Debbie and Jerry were lovely people, filled with enthusiasm and clearly in love with their jobs. The boat was run efficiently and we felt like royalty for the entire 11 days. Boat: loved Shinta cabin. Spacious, tons of storage. Beautiful windows and lovely decorations. Great value relative to price of other cabins on boat. Upon our return, we’d only stay in Shinta or Rama. Diving: diving was spectacular! Crew: Phari was a wonderful dive guide and I appreciated being with him. Not only did he perform the traditional dive master role, but he also took extra effort to instruct me on improving my buoyancy and general diving. Debbie and Jerry were the best! Food: food was great, although there was certainly a lot of it.
Archives: Testimonials
Mira
Please see comment regarding Debbie and Jerry on Andy’s feedback. In short, without them I would not have had the best holiday ever! Snorkeling: as I am not a diver I expected to be reading for 11 days with occasional dips in the ocean while my husband dove. With Jerry and Debbie’s enthusiastic support, I wound up snorkeling and spending more time in the ocean than I ever have in my life (giving that context, I grew up in Miami and now spend summers on the beach). The fish were simply spectacular and Jerry always made sure I had a perfect spot to safely hang out with them. I may never dive but snorkeling again with Debbie, Jerry and the Arenui is definitely on my bucket list. Loved learning about mantas! Who knew? Thanks to Andrea from us both!! Little note on Jose – he was great taking the time to point out fish from the reef book. Loves his work! Talk was wonderful and informative. Crew: A special shout-out for Agun, the snorkeling expert, who gave me a few special tours by jumping in the water, grabbing my hand and escorting me to places to which I would have not have ventured on my own. It was as if he was showing me the hidden neighborhoods of his hometown. Turtles…sharks…every fish imaginable , large and small. Thanks Agun!
Leslie
We had a wonderful time. From the moment we came onboard, the crew could not do enough for us. Anto and the kitchen staff were incredible, and Debbie and Jerry and all the crew were truly outstanding. Thank you for a trip that we will never forget. Boat: we loved Rama and would stay in that cabin again. We also thoroughly enjoyed our time in the restaurant and on all parts of the sky deck. We especially loved dozing on the lounge chairs after dinner. Diving: amazing! Mantas, sea horses, whale shark, schools of fish, gorgeous coral. Need I say more. Crew: between Anto, Debbie and Jerry, every single one of our needs was met. We were treated incredibly well, as well as all the guests, and had a dive trip we will never forget. Food: as vegetarians we had an incredible list of options and the chefs always made us delicious food. The food was abundant and amazing. The beverages were also great.
Namdar
The ultimate liveaboard and dive experience. Worth every dollar. The dive locations rich with abundant sea life and varied even with dive multiple times at the same site. Boat: The cabin attendants do a great job. Really nice eating upstairs. The cabin decorations and layout is excellent. Diving: Lisa is really good at finding and showing the different sea life at each dive site. Tender crew are excellent at safety and do an amazing job with everyone’s dive gear! Crew: Lisa and G set highest standards for themselves and the crew. I enjoyed my massage. Food: Anto and crew are the best. Very attentive and accommodating. Excellent services!
Anon.
When I was asked to go on this trip, I hesitated due to cost… But I am glad I came… And would come again! Boat: outstanding! Diving: beyond description – our first week was incredible!! Crew: everyone was great. The spirit and attitude of the crew was incredible – this comes from the top – Lisa and G make this boat and trip over the top special! Food: food was good but way too much. Loved the fresh fruits and veggies!!
Eric & Lori
Looking forward to 2019! Boat: wow! Really impressed. Diving: I really liked the detail of the briefings! Crew: not only did the things go smoothly that we SAW, but everything we DIDN’T SEE went smoothly also. The Cruise Directors were both FRIENDLY and EFFICIENT. Food: Excellent.
Darrel
Awesome trip, worth the time and money, loved variety of dives (soft coral, hard coral and especially muck). G was helpful. Enjoyed Jose’s presentations. Phari was awesome DM and Anto is the best. Wenton and Wayan were great.
Ainara
Raja Ampat es un paraiso pero el equipo del Arenui incrementa más el valor del viaje. Han ayudado a hacer el viaje muy especial. Barco: El barco ha sido muy chulo y cómodo. No hemos echado nada en falta. Quizás una ducha en la parte de arriba sí que se podría poner. Buceo: Ha estado genial. Muy bien organizados para ver todo tipo de peces, corales, etc. Tripulación: Han estado especialmente pendientes de TODO lo que hemos necesitado. Además de ser súper amables y divertidos. Comida: La comida ha sido excelente y muy variada en cada comida, todo muy RICO.
David
Really enjoyed the boat. G and Lisa are great! Boat: bathrooms are great for a boat! Thanks so much. Love the sink in the room. Would definitely recommend to friends. Diving: loved to see the healthy coral! Soft corals are amazing. A great place to visit and dive. Crew: must leave some room for improvement, but they really were all great! Cruise directors excellent. Can’t complain about that at all!
Anon
I am spoiled now. This sets the bar that other dive liveaboards must reach. When I return to dive Indonesia, rest assured it will be aboard the Arenui. Planning on coming back 3-4 years from now. Telling fellow divers this is the “only” way to dive Indonesia. Please feel free to luxe me with specials! Boat: very comfortable bed! Wish shower was more powerful. Diving: Wishing for more large fish encounters. But the number of fish and different types was awesome! Crew: G is a mad scientist. He could fix anything. Joni my divemaster was very calm and knowledgeable about the sites. Awesome massage. Stewards and tenders were the best. Anto is delightful. Everyone knows your name, your equipment. Best dive experience.