thankfulforlife
Registered
I find it hard to write this,as i am not a writer,but i must say a few words about my trip last week on the mona-lisa liveaboard,and the cheating manager called Ronald,who works from Labuan-Bago at "Komodo Cruises"....
We had agreed on a price of 10million rupee's total including credit card fee's and the park fee's, for 5nights,6 days,and i paid 4.6million as a deposit,as i didn't want to pay for it all before the trip,as i could not see the boat,or crew before,as it stays out in the park and a speedboat ferries people off and on,depending on how long they stay for....
the boat,"mona-lisa" was i think a lovely vessel,didn't have to crouch down in it at all,and i am 6foot,the engines were quiet and strong,good water making on board(de-salination),the food was great(mostly) by a flores cook/chef,the indonesian staff all were courtious friendly and helpful in every way...the dive-masters were good,adrian from england did a great brief and guide,but he took his big camera i think too many times,and was a bit too much focused on that instead of the in-experienced customers that needed help sometimes.....the other guide was Simmone from brazil,was good also,and never took a camera,and was looking after the people well....
the diving there is mostly great as we probably all know.....the best manta diving i have done ever....and a few of the current dives were fantastically furious and such fun....
my first dive i had bad air,either diesel fumes or diesel exhaust,not enough to end the dive,but i did worry about it all through the dive....when i got back to the ship,i talked about it and was assured that the filter was just changed and it will be alright....and it was until the third day,i got some more bad air,this time,cooking/kitchen fumes.....
i have never had any bad air in my diving life,and i have been to some ****ty cheap dive shops in my time.....so was shocked when it happened on the mona-lisa,where i paid $210 a night.....
i have been a working dive-master/guide since 2003 and have done over 500 dives.....just for your information....
their speedboats need some fixing up,one did not have reverse gear,and the engine could not be raised out of the water,and the fiber-glass was rough in spots,and the gear could not be stood up so all were lying in the boat for people to trip over etc.....
after the trip i was speed-boated back to Labuan-bago and went to pay for the second installment of the trip,i thought 5.4 million,as i had paid already 4.6 million out of 10 million,only to be told that i had to pay an extra 1.2 million,"because i did not pay it all at the beginning of the trip.....
i was flaber-gasted,shocked and in the end, irate....
the guy,ronald,would not look me in the eye,and refused to explain...pay up or else....
i could not believe it after a wonderful experience with his crew and under-water life,to get this at the end....
anyways,because i am an honest man,i paid up,knowing i would join this forum and chat about it....
i have never met such a pig-headed diving business man in all my life,and was shocked furious and disappointed.....
if i had the time,i would stand out the front of his shop,and tell prospective customers that were going into the shop,about my experience,and lose him more money than he squeezed out of me....i will go back someday,and if he is still there,will do that.....
please contact me if you want to chat about anything......
i love indonesia diving,its the best in the world i think....
good luck to all....
We had agreed on a price of 10million rupee's total including credit card fee's and the park fee's, for 5nights,6 days,and i paid 4.6million as a deposit,as i didn't want to pay for it all before the trip,as i could not see the boat,or crew before,as it stays out in the park and a speedboat ferries people off and on,depending on how long they stay for....
the boat,"mona-lisa" was i think a lovely vessel,didn't have to crouch down in it at all,and i am 6foot,the engines were quiet and strong,good water making on board(de-salination),the food was great(mostly) by a flores cook/chef,the indonesian staff all were courtious friendly and helpful in every way...the dive-masters were good,adrian from england did a great brief and guide,but he took his big camera i think too many times,and was a bit too much focused on that instead of the in-experienced customers that needed help sometimes.....the other guide was Simmone from brazil,was good also,and never took a camera,and was looking after the people well....
the diving there is mostly great as we probably all know.....the best manta diving i have done ever....and a few of the current dives were fantastically furious and such fun....
my first dive i had bad air,either diesel fumes or diesel exhaust,not enough to end the dive,but i did worry about it all through the dive....when i got back to the ship,i talked about it and was assured that the filter was just changed and it will be alright....and it was until the third day,i got some more bad air,this time,cooking/kitchen fumes.....
i have never had any bad air in my diving life,and i have been to some ****ty cheap dive shops in my time.....so was shocked when it happened on the mona-lisa,where i paid $210 a night.....
i have been a working dive-master/guide since 2003 and have done over 500 dives.....just for your information....
their speedboats need some fixing up,one did not have reverse gear,and the engine could not be raised out of the water,and the fiber-glass was rough in spots,and the gear could not be stood up so all were lying in the boat for people to trip over etc.....
after the trip i was speed-boated back to Labuan-bago and went to pay for the second installment of the trip,i thought 5.4 million,as i had paid already 4.6 million out of 10 million,only to be told that i had to pay an extra 1.2 million,"because i did not pay it all at the beginning of the trip.....
i was flaber-gasted,shocked and in the end, irate....
the guy,ronald,would not look me in the eye,and refused to explain...pay up or else....
i could not believe it after a wonderful experience with his crew and under-water life,to get this at the end....
anyways,because i am an honest man,i paid up,knowing i would join this forum and chat about it....
i have never met such a pig-headed diving business man in all my life,and was shocked furious and disappointed.....
if i had the time,i would stand out the front of his shop,and tell prospective customers that were going into the shop,about my experience,and lose him more money than he squeezed out of me....i will go back someday,and if he is still there,will do that.....
please contact me if you want to chat about anything......
i love indonesia diving,its the best in the world i think....
good luck to all....
