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BDSC
Contributor
There are plenty of liveaboards and liveaboard companies with excellent safety records and great crews to take a chance on booking with a company that has obvious serious problems. They can easily find another boat.
I've being wondering about the Master fleet liveaboards. They look good, seem to have a good reputation but have the same owners as the Siren Fleet. Anybody?
Dogbowl
Contributor
Not sure if these were posted before. Here's a facebook post from the Siren Fleet, as well as a permanent page on their website addressing their losses. According to the website, they "only" lost 4 boats, not 6.
Mandarin Siren - 2011 - laundry fire
Oriental Siren - 2012 - impact in deep open water
Truk Siren - 2015 - typhoon (no passengers were onboard)
Fiji Siren - 2017 - impact in open water
Siren Fleet
Siren Incident History - Siren Fleet
Going through the FB comments, it is obvious they STILL have staunch supporters.
Mandarin Siren - 2011 - laundry fire
Oriental Siren - 2012 - impact in deep open water
Truk Siren - 2015 - typhoon (no passengers were onboard)
Fiji Siren - 2017 - impact in open water
Siren Fleet
Siren Incident History - Siren Fleet
Going through the FB comments, it is obvious they STILL have staunch supporters.
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scubafanatic
Contributor
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According to Undercurrent.org
Undercurrent Online Update for Subscribers
November 19, 2017
The Sixth Liveaboard Disaster for the Siren Fleet
Last week, the Fiji Siren struck an underwater object, causing the craft to sink, after all divers and crew were evacuated safely. It’s the sixth event in a long line of disasters for Siren now reported by Undercurrent, and we will provide the full story on this disaster in an upcoming issue. In the meantime, Worldwide Dive and Sail is looking at options for customers currently booked with the liveaboard. For information, contact: fiji@sirenfleet.com
Dogbowl
Contributor
Scared Silly
Contributor
Technically, the above is correct. The Palau Siren ran aground, was repaired, and returned to service. Their first boat the Siren which was hit by a large ship, I believe was also repaired and returned to service (I have tried to find details on this incident but can not). So while serious incidents the vessels were not lost.
FWIW, while the Siren Fleet has had multiple incidents as a company they have taken care of the clients when Davy Jones came a calling. This is quite different than the Aggressor/Dancer Fleet which has consistently left their clients figuratively adrift or worse.
Disclaimer I was on the Indo Siren this summer and would utilize them over any vessel that is part of the Aggressor/Dancer Fleet.
If that's what's listed on their facebook then they have a rather selective memory; the Undercurrent article at the link below says:
Siren - 2009, struck by freighter, crew member died, sunk
Mandarin Siren - 2012, laundry fire, complete loss
Oriental Siren - 2012, hull cracked during rough crossing, flooded and sank
Palau Siren - 2015, grounded and flooded
Truk Siren - 2015, hit by typhoon, looted and burned
And the latest casualty: Fiji Siren - 2017, hit something, flooded and sank
The Undercurrent article also describes a really bad voyage on the Philippine Siren in 2015; it lost an engine and required 68 hours to sail back to port, instead of 6 hours.
Palau Siren Grounds and Floods: Undercurrent 09/2015
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The Truk liveaboard operators were certainly not to blame for being hit by a typhoon in 2015 and then grounded and looted (and the Truk Siren was burned) but the info below makes somber reading.
I was never very interested in going to Truk/Chuuk but Palau has always sounded wonderful and magical to me - but after reading this I lost all interest in visiting any place in Micronesia.
These are excerpts from a letter written by Kim Forbragd, who was the photographer/videographer on the Odyssey, one of the Truk LOBs that was run aground by a typhoon in March, 2015:
"...Through March 31 (2015), my husband and I worked in the scuba diving tourism industry on a live-aboard dive boat in Truk Lagoon, which is located in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. As you may know, Chuuk was hit very hard by Typhoon Maysak on Sunday, March 29.
We nearly lost our lives trying to save the dive boat before the typhoon pushed us into the rocks. Within 30 minutes of hitting the rocks, the looters were swimming out to us. The storm was still raging and these criminals were willing to risk their lives for the opportunity to steal whatever we had....Defending yourself ... against one person is not an easy task... Defending yourself against a mob carrying machetes and clubs is even harder...
By the grace of God, we escaped with our lives for the second time that day. All the boats that went on the rocks were looted and vandalized over the next couple days. It was not enough for them to steal the items from the boats. They smashed everything to bits, sprayed graffiti, and defecated everywhere. If they are willing to do that to inanimate objects, what would they be willing to do to people?
We are now anxiously awaiting our flight out of this country, which leaves here at about 3:30 pm today. It is Thursday here, April 2. The governor of this state and his officials have predicted a massive shortage of drinking water and food due to destruction of local fruit and vegetables. Their media has indicated many people will be out of food and water by the weekend. If that happens, I believe the people here will turn on each other and the looting will begin anew, but this time at an incomprehensible level of viciousness. My husband and I are praying we can escape with our lives yet a third time..."
I was never very interested in going to Truk/Chuuk but Palau has always sounded wonderful and magical to me - but after reading this I lost all interest in visiting any place in Micronesia.
These are excerpts from a letter written by Kim Forbragd, who was the photographer/videographer on the Odyssey, one of the Truk LOBs that was run aground by a typhoon in March, 2015:
"...Through March 31 (2015), my husband and I worked in the scuba diving tourism industry on a live-aboard dive boat in Truk Lagoon, which is located in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. As you may know, Chuuk was hit very hard by Typhoon Maysak on Sunday, March 29.
We nearly lost our lives trying to save the dive boat before the typhoon pushed us into the rocks. Within 30 minutes of hitting the rocks, the looters were swimming out to us. The storm was still raging and these criminals were willing to risk their lives for the opportunity to steal whatever we had....Defending yourself ... against one person is not an easy task... Defending yourself against a mob carrying machetes and clubs is even harder...
By the grace of God, we escaped with our lives for the second time that day. All the boats that went on the rocks were looted and vandalized over the next couple days. It was not enough for them to steal the items from the boats. They smashed everything to bits, sprayed graffiti, and defecated everywhere. If they are willing to do that to inanimate objects, what would they be willing to do to people?
We are now anxiously awaiting our flight out of this country, which leaves here at about 3:30 pm today. It is Thursday here, April 2. The governor of this state and his officials have predicted a massive shortage of drinking water and food due to destruction of local fruit and vegetables. Their media has indicated many people will be out of food and water by the weekend. If that happens, I believe the people here will turn on each other and the looting will begin anew, but this time at an incomprehensible level of viciousness. My husband and I are praying we can escape with our lives yet a third time..."
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