S/Y Philippine Siren: "Great service, diverse diving", Aug, 2016,by Lenore Neigeborn, NJ, US ( 2 reports). Report 9038. |
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | ![]() |
Food | ![]() |
Service and Attitude | ![]() |
Environmental Sensitivity | ![]() |
Dive Operation | ![]() |
Shore Diving | N/A |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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Value for $$ | ![]() |
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Beginners | ![]() |
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Advanced | ![]() |
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Comments |
We chose this trip because of the diversity of the dive sites visited. There were shark and whale shark dives, muck dives, drift dives, reef dives with hard and soft corals - something new every day. This was our second Siren trip and they didn't disappoint. I'd say this was the most attentive crew I've ever encountered on a liveaboard. They took care of all the gear and even rinsed all the wetsuits after every dive. Tanks were refilled quickly and completely - never had to wait. One "oddity" was the Nitrox mix - 28%; other trips we've been on have been around 32%. But, it didn't affect our bottom time or ability to be as deep as we wanted. Briefings were thorough, including photos of the area and species we should look for. The crew was always waiting with juice or water (they learned my preference for pineapple juice after the first day) as soon as we surfaced, and always there with a glass of water before each dive. There were ample rinse tanks for cameras and separate tanks for masks. Diving was great - tons of critters and more frog fish than anywhere else. Lots of nudis, crabs, shrimp. Many, many turtles...Thresher shark dive had poor vis, so not so great, but that's just the luck of the draw. Highlight for me: blue ring octopus, schools of sardines and gorgeous soft corals. Food was only OK. There was plenty of it, but not too inspired. Breakfasts were the best - made to order. Mangos were to die for! Meals are all served on shaded outdoor deck. Cabins were huge and kept spotless. AC in cabins was great...they didn't turn on the AC in the salon, so it did get pretty warm in there. There's a great sun deck with some slight shade, but it was basically sunny! All in all, fabulous trip - I totally recommend it. |
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Websites | S/Y Philippine Siren | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | 501-1000 dives | ||
Where else diving | Caribbean, Hawaii, Galapagos, Komodo, Fiji, Palau, Indonesia, Australia, Cocos, Maldives, Thailand, etc | ||
Closest Airport | Cebu | Getting There | Depending on itinerary, there's a 3hr car ride to or from the boat |
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm |
Water Temp | 82-85°F / 28-29°C | Wetsuit Thickness | |
Water Visibility | 50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | yes | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | 60 minute bottom time, back onboard with 500 PSI | ||
Liveaboard? | yes | Nitrox Available? | yes |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | 1 or 2 | Mantas | None |
Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | 1 or 2 |
Turtles | > 2 | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | ![]() |
Tropical Fish | ![]() |
Small Critters | ![]() |
Large Fish | ![]() |
Large Pelagics | ![]() |
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Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | ![]() |
Boat Facilities | ![]() |
Overall rating for UWP's | ![]() |
Shore Facilities | N/A |
UW Photo Comments | Great set up with assigned drawers for each diver inside to store photography or other items. Plenty of storage. But, there could be more surface area (counters) for all the cameras and chargers. Americans: bring lots of converters! |
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