Guestbook
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Mark Woodward 31.08.2008
August 31, 2008

We just returned from Komodo on another a wonderful vacation with the Pindito. As with the trip to Raja Ampat in February, the diving was amazing!

Some of the memorable highlights of the Komodo diving were seeing dolphins underwater while on scuba, numerous manta rays, sharks, turtles and sea snakes. There was a stunning variety of critters including the “wonderpus” octopus, frogfish, pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, stargazers, dozens of nudibranch species and a long list of other oddities found with the help of dive guides Mike, Markus and Bob.

As our second holiday on the Pindito in less than a year, we were pleased and amazed that the Pindito crew continues to find ways to improve an already excellent boat and dive operation. The recent addition of the extra sunshade deck is a nice improvement and a wonderful place to watch the islands pass by as we motored from site to site.

Above water the landscapes and wildlife were truly awesome. From one anchorage point just off shore from Rinca Island, we saw 5 wild dragons roaming the beach – like a scene from “The Land that Time Forgot”!

Special thanks go to dive guide/cruise director Mike, for helping to repair a photo synch-cord and restore my camera strobe operation. Without his help I would have few of the excellent photos I was able to capture on this trip. I think special mention also goes to the Indonesian crew member Tony who noticed another guest’s camera taking on water from the rinse tank and rescued it before any damage was done.

Of the 11 other liveaboard trips we have taken in the past decade, the Pindito is among the very best – for diving, photography support, safety, service and comfort.

Thanks and Well Done!

---Mark & Diana Woodward
Matthew Addison 05.06.2008
To anyone considering diving Raja Ampat on Pindito, be warned...

... you will be hard-pressed to find a better boat, crew or diving area anywhere else! You will be spoiled, attended to and fed better than you ever have been. You will have more fun and more great memories than you will recall from any other trip (and pictures, if you are a photographer). Yes people, the Pindito, it’s crew, Raja Ampat and West Papua will set a new standard by which you judge all other trips! And you’ll love every minute of it. So don’t say I didn’t warn you when you are booking your third, fourth and fifth trip on Pindito!

Matthew Addison
Matt & Natasha Porter 07.05.2008
Pindito Gang -

What a great dive trip adventure! The diving was out of this world. The Pindito is superb and very comfortable. The crew and dive masters were wonderful and could not have been more accommodating. The reefs of Raja Ampat are astonishing with pristine corals, incredible colors and mind-boggling biodiversity. Everything we were hoping to see and more! Swimming with mantas made a great trip simply unforgettable. We are seriously looking at a return trip – to Raja Ampat again or anywhere with the Pindito crew. You really know how to treat your guests!

BIG THANK YOU to Mike, Bob, Marcus and the entire Pindito crew for a wonderful experience!

Matt and Natasha Porter
Marty Snyderman 02.03.2008
To Everyone In The Pindito Gang-

Let me start by saying THANK YOU! I had a wonderful time. The diving was wonderful. The Pindito was superb. The crew and divemasters could not have been nicer or more accommodating, and I made some great new friends from around the world. I have been diving professionally and dive traveling for more than 35 years, and in my experience the reefs of Raja Ampat are as pristine as I have ever seen. The colors are astonishing. Life abounds. In the hundreds of dive trips I have made in my life, this is one that truly stands out. I have been home for less than a week and I am seriously looking into when I can get back to the Pindito, Raja Ampat and anywhere else you dive.

Thank you to all!
Marty Snyderman
February 2008
Peter en Nina 12.09.2007
Dear Pindito Crew!

Under the cloudy Dutch skies we are thinking often of the great time we had on the Pindito! O.K. it is now some weeks ago, but the memory for sure has not faded, the many colourful fish, special nudibranches, the ghost pipe fishes, pygmee seahorses, mantis shrimps, turtles (HUGE turtles), black & white banded seasnakes, spanish dancers, octopus (what is the plural of an octopus?), the sharks, leaf fishes, stone fishes, barracudas (again a HUGE HUGE barracuda) and many, many other creatures below the surface are still very much in our mind.

For those of you who are still thinking about taking a trip on a live-aboard and for those of you who are in doubt where to go, we can tell you from own experience that the Pindito is a great place to be. A very comfortable ship (so comfortable that I (=Nina) did not became seasick, although I usually get that, just looking at a glass of water), nice comfortable cabins, GREAT hot showers (unbelievable, hey!), excellent food and of course great diving under the expert guidance of Annalisa, Hausi and Mike. You should not doubt, you should just book your trip!

For us, the memories are there and now it is regretfully only thinking and planning for next year......

Warm greetings from the Netherlands to all on board of the Pindito and to our fellow travellers on the Bali-Komodo-Bali tour of August 6-17.

Peter & Nina


P.S. it is only a pity that everybody dies in the last book of Harry Potter :-)
Jochen Warner 30.05.2007
Dear Pindito Team,
Dive Explorer Trip from Manado to Bali, 1.-17.May 2007

Although it was an explorer trip for searching of new dive spots we were absolutely inspired with the perfect organisation of the dive crew.
We also enjoyed every day the spacious comfort on board, the delicious food and last but not least the efficient and extremely friendly crew. Edi you are doing a great job!
Anne and I are already considering our next dive vacation on your fabulous Pindito again.

Thank you Pindito
Hillary Glick 06.04.2007
Greetings and salutations!

Thanks endlessly for your heroic and noble efforts to improve my buoyancy. The boat improvements were greatly appreciated as was the increased variety in the food. Some things were unchanged, fortunately, the great crew including the ever amusing Eric, beautiful scenery topside and the usual stunning reefs andplentiful fishlife and critters. Diving could not have improved from prior experience but has lost none of its unique biodiversity and astonishing beauty. The dolphin pod on the way out and the Orcas and whale on the way back were a nice touch as well.
Despite trepidations, we found that life on the Pindito was possible and even still enjoyable in the absence of Edi. Kudos to Mike for the blue-ring octopos and to Hausi for his clarity and organization. Please have a mimic octopus and some diet soda for our next trip as we have yet to see Komodo.
We will think of you as we toil in the city- Hillary, with additional thanks from Nathan
PS: Book reports are expected
Bill Acker 26.10.2006
Dear Edi and crew,


This was my 3rd voyage on Pindito and each trip has been better than the previous trip and we began with the best live-aboard experience I had ever had. Obviously, the adventures are doing nothing but getting better and better. I am currently planning for my 4th charter in 2008.

I can´t say enough about the quality of the boat, the friendliness and helpfulness of the crew and obviously the great diving. The wonderful food, cold beer and beautiful seas also contributed to a most enjoyable and magical 16 days aboard Pindito. The improvements made to the ship also are a huge plus. The camera stations are a wonderful improvement and having the sun deck area in front of the new bridge really provides space for guests. The new massage service is a winner and just another feature setting Pindito apart from other live-aboard dive boats.

Another highlight is the "party night" to closeout the voyage. Having the crew play music and sing for everyone and then turning up the sound system and opening the dance floor with the guests is a very welcome difference that once again separates Pindito (Edi looks great dancing in his dive fins).

This is a well run, well equipped vessel operating amongst some of the loveliest islands and diving some of the best reefs in the world. I WILL RETURN.


Bill Acker

Owner and Manager

Manta Ray Bay Hotel & Yap Divers

Micronesia
Bill Macdonald 18.08.2006
Dear Pindito crew;

Wow and double wow! Our excursion aboard Pindito was well over the top
of my diving experience of some 50 years. So great to have Edi position us
on reefs that were as the "Creator" intended with all the colorful charismatic
micro-fauna in colorful fishes, but huge schools of fish hovering around pinnacles
with tunas racing into the mix ever so often. Amazing. I have been searching for
perfect reefs, and came the closest ever. Pindito and crew were exceptional and
it was hard not to "puddle-up" a bit when we our time aboard ran out.

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John Todt 11.05.2006
Beautiful website! And filled with pictures that help us reminisce about our wonderful trip with you. While we have been on quite a few liveaboards between Bali and Raja Empat, no scuba operator has more knowledge of this area than Edi. And I look forward to bringing Donna on another trip with you soon!
All the best,
John and Donna Todt