Just so this place isn't all complaints, with the Hungarian branch office going live, it's now possible to receive salaries directly in Revolut. Tested July 2 with our accountant, the transfer was booked at some ungodly time (02:37), but was received without any issues or holdup, and NAV (Hungary's IRS) didn't raise an eyebrow about it either.
I'm leaving this here so that anyone who's looking for recommendations or references for the vessel can find a first-hand account.
I was added to this trip quite literally at the eleventh hour, after mechanical troubles canceled the Aggressor boat's departure. It was a pleasant surprise.
The crew was extremely helpful at all points, even helping me with information to link a rescue beacon to the ship's communications suite (I did not have to use it!), which is not a usual question.
I particularly want to call out dive guides Ahmed and ChaCha for their humor and jokes, which made the trip feel that much homier.
The diving was top notch, with a large helping of luck: we managed to luck out with a whale shark, after some extended searching during which Director Madhu left no stone unturned; we got lucky with a hammerhead during Shark Tank, after we elected to repeat the dive; and we were treated to two awesome night dives, once with a fever of manta rays dancing through our lights, and once with a pod of nurse sharks.
Of course, some dives were less-than-stellar, having a fairly barren dive at Miyaru Kandu despite repeating it to see the sharks; and experiencing some rough exits during heavy weather. Sometimes, chances just don't work out in our favor, and with the southwest monsoon approaching, storms and rain are to be expected in the region.
The chefs on board did their best with a small kitchen, and treated us to splendid buffet for every meal, including an on-shore barbecue party. They were highly accommodating of dietary requests, even something as simple as "prefers no fish or seafood", and preparing individual portions where the main buffet did not cover needs.
One area I cannot overlook is the difference between guides on the vessel. Dive guide Aku, in particular, deviated several times from the Director's dive plans, extending a planned-45 minute dive to almost 70 minutes; acknowledged signals like "100 bars, turn pressure reached!", "50 bars, using reserve!" or "deco signal, need to ascend!", but did not act on them; and ordered air-sharing in favor of shortening the dive in case someone signaled that they reached 50 bars.
Ostensibly done in the name of providing the group with a good experience for everyone, these actions greatly diminished my trust in his guidance, despite his obvious experience with the region's sites.
Overall, I can recommend the ship, but one needs to be aware that their assigned guide may impact the experience in the water.
>Dear thunderbird89,
>
> I hope you are well.
>
> We are following up regarding an important update we received from the operator concerning your upcoming trip onboard Maldives Aggressor II.
>
> The operator informed us that the vessel is currently experiencing engine issues.
>
> [...]
Not email you want to receive in the middle of the night...
They're offering me a spot on board Seafari Explorer II - anyone knows anything about that one?