rating |
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Value for $$
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N/A | ||
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Beginners
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Advanced
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Comments
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This was our first liveaboard. We booked thinking it was a new boat, but was actually refurbished in 2006. Unfortunately they didn't paint the outside, so your first impression upon arrival is rather negative. The picture on the website is actually a computer generated one - it bears little resemblance to the real thing. We were only the second group on the boat, so there were some teething problems, the worst being that the air conditioning system pumped diesel exhaust fumes into the living areas - we had to turn off the whole system. Luckily the cabins do have good natural ventilation and it was not hot in early December. Dive master is very experienced and safety conscious(he had done over 8000 dives in the Maldives) and knew the dive sites very well. We dived three dives a day, plus one night dive. We looked after our own gear, as the crew was not very detail orientated. We have never dived in the Maldives before, but we could see a lot of visible damage to the reef from El Nino and the Tsunami. We saw many sharks, eagle rays and napoleon rass. My biggest complaint about this boat is the divemaster's obsession with tips. In our opinion the service was not good, apart from underwater. Every single day tips were mentioned. When it came to the end of the trip, we gave our tips, then the dive masters left the boat and the rest of the crew got out the power tools and starting drilling, banging and doing major construction work until midnight, and totally ignored us. It was not a nice ending to a rather disappointing trip. I wouldn't stay on the boat the last night - leave the boat as soon as you get into port and stay in one of the nearby resorts. |
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