The S/Y Philippine Siren has been built on the island of Sulawesi. She is a traditional Indonesian ‘gaft-rigged Phinisi’ handcrafted from ironwood and teak and is 40 meters in length and 8.5 metres in width. She has been custom-made with all the luxury facilities for the modern diver. In particular, this luxury vessel has been specialized for the Underwater Photographer and Videographer. Aboard the S/Y Philippine Siren they welcome up to 16 guests aboard each trip and accommodate them in 8 cabins. This ensures abundant space for all guests. There are 12 members of staff to look after your every need.
Much of the appeal of the S/Y Philippine Siren is her 7 sails, her expansive leisure deck, a spacious air conditioned saloon with cocktail bar, 48 inch flat screen and computer server supporting the inter cabin network. The outdoor covered dining area to the rear of the boat offers a truly panoramic dining experience allowing you to take in the beautiful scenery. Guests eat up to five times a day and the food is a combination of Western and Asian influences. All soft drinks, fruit juice and beer is included in the price. A nice touch is the esspresso machine grounding fresh Indonesian coffee beans for your morning coffee or afternoon latte.
For the sun seekers there are sun loungers for dive interval sun tanning, but there is also plenty of shady cover for those wanting a siesta in the shade. The S/Y Philippine Siren has a massage service, perfect for those post dive aches and tired limbs. A laundry service allows you to truly limit the amount of clothes you need to bring with you and an onboard boutique offers you the opportunity to purchase not only souveineirs but some all important provisions such as toiletries and digital accessoiries for those with cameras. In the saloon are useful marine identification books for those post dive log book entries.
Eight large air conditioned cabins each with their own personal computer, audio visual entertainment system and en suite bathrooms with hot water. All rooms are lavished with luxury extras including hair dryers, in room safe, towels, controlled mood lighting and individual controls for your air conditioning unit. The cabins are all positioned off the same corridor leading from the saloon apart from the owners cabin. This can be found at the rear of the boat, entered via a seperate entrance and is slightly smaller than the other cabins but still has all the amenities and fittings of the other cabins. None of the cabins have bunk style beds but either two single or one queen size double bed. Two cabins have three single beds but only two are occupied on scheduled trips. The third bed is only offered for full charters allowing up to 18 guests on the boat.
The diving could not be simpler. At the front of the boat is the large dive deck. Guests are assigned their spot and having put together their scuba equipment once on arrival, they never have to take it apart again until the end of the trip. The dive staff not only fill your cylinder with your choice of compressed air or enriched air nitrox (32) free to you if qualified, but also rinse and will carry your equipment to one of the two dive tenders should you not wish to wear it down to the dive platform where you simply step into the waiting tender. Guests are whisked off to the dive sites by the dive tender and the majority of the diving is drift diving. At the end of the dive launch your delayed surface marker buoy or allow your guide to do so. On surfacing the tender will be there waiting for you and the boat boy will assist you in getting back in.
Guests can either keep their equipment on and climb the tender ladder or remove the equipment in the water and enter the tender after the boat boy has lifted your equipment into the boat. On returning to the SY Philippine Siren guests are greeted by staff handing out big thick towels specifically for the dive deck and do not be surprised to also be handed a cold glass of water or a hot chocolate following night dives. Most days allow for four dives, one after a light breakfast, then another after a full breakfast. The third after lunch and the fourth either after the afternoon cake but before dinner. However if guests prefer to dive after dinner they are free to do so. The SY Philippine Siren is an Aqua Lung Partner Centre and the majority of equipment if free for guests to use. They only charge for daily rental of a dive computer and torch.
Dive groups are kept to small numbers and guests have an option to be led by a dive guide or dive by themselves with a buddy if suitable experienced and qualified. Most dives are limited to 1 hour in duration although exceptions are made for photographers / videographers. The SY Philippine Siren is rebreather friendly but guests should notify us as early as possible if they intend to bring their rebreathers. The SY Philippine Siren uses 12ltr aluminium cylinders and has some 15ltr cylinders for those who wish to use them. Dedicated rinse tanks are provided for those with camera and video housings and there are also plenty of charge points in the saloon and in guests cabins. Prep and storage areas are also plentiful.
The SY Philippine Siren spends the whole year within the Philippine archipelago. The Philippines is an archipelago of 7107 tropical islands and islets in deep blue waters that contain some of the richest marine life-system on earth and is second only to Indonesia as the largest archipelago in the world. Only 2000 are inhabited, and around 2500 of them are not even named. Separating the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, with the Celebes Sea to the South and to the East lies the Philippine Trench, one of the world’s deepest points, reaching 10,500m below sea level.
Diving in the Philippines by luxury liveaboard you will have the opportunity to explore many islands and fantastic coral reefs. The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 islands, surrounded by deep blue seas that contain some of the richest marine life on Earth. Thought by many to be the apex of the coral triangle, diving in the Philippines offers you a wide variety of marine environments to choose from. Dives on steep walls and offshore pinnacles, critter hunting in coastal reefs, wreck diving a sunken Japanese fleet and the opportunity to get up close to the World’s largest fish – the whale shark. We offer 5 distinct trips to the islands and dive sites of the Philippines that will whet the appetite of even the most seasoned diver.
You can chose from the following itineraries:
Tubbataha, Coron & Anilao, Visayas – Cebu, Bohol, Apo, Negros & Malapascua, Donsol and Leyte.
Contact us for details of each itinerary.
FACES OF THE SEA SCUBA HOLIDAYS 