Love this boat – best boat I’ve ever experienced, well thought out! Loved going to the cave, the hike/view and the village to see the kids, very special. Kudos on labeling towels and small pillow and large pillow/person – very clever. Excellent showers and a good place to put legs for shaving – not just a boys boat! Excellent storage space in room, very functional, great hooks. Five flights from the US and I was thinking “I hope this is good” because it is a LONG way to come – worth every minute to experience Raja Ampat on the Arenui. The service and attention to detail on deck and the expert dive guides made it a pleasure to spend 12 days on this boat – my first 12 day liveaboard ever and I was concerned 12 days would feel too long – NOT so on the Arenui! Also, the way the divers were put into 4 groups was really excellent. If you love the ocean and learning (great educational talks) above the creatures in the ocean, this boat is for you. Diving: the best I have ever seen: variety, awesome reefs, sharks coming back, giant mantas. Crew: spending time with Jerry and Debbie was awesome – first time I have met them and I love their energy and passion for diving and wow, what a crew they run – great team, great energy between the crew. The guys that helped with dive deck were just outstanding. Food: really appreciated Anto and Kadek and how they worked so hard to customize menu for each person and create unique menu for each guest.
Archives: Testimonials
Caroline
Outstanding trip. Parting gift was a very nice touch! Boat: first class accommodations! Plenty of hot water. Comfort was excellent. Pillow variety was a great touch! Diving: the scouting was very much appreciated. Extra effort to ensure we saw the best. Well worth the price! Crew: first class crew. Always standing by to assist with any desire no matter how small. Above and beyond every single day. Food: variety was excellent. Every effort made to please every single guest.
Mark
Outstanding trip.
Deb
Love the family atmosphere and couldn’t have wanted for more. Especially interesting were the expertise of Andrea and Jose. Enthusiasm of everyone rubs off and makes it a fun experience.
Steve & Sarah
Many wonderful experiences. A surprise visit by a whale shark was magical. When we were at a giant manta cleaning station the crew helped me hook in so I was nice and close to a manta. I will always remember being eye to eye with this majestic creature!! Boat: bed was very comfortable. Beautiful boat and state rooms. Diving: felt very safe with Phari. He is very skilled and we appreciated him spotting critters for us. Crew: I have been on many liveaboards (8-10). My experience on the Arenui was top notch – the best yet. Service could not be better. Phari learned our dive preferences and needs which enhanced our experience. Cannot say enough good things about Anto. His dedication to his guests – admirable. Everyone seems happy and all the smiles and joking around was infectious.
Darren
Boat and especially the crew amply fulfill luxury/boutique/exceptional personal service mission – jobs well done!! What an exceptional week of diving!! Several extended close encounters with giant and reef mantas topped off with an unexpected whale shark! Wow! Exceptional personal service throughout the trip, this boat and especially the crew really delivered on their goal to make our second trip as special as the first! Diving: fantastic consideration of conditions regarding selection of best daily site choices = deep knowledge and experience. Crew: extremely well trained crew, working tirelessly to make trip exceptional and flawless despite usual challenges.
Cindy
We returned to the Arenui with our friends after having a fabulous time in Komodo four years ago. The Arenui experience is unlike any other liveaboard and it is truly exceptional. Having Dr Andera Marshall on this trip was just the “icing on the cake”. She gave a great talk about the mantas, and her enthusiasm for them is truly contagious. Everyone onboard enjoyed seeing the mantas and trying to get ID shots for the MMF. The whale shark sighting put the trip over the top! Crew: once again Jerry, Debbie and all the crew were superb. Food: food was very good.
Kathy & Sheldon
You continue to provide premiere service and attention. The entire experience from beginning to end is superior to other cruises we have taken. Keep up the good work and hope to see you all again soon. Thanks for sharing. Diving: we were always well advised of dive site and conditions. Dive master Joni was especially attentive to our group’s levels and needs. Crew: top notch Cruise Directors – you could not ask for better – Deb & Jerry are an awesome team. As noted dive master especially attentive on dive and after – all dive masters pitched in. Anto is a treasure, he makes every individual feel special. All the service from therapists and their many duties was the best – they were always available and helping.
Clara
Wonderful trip! The “small details” have all been anticipated and attended to on this boat, as well as the obvious big stuff! Superb organization and response to needs. Boat: I love the wood (all re-used/re-claimed) and the art work throughout the boat. Cabins very comfortable. We were in Ganesh and had storage space beyond our needs!! Pillows were great – 1 soft and 1 firm for each bed – what a lovely plan!! Sky lounge was lovely with canopy. Diving: wonderfully planned locations/great manta sitings (the goal of this trip). Itinerary was flexible to keep up to best manta ray opportunities. Crew: All staff/crew were helpful and friendly. The Steward and Wayan and Wenton were quickly aware of preferences and needs, very helpful. Even could tell when someone needed extra help. The leadership of the Cruise Directors was amazing (Debbie & Jerry). It feels like everything has been thought through, extremely well-run boat, limits were clear and presented in a fun way to boot. There was no question about safety preparation and we all knew about evacuation plans immediately. Jose – with his knowledge of fish/creature identification always expanded our dive experiences by siting with small groups to identify and talk about fish and their behaviors. Good library available. Food: I always had gluten free choices – thank you!! Food quality was large, but ½ portions were available. And we were all amazed at how hungry we were for each of the 5 eating times!
John
Wonderful Cruise Directors – Debbie & Jerry.