8.0 Very good
Timothy L
United States

Finished the trip feeling like family

Besutiful dives.

Recommended for: Quaint. Relaxed. Comfortable

9.2 Superb
Matthew A
United States

Absolutely tremendous!

Sharks every dive, killer sunsets, great food, funny crew. I'd do it again in a heart beat!

Recommended for: Awesome dive master, GREAT diving, and awesome wrecks

9.6 Exceptional
William B
United States

An honest opinion - I’m glad I picked the Phoenix

Wreck dives were good Overall itinerary was well laid out Guest preferences were integrated into daily schedules The captain if a great chef and meals were good Blue hole dive was really nice Dive guides were good, safety oriented, patient with divers quirks, and adjusted dive profile to satisfy customers skills. Dive guides made life easy by helping water entry/exit and tanks changes if desired. The boat has a good design, cabins nice, better setup in the larger dive boat operators in my opinion. I recommended minor changes to the Phoenix and they listened, so your trip might be even better than mine. On Bahamas diving, wave and sea conditions are milder compared to Caribbean locations, bring sun protection, hats etc. Water temperature at my time was swim suite diving. Liveaboard.com was a good place to book the trip, their agents communicated well, and I’d give them 5 stars also..

Recommended for: Dive sites, the captain and dive guides, food.

10 Exceptional
Elizabeth G
United States

Our private dive trip!

No other guests! Just got lucky that others cancelled. Great divemaster who really cared to make the dives varied and interesting. He also handled all our gear. Captain with excellent boat handling skills, very considerate about doing loud things (filling tanks, running engine to charge batteries) during our dives so surface time was calm and quiet. Comfortable double beds. Three real meals per day.

Recommended for: Very fair price, flexibility and options for diving, 3 real meals per day

8.4 Very good
Lindsay B
United States

Memorable, beautiful dive sites and nice staff.

First open water dives for my boyfriend and he loved them! They baked a cake to celebrate his birthday!

Recommended for: Sharks everywhere! Amazing diving! Beautiful leisure time.

7.6 Good
Matt K
United States

relaxing, good diving

Great diving, lots of small sea life - coral, nudibranchs, sponges. large sea life - hammer heads, tons of reef sharks, nurse sharks, logger head turtles, green turtles, grouper, jacks.... Plenty of wreck dives. Large variety of dive sites. Casual laid back trip

Recommended for: the diving, lots of wrecks if you like them!, beatiful weather

4.4 Review score
Grant A
United States

Not what we expected or paid for.

Let me start with the good about our trip. Most of the dive sites we were taken to were very nice, and we enjoyed the sealife we got to see, and those dives in general. Oleg, the boats captain was a good cook, and the meals were tasty. The DM's were friendly and helpful other than a few things that I will describe below. End of good. The bad. The trip was advertised as 19+ dives, and the crew explained we would do 4 dives per day or approximately 24 dives. We actually did 14, and that was only after a few of the guests became very angry (otherwise it would have been less). In fairness, the wind was strong a few days, but NO effort was made to use the leeward side of the islands or any other alternatives. In fact by 3pm one day the wind had died down and the sea was fairly calm, but the DM's still refused to dive. The captain was a good cook, but most of the food was sub-par at best. We were not fed two meals back to back (dinner one evening and breakfast the following day). About half the breakfasts were bagels cut into 1/8ths and served with jam or butter. There was never enough food at any meal (very small portions). Our 'meat' often consisted of one or one-half very cheap hot-dog which most people couldn't or wouldn't eat. The only 'drink' served the entire week was water. You could purchase a soda or beer can for $5 each. The beds consisted of a 1" mat sitting on wooden slats covered with a fitted sheet. You were handed a top sheet and blanket, should you wish to make the 'bed'. The pillows were dingy, lumpy and flat as a pancake. Our shower backed up (even when we were not using it), and I had about 30 seconds of hot water one day. Otherwise showered in ice cold water. The cabinet didn't latch, and so our clean items were thrown daily onto the nasty floor by the waves rocking the boat. Our curtain was broken and laying on top of the cabinet, and about half the lights worked and flickered in the room. The dives advertised on liveaboard are NOT the dives you will do. I think of the ones advertised we did 1. We were told there would be no pig-beach, no washing machine and the captain said he had told liveaboard to stop advertising that. On multiple dives the DM's brought us up far from the boat and we were told to swim. One case in particular left us about 150 yards behind the boat in a strong current. We were all exhausted by the time we made the boat, and the entire time the DM on that dive yelled and argued with everyone, blaming us for not staying closer together. I didn't respond, but found it ironic that we all surfaced behind him, together, and so far away from the boat. Of the two DM's one would guide the dive and the other would stay on the boat, running the compressor and filling tanks. This disturbed the dive, and likely caused us to see far less sealife than we should have. It also was a real safety risk in my opinion. Almost every time we would surface, the one on the boat would have ear-muff's on running the compressor and wouldn't know anyone was struggling to get into the boat. There were a few times that a diver came up stressed or in need of assistance and had it not been for fellow divers, would have been in trouble relying upon the boat crew. I could likely go on but feel like it would start to sound nit-picky. In my opinion, we did not get what we paid for in any sense of the word. I would suggest anyone thinking about taking this boat to think twice.

Recommended for: The sealife and that's about it.

10 Exceptional
Natasha M
United States

Wonderful time

First time diving with the sharks in the Bahamas . Shark arena . Deep blue hole . Sailing on catamaran . The friendly captain and the food .

Recommended for: Introduction to shark diving , personalized dive master , crew friendliness

10 Exceptional
brett W
United States

We had a great crew and amazing diving.

The conditioners were rough and windy, but the experience underwater was still exceptional with good visibility and tons of sea life. I love the Exuma dives where the reefs were abundant with corals, fans, etc. the food was great—three hot, delicious meals a day.

Recommended for: We had a fun group of people from all over the world. The diving was great with tons of sharks, ship wreaks, and variety. The crew was committed to making it a great trip from beginning to end.

10 Exceptional
Christopher P
United States

Great LiveAboard and Great Diving!

So many sharks! Great time in the Exumas and around New Providence! Would go again right away!

Recommended for: 1. Great atmosphere 2. Great diving with Tim and Andrea 3. Great food from Oleg

7.6 Good
Sera L
United States

Great liveaboard experience with good people

The captain is a very good cook but wished I had more options for each meal. Also, it's a small boat -- what you see in the picture is it. We didn't have many people on the boat at the time but it would've been too hectic if the boat was full. Overall, great boat with great people.

Recommended for: Our dive guides, Tim and Andrea, were amazing! They were very chill and tried to show us everything they could find in each dive. They also took care of our equipments. The boat itself is a little outdated and needs some improvements but is in overall good condition. The food is also great but would've appreciated having drink options. Just so everyone's aware, only water is provided and it's $5 for beer and $2.5 (I think) for soda. I think the boat could've provided drinks since drink is even provided in cheaper liveaboard operations in the area. Also, it maybe a good idea to bring a portable battery because the captain turns off everything at night and I sometimes found my camera battery not charged.

7.6 Good
Cathalina M
United States

Great dive sites and fun side trips.

Setting sail once on a sailboat Meeting other divers on boat Side trip to pigs and iguanas

Recommended for: Divemasters, side trips, cabin

10 Exceptional
Andrew D
United States

Incredible experience

There was a good mix of dive sites (reefs, sharks, wrecks), with flexibility to see different ones, depending on weather conditions. The crew was very good at their job. The dive masters were clearly well trained, and knew the dive sites and local sea life in-and-out. The captain is also an excellent cook. We never had the same dish twice, and the food was all creative, and just what you need after a day of multiple dives. The crew were quite friendly, and made us feel at home during the whole trip. The catamaran is a great boat to dive from. It is spacious, provides a stable platform, and offers easy entry and exit from the water.

Recommended for: Very skilled and knowledgeable crew, world class dive sites, comfortable boat

10 Exceptional
Thomas S
United States

Unbelievable Experience, Small group on boat, Big Groupers below the boat.

The Dive Masters were very good at what they had to do on the boat and in the water. Thank you to my new friends Ivo and Andrea. I had the Experience I will never forget. Well, I was the only one that showed up. First thing take off your shoes and hop on! Ivo set up my gear and showed me my room. Very nice room with side window and top hatch for a nice breeze. Hot shower. The diving is what I came for and I had all the dives I wanted, at all the dive sites I wanted to dive. They were all amazing in there own way. The best was the Hammerhead at Pillar Wall with Ivo. And Shark Arena with Andrea. I have never been so close to big Reef Sharks. And I am so happy I have Pictures and video of my experience. I will see you next year Oleg. California Tom S.

Recommended for: Sharks on almost every dive. Nice breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner from Capitan Oleg.

4.8 Review score
Robert O
United States

Good diving, one star boat experience

The food consisted of oiled, fried chicken and pork for every meal - including breakfast. Not by any means local or fresh cuisine. By the end we stopped eating meals and relied on snacks. The crew had several arguments throughout the trip between captain and dive masters, made passengers uncomfortable. No WiFi available at all. No air conditioning in bunks and very poor ventilation, ended up sleeping on the deck of the boat on the floor two nights because of the extreme heat. Broken parts of the boat, the front cargo home had been patched several times and close to ripping, storage cabinets in bunk was broken. We had no access to clean water for two days, unable to even rinse off after diving, no showers, had to wash our hands after using the toilet with bottles water. Were not able to rinse off gear or wetsuits after use. The dive masters were however very knowledgeable and friendly, but that did not make up for the time we spent on the ship.

Recommended for: Dive masters very friendly and enthusiastic, nice dive sites

7.2 Good
Troy W
United States

great crew, no fresh water 2 days. no air conditioner

small personal service, knowledgeable dive crew

Recommended for: the crew was great, fabulous dive location

8.4 Very good
Jeancarlo C
United States

Amazing Diving Spots

The good first: The crew is very friendly and they do work hard. After each dive, they will change your tanks and prepare your stuff for the next dive. The Captain (Oleg) which is also the chef, will have prepare snacks for the divers. The schedule is pretty much the same. At 8am is breakfast, after is one or two dives with a snack in between. Then lunch. One or two dives after, and then another snack and dinner later in the night. The crew is very friendly and they are always keeping up with all the guests. You get a gallon of water daily for free, which they encourage you to drink. If you need any other accommodations, you can just ask Oleg and they will make it happen. The dives sites are amazing with a lot to see. The bad: The boat is showing some age. You will NOT get what is on the pictures. The aft lounge is a table and the air compressor is on the other side (not as the current pictures). There is no cushions on the front of the boat (they are using this as water storage). The rooms and bathrooms are showing some age and are dated. Between the port entrance to the rooms there is a washing machine and pretty much, the inside lounge is not accesible to the guests since it has many other stuff and the captain sleeps there. In summary, the pictures are not really what you get. There are soft drinks to sell, but they are $2.50 USD each. One more thing, you will get use to it, but the boat has a weird smell (on the kitchen and bathrooms). This smell soon enough will stop bothering you. Overall it is an amazing experience but, do not be surprise with the pictures and the reality of what you get.

Recommended for: Food, Diving Sites, Friendly Crew

10 Exceptional
Elizabeth O
United States

The Phoenix is Best liveaboard

We explored dive sites that were not visited by the other liveaboard vessels. We particularly enjoyed the Shark Arena, diving the James Bond boat, the Dog Wall, and the double dive in the Blue Hole.

Recommended for: 1. A divemaster accompanied every dive and let us determine the length of the dives. 2. Accommodated our dietary requirements with no problems. 3. Friendly, welcoming crew was eager to provide the best experience possible.

8.0 Very good
SUSAN W
United States

Fantastic diving, boat needs updates, we got what we paid for

Pros - All the sharks! Tranquil water and gorgeous scenery. Amazing dive sites. Stop at Iguana Beach Cons - 1) No comfortable seating other than at the dining table - the front nets were falling apart, seating at the front was blocked by water jugs. 2) A/C was turned on grudgingly, we had to insist that it be run all night so we could sleep 3) Diving was frequently scheduled soon after meals (and never before breakfast), which made diving sometimes uncomfortable. Dinner was served quite late (generally 7:30 or 8pm), even though we asked if it could be earlier. 4) Private bathroom was unbelievably small, esp the shower

Recommended for: 1) Quality of most of the dive sites 2) Quantity of the food, and quality of food for the most part 3) Personal service, since we were the only two guests

7.2 Good
Michele A
United States

Great diving and basic accommodations

The diving was incredible. Loved shark arena. Healthy and abundant coral. Beautiful coral structure. Lots of life

Recommended for: Amazing diving, good group, good price

8.4 Very good
Gary W
United States

Great Budget Way to Experience the Best of Bahamas Diving

We dove the Clifton area near Nassau instead of the Exumas based on others suggestions. Good choice...MANY shark encounters...MANY large black groupers.

Recommended for: Diving sites, Food, Socializing

2.0 Review score
David W
United States

This boat was the most disgusting and filthy boat we have ever seen.

The kitchen was filthy. The dive ladders were very difficult to navigate with nowhere to hold yourself. Compressor broke down. They keep the gas generator next to the air compressor, and both are running as they fill the dive tanks. The pictures of this boat are stock pictures of a similar boat and are nothing like the actual old boat. Absolutely no place to sit and be comfortable.

Recommended for: getting off this boat.

4.4 Review score
William J
United States

Not ready for prime time-no air condition, bad food

Loved the diving but no air conditioning, was advertised as having it, boat dirty, food was bad plus no cold drinks, had warm water in jugs, I would avoid this boat but still we mad the best of it and enjoyed the week

Recommended for: Diving, crew friendly

6.8 Review score
Justin P
United States

Great dives, bossy dive masters, NO AC OR WIFI, Great people, food wasn't bad.

The dive sites chosen were spectacular unfortunately we couldn't fully enjoy most of them due to overbearing dive masters and ridiculous rules set forth by the owner. My wife and I have been diving for over 20 years with 170 logged dives (I'm rescue she's AOW) I don't appreciate dive masters with years of experience in the single digits constantly lecturing me underwater *dink*dink* to get back in line or don't swim through a swim through or you're too close to that Barracuda or Nurse shark, don't go in any wrecks (we did 6 being told we weren't allowed to penetrate relatively small boats). Additionally, we had up to 4.5-hour intervals! I was there to dive and not chit-chat with my fellow passengers, who were the saving grace because had we not gotten along, it would have been a disaster. Also, they advertise AC and Wifi neither of which was there or working. We had to sleep in 85+ degree rooms every night to the point where the last night 1/2 of us went and got a hotel at extra expense. I will say above water the crew was curious and helpful my wife has a knee injury they were very accommodating helping her in and out of the water. Also, the food wasn't bad and there was plenty of it. Overall if your fairly new diver and you've never done a liveaboard and want to try it without breaking the bank I'd recommend it (as long as they fix the AC). Experienced divers who don't want to be led around by their octo the whole time skip it.

Recommended for: Dives sites were spectacular, People were great, Staff was nice (above water)

3.2 Review score
Thomas B
United States

Worst I've ever been on.

Meeting other two guests and Australian DM.

Recommended for: Nice Australian girl divemaster, her first liveaboard. Out maneuvered a hurricane. Getting off the boat.

9.6 Exceptional
Francis R
United States

Great crew, great food, great dives, great value!

It is hard to pick a highlight from a week of outstanding experiences. Without a doubt, the diving and the dive masters were perfect. Knowledgeable, kind, and friendly guides made the diving interesting, comfortable, and informative. The captain and chef is friendly and engages in interesting conversations on any topic. Nobody goes hungry on his boat! I highly recommend the Phoenix for couples' or friend groups' next dive trip.

Recommended for: The dives, the crew, and the food.

9.6 Exceptional
Salvador S
Spain

Fantastica

Los tiburones

Recommended for: Seriedad, seguridad y compromiso

8.4 Very good
chloé L
France

Great experience in the Bahamas

Great dives with beautifull corals, sharks, lobsters, turtles and wreck ... Nice sunset with the team on the boat

Recommended for: great diving, friendly crew, weather

8.8 Fabulous
Gerhard H
Austria

Great diving trip with Oleg and crew

Competent dive guides, diving with 20 sharks surroundig us, caves and tunnels, Oleg‘s Ham and Eggs, crystal clear water

Recommended for: Amazing crew, spacious cabins, sharks

10 Exceptional
Erin V
Canada

Exceeded all my expectations of a liveaboard experience.

This was my first live-aboard experience and traveled solo. The Bahamas in itself is a beautiful county and the diving was topnotch. An abundance of sea life, including a variety of sharks, rays, grouper, turtles, crabs, lobsters, jacks, snapper.... the list goes on and on. Diving in Exuma felt like swimming through an underwater forest with large schools of fish, giant corals, sea fans and sponges, the reefs were VERY healthy. The boat was cozy and comfortable, with hot fresh water showers and private bathrooms. Captain Navado had great knowledge of the area, always providing safe navigation, history lessons and great sightseeing up top! Dive-master Ivo excelled on fish ID, underwater navigation, diver safety and comfort. He led us through endless swim throughs, wrecks, drift dives, shark dives and the beautiful Lost blue hole. Chef Anna made delicious meals, always creative and different. She catered to specific diets offering hot tea or coffee post dives with fresh baked goods, definitely well fed!! The moment I stepped on board the staff made me feel welcome and at home. We shared stories between dives and over an evening cocktail making them feel more like family in the end than staff. Highly recommend this live-aboard.

Recommended for: Diving, Staff, food.

8.8 Fabulous
Christian S
Germany

Rundum zufrieden

Meine Ersten Tauchgänge mit Haien

Recommended for: Tauchgäste und Guides alles prima Leute, hat auch nach den Tauchgängen an Bore Spaß gemacht

8.8 Fabulous
Carlo Alberto B
Italy

Sharks, rays and turtles!

Blue hole, the cathedral, iguana beach and the wrecks.

Recommended for: Divemaster, dive sites, catamaran

6.8 Review score
Susana B
Spain

Good diving trip

The boat need some upgrades, and rules and procedures in a small boat needs to be improved. The service was nice and the diving sites amazing

Recommended for: The crew, the dive sites, the amazing sunsets

10 Exceptional
Amaury D
France

Great trip, great captain & crew, great dives

I had the opportunity to spend a week on the Phoenix. It is a family boat with a great Captain and 2 young and passionate diving instructors. Captain cooks very well every meal. Diving sites are great and we had the opportunity to see providence and others islands. Great diving and human experience.

Recommended for: Dives, captain & crew and food

8.0 Very good
Sébastien M
Belgium

Value for money diving in Bahamas

Shark diving Wreck diving Northern Exuma paradise

Recommended for: Good price/value, sharks & wrecks, small group

5.6 Review score
niamh B
Ireland

Great dives and great trip to pig beach

Great dives, lots of coral, swim throughs. Day spent at pig beach was brilliant.

Recommended for: Diving, pig beach, small number of people onboard

9.2 Superb
margaret X
Mauritania

Excellent crew and beautiful dive sites introduced by the guides

The hardest working and most fun and helpful crew I've ever seen!

Recommended for: The food, the dive sites picked, and the crew!

8.4 Very good
Ella C
United Kingdom

Diving was great, crew were fantastic, and we’d definitely go back

Shark arena dives, there were only 4 guests in total so plenty of space on the catamaran

Recommended for: Sharks, friendly crew and crew knowledge

9.6 Exceptional
Andrew M
United Kingdom

A great adventure!

This is a real diving adventure. If you want a luxury cruise this is not for you! I spent a tremendous week on-board with some world class diving and excellent company (I was travelling alone).

Recommended for: Amazing coral, up close with sharks, great company

9.2 Superb
Adam W
Canada

Great live aboard

Pros: Knowledgeable dive masters Captain is a good cook Relaxed atmosphere Nice dive sites Good value Cons: Boat needs work, not what you see in the pictures. Small things would go a long way like new nets so guests could lay in the front of the boat. Or new cushions in the front cockpit or the fly bridge. Sitting on hard plastic when you are underway/on your vacation isn’t great. I know the pandemic has been hard on the operators though so hopefully these few small issues get resolved as business start making money again. If they do I would book again. If you are on the fence about booking this live aboard don’t be. There are a few issues but hey nothings perfect in this world, you will have a great time. 8.5/10

Recommended for: Diving, food, dive masters

7.2 Good
Bianca W
Finland

Nice dives.

Shark dives!

Recommended for: Small groups and dive site. Relaxed and unhurried days.

5.6 Review score
Grahame H
New Zealand

Very poorly maintained vessel that is also unclean.

The diving was great however, the boat was utterly disgusting and the chef was incredibly rude. The food was passable on some meals but the majority were awful. Diving briefs were not at all thorough and the boat doesn’t have air or wifi as advertised. We were advised they’d been broken for months. The photos are in absolutely no way a true reflection. I’ve travelled far and wide but this is the first poor review I’ve given. I would not recommend it.

Recommended for: Great diving. No other positives.

10 Exceptional
Marine P
Switzerland

Wonderful experience

The dives, the food and the ambiance

Recommended for: The crew is the best ever, super kind and friendly they are beautiful people and very professional!

8.8 Fabulous
Vincenzo F
Italy

excellent liveboard!

Service end comfort

Recommended for: Friendly crew, comfort of boat, excellent service

9.6 Exceptional
Florent A
France

Amazing

Amazing dives with friendly ambiance on board.

Recommended for: Few people on board / Dives / Meals

Phoenix Liveaboard, Bahamas

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Phoenix Reviews