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Line H29. July, 2024.Best experience ever! Really friendly crew . A fantastic experience. The boat is a little old, but really cozy, really nice rooms with comfortable beds, nice with own bathrooms with shower. Really good food too. Extremely friendly and helpfull crew. Shoutout to dive instructor Helena who very patiently taught our 15- and 12year-old how to dive! The kids left the boat with a really great experience and lots of self confidence 😍.
Trek566520334726. July, 2024.Awesome learn to Scuba Trip. Professional and well-practiced team of young and enthusiastic staff. Took some time to get a feel for how the place operated but the dive instruction, reefs and cabin comfort (hot shower in your room!) was excellent for a live-aboard. Aircon was a little cold at times and the dive equipment deck chaotic but this sort of trip attracts those who are a little more adventures and everyone got along great. I do feel some of the add ons (bar prices, photos, merchandise etc) would have a lot more take up if the pricing was a little lower, most people chose to skip. Thanks Santi for terrific instruction and all the hard working staff for making it a safe and memorable experience.
Kerri M30. June, 2024.BEST experience ever, shoutout to Nicolas!! There are no words to describe what an incredible experience we had with Reef Encounter. My friend and I spent two nights on the boat, and it was fantastic in every aspect, from the food to the staff to the scuba guides and instructors. We managed to get fully certified as open-water divers in just two days and felt incredibly confident in the water. A HUGE shoutout to the best instructor EVER, Nicolas!! He is exceptionally talented at his job, was incredibly patient while teaching us all the necessary skills both in and out of the water, and gave us the utmost confidence as first-time divers! Seriously, the best. This was our favorite part of our entire trip around Australia, and we cannot recommend it more.
Sylvain L23. May, 2024.Amazing 1 night / 2 days on the reef Great moments, Cabin was spacious with large bed and AC, toilet and shower private Shared living room was with comfy sofas, all day free tea and coffee Breakfast 7:30 was solid and nice, lunch 12:00 dinner 18:00 as well and you could take a 20:00 dessert Organisation is perfect for every dive or snorkel I dove 3 times on the first day (and opportunity to do a night dive) + one snorkel And dove 2 times the second day «+ one snorkel The boat changed reef spot 3 times We really enjoy our time and it was worth it really Also during transfer we had many explanations briefing and crew was helpful also And snacks! Thank you Sylvain /Jeanne
golive1234515. May, 2024.Amazing first diving experience in Top Deck To preface, no one asked me to write this review. I want to write this review because I want to share my fantastic experience. I've never scuba dived before, but was convinced by my friends to do a liveaboard when visiting the Great Barrier Reef. We ended up choosing the Top Deck experience and it was soooooo worth it. The single best benefit of Top Deck is having a dedicated private guide. Our guide, Helena, was amazing and I can't say enough good things about her. She made me feel at ease for my first dive, taught me everything I need to know, and it was smooth sailing from there. Helena handled all the equipment and all I had to do was follow her in the water. I didn't think I would like diving but having Helena as our guide was a huge reason why I had such a great experience. I did 4 dives and loved every one of them. I got to go down to 12 meters which is pretty incredible for a first time diver. Most of the reef was shallower than 12m so I pretty much got the whole experience without being certified. The reef itself was fantastic, of course. Though unfortunately you can see the effects of bleaching, so unfortunately I imagine the reefs won't be around for much longer. So please come see it while you still can! I highly recommend this tour.
Kailey T13. May, 2024.Unforgettable live aboard experience Unforgettable experience living aboard Reef Encounter and exploring the Great Barrier Reef! We did the top deck option which I highly recommend. We had Melissa and Etenea helping us throughout our entire stay. We felt totally safe diving the whole time and the equipment was all well taken care of and in good condition. I was nervous about night diving but everyone encouraged me to give it a try and oh my gosh what an incredible experience!! Definitely don’t miss the night dives! The entire crew was kind and helpful. The food on board was really tasty then entire time. We made some new friends aboard and it was an amazing experience all around.
DianaD824. March, 2024.Unforgettable stay on the reef We had such an amazing experience on board the Reef Encounter - and that’s all really because of their amazing crew! First off - yes the boat is a bit worn down, but honestly it’s so comfortable and surprisingly steady considering it’s sitting in the middle of the ocean most of the time! We had a 2D 1N stay - in the middle of the wet season so the weather was very moody - but we still had an amazing experience and the captain made sure we moor in spots that are both safe and pleasant to enjoy for both snorkeling and diving. We only snorkeled - and with one less experienced swimmer. The crew was fantastic and helpful - even went on an assisted swim with us. We also took advantage of their marine biology tour which is so incredible and informative! I was also so surprised to see how structured and safe they are organizing the water sessions - with plenty of time to enjoy even on the day of departure. The cherry on top - their onboard chef is so so talented and cooked amazing meals for us all by himself! All in all - great service, a lovely stay on a comfortable boat with amazing food - and most importantly a lot of water time on this amazing reef!
mykim0911. March, 2024.BEST EXPERIENCE EVER! Can I come back already? We did one night on the boat and it was the best experience of our lives. The boat is outdated (exterior looking) but I imagine the wear and tear happens quick with how many guests they receive. You arrive at the dock to get on a large excursion boat. It takes you to the main boat you’ll be staying on and you’ll transfer over. We did a safety briefing and then was given our room. Rooms were spacious for a boat. There was 2 of us with 2 single beds. Small bathroom, but again we’re on a boat. You can do snorkeling and or scuba diving on this excursion. We only did snorkeling as we didn’t have enough time before and after to safely scuba dive. They recommend no flying before or after diving within 24 hours. We got to snorkel 6 times during our whole time there at different 3 different sites and it was incredible. Time went by so fast. Highly recommend going to as many swim sessions as you can as the different times of days can make a difference on the lighting you see with the coral and different animals you can see. Shout out to Gabe for being our lead. He was amazing to have. The rest of the staff were friendly and passionate about what they do. Safety was never a concern for me during this whole excursion because the staffed worked hard and maintained many safety protocols. I really appreciated that. There’s a photographer on the boat and she did amazing getting shots of us, corals, and animals we saw. You can rent gogros as well from them. Food was delicious every meal. I CANNOT wait to come back.
Dmitry Katson5. August, 2024.Bing bong, Reef Encounter! 😀 Thank you for this amazing 3 days trip. It’s definitely the best decision we’ve made - to join your lovely and so friendly boat. The crew were so kind! Marina, Jup, Kristina, Steven - just only few to mention, but all crew members are your gold. We saw whales! 🐳 - was my dream! And we dived with turtles and sharks 🦈 - experience to remember for the whole life. Separate thanks to the chief - steak was perfect and our kids loved 8:00 pm desert time with your ice cream 🙃 Separate word for the beds - oh, sooo good and comfy. 6:30 am diving always was a challenge, just because of beds 😅 Once again thank you so much, and hope we can repeat our experience 🙏🥇
Elly30. July, 2024.This was one of my favourite experiences. I only stayed one night and wish I’d stayed another one or two! Did my first ever intro scuba dive which was so fun. All of the staff were fab, so friendly and made you feel at home. Communication and organisation was great as well. Highly recommend- I know I’ll be back one day and will stay for longer next time!
Josh Borin28. July, 2024.Went on a 4d/3n dive trip with Reef Encounter and had an absolute blast. It was my first liveaboard and a pleasure to spend several days on the boat getting to know the crew and other travelers. Food was great and bountiful. Rooms comfortable. Dive sites were great. But what made the trip was the fantastic crew--they were organized, knowledgeable, and great fun. Would definitely recommend. Hot tub on the bow was a cherry on top after chilly night dives. Bong bing.
Cooper Oelrichs18. June, 2024.An amazing way to see the reef. While the outside of the boat has seen better said the inside is lovely and spacious. The crew is excellent and the dive guides were great.
Krystle Crouch17. June, 2024.My partner and I did 3 days, 2 nights on reef encounter and absolutely loved it! Big shoutout to Lucas for looking after us, giving us lots of tips for scuba diving and making our trip amazing. All the crew are very helpful and lovely! The biggest highlights were the night dives to see reef sharks and getting super close to meet Charlie the fish.
Bianca Azevedo10. June, 2024.I've had an incredible experience with Reef Encounter! I stayed on the boat for 3 days to get my open water certification, I was a tense at the start, and my instrutctor was very patient, friendly and helpful, which helped me a lot while completing tasks under water. The boat amenities are execellent (hot shower after each dive was very appreciated haha) and food was yummy (I have diet restrictions and staff was very careful in that matter). Last but not least, staff was extremely helpful and friendly in general, everyone is very experienced and I felt very safe. I definitely enjoyed the trip, all the dives and am already missing the amazing days on the boat! Would highly recommmend Reef Encounter to anyone, and cannot wait to come back :D
Scott Steensma4. June, 2024.We stayed two nights on Reef Encounter and it was brilliant. We got out to the reef in different locations and got some fantastic snorkelling in. The room was comfortable, the food was good, and the boat had comfy places to socialise and relax. Most of all though, the staff are amazing. They are friendly, fun, caring and generous hosts, who really took care of us and showed us the best of the reef. They're an A1 team of top people!
Rob and Sue Hilton4. June, 2024.In the last 6 months have done 2 trips solo as a Diver and one with my wife who is a water shy snorkeller The whole crew captain, dive supervisor, guides and crew are the best. Dive equipment is top quality and safety is top priority On board chef creates miracles with every meal Going back next week for tripnumber 4. Can't wait! In November we went back and my wife completed open water certificate. Excellent training and she is now a confident diver as a result of the comprehensive training provided by Santiago
kirk benvenuto2. June, 2024.I spent a week with the crew of reef encounter and it was a blast. Highly recommend. The food was delicious. No repeats other than breakfast. The beds were very comfortable. Rooms spacious. The couches will swallow you if you let them. The fish are very plentiful. See lots of sharks on the night dives. Everything is set up so you just get dressed and jump in. Thank you to everybody. Watch out for them longtoms though they like to punch ppl in their escape from being shark food…
Frances Ha30. May, 2024.Great diving, crew were kind and fantastic.