Dive Review of Peter Hughes -- Star Dancer in
Papua New Guinea

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Peter Hughes -- Star Dancer, Jun, 2011, by Michael J. Millet, CA, US ( Top Contributor 96 reports with 61 Helpful votes). Report 6115.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This trip on the Stardancer was a mixture of negative and positive experiences, unfortunately mostly the former. At the captain's briefing, we were advised that the fresh water maker on the boat was in need of repair or replacement and that we may run out of fresh during the 10-night trip. Well, we ran out of fresh water twice during the charter having to motor 10-12 hours back/forth to Alotau to replenish. This not only unnecessarily wasted fuel but also resulted in 2 rather choppy nights at sea with little sleep. The Stardancer used a chase boat to pick up divers that were finished their dives away from the mother boat. Good idea but for a couple of dives the motor on the chase boat wasn't working and it had no back-up motor. So, of course, during these 2 dives my dive buddy and I had the unfortunate experience of having to deal with a strong current and a dive guide who took off without us. We were led away from the mooring by the dive guide who them left us apparently trying to find the boat. With less than 500psi, my dive buddy and I surfaced to find the chase boat inoperable, and the mother boat about 200 meters away from us in choppy water. In was an unpleasant back fin to the Stardancer. The food on the Stardancer was average at best. The coffee was either weak or burnt. The only bread available was white -- no wheat,raisin, etc. The fish, chicken, beef or pork was usually over cooked and tough. The galley did do a good job with the lamb -- moist and tasty. The salads and vegetables were usually OK. The desserts were nicely done. Fresh seafood was served on only a couple of meals, which seemed rather odd for the area. The dive guides were both local divers and Americans, including the captain and the video pro. For the most part, these guides went too fast on the dives. It was normal for me to stop to take 3-4 pix to then find the dive guide some 10 meters or more ahead of me. The dive guides at the Tawali resort were much better at finding marine critters for photos. Nonetheless, the crew was, for the most part, friendly and helpful. The dive conditions also added to the negative experience with high seas, banging ladders, strong currents and marginal viz. I have been on about 25 live-aboard dive trips, & I would have to rate this experience in the lower third.
Websites	Peter Hughes -- Star Dancer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	All over the Caribbean, Revillagigedos, Galapagos, Vanuatu, Truk Lagoon, Yap, Kosrae, Palau, Solomon Islands, GBR, Indonesia, Hawaii, Fiji.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp	78-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	25-60 Ft/ 8-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No deco
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	The Stardancer has a large camera table with compressed air; also a large dedicated camera rinse tank. The dive crew is fairly diligent and efficient handling the cameras. There were plenty of 110v charging stations available.

Subscriber's Comments

By thomas j dwyer in HI, US at Jul 01, 2012 17:07 EST

I will repeat myself, The Star Dancer should be taken out and drocked and totally refiited. It does not meet the high standards of The Agressor Fleet!!

By Lenny Zwik in TX, US at Aug 08, 2015 11:32 EST

We dove on this boat in 2011. The compressor provided contaminated air and only upon strenuous complaints did the crew switch over to a backup that was woefully inadequate to fill our tanks in a timely manner. The food was average at best, as were the accommodations. When our group leader reported this to the Aggressor/Dance Fleet, there was denial and no offer to make good on a below average experience.

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Dive Review of Peter Hughes -- Star Dancer in Papua New Guinea

Peter Hughes -- Star Dancer, Jun, 2011,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of Peter Hughes -- Star Dancer in
Papua New Guinea