Spirit Of Freedom Pty Ltd

Amazing boat, crew, dive sites and best diving I’ve ever had. Never been so sad to leave a boat and the only complaint isn’t really one … as there was too much good food and I’m struggling to adjust back from 6 glorious meals a day! – via

Had an amazing trip . With all the crew and the other guest .
They took care about everything and handled all the situations very great full .

Will miss diveeee time

Thanks everyone ?? – via

My first time liveaboard. A four days diving vacation. It was a amazing experience!
Captain and the crews were lovely, helpful, friendly and they scheduled everything precisely. Excellent timing to the water and everything! And the Chef is so talented, he brought us different delicious meal each lunch and dinner! Can’t wait for the next time. I hope I could come back soon! – via

I had an exceptional time on the boat. The food was amazing and the crew was awesome. Everyone was friendly and willing to help with anything you needed. Not all divers are at the same level and it was noticeable about how much they cared to make sure everyone had a great experience.

This was a trip of a lifetime that I will always remember. Thank you to the whole Spirit of Freedom team! – via

This was our first liveaboard and wow…were we impressed. We opted for the ocean view deluxe cabin (on the bridge deck) and enjoyed having some extra space. It must have been a magic room because every morning the bed was made while we were at breakfast or elsewhere on the ship! Nah…this is just the kind of thing the staff did to make experience “over the top”. Everything from pickup at our hotel to drop off was well done. The ship orientation was thorough without being overly long. The dive briefings were clear and concise.
And the food? Oh my Chef Extraordinaire Andre was outstanding. We were on the 7 night option and no meal was repeated. Everyone from the Captain (Tony) on down quickly learned our names and called all the guests by their names…made us all feel like we’ve known each other for a long time.
The Trip Director Leo seemed to be everywhere… on the ship, under water, etc. There were several passengers (like me) who had arrived without a dive buddy. Before the first dive Leo arrange dive buddies for those in need as well as pairing up relatively new/inexperienced divers with staff. Early in the trip it was evident that one buddy pair was incompatible so an adjustment was made. Leo followed up to ensure that the new pair (actually a trio) worked well…and we did.
Tony, Captain or Master of the vessel, was a very fun, engaging and professional guy. On the last day I asked him for a brief tour of the bridge; he responded, “Have a seat in the pew and we’ll have a chat,” then gave me a stool to sit on. He gave me a very interesting overview of the navigation and other tools available to him and we had a nice discussion of the various skills required, specifics of the boat, how his job and my former one were similar, etc. He (as well as many of the other staff) also posed for pictures with our traveling companion, Spot.
In summary….we had a blast. The food was great, our accommodation was great, the staff was great and the diving was great. If you’ve never done a liveaboard and have always wanted to see and dive on the Great Barrier Reef, you need to get on the Spirit of Freedom.
Even though we are seasoned travelers we have never labeled one “the trip of a lifetime”….this one certainly fills the bill. – via

Fantastic, I’m not sure with was better- the diving or the food! Even though I stayed in the cheapest room- the dorm- I had such a great experience. The meals were unreal- two breakfasts with fresh fruit salad, a variety of croissants and a full English spread daily. The evenings were themed- Chinese one night, Italian another. One night we had salmon which was perfectly cooked.

The diving was incredible too- beautiful macro life at Pixie Pinnacle, and helpful guides with torches pointing it all out. Cod Hold didn’t have as many cod as I had expected but the coral was unreal- bright towers of colour like out of the Little Mermaid. We went during dwarf minke whale migration season and I was one of the lucky divers to see one, albeit briefly.

Some little things that could be improved- the merchandise looked great but it was so expensive- >$100 for a hoodie! And check the price of the drinks before you buy them- I don’t think I would have drunk so much coke if I had known they were $7 per can! – via

Thank you for the amazing trip. We had an incredible time! The diving was absolutely stunning, James and the crew made sure we always had everything we needed and chef Andreas provided absolutely delicious food and even made us vegan yogurt for breakfast. Ryan always put a smile on our faces and Sarah, Kat & Alice made our friend (a dive beginner) feel very comfortable in the water and were able to pass on the passion of scuba diving. In the water Tako and Michael shot gorgeous pictures of us and the underwater world, which we really enjoyed. Captain Tony always found the perfect spot to anchor the boat so we could safely access the dive sites. The crew members Hugo and Ben also provided great pre- and post-dive support. Overall we couldn’t be happier with our trip and are looking forward to be back! – via

My partner and I recently embarked on a 4-night scuba diving expedition with Spirit of Freedom, and despite unexpected changes to our itinerary due to an approaching cyclone, we had such an incredible experience. From the moment we stepped aboard, the entire crew went above and beyond to make our journey truly unforgettable. Despite the altered plans, the captain and crew skilfully navigated us to some of the most breathtaking dive sites in the coral seas. The night dive was a definite highlight, where we got to see a lot of active shark life.
What set this trip apart was the crew’s commitment to the little details. They remembered our unique preferences and ambitions for the dive, going out of their way to deliver exceptional and tailored dive experiences. Whether it was spotting cuttlefish or turtles, the crew’s knowledge and expertise were evident, leaving no one disappointed. A special shoutout to James, Tour Director, for helping us locate the elusive turtle at Steve’s Bommie on the last day! Chef Andreas deserves the highest praise for feeding us like kings and keeping us fuelled for our dive adventures (incl. catering to specific dietary preferences)
The entire crew, from Captain Tony, always up for a friendly chat in the wheelhouse, to Ben, Hugo, Cat, Taku with his incredible underwater photos, Ryan with his awesome banter and tunes at the dive desk, and Elise and Sarah – each played a crucial role in making this trip exceptional.
This scuba diving adventure with Spirit of Freedom was a truly magical experience, and we’re already counting down the days until we can come back for another unforgettable journey beneath the waves. Thank you, Spirit of Freedom, for creating memories that will stay with us forever! – via

Did a 4 day trip on Nov 26.
Crew are awesome and kind and considerate.
Senior management are clearly in it for the profit margin. They don’t heed the staff’s advice, they don’t spend enough on maintenance of the boat, and the margins are now so tight there are limits on bananas and we ran out of coffee.

Diving on this part of the GBR is better than the company’s other boats, Aqua, Sea and Ocean Quest and you are not referred to as a number at least!
However I’m really annoyed with this company after how they treated my nephew, a local who was too sick for his course and they refused to rebook including his PADI fee.

Diving is pricey, running a dive company is tough with tight margins those of us who’ve been in diving 35 years know this well.
BUT there are ways to treat your clients and ways that make us feel like cannon fodder and this organisation has chosen cannon fodder be that the higher class Spirit of Freedom or the daily grind of the Quest boats.

Can’t beat the staff who do an amazing job in spite of their senior managers.
I guess before you book, the question is are the competition any different……? – via

Tolles Dive Centre mit super netten, hilfsbereiten und professionellen Team. Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt. Wir buchten ursprünglich 5 Tauchgänge (baited + reef) über 3 Tauchtage vorab. Aufgrund der Wasser- und Windkonditionen konnte leider der erste Tauchtag nicht wie geplant stattfinden, hier aber ein großes Kompliment, dass zum einen die Sicherheit klar vor Profit geht und zum andern alternative Land-Programme angeboten wurden. Die anfänglich ausgefallenen Tauchgänge konnten wir an den andern beiden Tagen nachholen. Trotz des kalten Wassers (wofür das Tauchcenter ja nichts kann ??) hatten wir eine richtig gute Zeit! Empfehlenswert und Daumen hoch ???? – via

After much research, we chose the Spirit of Freedom for the SCUBA diving portion of our vacation. We haven’t been diving in 8 years, so we were SO hoping this adventure would be extraordinary. It WAS!
From the crew to the accommodations, to the dive sites . . . we were totally spoiled with care, safety, and attention. And the FOOD! Chef Murray made sure we would never suffer a hungry second of our trip, and the variety and creativity of the meals and tea time forbade me from not expanding my waistline just a little!
No job was beneath any of the crew members if it would make our day better in any way. Captain Glenn was helping with dishes. The highly experienced dive masters gathered laundry. We decided to add to our dive certifications, and the certified instructors were happy to accommodate us with patience and REALLY GOOD humor! They all adhered to the letter of Queensland law to make sure everyone stayed safe and to protect the reef. We booked one of the Ocean View cabins, which cost more but was worth the expense. Our bed was comfortable, the view was inspiring, and our substantial luggage (we were packed for several different Australian adventures) actually fit in our cabin!
We were fortunate to have had about 20 other divers from various parts of the world who brought great conversation, photographic ability and equipment, and friendship. Even with this many divers together, we rarely bottlenecked or felt overly crowded when diving. The dive masters made sure to help us explore in a way to avoid underwater traffic jams. We did not see another dive boat anywhere. The reef was seemingly ours. They also made sure we had the best dive locations possible. A few dives were exchanged for others due to rough seas and heavy currents. Their knowledge of the reef made insured that each dive was spectacular.
Kudos to the individuals who worked endless hours to make sure that our experience on the Great Barrier Reef was epic!
Captain Glenn, Sean, Maddie, Matt 1, Matt A, Leo, Brad, Sarah, Michael, Holly, and Chef Murray . . . You made this a trip of a lifetime! – via

My rating – 10/10….. 100/100

My partner and I have just enjoyed a wonderful trip to dive along the way and at the famous called Codhole on Ribbon Reef with Spirit of Freedom.

The dive trip exceeded expectations. I’m not an experienced diver however my partner is and we both enjoyed the trip for different and the same reasons.

We felt very safe, very well informed and so well looked after by a tremendous crew who would be some of the best people that you could meet along the way. Not to mention the hospitality and magnificent meals which was served by Murray, the talented chef on board.

Our dive experiences were fantastic, thrilling and simply wonderous.

I would re-book this trip again in a heartbeat. – via

Ryan, James, Owen, Ben, Michelle, Jas, Lily, Carl, Taku, and Daniel made our trip the best dive trip I’ve ever been on. They are an amazing team with great upbeat and positive energy. We were in cabin 1 and it was the best for any rough seas. The bed was very comfortable. The rental gear was good. The food was amazing. This ship runs so well with this crew. The only bad part is when they put on those ugly brown shirts. Love these guys!! Dive with them now. Don’t wait, just book it. – via

WOW! Five stars are not enough to describe how great this experience was. Flew into beautiful Lizard Island and got a ride through crystal clear tropical water to the boat, which is large and luxurious for a diving vessel. My cabin was spotless and the bed was surprisingly comfortable. The dive deck had room for everyone and there was a big dunk tank for cameras and hangers for wetsuits after every dive. The dives themselves were incredible, gorgeous reefs and stunning walls. And then there was the CREW. You guys are the spirit of SOF! James, Michelle, Taku, Ryan, Murray, thank you so much. James was full of energy and on top of everything, Taku was so friendly and took great photos, Murray made the most amazing meals, Michelle knew so much about the reef and even let me borrow one of her own head sox after my mask kept leaking from my hair getting into it. I won’t forget that Michelle! Also the crew PUT OUR OWN FINS ON OUR FEET FOR US. THANK YOU ALL – via

I do not profess to be a regular liveaboard diver so you may wish to take what I have to say here with that in mind. I thoroughly enjoyed my seven days on Spirit of Freedom, that in spite of having a severely blocked sinus for about 40 hours of the trip which severly hampered my ability to join in and enjoy. My sincere gratitude to the dive team on SOF who were extremely understanding and patient as my decents towards the end of the week were a slow and cautious process, typically taking around ten minutes to get to minus 20m instead of the usual one or two minutes. New Matt in particular oozed sympathy and understanding for my predicament and made me feel very comfortable with the fact that I was ‘being slow’ and for me that was the measure of a good professional dive crew. As James the Diving Director re-assured me….. We have nowhere else to be so take as long as you need. This was exactly what I needed to hear and helped me to keep trying to sort my equalisation problems out rather than think that I was simply holding people back and just heading for my bunk. The crew we had on SOF were simply fab in every respect. I’m going to balance my review here with a couple of negative points. The SOF operates a limited system of whips on the refills. This means that tanks are inflated quickly with the result that they heat up and after half an hour they are twenty bar down on the fill pressure. Hats off, everytime I pointed this out the crew were entirely happy to top up the fill which for a 63 year old gas guzzler like me was very welcome. This problem could be solved by having a greater number of whips with slower fill regimes. I was surprised to repeat dive a couple of sites. I had always imagined that the GBR was enourmous and offered a dizzying array of dive sites for each prevailing wind direction. I now realise that this was a rose tinted perspective. The onboard accomodation is extremely good with comfortable cabins and staterooms. Wifi was a little slow. The dive set up for each dive was pretty impecable with spotter armed with binoculors and fin attendants both entering and exiting the water. My good lady who does not dive had the pleasure of a crew guide on each snorkel trip. All in all a great seven days. – via

Absolutely phenomenal experience. Every crew member was attentive, professional and caring! We loved every moment of it. Special thanks to our Reef Master Mel, our instructors Shaun, Molly and Leo, our cook Nat (OMG the food!!!) and our captain Tony for making our first live-aboard a truly memorable experience! – via

Fantastic experience for myself and my daughter. Wonderful, professional crew, great food, awesome diving. We always felt looked after and safe. We will be back. – via

Thank you so muchhhh!!! I had the best drift dive there! The crews are amazing and they worked so hard and looked after me so well! Food are great! Amazing dive sites! Everything is great!Just one thing (for the bus driver) don’t forget to put a sign or paper written Spirit of Freedom in front of the bus and make sure all the guests are on the bus so you won’t miss any guest at the hotel when you pick them up – via