Help with first liveaboard

[Batfish]

Without the people who can answer the questions there wouldn't BE a board!

I can understand that some people may not entirely trust the word of a dive center owner/employee on a forum, but ... if I give liveaboard suggestions, this is based on 8 years working here, is based on extensive knowledge of the various boats, boat staff, dive sites, local conditions etc... It's very nice to get actual customer feedback on the forums, trip reports etc..., but is the opinion of a customer who has done 1 trip in Thailand and maybe 14 dives (normal for a 4 day liveaboard) worth more than someone like me or stevenl or Ringo who have been here for years and done thousands of dives here. I assure you that the forum regulars here are not out to con people. That is not good for business. We like to recommend dive boats and dive sites which we can truly say are the best. I am not going to recommend something that I personally don't like! Anyways, any advice received on a forum is to be taken with a pinch of salt and not to be taken as gospel. A forum like Scubaboard is just another way for a diver to gather information about the destination and the dive options available.

 

[Batfish]

Pawara is by far the better boat of the two you mention

By FAR! Nice boat, Pawara, though there are other good boats in a similar price range like Black Manta. Depends on your exact dates, though as you say your time is limited...

 

[tired-guide]

Nice sales pitch on Pawara......After commission by any chance Stevenl

 

[stevenl]

Nice sales pitch on Pawara

Why, you think genesis is the better boat and nicest experience of the 2?

 

[tired-guide]

I think we deviate from fishfriends question! Good boats: Black Manta, Queen scuba, Colona 6, Mermaid 1 & 2, The Junk all of these boats have professional crews who will take care and not disappear and only appear at meal time/briefing time. Of course there are other boats but these are the ones of the top of my head.

 

[tired-guide]

Genesis is owned by Seebees and as a norm the Seebees staff are pretty attentive. The last time I was on Pawara the briefings where poor and the dive staff inattentive. In fact it was rare to see the staff and when they where around it seemed the PS2 was more interesting than customers. On the dives one of the guides was blinkered to his camera screen and unaware of his customers. The customers where merely cattle to be shouted at to get in and out of the water. But saying that the boat is nicer than Genesis....She is a little old now and past her sell by date.

 

[stevenl]

In general on Genesis the guests and guides are German speaking. Nothing wrong with that, but for somebody speaking English it may be difficult to get to know them. Plus the boat is old. But you're right, the guides are good.

But so are they on the Pawara. Don't know your experiences, but this year only good reports from the guests, really nothing wrong with either boat or crew.

Maybe it is time to update your knowledge on boats and crew before you make comments?

 

[tired-guide]

Steven to be honest I would never ever step foot on that boat again. For the last couple of years I have been a customer on quite a few liveaboards (no longer working in the industry) and have had some great trips but the Pwra trip still has me terribly vexed. In fact my laptop is asking me why I am typing so violently...It must be me remembering my experience on Pwra.

 

[Ringo]

It is a pity to hear this tired - guide. Hope that you reported your bad experience to the owners? Especially since you worked in the industry here I am sure that they would have appreciated your feed back.

When they first launched their Liveaboard cruises there were some initial problems and the owners rectified the issues as soon as we brought our concerns to their attention. They were more than apologetic and they were thankful that we informed them.

Otherwise from our customers this last season who booked on Pawara - we have only but had good reports.

 

[Batfish]

Can't say I've had any bad feedback about Pawara this season either. In fact I even had a customer rebooking the same boat twice in the season. If you did not do so already, you can send feedback to Duke (the owner) duke@pawara.com. He is a nice guy and WILL listen to negative feedback.

By the way, comments made by anonymous psuedonyms are always taken with a pinch of salt - would be an idea if you let some of us know who you are - since you worked for many years in the Dive industry mainly in Phuket, we are probably going to know you and it would make your comments worth more. Also, your profile says "Interests: Drinking vast quantities of beer" - that also does not increase the value of your comments!