Dear Peter Hughes: 

This is a follow-up, albeit a tardy one, to the group trip that I lead to Belize aboard the Sun Dancer II, March 22-29. In, short, the trip went very well.  

This trip was, by my estimate, my ninth Peter Hughes trip since the first in 1995.  All have gone well, and your crews have always been quite good.  However, the crew on this trip truly excelled.  The leadership of Mike and Anne Marie were apparent. The accommodations staff (Jerry, Barbara and Jean) was, as always, right on top of every need, either stated or implied.    

Aaron and Phillip on the dive deck were also outstanding.  Trivial problems were anticipated and addressed many times before the diver realized there might be an issue.  Requests for help were met quickly and enthusiastically.  Minor incidents, including one with a diver from another boat, which could have escalated to serious situations, were quickly addressed calmly in a well-organized, well-trained fashion.  

Bob, the engineer, was equally attentive to details, and he was always responsive to any customer request.  I sailed with Bob on a trip in November 2007 and very much appreciate his competence and patience.  

So, once again, I commend your organization for the customer focus and attention to detail that distinguishes you significantly from the others in your field.  I will be returning next year, leading another group, many of the same individuals from this trip.  The arrangements with Terri have already been initiated.  

Please share with the crew and your colleagues my thanks and congratulations on a job well done. 

Best regards,  

George 
Delaware, USA 
March 2008 

Just wanted to drop a quick line re the trip...had a great time...passengers, crew, boat, weather above and below all terrific. I managed to do 24 of 26 dives,  missing 2 of the night dives to "dive" into the booze instead. I became the "third amigo" with J. and M., from Springfield MO, and both excellent divers. K. and P., the last couple to book were very nice and he was a panic (he and I participated in the on-board "fashion show")  

I've had my own cabin now twice in a row on Liveaboards (Sun Dancer and Hurricane in the Red Sea) and I think I'm spoiled. The aft hot showers and towel massage went a long way to that end as well! The morning  wake-up with coffee and juice, ditto.   I think you guys beat out the Aggressors with the boat layout and all the extra perks...as Arnold once said..."I'll be back!"

Thanks and Good Diving,
Tom L.
USA
March 2008

After 350 dives, this is the first time I played with underwater photography, and your crews knowledge helped my out tremendously. Peter Hughes vessels have the best crews hands down. I've been on literary dozens of boats and this is my 3rd trip with you guys and there will be more.

Gil L.
NJ, USA
Dec. 2006

"Another standard morning in our life in Belize: Wake up when a coffee and hot chocolate are placed outside our door. Walk upstairs and to be presented with a choice of continental breakfast, eggs (any style) or french toast. After breakfast, it is off to the dive briefing on the lido deck. Hmm, a choice of a wall dive or stay above 50 feet and dive at a location where the bottom is sandy, the coral is beautiful and the water is clear. For the "Where's Waldo" fish-finding game of the morning, we are told to look for the spotted toad fish. To our delight, we do spot the fish, but we also get a wee bit distracted by the spotted eagle ray drifting by. As we swim off to get a better look at the spotted eagle ray, we come across a 7 foot long green eel. While looking at the eel, we get distracted by a reef shark. Time is up, so we hang around on the decompression bar for a couple of minutes for our safety stop and then surface from our dive. Leave the tanks to be switched by the crew and then it is off to have a rinse with a hot shower on the dive deck. The crew places a hot towel around your shoulders and gives you a shoulder massage(!!!). A nice healthy snack and it's back in the water for another dive when you are ready. It's all about you!"

Luxury and pampering are standard for Peter Hughes Diving. Some of the highlights of this pampering include, but are by no means limited to, the fresh towels in your room each day, the hot chocolate and rum after your night dives, the lounge chairs in the sun or shade on the "off gassing deck", gourmet food, and the availability of excellent, professional training. A nice option was being able to sleep on the boat for the final off-gassing. The staff arranged afternoon trips, then we all partied (and drank our allotment and most of the next trips allotment) for the night. We felt indulged all week long and appreciated every blissful moment of it!

So, what about the diving? For each dive, we were given the option of a doing shallower reef dive or a "limitless" wall dive. We logged approximately 20 dives over 16 hours, but most of the divers we traveled with logged more since most were certified for Nitrox and were able to take advantage of the option to do 5 dives a day.

What about the wild life? This list is only a sample of some of the marine life that my dive buddy and I got to see: there were arrow blennies, southern sting rays, spotted drum fish, spotted eagle rays, rock lobster, helmet crab, Pederson crab, blue trigger fish, trumpet fish, squid, trunk fish, squirrel fish, reef shark, barracuda, tarpon, angel fish, jaw fish, garden eel, and many, many more.

Would we go again? Absolutely!! We've already signed up for the trip to the Galapagos Islands with Peter Hughes for February, 2008.

Nan B.
Ontario, Canada
October 2006

ML, NY, USA,
Oct. 2007

Peter & Team - I recently traveled with the Sun Dancer II in Belize and had a wonderful time under the skilled and caring watch of Bruno, Tori, Anne-Marie, Elvis, Jerry, Cesar, David, and Elia. I admit that my decision to go was spurred by the terrific offer but also by some small hope that I could rekindle my joy in dive vacations.

I was OW and AOW certified on the Sun Dancer back in 04. Over the past 2 years, I've had several not-so-great land-based dive vacations. Frankly, I had come to the conclusion that maybe my initial enthusiasm about dive vacations was kind of silly and that it was "okay" but not really terrific.
Kind of made me sad because diving was kind of a last ditch effort for me. I was diagnosed with MS some years ago and have had to give up skiing, hiking, and biking. Pissed me off but I figured diving would fill the gaps. After the first Sun Dancer experience, I was hooked - felt like a 10 year old and
a quasi-athlete again!

I had such a terrific time last week in Belize that I am re-energized. Anne-Marie MacNeil helped me get Nitrox certified; I got even more confidence from the Peak Performance Bouyancy certification. It was a great joy to hover about 6 inches away from shy jaw fish for several minutes without worry. (I will obviously now have to get better at photography!)

Forgive the "smushy" tone of this note, but I'm still smiling a little bit inside despite being back at work. As I told Bruno, I figured out that while liv-a-boards may seem more expensive, the cost is worth it for me because I can count on safety, skill, caring, good coffee and great food with PHD. I didn't know a soul when I arrived on Saturday but never failed to find a
smile, interesting conversation or knowledgeable dive companion. Thanks to your team for helping me find the fun again.

Jane B.
Flemington, NJ
Sept. 30, 2006

Recently I took part in a Peter Hughes diving charter in Belize on the Sundancer II (August 5-12). I wanted to take this opportunity to comment on this experience. I had never participated in a live aboard diving trip prior to this one but still managed to come up with expectations about the trip. This vacation exceeded all possible expectations. The diving was fantastic; the food was great and prepared well with a good variety through the week, and, luckily, the weather was very cooperative with calm seas and almost no rain. From the cold towels at the airport to the warm towels after every dive and the hot chocolate served at night, all the little things added up to incredible.

However, what made this trip so memorable was the crew - they were all amazing. - Bruno, Tori, Anne Marie, John, Ferdie, Barbara, Elia and Carlos. They managed to create a very casual, relaxed atmosphere while constantly maintaining a professionalism that I did not expect to find. Thank you to all of them. A special note to Tori for her incredible knowledge base about diving and marine life - she has given me an interest in diving that I have never had before and I can't wait to expand on. Also, to Bruno, our captain, for answering my questions about everything. Thanks guys, it was amazing and I can't wait for my next PH adventure.

RC / Toronto, Canada

Wow! What a kick in the wet suit!! Sun Dancer II crew gets an A+++. The team work that was displayed was at a level that usually takes years two accomplish! Hats off to Bruno and Tori! If you guy's can retain any of that crew for life it would not be a mistake. The dive sites are wonderful and the moorings are heart warming. Food was good and plentiful. Thank you for allowing us to dive our profiles and implanting safety into your diving program. We are looking forward to our next Peter Hughes vacation!

Aaron and Kaytharine
Colorado, USA
Aug 2006