Spirit of Freedom, Australia

Fun, safe and adventurous

shark feed, dedication of the cruise director and the whole crew especially Captain Cook

Recommended for

food, crew, dove location

Amazing Dive Trip

We were able to dive sites on the Coral Sea that are only experienced with perfect weather that we had. The crew couldn't have been more helpful assist divers of all levels. The food was excellent. Captain Tony and Trip Director Ellis were awesome as was all of their staffs.

Recommended for

Crew was the best I've experienced. The dive sites were remarkable

Awesome experience!

The dives were amazing. So many fish and other creatures to see. The coral was bright and beautiful. An exhausting amount of diving, but the crew was there making every moment great. Highly recommend Spirit of Freedom!

Recommended for

Friendly/helpful crew, amazing dive sites, great food

A childhood dream realised.

Impressively well run ship with enthusiastic, switched on crew. Little things like warm towels, kit taken care of, delicious food, made it a fantastic liveaboard. Highly highly recommend. Don't miss out on the night dive!

Recommended for

Fantastic diving, comfortable ship, proficient crew.

Fantastic experience.

Night diving, Great marine life , warm water, good viz.

Recommended for

Diving, Food & Great knowledgable Friendly Staff

Serviço exemplar

Excelentes mergulhos

Recommended for

Novas amizades, boms mergulhos e ótimo atendimento da equipe

Friendly crew and awesome dive spots

Tight schedule but extremely well organized

Recommended for

Food, crew and installations

A wonderful trip

The diving spots at the Osprey reef and the Bougainville reef were particularly awesome. Underwater landscape were magic with a beautiful fauna, huge walls, colorful corals, tunnels in the reefs to explore and the deep blue of the ocean with a long range visibility that I never experienced before.

Recommended for

Diving spots, the crew and the food

Overall, great satisfaction both on diving and on the life aboard.

Awesome diving experiences around Ribbon Reef 9-10 with lots of healthy corals and diverse marine life, including sea snakes and potato cod fish.

Recommended for

1) Freedom while diving, yet professional crews to take care of safety, 2) Good maintenance status of the boat and the rental equipments, 3) Great food quality served throughout the trip.

Wonderful!!!

The humpback whale, sharks, amazing marine life, the crew’s warm and friendly approach, Ben’s delicious meals and the great diving group!

Recommended for

The Crew, The Diving Sites, Spirit of Freedom comfort

Good service

they provide Good service from boarding the boat. the cabin is clean, food is delicious. underwater is amazing. beautiful coral world and different lanforms.

Recommended for

Good screw, sharks, canyon underwater

Great diving and relaxed atmosphere

The night dive, Osprey reef dives and the relaxed atmosphere

Recommended for

The night dive, Osprey reef dives and the relaxed atmosphere

Great Experience

Diving

Recommended for

Crew, diving, food

Unforgettable Four Day Coral Sea Liveaboard

We just returned to Cairns after an incredible four day/four night excursion to the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef with Spirit of Freedom. These four days were the highlight of our entire month in Australia. We completed 15 dives over the course of four days and saw a variety of sea life ranging from hoards of sharks down to the tiniest nudibranchs and everything in between. Visibility was easily over 30meters in most spots. The captain and crew of the Spirit of Freedom were the best! They made everyone feel right at home and delivered top notch service throughout the trip. All of the rental dive gear was in tip top shape and the accommodations were very comfortable, to say the least. Last but not least, the food! The food and beverage throughout the trip were amazing! You will certainly not go hungry on this trip! Highly recommend and can't wait to get back to visit again!

Recommended for

The Amazing Diving! The Outstanding Crew! The Delicious Food!

Spirit of Freedom is one of the best dive experience in Cairns

Highlights - STAFF. They went above and beyond in taking care of each diver and ensuring that we have the best experience. They make sure you have a great vacation experience. Super friendly and knows how to have fun - FOOD. Eating 4-5 delicious meals a day. Different cuisines. Will accommodate to your dietary needs. Chef was incredible. - DIVE. They pick the best dive spots in the Great Barrier Reef, considering the weather. They will help you if you need a refresher. They will take great photos for you (although you can bring your own gopro/camera). All the gear is great quality. I can't praise Spirit of Freedom enough for an amazing experience. Here's a video of my trip- https://youtu.be/3pBSBrvAIpo

Recommended for

Friendly Staff who care about your experience. Best dive spots. Amazing food.

Well taken care of

The crew all seemed to enjoy their job, which is important on a liveaboard. They were very helpful if you wanted help while not forcing it if you didn't think you needed it. The food was great - I gained weight, which I don't appreciate. The weather wasn't the best, so itinerary changed for the best experience possible for the weather we had. I also enjoyed getting to know the other passengers on board. It was a small group, which I particularly enjoyed - I know that was just the luck of the draw, but it worked out well for us.

Recommended for

crew, food, other passengers

Unforgettable Four Day Coral Sea Liveaboard

We just returned to Cairns after an incredible four day/four night excursion to the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef with Spirit of Freedom. These four days were the highlight of our entire month in Australia. We completed 15 dives over the course of four days and saw a variety of sea life ranging from hoards of sharks down to the tiniest nudibranchs and everything in between. Visibility was easily over 30meters in most spots. The captain and crew of the Spirit of Freedom were the best! They made everyone feel right at home and delivered top notch service throughout the trip. All of the rental dive gear was in tip top shape and the accommodations were very comfortable, to say the least. Last but not least, the food! The food and beverage throughout the trip were amazing! You will certainly not go hungry on this trip! Highly recommend and can't wait to get back to visit again!

Recommended for

The Amazing Diving! The Outstanding Crew! The Delicious Food!

Unforgettable Four Day Coral Sea Liveaboard

We just returned to Cairns after an incredible four day/four night excursion to the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef with Spirit of Freedom. These four days were the highlight of our entire month in Australia. We completed 15 dives over the course of four days and saw a variety of sea life ranging from hoards of sharks down to the tiniest nudibranchs and everything in between. Visibility was easily over 30meters in most spots. The captain and crew of the Spirit of Freedom were the best! They made everyone feel right at home and delivered top notch service throughout the trip. All of the rental dive gear was in tip top shape and the accommodations were very comfortable, to say the least. Last but not least, the food! The food and beverage throughout the trip were amazing! You will certainly not go hungry on this trip! Highly recommend and can't wait to get back to visit again!

Recommended for

The Amazing Diving! The Outstanding Crew! The Delicious Food!

Unforgettable Four Day Coral Sea Liveaboard

We just returned to Cairns after an incredible four day/four night excursion to the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef with Spirit of Freedom. These four days were the highlight of our entire month in Australia. We completed 15 dives over the course of four days and saw a variety of sea life ranging from hoards of sharks down to the tiniest nudibranchs and everything in between. Visibility was easily over 30meters in most spots. The captain and crew of the Spirit of Freedom were the best! They made everyone feel right at home and delivered top notch service throughout the trip. All of the rental dive gear was in tip top shape and the accommodations were very comfortable, to say the least. Last but not least, the food! The food and beverage throughout the trip were amazing! You will certainly not go hungry on this trip! Highly recommend and can't wait to get back to visit again!

Recommended for

The Amazing Diving! The Outstanding Crew! The Delicious Food!

Unique. Witnessed great teamwork from the young crew.

Seeing a fantastic crew at work with drive, professionalism and customer care.

Recommended for

Pace, Food & quality of vessel

Nothing to worry about except your dive!

Was able to see lots of sea life and have the comfort of food (and your bed) right there. It was also special that we were far enough out on the reef that we did not see anyone and felt like we had the whole area to ourselves. The overall organization of the trip and crew was stellar! The crew worked like military precision and were incredibly efficient with time and spotting the vessel to the various dive sites.

Recommended for

Crew organization, perfect weather, lots of dives.

Excellent

Diving

Recommended for

Crew food boat

Nothing to worry about except your dive!

Was able to see lots of sea life and have the comfort of food (and your bed) right there. It was also special that we were far enough out on the reef that we did not see anyone and felt like we had the whole area to ourselves. The overall organization of the trip and crew was stellar! The crew worked like military precision and were incredibly efficient with time and spotting the vessel to the various dive sites.

Recommended for

Crew organization, perfect weather, lots of dives.

Super organized and safe trip, crew works so hard! Appreciated!!

We did some really awesome dives on the GBR, could not have picked a better trip (would have wanted to stay longer for the Coral Sea part too though!). The crew is experienced and works super hard to get us to where we can dive safely in these very remote area. The food was amazing, probably ate a bit too much. It's spacious with lots of room to hang out or just chill. Overall a great trip and met some very interesting people!

Recommended for

Safety measures, clean, food

great experience, everything is great

the night dive is great, the food is fantastic.

Recommended for

diving site and a lots to see, crew very professional in all detail service in the diving, great food

Very good, exceeded expectations

Night dive

Recommended for

Reef, night dive, food

wish i had another week.

Captain and Cook were amazing. Diving was good. Always fun to meet new friends on every trip.

Recommended for

Food - Crew - Food

Fantastic Three Days!

It’s hard to pick just one highlight. The diving, the staff and the food were all great. Well done all around by the staff, attentive and very flexible with the guests. Great dive sites with lots of coral and sea life, including sharks, turtles and rays.

Recommended for

Diving food and staff

Excellent

Diving

Recommended for

Crew food boat

Excellent

Diving

Recommended for

Crew food boat

Excellent service, fun & friendly crew, thoughtful details, well organized operation

Bougainville Reef - Dungeons & Dragons site. So many sharks on every dive! Especially exciting was the hammerhead. My dive instructor gifting me with a shark tooth as a birthday present, and for pulling me into the middle of a school of circling trevallys.

Recommended for

The dives, the sun deck, the unlimited deck towels

Outstanding Vessel & Crew

The crew was exceptionally professional and very focused in keeping us safe while providing us a very comfortable diving operation. The level of service seen in this trip is not to be found everywhere... The food was extraordinary and very vegetarian friendly. Absolutelly loved it, the only thing I would change is that we saw many many sharks regularly in our dives so the shark feeding is not necessary in my opinion. I bet a lot of corals were broke in order to keep all divers in that position.

Recommended for

Food, Crew, Safety

Would dive with Spirit of Freedom anyday again!!!

The locations we covered were gorgeous. Even though 15 dives in 4 days may sound strennous the way the dives were organised made it very comfortable for all divers. We had lovely food, comfortable cabins and dive gear etc for rent are in great shape too. Felt very safe at all points in time.

Recommended for

The exotic dive locations, the professional, helpful and friendly crew and the comfort of the liveaboard

Amazing trip

The coral reefs were incredible, the instructors and crew were very helpful and friendly, and the food was fantastic. This was an incredibly well run program. Everything was impeccable. It far exceeded our expectations!

Recommended for

Dives, food, people

Amazing and fantastic first experience on a liveaboard.

The overall friendliness of the crew, clam gardens dive site, and the pinnacles.

Recommended for

Safety policies, diving experiences, chef!

Couldn’t recommend more!!

The cod feed, diving the reef away from any crowds and other divers, and watching a few sharks circle the boat for a few hours

Recommended for

Fantastic diving, incredible meals, well-organized trip

The best vacation!

The crew was amazing! They were all so polite and so ready to help us in anyway. The dive instructors were also really good. They were careful and worry about safety. The food was amazing (special thanks to our chef Simon!), and it is impossible to get hungry, there food all the time! And the accomodation and common spaces of the vessel are also excellent! This was the best vacation!!

Recommended for

The crew, the dives and the vessel

One of the most amazing trips ever.

The dives The crew The food Meeting other divers

Recommended for

The crew and their organization and efficiency. The dive sites and the briefings for each site. The boat design was so well designed to provide a great dive experience.

Fantiastic first Liveaboard experience!

The best part was diving with my daughter in the Great Barrier Reef -- one checked off bucket list item!

Recommended for

the dive crew, the sites and the commeraderie

a once in a life time experience, except I will be back!

Dropping off the stern at Bougainville Reef and realising that those figures with bubble steams rising from them were other divers 60+m away.

Recommended for

The ease and beauty of the diving x 3.

Best time EVER

Feeding the Potato Cod and diving with so many talented divers who we have made into far away friendships😊 We had amazing calm seas as well so thanks for that as well😉 Bobbi and Rick🇨🇦

Recommended for

Friendly Knowledgeable Staff,Food was unbelievable and non stop,Diving was amazing 😄

Great Boat

I was onboard the Spirit of Freedom for their 'Far North' expedition. Overall a very good trip. Crew friendly and helpful and worked together well as a team. Awesome chef and great food. I'll rate the crew 6 out of 5...! Boat nicely set out. Very safety conscious (as per Australian law!) The diving was good. I was disappointed we didn't get to visit Cod Hole on our way north. Further north, the corals were outstanding. I guess i was a little disappointed we didn't see more 'big' stuff, I'll call the diving good but not great. We did get to visit Raine Island (I hadn't been aware that this is pretty weather dependent) and saw plenty of turtles. The land day at Lockhart River was interesting, thanks :)

Recommended for

great crew, friendly, safety conscious

The overall experience was great

Definitely the cuttlefish and sharks, the accomodation was great too, the food was plentiful and tasty

Recommended for

Diving the wall,diving with Cuttlefish& getting back out to the outer reef

Not being a full boat it was a great, and personal experience highlighted by an awesome crew

Diving Osprey Reef and wall in the Coral sea

Recommended for

Crew, personal service, diving

Amazing 3days Great Barrier Reef diving trip aboard the Spirit of Freedom

My highlights revolve around the amazing underwater sceneries, fauna and flora encountered during our dives. Specifically: spotting a Minky whale, seeing several sharks, sea snakes, etc.

Recommended for

1/ Super friendly team, 2/ Comfortable boat and 3/ Amazing dive sites

Awesome live aboard dive trip

Dive, eat, dive, eat, and dive again. Outstanding service from the entire crew.

Recommended for

Diving team, dive sites, food

I wish I could have stayed the7 days

Intense, fun, smooth, easy diving, great places and great people.

Recommended for

The experienced and friendly crew, the prepared dives to avoid currents, the comfort of the ship

Exceeded My Expectations!

The Cod Hole dive was extremely cool, as those fish are big, dopey, and gentle. Sola is an amazing guide, pointing out tiny creatures that most divers would miss. Simon whipped up one amazing meal after another. Angus kept our safety first, but also snuck in a generous helping of humor and fun.

Recommended for

Safety-conscious crew, excellent food, tons of diving

Too many divers on the boat

the shark dive, the shallower dives for reef life, nudibranchs

Recommended for

The food, the dive masters, the equipment

Absolutely amazing

Feeding the giant cod and dive master Lorenzo brought me to the snake fit Reef and he took few pictures of me under the water. He's such a joy To be around with. All the crews were amazing.

Recommended for

Helpful crews, diving, food, cleanliness

Eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, dive, eat, dive and sleep

A very good organisation and a food incradible

Recommended for

Good, organisation, Easy

An amazing few days!!!

Flying up the Australian coast at 1500ft in a small plane to Lizard Island to meet the boat was an excellent way to start the week. So beautiful. The boat and crew is awesome. Super comfortable boat with outstanding food! The crew is simply first class, truly professional with your safety and comfort always first in their minds. Incredible dive knowledge and knowledge of the dive sites. Might be the most professionally run live-aboard we've ever been on. Osprey Reef is an amazing spot to dive that few will ever get the chance to visit. We are so lucky to have been.

Recommended for

Crew, dive sites, and destination

Spirit of Freedom

nurse sharks, dolphins & manta rays

Recommended for

boat, food & diving

Amazing Diving Experience!

The diving was absolutely amazing. Every crew member went out of their way to make sure it was a great experience.

Recommended for

The Crew, atmosphere, diving.

excellent liveaboard in amazing locations

The dive sites are unique. Nothing like I have ever seen before. Visibility over 50m, massive walls and beautiful topography.

Recommended for

dives, crew, safety

Awesome Trip

The crew were simply amazing. Despite having a boat with many beginner divers, the crew made sure everyone was safe while giving the experienced divers the freedom to safely enjoy the reef. It was Christmas week and the crew went out of their way to make sure we celebrated in style including a visit from Santa. The dive sites were world-class, particularly Osprey Reef. This is diving at it's best. We had amazing experiences with cuttlefish, sharks, turtles, and a reef full of life.

Recommended for

The crew, Osprey Reef, Great Barrier Reef

Sharks

Sharks

Recommended for

Sharks

Great experience

Effortless diving

Recommended for

Effortless diving, good food and good service

Amazing.

Shark feeding. Saw a hammerhead. The food was spectacular. The crew was very professional and they all love their jobs!

Recommended for

Diving, food, crew

Just a fabulous experience, the crew, food and accommodations were very good and the diving locations were just great.

We saw a school of Napoleon Wrasses that just took my breath away, the shark feeding was certainly an experience we have not seen in more than 400 dives. We also loved to watch the videos and pictures displayed at meals of the day's diving adventures.

Recommended for

Diving crew, diving, and food.

Boat and staff great. Diving very disappointing.

The shark feed and Cod Hole dives. The rest were boring and very disappointing. When I asked before the trip if the drinks were included I was told that beer and wine was included but not spirits. This was incorrect, only one drink was provided with dinner which I thought was very poor for the amount we had paid for the trip..

Recommended for

Food, comfort, staff.

Tremendous supportive environment for divers of all levels

Seeing giant clams, see snakes, sharks, groups of cuttlefish, large schools of barracuda. Renewing my confidence about diving in an unfamiliar environment with highly knowledgable staff including Rachel, Sarah and Angus. Angus had a great sense of humour which was contagious. Sarah's in depth knowledge of the reef biology was key. Rachel was an excellent role model in and out of the water for all divers

Recommended for

Dive staff safety and fun emphasis, hosting staff was friendly and we got personalized attention, knowledgable dive staff

The entire experience was extraordinary!

The rich variety of fish- and creature- reef life throughout of trip was striking, especially the dives at Steve's Bommie and Snake Pit, as was the good condition of the reefs. The coral formations at the sites we visited were still relatively vibrant and colorful. And the dive staff were uniformly knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.

Recommended for

The friendly and helpful service of the staff, the critter-finding skills of Rachel and the dive masters, and the excellent food prepared by Rodrigo.

Fun 4 days on the Great Bariier Reef

I saw my first hammer head shark, the most amount of sea snakes I have ever seen in one spot, the food on board was great and plentiful

Recommended for

The company, amazing dive sights, the professionalism of the crew and high quality equiment

Awesome trip!

Awesome trip, the best thing I met in cabin was the service provided by lovely cabin crews. All of them are friendly and hospitable.

Recommended for

service, shark dive, drink

100% recommended

Amazing organization, amazing food, very professional set-up. Is the best liveaboard I have done so far. Really recommended.

Recommended for

Crew, food and diving

Staff were awesome

All of it!

Recommended for

Staff, lots of food, dives

Excellent food, staff and dive crew.food, staff,

Beautiful dive locations in the Great Barrier Reef.

Recommended for

The staff, dive masters, food

Awesome

I have to so all the dive where the highlight of the trip.

Recommended for

Diving, Service and Food

Beautiful diving trip

Recommended for

Amazing diving sites, very efficient and friendly crew, comfortable boat

Fantastic experience

Seeing a reef shark close up on the night dive!

Recommended for

The reef, the crew and second breakfast!

Some great dive sites but room is very noisy

Steve's Bommie and lighthouse Bommie dive sites are great. Got to try night dive for the first time. Met other divers and able to socialize on the boat. Not highlight: our stateroom is right above the engine and it's very noisy at night while the boat was moving. We couldn't get proper sleep.

Recommended for

Staff are great, some dive sites are great, food was great

amazing trip

it was awesome.

Recommended for

diving, meeting people, fealing at home

Great crew

Enjoyable despite disappointment of not being able to go to Osprey.

Recommended for

Crew, weather, diving

Great variety of dive sites.

A very memorable trip, with very interesting and friendly fellow divers. We bonded in a very short time and the crew couldn't have been more helpful. I intend to go again.

Recommended for

1. The dive sites. 2. The crew. 3 the food.

Great

Greeaaaaat! The crew was awesome. Rachel, Amy, Tamir, the wonderful cook Cassey, everybody was so helpful and we had a really great time. The food was really delicious and I had no issue at all with my allergies. The crowd on the boat was really pleasant, we had a very good time above the water too. The dive sites were just great, the coral was beautiful, the sharks were numerous, the passing hammer shark was unbelievable :-) Thanks to all of you! :-)

Recommended for

no stress, best rest between dives, friendlyness, excellent food

Fantastic

Very Good. Am sensitive to mold and strong cleaning supplies so even though the boat was very clean you could smell the cleaning solution as as you walked on board. There was a slight moldy/musty smell in the closet and around the wood. Used essential oils. East access to the water form the boat. Nitrox fills were great . Overall it was a great trip.

Recommended for

the dives, the crew and the chef willing to make meal alternatives arooud food preferences and sensitivities

A dream come true!

I wish I could give the 5 stars to the cabin but who ever decided it was a good idea not to put a ladder up for the upper bunk bed should be ashamed . In a rolling bumpy boat in the middle of the night getting off from the upper bed provided me with multiple bruises . It can't cost much to make one ! The cabin itself was nice and was comfortable . The boat was great and allowed room for relaxing and camera review or just to take a nap on the upper sun deck. Very wonderful and spacious . Handled the rough waters very well I felt very safe .( until I had to get off the upper bed) that was the most hazardous thing I had to do for the entire trip)

Recommended for

Location ,location ,location (where we went to dive

Perfect ship and crew!

perfect ;)

Recommended for

1. The crew 2. The food 3. Dive site selections

Trip of a lifetime

Good experience Lots of diving

Recommended for

Personnel / personnel / personnel

Had a fantastic time on Spirit of Freedom!

Great

Recommended for

The food, the organisation of the crew, the variations of types of dives

Great diving experience

It was a great experience having never done a liveaboard trip before. The plane journey out was the perfect start. The diving was good but I have been to better locations. The open sea journeys are pretty awful if you are not use to sailing or being on boats for long periods so make sure you are prepared. The food was great as was the crew. It's a wonderful experience but is a little on the expensive side for what it was.

Recommended for

The shark feed dive, the food and the crew.

An awesome experience

The whole trip was awesome. Loved the trip on the small plane out to Lizard island. The boat was very well run, the crew were very professional, but took the time to get to know everyone. The choice of dive sites was great, especially North Horn where they did the shark feeding dive. The food was fantastic, an amazing chef, we were well looked after! The dive briefings were very good, Jack was very knowledgable and organised the diving well. Safety procedures were the best we've seen. Can't wait to do the trip again!

Recommended for

Amazing diving, fantastic, friendly crew, comfortable cabins

Exceeded expectations!

Great experience, great crew, great program. It's nice to see that the crew is just as enthusiastic as the guests. Gear was of good quality and safety was taken very seriously. Will definitely return one day. Roger

Recommended for

The trip, the enthusiasm of the crew, the food

Great crew, but dive sites didn't quite live up to expectations

Good. My only complaint is that Expectations weren't met on diversity of dive sites. We had two full dive days and granted 1 day was hampered by a medical emergency but the other day was not and we did the same reef 3 times out of 5 dives. That was disappointing.

Recommended for

Comfort, Food, Crew

Best trip ever.

Recommended for

great vegetarian food options, friendly staff, great diving