I was on the Gaia Love for a 10 night sailing almost exactly 8 months ago and have finally brought myself to write a short trip report.
I'm not going to spend any time describing the diving in Raja Ampat, as it is already well documented that the diving there is amazing. I have added a summary of some video that I shot while there at the bottom of this post. It was my first time shooting underwater, so if anyone has any feedback or tips, please fire away!
The Gaia Love is a relatively new boat and is very well laid out. There are 11 cabins, so room for 22 guests, but they typically leave one cabin empty just in case. Cabins are on the lower deck an upper deck, with a lounge area, camera room, dining room, and coffee-bar (with real espresso machine) on the main deck. There is also a large sundeck with plenty of shade and sun. There were 19 guests on board, if I remember correctly, and about as many staff members. Despite this many people on board, it never felt cramped or too busy, and there was always plenty of spots to hang out by yourself if you needed a break.
The rooms are very nice and a decent size. All upper deck cabins have a nice balcony as well. One couple did mention, that their upper deck room at the stern (I think it was room 11) was right below the crane that lifts the tenders into the water in the morning, which was quite noisy. I was in an upper deck room closer to the front and did not notice any disturbance, but I may have just been awake eating breakfast at that time every morning.
Staff were very friendly and eager to make sure everyone was happy. Food was very good and well varied. Chef was able to accommodate any reasonable request.
The dive deck is where this boat truly shines! There is plenty of space, and each diver has an assigned spot with storage under the bench (pretty standard), but then you also get your own rinse tank a couple feet in front of your spot along with another storage compartment at chest level and a "shelf" just above.
For diving, we were split into groups of 4, and they typically used three tenders to shuttle divers to the dive sites and back. The tenders were very stable, with tank holes and a sturdy ladder. The staff would carry your equipment out the the tender and you could slip on your BCD once at the dive site.
There were 4 dives every day (3-day and 1-night dive), except for the first and last day.
I'm sure I haven't touched on every topic of interest, so please ask away if you have any questions.
I'm not going to spend any time describing the diving in Raja Ampat, as it is already well documented that the diving there is amazing. I have added a summary of some video that I shot while there at the bottom of this post. It was my first time shooting underwater, so if anyone has any feedback or tips, please fire away!
The Gaia Love is a relatively new boat and is very well laid out. There are 11 cabins, so room for 22 guests, but they typically leave one cabin empty just in case. Cabins are on the lower deck an upper deck, with a lounge area, camera room, dining room, and coffee-bar (with real espresso machine) on the main deck. There is also a large sundeck with plenty of shade and sun. There were 19 guests on board, if I remember correctly, and about as many staff members. Despite this many people on board, it never felt cramped or too busy, and there was always plenty of spots to hang out by yourself if you needed a break.
The rooms are very nice and a decent size. All upper deck cabins have a nice balcony as well. One couple did mention, that their upper deck room at the stern (I think it was room 11) was right below the crane that lifts the tenders into the water in the morning, which was quite noisy. I was in an upper deck room closer to the front and did not notice any disturbance, but I may have just been awake eating breakfast at that time every morning.
Staff were very friendly and eager to make sure everyone was happy. Food was very good and well varied. Chef was able to accommodate any reasonable request.
The dive deck is where this boat truly shines! There is plenty of space, and each diver has an assigned spot with storage under the bench (pretty standard), but then you also get your own rinse tank a couple feet in front of your spot along with another storage compartment at chest level and a "shelf" just above.
For diving, we were split into groups of 4, and they typically used three tenders to shuttle divers to the dive sites and back. The tenders were very stable, with tank holes and a sturdy ladder. The staff would carry your equipment out the the tender and you could slip on your BCD once at the dive site.
There were 4 dives every day (3-day and 1-night dive), except for the first and last day.
I'm sure I haven't touched on every topic of interest, so please ask away if you have any questions.
