Golden Dawn PNG: Bad Faith or Bad Luck

[DontLieToMe]

I took a trip on the Golden Dawn in PNG in February. Upon arrival I was told by the owner/operator - Craig de Wit - that one of the engines on the boat was inoperative and unless it was repaired he could not take the boat to the Eastern Fields - which was the destination for the charter. The problem with the engine occurred three (3) weeks before my arrival in PNG and although I had been in email communication with Mr. de Wit he never once mentioned the problem. He was hoping he could get parts and get the boat out to the Eastern Fields. For the ten days I was on the boat we made what were effectively day trips out of Port Moresby to diving that was generally mediocre. Mr. de Wit offerred guests a free return trip but no other compensation.

What do you think of an operation that knowingly allows people to travel thousands of miles at significant expense and then tell them on arrival that the boat is not only broken but has been that way for three weeks!

Your vote: bad faith or bad luck.

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Pretty rotten if you ask me, however, I would definitely book the return trip as soon as I got back.

 

[peterjmaerz]

Wow, DontLieToMe

Sounds like a nightmare to me...and an extremely ironic occurance, considering your user ID! Doesn't sound like the kind of event that one could claim on a trip insurance policy either. I've been seriously considering the Eastern Fields trip for years and was looking at November 2006. I'm going to want to carefully listen for other divers' experiences with the Golden Dawn operation.

Good luck in your future trips.

Regards,



Sorry for your operator's bad faith and your bad luck!

 

[Allison Finch]

Well, having spent a fair amount of time in PNG, I will offer this.....PNG is a terrible place to get anything fixed. I'm sure he has been waiting for the parts forever with no clue when they would get there. I'm sure he figured that the boat would be fixed by the time you got there. That being said, it is a sad end to a LONG journey. No one who hasn't been there can begin to imagine the butt fatigue getting there. I have met the GD at anchor and met the crew. She is a small boat but tidy.
I would book with them again also. They do spend time in New Britain Island which has great diving even close to the anchorages. Schedule when they are going there.

 

[DontLieToMe]

Unfortunately the owner/captain knew the boat would not be fixed on our arrival. He "hoped" some parts would arrive in the next few days - which did not happen. The previous charter was cancelled but he only told some of those people after they had already made their way from New York to California - to turn around. Then he let them come out - to find the boat was still not going to the Eastern Fields. Up to now I would have booked the Golden Dawn again but this experience is beyond anything that is acceptable. No return trips for me on this boat.

 

[vetdiver]

Oh, my gosh. I am so sorry to hear this. My husband and I just booked the Bilikiki for next June, and we REALLY went back and forth between Bilikiki and the GD. All that planning and anticipation - and that long, long trip...I really feel for you.