Jaya

★ 5 · Nicholas Morrow · 2018-08-22

Where to start? This liveaboard exceeded all my expectations. I did the 7 day option. The diving was incredible. Reefs pop with the most expressive colours. Fish! So many amazing fish. Surgeonfish, butterflyfish, Angelfish, Pufferfish, unicornfish, reef sharks, ghost pipefish, nudibranches, garden eels, Manta rays. I could go on. Every dive I tracked what I saw and Rachel (divemaster) helped me identify and learn more about the marine life. I found it to be extremely rewarding to document my dives. Previously I was very concerned with buoyancy, air, gopro videos etc., but doing 3-4 dives daily really makes you feel comfortable and get better the in the water. Rachel also watched my habits and would correct anything she saw. Food was very good. There were a lot of fried foods, but they were very welcomed extra calories after so many dives. Not bland fried food either, they were seasoned well and had plenty of flavour. It's not 5 star cuisine obviously, but the chefs were constantly working hard and bringing us 3 tasty meals a day. Going in thinking it would be rice and beans and was pleasantly surprised. Guides were exceptional. Rachel has over 10000 dives who guided me for the trip. I had 3 days alone with her after 2 others in our group only did the 4 day trip. She knew everything about the dive sites, the marine life, equipment, etc etc. Really friendly as well. The rest of the crew was great, Days (?) Yunes, Erica, and the boat staff. I'm really glad I did the "cheaper" option as well upon hearing the more expensive boats don't allow the crew to mingle with the guests. The reason you go on these trips should be to learn about the culture you're in. The people, the history, the landscape. In my opinion of course. In summary, would recommend this x 1000. I'm sure it's not for everybody but I can't imagine a more authentic fulfilling experience for myself. Might have changed my career path to a divemaster.