Lavalamp
Registered
My wife and I have recently finished a 10-night diving trip in Palau aboard the Solitude One Liveboard. All in all, we had a fantastic experience and we can recommend Solitude One without any reservation.
We chose Solitude One over the other boats because:
-- Palau Aggressor - hasn't left the best impression lately
(see: http://www.scubaboard.com/community...4-palau-aggressor-very-bad-experience.492818/)
-- Rock Islands Aggressor - see above, same fleet
-- Ocean Hunter III - sail dates just didn't work out with our schedule
-- Ocean Hunter I - sail dates just didn't work out with our schedule
-- Palau Siren - this boat sank in Sept 2015
-- Palau Sporttours - they cater mainly to Japanese tourists
The People:
We had 22 crew members taking care of 18 divers on board. On this trip, we had a very friendly, diverse group. The guests came from USA (4), Thailand (3), Germany (3), Switzerland (2), New Zealand/Korea (4), UK (1), South Africa (2).
The Boat:
Very spacious, efficiently configured, and nicely finished - perfect for the purported capacity. Our cabin B2 was at the bow. My only minor complaint was that our bathroom smelled like rancid sewage water at times. I suspect that the septic tank must be right below our bathroom. So if you are considering Solitude One, our recommendation is to avoid cabins B1 and B2.
The Dive Operation:
Very organized, efficient, and professional. Most of the dive guides were excellent, passionate, and helpful. I had an air-integrated unit for my dive computer and they happily put it on the rental regulator for me. This made me very happy because some boats/diveshops just refuse to put modify their rental equipment.
Solitude One has five dive guides on the boat. Unfortunately two of them got sick during our trip and their sick periods overlapped a bit. As a result, the divers-to-guide ratio suffered for a brief few days. My wife and I ended up in a large group (7 divers to 1 guide) for a day or two, but it was fine. It did not compromise our safety. We still had a great time and received the same level of service before and after each dive.
We dove Nitrox on this trip. About 50% of the time, my tank started with 2800 PSI or lower. The industry standard (my expectation) is that tanks should be filled to 3000 PSI (200+ bars). Not a big deal. But since I probably have mild OCD, I did take notice.
Rental equipment are all very new and in terrific shape. Much better than rental equipment we've ever seen elsewhere (Thailand, Bora Bora, Turks & Caicos, Jordan, Hawaii - take notes). The brands they use on Solitude One are: Aqualung for wetsuits and Cressi for boots and fins.
Little amenities matter and Solitude One does it right: Hot tea and hot towels after each dive. The crew would rinse and hang up the wetsuits for us after each dive (way to spoil the guests).
The Food:
Good, not great. I would say the quality is on par with a private university cafeteria in the U.S., which is generally solid. The dining area, dishes, and utensils are always clean. They did run out of certain food on a few occasions. My advice is to get to the buffet line before everyone else gets there, so you're not left with scraps and fillers.
The Service:
In many aspects, the quality of service and politeness of the crew surpassed our expectations. Amanda went above and beyond to help make sure that all of our needs were taken care of. In addition to a fun dive guide, she was also an exceptional hospitality professional and a great person to hang out with on the boat.
We chose Solitude One over the other boats because:
-- Palau Aggressor - hasn't left the best impression lately
(see: http://www.scubaboard.com/community...4-palau-aggressor-very-bad-experience.492818/)
-- Rock Islands Aggressor - see above, same fleet
-- Ocean Hunter III - sail dates just didn't work out with our schedule
-- Ocean Hunter I - sail dates just didn't work out with our schedule
-- Palau Siren - this boat sank in Sept 2015
-- Palau Sporttours - they cater mainly to Japanese tourists
The People:
We had 22 crew members taking care of 18 divers on board. On this trip, we had a very friendly, diverse group. The guests came from USA (4), Thailand (3), Germany (3), Switzerland (2), New Zealand/Korea (4), UK (1), South Africa (2).
The Boat:
Very spacious, efficiently configured, and nicely finished - perfect for the purported capacity. Our cabin B2 was at the bow. My only minor complaint was that our bathroom smelled like rancid sewage water at times. I suspect that the septic tank must be right below our bathroom. So if you are considering Solitude One, our recommendation is to avoid cabins B1 and B2.
The Dive Operation:
Very organized, efficient, and professional. Most of the dive guides were excellent, passionate, and helpful. I had an air-integrated unit for my dive computer and they happily put it on the rental regulator for me. This made me very happy because some boats/diveshops just refuse to put modify their rental equipment.
Solitude One has five dive guides on the boat. Unfortunately two of them got sick during our trip and their sick periods overlapped a bit. As a result, the divers-to-guide ratio suffered for a brief few days. My wife and I ended up in a large group (7 divers to 1 guide) for a day or two, but it was fine. It did not compromise our safety. We still had a great time and received the same level of service before and after each dive.
We dove Nitrox on this trip. About 50% of the time, my tank started with 2800 PSI or lower. The industry standard (my expectation) is that tanks should be filled to 3000 PSI (200+ bars). Not a big deal. But since I probably have mild OCD, I did take notice.
Rental equipment are all very new and in terrific shape. Much better than rental equipment we've ever seen elsewhere (Thailand, Bora Bora, Turks & Caicos, Jordan, Hawaii - take notes). The brands they use on Solitude One are: Aqualung for wetsuits and Cressi for boots and fins.
Little amenities matter and Solitude One does it right: Hot tea and hot towels after each dive. The crew would rinse and hang up the wetsuits for us after each dive (way to spoil the guests).
The Food:
Good, not great. I would say the quality is on par with a private university cafeteria in the U.S., which is generally solid. The dining area, dishes, and utensils are always clean. They did run out of certain food on a few occasions. My advice is to get to the buffet line before everyone else gets there, so you're not left with scraps and fillers.
The Service:
In many aspects, the quality of service and politeness of the crew surpassed our expectations. Amanda went above and beyond to help make sure that all of our needs were taken care of. In addition to a fun dive guide, she was also an exceptional hospitality professional and a great person to hang out with on the boat.
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