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Dive Review of S/Y Philippine Siren in
Philippines/Visayas / Malapascua

S/Y Philippine Siren: "Good diving on a boat with some problems", Oct, 2017,

by John Sommerer, AZ, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 10359 has 2 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 1 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity 3 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 3 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments So, the good news is we saw lots of good stuff, including the famous thresher sharks at Monad Shoal (though we saw them with lots of divers from a whole bunch of boats, many of whom were clueless -- what do you think "no strobes" means, you stupid diver with two big strobes?) The dive guide was excellent, and the dive operations were well executed.

The room was large and comfy. The salon was appropriate only for VERY short people who didn't mind baking in an oven. There were three AC units in the salon, none operating.

The food was really bad, and made everyone on the boat sick, some multiple times. Even without the food safety issues, it wasn't good food. The crew had to "clap" as the dishes were presented, with the chef saying things like "we call this dish 'pork.'" Avoid the prawns.

I complained about these issues to the Siren/Master company, and after some referral back to the cruse director on board (Jan, who was a very nice guy, and who confirmed that there were problems), I was offered a discount on a future cruise on any of their vessels. The offer was also extended to the people we traveled with, but not to other guests (who we've since dived with). I accepted this offer, since we wanted to do the Tuamotus, and MASTER is the only live aboard operating there at the moment.

I enjoyed diving the Philippines, but there were just too many problems with the Siren for a repeat on this boat. Partial marks to the company for recognizing that they could do better.
Websites S/Y Philippine Siren   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 501-1000 dives
Where else diving Alaska, Australia, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Galapagos, Maldives, Melanesia, Micronesia, Philippines, Polynesia, Revillagigedos
Closest Airport Cebu Getting There Cebu via Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong) or Asiana (Inchon)

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, currents
Water Temp 82-83°F / 28-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 25-100 Ft/ 8-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks > 2
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments [None]
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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