Spirit of Freedom OR TAKA?

[periwinkle888]

I've been diving with Taka and Mike Ball and I would definitely recommend Mike Ball over Taka. Taka's boat lends itself to a VERY rough ride, the boat had a budget feel to it, the constant pitch to buy the DVD (with mostly stock footage) gets annoying, and the food isn't as good.

Haven't been on SOF yet so I can't comment on them. I would urge you avoid Taka though.

 

[AussieByron]

Not if you have spent 20+ hours in a metal box to get to the dive site and have limited time ! Dive Dive Dive !!

On a 7 day liveaboard where your diving 4-5 times a day without any dive time resriction trust me a break for diving (miss out on 2-3 dives maybe) is recommended half way through the trip.

Thats why they break the trip into a 3 day and 4 day trip so people with time limits can just dive dive dive their hearts out.

The other option is to go on a fully private charter and go where you want to go for as how long as you want.

 

[divingcairns]

I haven't been on Mike Ball but have done the Spirit of Freedom 4 day Coral Sea Trip & it was brilliant!!! I can highly recommend it. The boat is very comfortable, the crew are just fantastic & I do know that it is about the diving- which was just outstanding You can also do a 7 day trip made up of their Cod Hole & Ribbon Reefs & Coral Sea Trip. The best way to do that is departing on a Monday as then there are no flights involved.

 

[Lord Melch]

On a 7 day liveaboard where your diving 4-5 times a day without any dive time resriction trust me a break for diving (miss out on 2-3 dives maybe) is recommended half way through the trip.

That's called beer time

The other option is to go on a fully private charter and go where you want to go for as how long as you want.

I wish.. $$$ !

 

[RIVIDIVER]

AVOID TAKA at all costs !!!

I've done Taka live-aboard and did regret purely 'cause the staff members !
Too young and foolish or too old, grumpy and bully! - Both with lack of customer service experience, I'll explain...

There was a big, big group of Asians who got preferential treatment the whole trip. - From going to dinner earlier, choosing the dive sites and diving first in the morning etc. etc. to trashing completely the coral several times on EVERY single dive (witnessed by many other divers) and when I got their dive guide's attention, she told me "don't worry, it's not your problem, go and dive with your group".

Another occasion I also was forbidden to wash my own gear (I did explain the crew that I have a Mistral twin hose that needs a quick rinse before disconnecting the tank). After my second attempt to rinse my first stage, the girl diver guide told the older staff member to take the hose from me and have hidden the fresh water hose so I could not use it, and unlock it again out of the cupboard when they wanted to wash theirs !

Their approach to customers/divers was also very unprofessional, rude and aggressive in many other occasions, either by a particular (very immature) young New Zealand staff member (who was actually the team leader) or by the oldest Australian staff member who had no manners, was bully and rude...

I have worked with Apple Macs for 15 years, so when I was told by their sales person, at the booking the trip time, time and time again over the few phone conversations (in a very pushy way) the use of the internet and CD/DVD burning etc. aboard, I was thrilled, (that way I didn't have to take my latest and very expensive MacBook Pro aboard TAKA in case it got damaged or something could happen) so when I got aboard TAKA and notice 2-3 (very old) colourful iMacs from circa 2000, I didn't resist to check the specs, out of curiosity... well, no need to say I was yelled and growled at so loud, that I felt like a 5yo after breaking something, which I did not !
TAKA advertised so much the use of internet aboard and then I was screamed at, as "...NO ONE is allowed to touch the computers except the digital photographer!"
- The day before the TAKA trip, I met the young photographer at ScubaPix he had no idea about my camera gear, and frankly, I didn't think much of his computer skills, but that's another story...

Even at the last day, at the sales approach from the TAKA team leader, who was suppose to try and sell some merchandise on behalf of TAKA, he said: "I don't give a ****** if you don't buy any of these stuff, it doesn't bother me at all..."

...In the end we were told to submit an anonymous feed back, while filling out the forms, we've all noticed a field asking for our contact/info. - Well, that's not anonymous at all !!

Briefly the only nice staff member there, was actually the volunteer in the kitchen, she always smiled to everyone all day/night long ! - the others were either too young and didn't listen to you, or too old and grumpy and boss you round. - AND NEVER A SMILE !!

I (with others) over heard a conversation at the dinning table while watching TV late at night, just the night before we got back. - The staff members were reading out loud the comments/feedback at the table next to ours, and the older member kept saying "who da ****** said this, if I know who did it I'll punch him on the face. - I'm going to find out..."

The next morning everyone who heard about these comments from TAKA staff members, simply didn't handle their feedback form to avoid confrontation, and these last one's were being read in front of every one who just handled them that morning!

Many of us had exactly the same impression about the TAKA crew (I personally read a few other feedback forms that were shown to me and was surprised with the similarities) and some of them did in fact handle the comments regarding the 'young staff' - we still heard at the farewell "what do they know" from the staff, so I didn't handle mine after that last comment.

I still have my feedback form, I regret I didn't handle it at the TAKA office that day, but all the crew went to the office in front of me and it would be too clear.

I've always experience around the world the best camaraderie and friendship amongst fellow divers... so I was very disappointed with TAKA's crew lack of touch and skills.

Good luck and choose carefully.

RV

 

[tracy_from_oz]

RV

I think you should send a letter of complaint to the company and list everything you have here as well as the people etc.
Send it to the company, Carins tourist board, Queensland tourist board, Australian tourist board.
This is highly unacceptable and a disgrace for the Australian dive industry as well as tourism industry.

 

[RIVIDIVER]

AVOID TAKA at all costs !!!

I still have my feedback form, I regret I didn't handle it at the TAKA office that day...


Others also said: "Taka's boat lends itself to a VERY rough ride, the boat had a budget feel to it, the constant pitch to buy the DVD (with mostly stock footage) gets annoying, and the food isn't good."



I've done Taka live-aboard and did regret purely 'cause the staff members !
Too young and foolish or too old, grumpy and bully! - Both with lack of customer service experience, I'll explain...

There was a big, big group of Asians who got preferential treatment the whole trip. - From going to dinner earlier, choosing the dive sites and diving first in the morning etc. etc. to trashing completely the coral several times on EVERY single dive (witnessed by many other divers) and when I got their dive guide's attention, she told me "don't worry, it's not your problem, go and dive with your group".

Another occasion I also was forbidden to wash my own gear (I did explain the crew that I have a Mistral twin hose that needs a quick rinse before disconnecting the tank). After my second attempt to rinse my first stage, the girl diver guide told the older staff member to take the hose from me and have hidden the fresh water hose so I could not use it, and unlock it again out of the cupboard when they wanted to wash theirs !

Their approach to customers/divers was also very unprofessional, rude and aggressive in many other occasions, either by a particular (very immature) young New Zealand staff member (who was actually the team leader) or by the oldest Australian staff member who had no manners, was bully and rude...

I have worked with Apple Macs for 15 years, so when I was told by their sales person, at the booking the trip time, time and time again over the few phone conversations (in a very pushy way) the use of the internet and CD/DVD burning etc. aboard, I was thrilled, (that way I didn't have to take my latest and very expensive MacBook Pro aboard TAKA in case it got damaged or something could happen) so when I got aboard TAKA and notice 2-3 (very old) colourful iMacs from circa 2000, I didn't resist to check the specs, out of curiosity... well, no need to say I was yelled and growled at so loud, that I felt like a 5yo after breaking something, which I did not !
TAKA advertised so much the use of internet aboard and then I was screamed at, as "...NO ONE is allowed to touch the computers except the digital photographer!"
- The day before the TAKA trip, I met the young photographer at ScubaPix he had no idea about my camera gear..., and frankly, I didn't think much of his computer skills, but that's another story...

Even at the last day, at the sales approach from the TAKA team leader, who was suppose to try and sell some merchandise on behalf of TAKA, he said: "I don't give a ****** if you don't buy any of these stuff, it doesn't bother me at all..."

...In the end we were told to submit an anonymous feed back, while filling out the forms, we've all noticed a field asking for our contact/info. - Well, that's not anonymous at all !!

Briefly the only nice staff member there, was actually the volunteer in the kitchen, she always smiled to everyone all day/night long ! - the others were either too young and didn't listen to you, or too old and grumpy and boss you round. - AND NEVER A SMILE !!

I (with others) over heard a conversation at the dinning table while watching TV late at night, just the night before we got back. - The staff members were reading out loud the comments/feedback at the table next to ours, and the older member kept saying "who da ****** said this, if I know who did it I'll punch him on the face. - I'm going to find out..."

The next morning everyone who heard about these comments from TAKA staff members, simply didn't handle their feedback form to avoid confrontation, and these last one's were being read in front of every one who just handled them that morning!

Many of us had exactly the same impression about the TAKA crew (I personally read a few other feedback forms that were shown to me and was surprised with the similarities) and some of them did in fact handle the comments regarding the 'young staff' - we still heard at the farewell "what do they know" from the staff, so I didn't handle mine after that last comment.

I still have my feedback form, I regret I didn't handle it at the TAKA office that day, but all the crew went to the office in front of me and it would be too clear.

I've always experience around the world the best camaraderie and friendship amongst fellow divers... so I was very disappointed with TAKA's crew lack of touch and skills.

Good luck and choose carefully.

RV

 

[RIVIDIVER]

...I've also forgot to add following:

It's quite interesting TAKA advertises their state of the art vessel, fully equipped with the latest technology for the use of all divers etc. but then the reality is pretty opposite...

While aboard, TAKA was 'pushing' so much for new courses, I thought I would enrol for Nitrox while aboard. Good idea but not practical as it turned out...
- as I mentioned on the form I've had asthma some 20 years ago, I was asked for a doctor clearance/certificate. I told the team leader I had one but left at home and my wife (not present, diving with us) could fax it to the main TAKA office and the vessel if necessary.
It's like I've asked for the boat to turn around back to Cairns (which, of course I didn't) - they came up with so many excuses about not being possible to receive faxes aboard and not being able to use the telephone while aboard (even when I offered to pay for the whole costs etc.) - in the end the excuses escalated to the fact the Nitrox refills were so, so expensive that it would not be worth the dive trip and they didn't have enough for me and the dive guides.
- I got the message, since they didn't want to do the course after all, I went else where and finished my Nitrox course the same week we got back from TAKA.

Another 2 comments I forgot to mention, was regarding the feeding at Cod Hole, which didn't do much for me and also the Shark Feed.

As I mentioned before the big Asian group who were getting the briefs just before jumping in the water (ahead of us) - they obviously did ignore everything it was said on the briefs and their dive guide did care much about it either. We were told to seat at the bottom in a circle and wait for the cod to be fed, but when we got to the bottom, the Asian group already reached the bottom some 10 mins before, ignored all this and were all trying to touch and feed the cod, all over the diver/crew who was trying to feed the cod. The result was disastrous as the rest of us, (2 separate groups) got to the bottom, the chaos was already taking over - the dive leader feeding the cod, decided the cod feed was cancelled even before it started, so no one had a chance to see much because the cod had run away just before the whole group got to the bottom!

The other feed, the Shark Feed, was pretty much the same! By the time we got to the bottom, the Asian group was already down at the bottom and once again did not listen to the brief, they were kicking and swimming round, scattered trying to touch the sharks!! Once again these caused a chaos and the remain divers did not see anything else but elbows and fins on their faces, the sharks disappeared really quick too, what a mess!

Although it's appalling the behaviour and 'over enthusiasm' of some less experienced divers, in the end, it's up to their dive leader to supervise the behaviour of careless divers, to, avoid e.g. the destruction of the coral reefs as we witnessed several times.

RV