Guest Book

We welcome your feed back please email : info@spiritoffreedom.com.au

Hi

I have just returned (yesterday) from the 3 day cod hole dive trip on the SOF, I would like to congratulate you on a very well run and professional operation.
Everyone of the crew bent over backwards to make sure that everything was ok and that there was no problems etc, and are a credit to your company. Karen the trip director kept us informed of the days/night activities, the dive briefings were well worded and informative. The instructors/guides were all well versed about the area and in particular pointing things out under the water. Kevin the chef kept us well fed, with a food selection and taste that was way above expectations.
I would not hesitate to book another trip with you guys next year as Steven Walker and I have already discussed, and will have no trouble in recommending your operation to others.
Could you also pass another huge thank you to Cameron, Karen  and the rest of the crew for an extremely enjoyable week.


Kind Regards
 
Mark McHenry
Williamstown VIC 3016

NOVEMBER 2007

Hi Paula

Axsel and I have just returned to the Gold Coast at the end of our holiday
which included our trip on the Spirit of Freedom. We had a fantastic trip
which exceeded all our expectations. The crew were totally professional and
must be commended on all their efforts from guidance during the dives to
cleanliness of the Spirit of Freedom to prepartion and quality of the meals.
Abi did an outstanding job as trip director and it is unfortunate that she
has left the Spirit of Freedom but i wish her well in whatever she does in
the future.

We will certainly consider doing another trip with you guys again.

BUT!!

I have one complaint! Amongst other things I bought a souvenier stubbie
holder. The arse has fallen out of it. Is there a chance you could please
send me another? I can send the old one back if you want it.

Kind Regards,

David Mifsud
Burleigh Town QLD 4220

AUSTRALIA

OCT 2007

To the Spirit of Freedom.

Although the weather never really panned out for me, rather overcast with the occasional shower during the week, there couldn't possibly be anything else to complain about. Since I scheduled the trip Thursday -Thursday it felt like 2 trips in one. The crew's work Monday to Monday, so I had an opportunity with each set. Both exhibited great professionalism, cheery optimistic attitudes, and phenomenal customer service. Although the personalities were somewhat different, the overall luxury and personal attention didn't lapse one bit. Each chef prepared amazing food, highlighted by their own techniques.

Crew Consisted of Captain, 1st Mate, Deckhand, Dive Instructor x 2, DI/Hostess, Hostess, and Trip Coordinator, Chef (1st trip included Photographer, 2nd didn't). So a total of either 9 or 10 crew. Overall, there was little they could do to improve the service. After a wakeup call at 630am, they cleaned your room while we ate 1st breakfast, then we dove, had 2nd breakfast, dove again, had lunch and a short free-time, dove again, had a snack, late afternoon dive; and depending if there was a 5th dive option dinner by itself, or dinner offered after the dive. Each dive was completely optional, however it was exceptional diving so people didn't not want to miss out! We saw plenty of mantas, sharks, cuttlefish, and octopus, even minkes!

The boat was very clean and state of the art. 2 Plasma screen TV's,comfortable lounge (the Hostess constantly even kept the pillows arranged behind our backs) comfortable bedding, each room's bathroom had its own water heater (thus no cold showers) and a/c.  The only downside could be small bathrooms, and the economy (4 person room) is very cramped if full capacity.

Osprey Reef was the trip for the big stuff - manta's, sharks, huge walls, large fish etc etc.  Coral Reef was the trip for minke's, scores of nudibranchs, variety of fish, coral formations, schools of small fish, etc etc.

SOF is yearly upgraded and overhauled. The rumour mill in Cairns is that SOF is the best of the best. On the first leg of the trip one of the managers from PRO DIVE was my roommate, scooping out his "competition", and his comment was that "Spirit was by far superior to the competition". 

BRYAN LUCAS

GUAM, USA

JULY 2007

hi paula,
 
i want to write to let you know what a FABULOUS trip i had this past week (apr 16-19) on SOF!  i had spent sat/sun on another liveaboard and got off feeling unsure about scuba safety (it was sort of a sketchy boat) and didn't really want to go on the 3 day cod hole trip anymore, but as soon as i got on the SOF i knew i would be fine.  i really, really think that it was the best trip it could have possibly been!  the crew were absolutely fabulous--annika and matt helped me with my ear equalization difficulties and helped me conquer my fear of night & mooring line dives and really made the trip extra special.  i know that SOF is more expensive than other boats (i almost didn't book with you bc of it, but i did after my dive instructor from sydney reiterated what a good boat/company it is) but it was worth EVERY PENNY.  things that made you stand out were:
-annika taking our dive/medical histories before even touching the water so she knew where everyone was at beforehand, in case of any problems
-extra safety measures, like the extra tank at 5m and for night dives glow sticks on our tanks and the mooring line
-having 2 dive masters/instructors in the water on all dives
-the professionalism and courteousness and friendliness of the staff
-knowing each day what the schedule was and what dives sites we were going to (posted on the board)
-fabulous FRESH & HEALTHY food: salads, veggies, fruit (with lots for vegetarians to eat)
-the staff, the staff, the staff!!!  everything they did was fabulous: bringing water, tablets and brown bags to sick people, helping us sort out their underwater problems, taking our fins on and off before getting in the water, showing us new things under water, sitting around after dives helping us write down in our logs what we saw...  harry was super fantastic (sorry to see him go), and steve--how cool is he for a 16 year old!!  i have friends my age way less mature and responsible than him!  i felt like i was at summer camp with super fantastic counsellors!!!  i really can't say enough good things about the staff.
 
in sum, i felt really safe (very important!) and really well looked after (very nice!!) on board the SOF and i have been and will continue to highly recommend it to anyone and everyone who will listen (i've only been back in sydney since this morning and i've already given out your brochure to the concierge guy at my apartment who thinks he might go!).
 
so anyway, i just want to let you know what a great experience it was and how happy i am with the SOF!
 
happy diving,
kate

April 2007

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to say thanks again to the whole crew for pulling off a fun, full dive week despite the heavy winds April 2-9. This was our first live on dive experience and we're probably spoiled now.

Tony was always happy to patiently explain the ship, weather, and how we'd approach diving in sometimes rough seas. Abby of course ran a great ship and always sent us out with a thorough dive briefing.

The dive crew Matt, Koji and Shari were always happy to have any of us tag along, always pointing out interesting things you'd never see on your own.

I don't know how Lacy and Shari did it, but if we were up for 5 minutes in the morning our state room was already prepped for another day, and despite rolling seas.

Simon managed to put out great meals 4 times a day. I think Tim and Steve had it the worst, trying to manage the skiffs and moorings in strong winds, but they kept us on track all week.

No request was a bother, and it was nice to see how well the crew accepted any job or request whether or not it was their primary responsibility.

We're glad we found the Spirit of Freedom and would certainly recommend the trip.

brad and karin, Chicago

April 2007

Hi Paula - Richard and I want to thank you for all your help in our SOF planning - we had a terrific time!  The boat was great; the crew was wonderful and the diving was lovely!

At the outset of the trip on Lizard Island Richard snapped a picture of Harry with the boat in the background - later we learned it was his last trip - could I send you the picture as he might like it for his album!

Thanks again!

Liz and Richard

March 2007

Hi,

Just wanted to say a very huge THANKYOU to Tony, Shep, Simon, Karen, Kaz, Lucy and well everyone.

 We had a fantastic trip and the best trip ever. We are now going to get Cert so we too can enjoy the deeper waters. The reef, fish and all we saw were just so beautiful and wonderful.

Please tell Simon thankyou so much for my delicious vegetarian meals and we also went to dinner at Port Douglas to Salsa. It was fantastic and excellent service, just like on board.

Thankyou all for a great holiday,

Regards,

Amanda and Paul (The Snorkellers)

March 2007

Hi Trina
Just a quick note to thank you and the SoF crew for a fantastic trip.
SoF turned it on again, great dive sites (the shark feed was spectacular), attentive professional crew and great food!
 
I was disappointed to miss Paul by just a couple of weeks but Abbie did an outstanding job replacing him both on deck and underwater with her skill knowledge and guiding.  Every member of the crew were very helpful and worked very hard as a great team but it would be unfair not to say that Koji and Annika excelled, as did Simon.
 
Thanks once again … Tom.
 
Kind regards
Tom Warnes
Managing Director
Wilderness Challenge Pty Ltd

Hi Paula...

Just a quick but heartfelt email to thank the staff on Spirit of Freedom for their assistance and patience during the "Mid West Scuba" trip March 5th to -12th.

All the diving I have done in the last four years has been like diving in a swimming pool compared to the wonderful sites, sounds and experiences of the Coral Sea and Lizard island trip....Life under water just wont be the same again.  I know that the staff made this for me a trip of a lifetime...

To the staff..........................................................
Paul - I know you have finished on the boat but I have never met a more enthusiastic, wonderful, vibrant, caring helpful person in my life. Thank you and good luck in whatever you do in life as I know you will always excel!

Sharika - Thanks for all the wonderful dives together, I enjoyed our hysterical laughs together - What an amazing diver and guide...I have separation anxiety already!  We all wanted to dive with Sharika..she needs her own fan club now!
Koji - Thanks for then chats and diving..be careful snowboarding, your the best!

Star - The quiet Ninja Warrior...thanks for all your wonderful help and great smile.

Ben - Thanks for the amazing food all week, I don't know how you do it in such a small kitchen..good luck with the trip...Forget Jamie Oliver he's got nothing on you.....You are my culinary idol!!! Your meals, cakes, sushi and BBQ's are the things dreams are made of, healthy, nutritious and YUMMY!....
Abby -  Good luck in the new role.
Annika - The blonde bombshell! Your constant smile will stay with me forever...thanks for all your help with the diving and keeping us motivated.
Lacy - Simply amazing hostess - What would we have done without her help, we would have been lost if she hadn't found the last jar of strawberry jam on the boat...  :-) Thanks for the chats

Steve - What a hard working, dedicated, committed young man...an asset to the company...What a dynamo...I wish the world was full of more younger people like him as we would all be better off.  Simply amazing energy and enthusiasm...OUTSTANDING!!!

Harry - What a wonderful Captain, thanks for all the chats on the bridge and the use of the SAT phone to call my girlfriend. If Elaine and I have a baby we will call it Harry after you....  :-) Thanks for looking after my cameras too!!!

Second Mate Tim - Reminded me of the old Solo Man drink add, tough,reliable strong, dedicated, hardworking, patient and trustworthy...thanks for all the cool rides back to the boat in the tenders...

Warmest regards

Mark CAIN (Melbourne Australia)

Midwest Scub Group

Trip Date: 5/3/07

G'Day,

I just returned home to Switzerland after spending 4 weeks Down Under again.
From the 22.1. - 29.2.2007, I spent again 7 days on the Spirit of
Freedom. This was now my second 7 day trip and again I had a lot fun,
just as I hoped.
The team around Shep was just great again and it was fun being guided by
them when needed, good for a laugh and the food....no comments... it was
just to good again :-)

I am now already looking forward to the next time I will be on board, as
it never gets boring. Though we did a lot of dives via the tender on the
Coral Sea, which I enjoyed this year more than ever before, but I felt
sorry for the people driving the tenders, as they did not get any real
break especially if we than had drive over night some where.

Thx again for a great 2nd time.

Cheers,

Marcus Jaeger
Nyon, Switzerland
Trip: 22.1. - 29.1.2007

Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:16:55 +0300
 To: info@spiritoffreedom.com.au
Subject: Feedback from Russia!
 
Dear Sir/Madame,
 
My name is Oleg Fursov. I spent  one week of fantastic trip with my group 2 weeks ago.
Let me pass my best wishes to all your friendly crew during the trip! Especially I want to say a GOOD JOB to Paul. He is the best trip director I've ever seen.
As a diving instructor I've got many trips all over the world but this is the best one...
Many thanks to Ben - our magic chief. His meal was unbelievable tasty and fresh...
All crew are very friendly and pretty...
The boat. Very, very right vessel !!!
 
Hope to come back to you,
 
With warm regards,
 
Fursov Oleg
_______________________
DIVE TOUR travel agency
Moscow Russia

 
To the team at Spirit of Freedom,

We have just returned from an excellent holiday to north Queensland, the highlight of which was undoubtedly our week on the Spirit of Freedom. We have been lucky enough to have been on a number of different liveaboards and the Spirit of Freedom is the best by a long way.

We were impressed at the level of comfort, cleanliness, and space on board, and of course the fantastic diving. But most of all we were extremely impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of crew, so we would like to say thank you to both Paul and Shep and their teams for making our trip so enjoyable, and Tony for driving the boat to all the wonderful dive sites.

Thanks again,

Guy and Julie Shepherd,

Stafford Heights QLD, Australia

7 Days, 26 OCT - 02 NOV 2006

Greetings

We just completed our second 7-day trip on Spirit of Freedom. Our trip last year was fantastic, a trip that was one of life's most memorable experiences, a trip that would never be surpassed.

Oh how nice it is to be wrong! This year’s trip turned out to be the "Best Ever"! It is amazing that Tusa continues to attract the best of the best. The best Captains, best Chef's, best Cruise Directors, best Instructor's and Dive Masters!

Our deepest thanks go out to Capt Hayden, Cruise Director Paul, Dave the 1st Mate, Shelly the 2nd Mate, Jon, Lauren, Chelly, Mitsu, Koji, Andrea, and the Most Important member of the Spirit team, Mark the Chef!

We said it before, diving in the Coral Sea, the Cod Hole, and the Ribbon Reefs will always be magical. It's the crew that puts the Spirit in Freedom, and they did it again this year. From the dive briefs to the escorted tours, being taken to the best possible u/w photo ops, the crew are simply amazing.

The Spirit of Freedom crew work harder than any we have seen, when do they find the time to locate all of those special creatures for us, at all of the possible dive locations?

Thanks to Paula for answering our many questions (again) this past year. We will try and not bury her in email over the next year. We know you are busy, but please keep a week open for us next Oct!!!

May you always have Fair Winds and Following Seas!

Steve and Andrea Weygandt

Brooksville, Florida USA (The other Sunshine State)

7-Day Trip – November 2005

Hei Keryn,

I do not know if you remember, but me and Axel booked a 4-day trip at the Spirit of Freedom starting at the 15th of September 2005.

We have been travelling in Australia and New Zealand until last week and finally I manage to write you again to say thank you for a great trip.

We had a great time on the Spirit of Freedom and were very fascinated of the excellent equipment, the boat and the very friendly and helpful crew. We enjoyed every single second and still dreaming of the great dives.

Especially after we heard about some strange stories of other dive boats During our journey along the east coast, we felt very happy that we have chosen the Spirit of Freedom.

I want to say a very special thanks to Mike, the dive guide. He really managed to take away my fear of diving in caves. Therefore I managed I enjoyed some nice dives on our journey later on.....;-)) It would be nice if you could give me his email address or forward this mail to him to say thank you to him.

Thanks again for a great trip and hopefully we mange to come back once.

Greetings from Germany,

Susanne and Axel

November 2005

Hi Cindy,

Being in the office really isn't quite as exciting as being on Spirit! My energy and enthusiasm from earlier in the day has dissipated and now I'm feeling exhausted after all the fun I've had ..
I really want to thank you for all the organising you have done for me to make the trip happen.
I can't say how wonderful it was. I'm sure the girls in the office are going to get fed up of me going on about it, but it really was amazing.
I especially thought the staff were exceptional. I know how tiring it is to work on a boat - I'm sure a liveaboard is harder.
Shelly was so sweet to everyone and was always running around trying to help us.
Mike is obviously a great asset with all those Tec courses under his belt. I have a lot of respect for him.
Dave (moss?) is fantastic! One of the girls in my cabin was rather keen on him, understandably!
I don't need to say anything about Chef apart from that I'm going on a diet for a few weeks!
Obviously the driving is a crucial part and although I didn't see the other Dave or Chris much, they obviously work very hard too.
I heard that Mitsu works extremely hard when there are a few Japanese customers on board and is a jack of all trades, as trip director, guide, instructor and comedian for them.
Lastly, Paul! He made every effort to please all. From the beginning, I found him refreshing! I especially appreciated the special allowances he gave me such as a good position during the shark feed, FOC Nitrox, a very good Nitrox course rate and also a guide or two for me when I still had 100bar left at the end of some of the dives. We had a really long dive where we discovered a few gulleys he didn't know existed which was nice! Paul obviously knows an awful lot and I can't imagine a better trip director.
I can't thank you all enough. I learnt a lot about diving as well as how pleasant it is to meet such a wide variety of people. Cheesy although it is, I've also made some new friends!

Thanks once again. I'll never forget it!
Take care.
Miriam Taylor

Hey Cindy,
Just got back from Spirit of Freedom, 4 day Coral Sea trip. You were right it was amazing! It’s the fist time I do a trip and I don’t have any negative feedback to give to the company. Usually there are always little things to say but this time, everything was brilliant, the boat, the trip, the crew.

The Crew
I must say you have brilliant crew on Spirit, they all work so hard and as a team, it’s great to see, every time I turned my head, one of the staff was there, that’s what the clients like. “You have a question, they’re there! If they haven’t got the answer, then they will make sure, they find somebody in the next 10 seconds, to give you one!” They were all very helpful, and always had a smile on their face; you could see they were having a great time just like us.
Paul was our trip director, he’s was professional, amusing, and so passionate about his job, he gave everybody great vibes, especially people that won’t the most confident divers. He looked after everybody so well, I was very impressed.

Dave, Nick, and all the others on the dive deck, were always there to help with any problems, they made each dive very special, it was a privilege to have 3 dive instructors in the water for each dive, I know all the clients, just loved that. They were there to help anybody with difficulties, and to show us all that marine life; I would have missed heaps of little things if they hadn’t been there! Thanks guys for that!

Lauren, one of the new staff did really well, everybody thought she had been on the boat for months, thumbs up for her!

Well, don’t change anything, I was very easily getting used to my 4 meals a day, 2 breakfasts. That’s a very good idea, it’s so important to have something in your stomach before you do the first dive. I’ve been on many others boats, where you have breakfast after the dive, and I’m convinced that you should eat something before the first dive. All the meals were high standard quality food, and the cakes after the 3rd dive, there were yummy! All the clients were very impressed by the food, the quantity, and especially the quality, we were very lucky!

Very spacious!!!! The cabins were very comfortable, it’s so nice to be able to have your own bathroom on a liveaboard.  And the lounge and dining room area were nice to relax, have a talk with the other clients about the dives of the day, what everybody saw….etc.

The dive equipment seemed to be updated regularly; I got to see the engine room, how big is that!!

16 dives in 4 day, I can tell you I got to see some things!!! The locations were all amazing, so many big fish, and such a variety!! And the coral, I found it so colourful, blue, red, yellow, and orange, there’s some great reefs!

Best moments of the trip!!!!!!!
My most memorable moment was when I saw my first Manta Ray, 4 meters wide, it was the most amazing moment, and it was swimming underneath us, so peacefully. Saw 2 on another dive, coming towards us, a very unique moment, that I got to share with my dad, that made it even more special!
The shark feed, well, I’ll remember it, that’s for sure, all these sharks going crazy around it, checking us out, and seeing dad’s face when we came out, that was brilliant, he loved it!
The smell of the bacon and eggs once we got back on the boat after the first dive!!!
Cindy, it was a very special trip, with lifetime memories for a lot of the clients onboard. As an agent, it was great to say how much fun people were having. I was so happy to be able to share those moments with my dad; it was our first dive trip together.
I would like to thank all the crew of Spirit of Freedom; they really made our trip a memorable one!! I’ll be recommending the trip to my future clients!!!

Lucy Elliott
Travel Consultant,
Cairns Tour Advice and Booking Centre October 2005

Dear Cindy
Firstly I would like to thank you for making the arrangements for our dive trip aboard the Spirit of Freedom.
It was a first class experience, which I will always remember.  From start to finish the quality of operation and organization was beyond expectations.
The boat is extremely well equipped and maintained with all the guest could want for this sort of voyage. The standard of service provide by the crew enabled all levels of diver to be comfortable with each location. I would like compliment Paul for his attention to detail combined with his professional approach adding an element of humour at all times.
The Captain was kind enough to show around the engine room and explain the technical aspects of the boat. We both enjoyed the consistent supply of great food from the galley; it was surprising just how hungry you get diving.
Your selection of younger dive instructors were great to be with and very professional in their care and attention of the clients, keeping a watchful eye for any possible problems.
Both Lucie and I gained a lot of experience and addition knowledge from your team. Along with the opportunity of seeing such beautiful marine life.

As a Captain of a passenger boat of similar size it was interesting to see how the ship was run and I must compliment all of your crew and the management on a very well run operation.
We both had a great time and will be talking it up to hopefully future passengers.

Best regards
Tim Elliott
October 2005

Escape in Style: Reef flight, Shark dive, Ribbon reefs aboard Spirit of Freedom

Everyone agrees and tells you: Spirit of Freedom (SOF) is a very fine boat. After spending 4 days aboard I can only join the club of admirers! Unless you own the Octopus a luxury superyacht which was moored next to SOF and which carries 2 helicopters and all the vehicles you want and tutti quanti, (but then you don't need to book a dive cruise you simply hire the dive guides and gear) - you'll conclude that your journey aboard SOF is one of comfortable luxury and splendid dives.

The aquatic realm is fascinating. Once you start diving, you can't stop. I know now what keeps me learning things that I might never use: you can never know until it happens when or where you are going to apply what you learn. The more you dive, the more you want to see, the more you do it slowly. All the big stuff will eventually pass by and there is no point chasing it: its way faster in its water environment than you'll ever be! As with the small tiny miniature stuff, it’s always there, in front of your eyes, just a matter of getting your eyes used to looking for that well camouflaged or hiding marine life. Of course, we beautify everything, maybe because we can't stay long enough to see the struggle for life happening. At night, it might happen that you shine your torch on a cute little thing and the next hundredth of a second it disappears in an eye glimpse with a bit of draft current: cycle of prey and predator... Nevertheless life is beautiful, however harsh and difficult it might be: colors, shapes, functions, surviving skills... when you stop and observe, it is splendid...

Osprey Reef lies 200 km away from mainland, 300 NE from Cairns, and measures 24km by 10km. One isolated spot in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by 1000m+ walls: the very deep blue! Osprey Reef has many shark species residing on site and close by, so it is always a guarantee to see at least one type of shark. Shark feed takes place on Osprey Reef mainly because of the Great Barrier Reef system is a Marine Park and shark feeding is not permitted. Osprey is part of the Coral Sea outside GBR. Also for safety reasons: feeding sharks away from popular areas and from shore.

What did I see during 4 days?
the reef from above, magic!
the reef from the surface, watching the tide rolling in and out, shining new light and colors!
the reef from the snorkel, colorful!
the reef from deep below, all blue!
and, yes, its possible to drift down below our safety 30m no-decompression dive limit: just find a wall deeper than 30m and you'll be down in no time! WATCH your depth gauge at all time!

What did I experience?

• - Friendship - with the crew and with my fun buddy Tez
• - shark feeding (though I'm against feeding wild animals; this was a treat and very informative), for 10 mins a swarm of grey reef and white tip sharks with their remoras jumping from one shark to the other looking for the best shark; along with red bass, giant potato cods and all the smaller fishes I don't know the name of.  Five min after the last bite, water is all deadly quiet again, all the sharks gone and the remaining fishes are passive again - as if the feeding was a dream.
• being checked out with my buddy on our own 'far-from-the-boat-or-other-dive-group" dive, by a white tip shark and its remora.
• tons of little small stuff, you've got to slowly to look for it,
• magnificent old colourful coral; fist, brain, gorgonian, whip, soft, inhabited by multicolor tubeworms.
• variety of anemones and their various anemone fishes, aka clown fishes, which are definitely not funny and might even nip you if you present your fingers to tickle them - just like damselfishes that will defend their nests if you come too close....
• large schools of barracudas, giant trevally's, fusiliers, snappers, unicorns, sweetlips.
• -GIANT clams, giant & smaller sea cucumbers, turtles, manta rays, maori wrasses, moray eels, butterfly fishes of all sorts, star fishes, nudibranch, flame file shell, hermit crabs, porcelain crab, pipe fish, regal angelfish, sailors eyes, scorpion fish, stonefish, lionfish, long nose hawkfish, lizard fish, box & puffer fishes...did I forget something??? and lots more!!!
• swim-thru's, labyrinths and shallow swims, agreeably rocked by the very warm water surge in the coral nurseries
• improvements to my buoyancy, and my knowledge of the reef and diving
• AND LOTS MORE...(phrase on the white dive briefing board that kept us alert for lots more to experience!)

SOF motto is "Escape in Style".  The boat is close to perfect.  The entire passionate crew aims at making the trip THE best liveaboard of the Great Barrier Reef - from the start when you are picked up from your accommodation, to the finish when brought back exhilerated to you accommodation.  I don't know other liveaboards in Cairns - but this trip is certainly one of a lifetime.

MANY THANKS TO SOF Trip Director Paul for all the underwater pictures!

MANY THANKS TO SOF Instructor Willy for the one clownfish underwater pic!

MANY THANKS TO ALL SOF CREW  for the wonderful trip!

MANY THANKS TO ALL THE LAND SOF CREW for efficient and very kind support!

Gabrielle Methou
October 2005

Hi Keryn,
Just a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our trip
The crew was very professional and made the trip one of best we ever had.
Paul was exceptionally helpful and must have worked 16-hour days.
We can’t say enough about our cabin (Ocean View Deluxe), it was a pleasant surprise.
We are planning another dive trip in a few years and will definitely be contacting you. 

Thanks again,
Charlie and Cindy Sepich
August 2005

Hi Cindy,
Thanks for coming out and spending some time with us the other day. 
We’ve spent quite a bit of time out on the reef over the last few months with various companies, one of the trips we did was the Spirit of Freedom 3 Day Cod Hole with Paul Hogger as our trip Coordinator.   
Some operators just get it all right don’t they? You’re one of them. 
Here’s our feedback!  We’d like to think you guys already know and appreciate the following:

Cindy – what great representation!!!.  You’re always contactable (even Sundays and nights!!!) your visits are informative and fun – we enjoy them. More importantly if you say you’re going to do something you do it – refreshing in this industry.

The staff were excellent, the food (ohhhh the food, so good!!), the boat was clean and really well maintained, everyone was so approachable and nothing but nothing was too much trouble.  They ran a great operation but more importantly the underlying feeling was that they wanted to be there, wanted to do their jobs well and they were having a great time. The boat is without doubt the nicest boat on the water – the facilities were sensational.

The feedback we received from other clients on our trip was fantastic.
A great trip is all about the people – you have outstanding staff!!!!   This is even more apparent after spending time with other operators.
 
The bad bits…….. Our first dive which was at Saxon Reef was disappointing – the reef quality was poor and it was a really average dive site. Are there other sites to choose from? Anyhow, we discussed this in detail during our appointment the other day - it’s really important for you and management to know how great your people are – please pass this on.

Hi Lynn
Well we are back and all unpacked.  It was a great trip.  I really appreciated your input on the dive boat.  IT WAS THE GREATEST.  The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and always looking for was to make us more comfortable.  The accommodations were perfect.  The chef on board was great and I had the best Pumpkin soup I've ever tasted.  It was like eating at a five star restaurant.  The other items were spectacular and always enough to fill you up before the next dive. 

As for the diving, it was great!!  We got over 500 pictures as well as some great video, especially of the cod feed, and the SHARK feed.  The people at work thought we were nuts being that close to the sharks.  It really gave them a great view of what it was like. 

Thanks again for all your help in making this a wonderful memorable trip.

The Winz Family, USA
May 2005

Hi there
I wholeheartedly join Chris Deighan in his praise for Spirit of Freedom live aboard diving trips. I did the 4-day diving trip to Osprey Reef in May 2005 and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. It was my very first diving trip after getting my Open Water Certificate and I'm amazed at how much my confidence and skills improved through the encouraging guidance and instruction of the Spirit of Freedomcrew. Their professionalism is evident in that both new beginners and experienced divers got what they wanted from the trip. Diving briefings were excellently conducted, the diving locations were suitable for all levels and their beauty exceeded my expectations. All meals were delicious and vegetarians were excellently catered for. The boat itself was spacious, clean and very comfortable.

Thank you for a truly memorable experience!

Hello
Thanks very much for an absolutely awesome trip.  I did so many brilliant dive sites with great guides..and the meals were awesome.

The quality of the meals as well as the efficiency and attitude of the crew were exceptional.

I think the highlight of my trip was having a turtle pose for some photographs, then going straight on to a squid to pose for me too.

Jeremy Smith, England

July 2005

Hey there,
I just wanted to say Thank You to all of your staff. I did a four-day trip in May and it was incredible. I returned home after four weeks in Australia, and my # 1 experience was the Liveaboard dive trip on Spirit of Freedom.
The crew was welcoming from the moment I got to the docks to the (seemingly
endless) photo session back at the docks after the trip. The boat was in top shape and much more comfortable than I had imagined.
The meals were excellent, healthy, and delicious. (I work as a personal chef in a resort town and on large yachts)
The dive crew was also first rate. As a new diver, I was offered exactly the guidance and instruction I needed. My diving improved greatly as the trip progressed.
The waters we dove in were varied and pristine. My subsequent trip to Hawaii was a bit discolored after all of what we saw in the coral Sea.
Just wanted you to know what a great crew you have!

Thanks, CD

Christopher Deighan, USA
7 Day Coral Sea and Cod Hole, MAY 2005

Every human being must journey at least once to the land of OZ.
Australia is home to fascinating wildlife both on land and in sea, gorgeous tropical rainforest, rivers for rafting with waterfalls around every corner, an outback full of kangaroos, rivers full of crocodiles, and the most friendly people on the planet earth.
My two week journey included some terrific diving on the Spirit of Freedom (Boarding in Cairns,) a live aboard vessel that makes you feel like you belong.
Terrific food from Chef Robbie, comfy accommodations including spacious rooms with sinks, toilets and showers, an alert helpful and professional dive crew... "No worries mate" and diving that is to die for.
During my four days aboard I was diving with Minke Whales, Manta Rays, White Tip Reef Sharks and Grey Whalers, Lionfish, "Nemo's", Sweet Lips, Giant Napoleon Wrasse, Unicorn Fish and the super elusive Crocodile Flathead! If you can survive the plane ride to OZ... you must join the Spirit of Freedom crew for the dives of a lifetime...

Ken Barrick
MD, USA
www.kbdiverservices.net
2004

Osprey Reef and Cod Hole Voyages of 5 and 9 August 2004

These two trips were the highlight of our holiday "down-under". We could use words like Magical, Fantastic, and Awesome to describe our feelings for the trip. On any other trip those words would be all anyone would need to say,
but in this case they just do not get the message across.

The Spirit of Freedom is a great ship, but even great ships are nothing more than steel, aluminum, welds, bolts, engines, fuel and water. They are cold man made objects just floating in the water. Any ship could make a trip to the reef and get the job done. We cannot imagine any GBR or Coral Sea dive being less that fantastic. But there is something more important that needs to be said.

The crews of these 2 voyages brought the ship to "life" and gave it "Spirit". Glenn, Gary, Rod, Joel, Andy, Robbie, Amy, Caroline, Tomo, Hanna, Simone, Stuart and the others whose names we simply cannot remember made the voyages the best voyages ever. We believe that you might consider changing the ships name to simply "Freedom" as it is this group of dedicated individuals that give Freedom Spirit. So all in all, Spirit of Freedom is more appropriate than we are sure anyone could have imagined!

To our fellow passengers it was a great opportunity to meet and make new friends from around the world! We do hope that everyone will stay in touch and that someday we might get a "reunion" dive trip in again. But TUSADIVE will have to arrange for this crew to be there to make it magical, awesome, fantastic and full of Spirit once again.

Special thanks to Paula Syer for answering our many questions over the past 8 months while we awaited this wonderful opportunity to arrive.
Diving Holiday's will never ever be the same.
It was an honor to sail the Spirit of Freedom and to dive the Coral Sea and GBR with all of you!

May you always have Fair Winds and Following Seas

Steve and Andrea Weygandt
Brooksville, Florida, USA

Hello again,

I was a fortunate enough to be a guest aboard the Spirit of Freedom last month (19-26 August) on trips both to the Coral Sea and the Cod Hole. I just wanted to write to give proper thank you for a wonderful trip. The diving was of course wonderful, but that is really beside the point. Visabililty was incredible out on Osprey Reef, and rather nice along the Great Barrier Reef as well. Tons of big, medium, small, and very small life, sharks, blah blah blah you've all been out there, you know what I am talking about.

Spirit herself is a lovely boat. I was very happy to walk aboard such a large and comfortable boat; the cabins were nice, and the large common areas were wonderful. Diving was comfortable off the rear deck, and I appreciated the camera table and rinse tank, as this made diving with my video camera much easier.

Anyway, the real point of my message is convey my thanks to the outstanding crew of the boat. I was rather sad to board my flight heading home not because I missed the boat and the sharks and the clear blue water, but because I knew that I would miss the wonderful group of people that you have assembled to run the boat. Okay, I miss the sharks etc. too, but its not the same. The crew really made me feel at home. Actually, not really, as at home I have to wash my own dishes, and make my bed, not to mention that my back yard is not quite as nice, but I think you understand. A constant stream of smiles, warm towels, and great food greated us every day.

So thanks to Greg for seemingly always taking the late watch, Simone for writing on my hand to remind me of important matters, Chris and Lachlan for being patient with us slow divers and for prepping the tuna heads, Liz for explaining the joys of Tazmania, Paul for letting me analyze my own tank, Sam for his visable-from-20-metres orange shorts, and Hannah for being my night dive buddy in her lovely Cirque de Soleil lighting set-up and of course for finding me on the bow every once in a while. Special thanks to the skipper, Glenn, and to Rob for his excellent food. Especially the lamb and curry night. Extra special thanks to Fiona for setting a fantastic tone right from day one as trip director, and for braving the rather nasty-looking center of the shark feed in order to get things started. I know I am forgetting people, for which I do apologize, but thank you, everyone. I'll you a beer if I forgot you.

I hope to see you all again, as soon as I can find another week to spend in Australia. I will enthusiastically recommend Spirit and her crew to anyone heading in your direction. In a month or two I'll send the results of my video taping; hopefully something worthwhile will result.

Thank you, and I'll see you again soon.

Patrick

J.Patrick Frei
Sales Manager - Semiconductor Products
GTI Technologies, Inc.
203 929 2200 x305 www.gti-usa.com <http://www.gti-usa.com> <http://www.gti-usa.com>

Hi Cheryl,
Sorry about the delay in writing this e-mail to you about our fabulous holiday but we have been very busy since we have been back home and boy was it hard to get back in to 'work mode' again !!!
We had an absolutely fabulous time on The Spirit of Freedom and we are at present trying to work out a time when we can go back and do it all again. We will certainly be recommending this type of holiday to all of our friends.
We wish to congratulate the crew and staff on the "Spirit" for their professionalism and approach to customer service. The crew went out of their way at all times to make our holiday one we will never forget and a special mention must go to Paul and Hana - they are the greatest !!! and also a very big thank you to the rest of the crew.
Our only disappointment was not being able to go out to the Osprey Reef due to bad weather conditions, so that is another reason why we will be booking again.
Thanks once again Cheryl and we can assure you that you will be hearing from us again very soon to book another "holiday of a lifetime".

Kind regards,

Graham and Sue McMullen