Spirit of Freedom - Guest Book

Trip Departure Date: Monday 19th July 2010

Incredibly helpful and professional crew, I felt very safe with them in the water on our dives. Mossy is a great instructor - uses humour to keep interest and help us remember important parts. Spirit of Freedom vessel is great! Fabulous meals - Drew is an amazing chef. The diving was great and very enjoyable. Highlights were seeing a Nurse Shark off the boat at night, Minke Whales in the water with us, sea snakes, turtles, saw a dolphin from the boat. We enjoyed watching the photos of us on the large screen. ALL the crew were great!! You guys were fantastic! Thanks for a wonderful trip! Love the Taylors

Natalie - United States

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 15th July 2010

Your crew are excellent - hard workers and very professional. Vessel is beautifully maintained, meals were incredible - fresh and abundant. The diving exceeded expectations - Minke Whales the highlight. Would absolutely recommend Spirit of Freedom.

Peggy - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 12th July 2010

Crew are very professional and friendly - cater to your every need. Spirit of Freedom vessel great - good layout and very clean. Meals excellent - Andrew great cook for number of people, etc. The diving - WOW - what a life - dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, etc...
Everything on this trip was a highlight - getting your fins put on for you - what a luxury!!

Melissa - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Wednesday 7th July 2010

Your crew seem like a good team - very helpful. Spirit of Freedom is my first liveaboard vessel, so no prior experience. The boat was comfortable and clean. Meals very good, The whales were incredible, even if the weather was less than great. Next time we will come in the summer! Even so, the trip was well worth it. Highlight: WHALES!

Dominic & Lauren - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 5th July 2010

The most amazing dive trip of my life! A great crew, comfortable boat and fantastic food. The crew worked hard to make our stay comfortable and the dive sites were everything I'd hoped they would be. Can't wait to come back for the 7 day trip!

Thomas - Kodiak, Alaska

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 1st July 2010

Your crew were helpful and accommodating - made sure we had everything we needed! Spirit of Freedom vessel very nice. The diving was fantastic! Amazing sites, staff/instructors very knowledgeable abou8t where we were diving and what we could see. Osprey Reef, shark feed, Steve's Bommie definite highlights. Thanks for helping me survive sea-sickness!

Susan - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 28th June 2010

Your crew are outstanding! Super friendly, very attentive. Spirit of Freedom vessel excellent, very nice looking and great to be on. Meals - wonderful. Always looked forward to the next meal. The diving was the best! The whales and the Cod Hole were such a fun experience for me I will never forget it. Minke Whales, the Big Fat Cod with his greedy appetite were the highlights. The night dive was great! Again, really super crew - thanks for everything guys, Great Experience!

Steven - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 28th June 2010

I just want to highlight the good service and attitude of all your crew. It is going to be hard to dive again with out your help. Thanks!

Jorge - Colombian

Trip Departure Date: Monday 28th June 2010

Back to Italy...just wanted to say thank you from Monica and I and compliments
for the organisation, staff, courtesy, great atmosphere, diving sites, gear
and...the champagne given us by the staff to celebrate our honeymoon!

Say thanks again to Cade and the crew, they made our honeymoon very special.

Kind regards

Francesco and Monica Ferrari

Francesco and Monica - Italy

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 24th June 2010

I couldn't have asked for more from your crew! The vessel is more than comfortable, meals outstanding - actually I think Andrew should come to South Africa! Diving top shelf - pity not to make it to Osprey. Minke Whales were my highlight. Highly, highly recommend Spirit of Freedom. Thank you so much for everything!

Venessa - South Africa

Trip Departure Date: Monday 21st June 2010

Phenomenal! GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!!

The vessel was great - always clean and tidy. Meals delicious! Couldn't ask for more - Drew is fantastic! The diving is the best I have ever had - your crew made it amazing! So outgoing and willing to share their knowledge and point things out to everyone. You can tell they truly love what they do. Mossy, Kiri, Claire, Steve, Drew - all exceptional! Thank you! I will be back and tell everyone I know about my fantastic experience!

Amanda - United States

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 10th June 2010

Your crew treated us very well and very professionally. Happy with the on board accommodation - very clean. Chef did an excellent job from a very small space! Diving was excellent. Would recommend to others.

Kevin - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 7th June 2010

I boarded the SOF not knowing what to expect, but hopeful for at least a fabulous diving experience.

The crew/team aboard the SOF were the best. They welcomed, briefed, feed and comforted us beyond all expectations.
Did I mention they briefed us, oh yes! Our safety, our gear, our dives, our dinner and our accomodations were all explained in detail. The crew lacked nothing. If I learned nothing else, I learned NOT to touch the coral, if you enter the blue water your lost and if you loose your buddy your dive is over.

As I stated above, I boarded the SOF hoping for a fabulous diving experience, but I feel I took away far more. A divine group of Aussie/Texan crew I'm proud to call friend or even extended family.

I shall return and recommend this to anyone wanting a dive experience of a lifetime.

Dive Time Everyone!

Bill - Glen Allen, Virginia (United States)

Trip Departure Date: Wednesday 12th May 2010

Even though the weather conditions were less than ideal (thank you, Ului

Sharon & Vince - USA

Trip Departure Date: Wednesday 12th May 2010

You are all fantastic and very helpful! The meals onboard were delicious and YUMMY!! Loved the diving and want to do more dives :o) Thank you to each and everyone of you, you rock!

Alexander - USA/Norway

Trip Departure Date: Wednesday 14th April 2010

All exemplary! Cannot fault a thing. Great food. Friendly crew. Amazing diving!!

Matt - British

Trip Departure Date: Monday 12th April 2010

Fantastic trip!-wish we could have done the full 7 days. Everything was awesome. Thanks to all the Crew.

Dalena - Boston, USA

Trip Departure Date: Monday 5th April 2010

All your crew were so friendly, co-operative and energetic! Spirit of Freedom vessel is very nice! Congratulations to Andrew the Chef for producing such terrific meals!! Any dive is a good dive but all these dives were really good. Highlights were Challenger Bay night dive, Lighthouse Bommie and Pixie Pinnacle.

An all round fantastic experience - congrat's to the staff. It is sad we have to leave......

Jenny & Steve - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Sunday 28th March 2010

Absolutely lovely crew! Vessel great, meals were awesome - gourmet! The diving was beyond words - we did our Advanced Open Water Course - the teachers and guides were just great! Shark feed was our highlight.

Sarah and Dirk - Germany

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 18th March 2010

Really loved the crew - loved watching them work together. Lozzy and Lara were very conscientious towards us being new divers. Kiri is a pleasure to be around, Mossy was very informative and we are really happy he was our Trip Director.
Andrew does a fabulous job! 24/7 - unbelievable!
We were happy to gain the diving experience - whatever kind of conditions!
Highlights = DIVE, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE, DIVE, DINE, DOZE! :-)

Sharon & Vince - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 8th March 2010

Your crew were awesome! Everyone has been great! Spirit of Freedom vessel very clean and good space - did not seem over crowded. Meals were excellent - every meal was great - we had seconds!! Beautiful diving - the reef looked amazing and we saw so many different fish. Highlight for John was the Cod Hole feed and for Heather was Jorges Patch.

Findeisen - United States

Trip Departure Date: Saturday 27th February 2010

I can only concur with the other comments, great people, great food, well organised, professional, safety & environmentally conscious, hard working. Thanks Tony, Mossy and Kirsten for a great holiday.

Stephen - Auckland, New Zealand

Trip Departure Date: Monday 22nd February 2010

Your crew work so well together - perfect personalities - worked well with our group. Spirit of Freedom vessel nice! Comfortable - lounge areas and deck great for groups. Meals - WOW, WOW, WOW! Loved the food! Appreciated the accommodations for special diets. The diving was breathtaking! Loved the variety. Corals in great shape - lots of life - VIBRANT! Highlights include WHALE SHARK! :-D Shark feeds - Bougainville - every dive was a highlight. I have been on many liveaboards and never had a crew that worked so well as a team and seemed to actually enjoy their jobs or faked it very well! :-) Would absolutely recommend Spirit of Freedom!

Ginny and Frank - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 22nd February 2010

Excellent combination of professionalism and friendliness from your crew. Vessel clean and tidy - great layout, comfortable. Best warm water diving to date (we are largely cold water divers). Osprey and Bouganville Reefs pristine, untouched. Cooperative mooring maintenance excellent idea. Dive briefings explained well - liked ability to dive without being herded.

Pierre and Gerda - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 22nd February 2010

Crew are lovely, handsome, professional, personable and funny. Spirit of Freedom vessel very nice. Meals were fabulous. Diving a great experience. We have been spoiled this week. The bar has been set very high. The whole week was just incredible!

Pat - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 15th February 2010

Having dived off liveaboards around the world, two are inseperable. locked in first place. The "Spirit of Freedom" is one of them. The boat and the diving was truly amazing. The crew is the best I ever had the pleasure of spending a week of diving with. Capt's Tony and Cameron, Mossy,Loz,Lara, Lucy,Kiri and chef Andrew All I can say thanks for everything. I will recommend you to all my friends.

Hardy - USA

Trip Departure Date: Monday 8th February 2010

THANK YOU for a superb three days - an absolutely awesome time with superb waters and crew - a fabulous highlight to my Aussie Adventure. Thank you :) xx

Sarah - United Kingdom

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 4th February 2010

My best ocean experience, best diving, crew, food.... I will never forget it! thank you so much, I wish I could repeat one day!

Alvaro

ALVARO - Spain

Trip Departure Date: Monday 25th January 2010

The Spirit is very fortunate to have such a capable, hard working, talented crew onboard. Very commendable! Every dive a highlight!! Excellent!!

Karen and Russ - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 18th January 2010

Absolutely sensational in every respect! I could not have been more impressed. Excellent vessel, very comfortable. Meals were fantastic and totally exceeded my expectations. Diving good - the weather was not conductive to great diving but instructors and Dive Masters were fantastic. The food produced by chef Andrew and the overall attitude of the crew definite highlights.

Janice and David

Trip Departure Date: Monday 18th January 2010

The crew were exceptionally helpful and accommodating.  Vessel was clean, well maintained and very comfortable.  BRAVO to the chef – great meals!  Excellent advice on the diving; fantastic guiding and dive plans always top notch.  Highlight would have to be the Cod Hole.

Russell - United Kingdom

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 7th January 2010

Great crew, friendly and professional, especially Mossy, Kiri and Kirsty were fantastic!!  Best liveaboard vessel around!  Meals were awesome!! Great diving and awesome sites.  Highlights were the Shark Feed, Cod Hole and Steve's Bommie.

Kristine - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 7th January 2010

Your crew were excellent, friendly, genuine, attentive with great attitudes.  Spirit of Freedom has the best live aboard accommodation I have had.  The meals were excellent and a LOT of great food!  A great choice of dive spots,  I was happy to be able to free dive with the guides as an option.

Gregg - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 4th January 2010

Wonderful people, beautiful vessel, delicious meals, amazing diving.  I wish I could do it again, loved you guys!

Renata - Brazil

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 31st December 2009

 
Your crew are so friendly, work extremely hard and are wonderful people.  The vessel is great in every way, meals and diving were excellent – a very professional operation.  Hard to pick one highlight – the whole trip was a wonderful experience.  Thank you to all the crew for this memorable experience.

Ian and Christine - Botswana

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 31st December 2009

Thoroughly enjoyed the diving and the dive set up – people could enjoy maximum diving.  Great diving and Great company.
 

Lynn - United Kingdom

Trip Departure Date: Monday 21st December 2009

 
Fantastic, friendly, informative, genuinely cheerful crew.  Spirit of Freedom vessel is magnificent – has great character!  Meals were plentiful and superb – Kiri did a fantastic job.  Diving on the Ribbon Reefs were excellent and Osprey was awesome.  The chance to dive Bougainville reef was just great.  An overall fantastic experience.

Kevin - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 17th December 2009

 
The whole trip was just gorgeous and one of my best trips I've ever done.  The Shark feeding, Osprey and Bougainville Reefs definite highlights.  Thanks guys!

Pascal - Switzerland

Trip Departure Date: Monday 7th December 2009

The trip was great, no improvements necessary.  We will come again.  Food was fantastic!!  Everything was excellent.
 

John and Michelle - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Monday 7th December 2009

Very professional, courteous and helpful crew.  Very nice vessel, meals outstanding!!  Great dive sites – Cod feed was tremendous.  This was our first live aboard experience and I am completely sold on this experience – most definitely do this again!
 

Steve, Joyce and Zachary - United States

Trip Departure Date: Monday 30th November 2009

Fantastic experience, great crew, vessel and food.  I will spread the word and hopefully return one day!

Katie

Trip Departure Date: Monday 30th November 2009

Amazing crew, so friendly and never a negative moment.  The vessel felt like a hotel, meals incredible – absolutely exceeded expectations.  Diving great fun, always felt safe.  Fantastic dive briefings – Mossy was outstanding – very professional and loads of fun too.  Everything was just perfect.  Really appreciated the clarity around our itinerary for the day and that timetable was followed – always felt I know what was going on.

Katrina

Trip Departure Date: Monday 2nd November 2009

Outstanding in all respects. Vessel is Ship Shape! Excellent meals! The diving ranks with the best dives we've done world wide – Cod Hole and Pinnacle the highlights.

Ken and Ann

Trip Departure Date: Monday 2nd November 2009

Very friendly crew – fun to be around; great knowledge of dive sites. Nice boat; great food – better than ANY other liveaboard!! Diving offered great locations; water vis varied greatly; lots of variety of sea life; wonderful dive experience. Highlights were Steve's Bommie and the shark feed – wicked!

Charles and Paula - USA

Trip Departure Date: Monday 26th October 2009

Your crew were great, extremely friendly and professional. Meals excellent! Thanks for the no-dairy effort. Had hoped to see a few more big animals but the coral was spectacular. Corals, Pixie Pinnacle the highlights.

Charles Keough and Nancy Hsiung

Trip Departure Date: Monday 26th October 2009

The crew very professional, friendly and helpful – awesome bunch. Vessel was clean and very well kept. Meals fabulous – could not have asked for more. All dive sites were great – well explained and easily dived. Really excellent service and fantastic crew. Excellent job all!!!

Stuart - South Africa

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 22nd October 2009

Crew – Excellent, Vessel – Excellent, Meals – Excellent (best food I have had on a boat, never hungry!) Diving – Outstanding. Nothing left to say, I loved it!! It would have been nice if we could swim at Lizard Island but jumping off the boat made it up!

Catherine - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Monday 19th October 2009

The diving was great, the crew was fantastic. They were incredibly nice and extremely helpful. Overall a terrific experience.

George - USA

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 15th October 2009

We have had the pleasure to have spent 4 days on the trip to Osprey Reef aboard the Spirit of Freedom. We have been on a number of liveaboard dive trips around the world and this trip was outstanding. The professionalism and friendlyness of the crew was exceptional including everyone from Cameron the captain and Joel the trip director and every member of the crew. Everyone was focussed on ensuring that all the guests had a good time and had a safe diving experience no matter what their level of expertise and experience.

The dive briefings were excellent paying the right amount of attention to safety whilst making them entertaining.

The food was of a very high standard and plentiful.
We could not hesitate to recommend the Spirit of Freedom experience to any diver. Our only regret is that we did not book the 7 day trip. Many thanks to Cameron, Joel, Steve, Jesse, Kai, Lucy, Lara, Loz, Miranda and Andrew, you are doing a marvellous job!

Neil & Sheila - UK

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 8th October 2009

"Very Good" does not adequately express the friendliness and customer service of Cade, Chantelle, Dayna and Tomo: GREAT!!

Meals were superior – Great Job!!

The dive sites on the Coral Sea Trip were uniformly excellent. Steve's Bommie and Castles were spectacular for photographers and videographers.

Lee

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 8th October 2009

Crew friendly but not over friendly (which is good). The vessel very well maintained and presented well. The menu was well constructed with tasty, nutritious meals and lots of!! The diving was the best possible at the time. Shark dive and shark cleaning, night dives the highlights. Crew looked after Liz really well with her certification for Open Water.

Michael & Liz - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 8th October 2009

A1, top notch. Tons of space. Kudos to the chef – pavlova=WOW!! Great dives, colourful coral and variety of sea life.. Sharks, Lionfish, Turtles, etc..etc

Erik - Canada

Trip Departure Date: Monday 5th October 2009

Back to Cairns and the send off to the SOF. This boat, the crew, the facilities and environment are all truly outstanding. For anyone who likes SCUBA this trip is a must. The choice of food, the friendliness and professionalism of the crew, the cleanliness of the boat and the quality of the diving gear were all first class, and we had a truly amazing 3 days.

Phil & Michelle - UK

Trip Departure Date: Monday 28th September 2009

Your crew are the very concept of a 'TEAM'. Everybody helps out with everything from the tiniest detail in a way that makes it look easy and is relaxed about it. The humour, relaxed yet responsible atmosphere made this trip.

Valeria - Argentina

Trip Departure Date: Monday 28th September 2009

The crew are very professional, friendly and eager to please. Well organised and trained. Spirit of Freedom vessel is brilliant. Compliments to the chef. Good variety and fresh food. Best run diving operation I have experienced. Safety procedures well trained and followed. Safety stop with the dolphins and Osprey's walls were awe inspiring.

Shaun - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 24th September 2009

All the crew are amazing!! They are so hard working and always pleasant! Meals were delicious! Great salads and fish and stuffed chicken breast. Cade was the ultimate Trip Director and very fun! Chantelle was the ultimate hostess. Dan, Rebecca, Bob, Tony, Tomo and everyone – I can't believe all the different jobs they do. Along with the diving – you have a fabulous crew!

Beth - USA

Trip Departure Date: Monday 14th September 2009

The crew – keep 'em happy, they're your best asset – excellent. Very comfortable vessel. The meals superb – will really miss "Christmas Dinner" for every meal. The diving was grand because the crew were so diligent in safety you could just relax. This is an excellent liveaboard for all levels. For the novice, you can go/dive with a crew member and for the experienced at your own pace. Plus generous tank fills. I will be back!

Joelle - USA

Trip Departure Date: Monday 7th September 2009

Extremely friendly crew, waited on us so much I was very impressed. Vessel was big and roomy, the meals were the biggest surprise – VERY impressed with quality and quantity of food. The diving was great - every thing I expected and more from the Great Barrier Reef. I felt pampered, staff were extremely helpful and having a guide on every dive was great too!

Bill - USA

Trip Departure Date: Monday 7th September 2009

You have the best crew! They never stop working. Vessel is in excellent condition. Meals brilliant!! Absolutely the best food on a dive boat! Great sites! Highlights were Cathedrals and fish at Watsons Bay.

Danielle & Darren - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 3rd September 2009

Crew were definitely the best. Vessel was very comfortable and accessible. Meals really nice! Fantastic chef. Diving awesome, particularly the Cod Hole feed. If I could I would stay longer.

Merce - Spain

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 3rd September 2009

Extremely friendly, professional and extremely hard working crew. Vessel very good, meals amazing presentation. The best diving I have seen in Oz and comparable to the best overseas sites. Cod Hole and Steve's Bommie (amazing place!) the highlights!!

John - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 27th August 2009

Great, friendly crew – remembered everyone's names – impressive! Spirit of Freedom vessel very comfy – loved the tanning deck.

Meals were excellent, great variety – thanks Andrew! Love the Tandoori Chicken.

Sorry we missed the last dive (flight the following day) Thanks to all instructors for being patient with us – and for rescuing Ben! Highlights were the shark feed; yummy meals between dives, despite all activity between eating and diving, got lots of sleep on this trip.

Thanks!!

Ben and Sally - USA

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 23rd July 2009

Amazingly helpful, cheerful and fun crew. Vessel is modern, comfortable and well kept/maintained. Excellent meals, every time!! Diving was great, lots of new fish and many more sharks than I've ever seen before. Beautiful coral. Highlights were the shark feed, conversations with the crew and passengers, great orientations, concern for us and our wellbeing exceptional. Thank you for a wonderful trip!

Christine - USA

Trip Departure Date: Thursday 23rd July 2009

The crew were hospitable and professional always. The boat was a good performer in the sea when we travelled. The meals were super special and diving was one of the best experiences of my life. I would definitely recommend this trip. North Horn and Steve's Bommie for the whales and the shark feeding was fantastic!

Mike - Australia

Trip Departure Date: Monday 13th July 2009

Very professional hard working and good natured crew. Boat is ship shape – clean and nice lay out. Meals were awesome! Loved the use of fruits and veggies. Diving was wonderful with a lot of dives but thankful for the swiftness of the crew to make it possible. Highlight was spotting Minke Whales.

Erin - Australia