Koh Rong Island Travel Office Ferry Boat, Koh Kong Province, Cambodia

1Xevi Q 5:00 PM Mar 4, 2015

AVOID FAST FERRY COMPANY
Avoid this Fast Ferry. On purpose or because of bad management, they sell more tickets than seats available on the Fast Ferry. So after book and re-confirm your seat 24 hours in advance, and after a long and tedious queue under the sun, when you are ready for boarding they just close the door and let you on the deck. After hardly claim for a solution, they come like making a big favor offering to take you back to Sihanouk Ville on an old dive boat. This is going to take more than 2 hours instead of 45 minutes, without a proper seat, without a proper shadow and in case of small waves you have guaranteed a shower of salty water. If it happens to you don’t try to get you money back, nor even the difference between what you paid and what you got. They are arrogant, bad educated and threatening. Take care of them, don’t get close to them, and most important, don’t give your money to this kind of persons that don’t deserve it. Be sure that with your money on their pockets they will treat you bad when problems appear.

1traveling_Daire 5:00 PM Jul 7, 2016

dangerous and reprehensible ferry service
As a dive shop and ferry service, safety should be paramount. Unfortunately, concern for the safety of their passengers is absent, perhaps due to oversight, greed, or both. The owners of Koh Rong Dive Center offer a variety of services, including a full dive shop, a ferry service ($5 round-trip), bungalows (Co Co's & Treehouse), dining and drinking. The office located on the main pier is new and sexy, with young foreigners working behind the desk. Although our interaction with the Dutch girl behind the counter was not friendly, she was perfunctory and concisely answered our questions. It seemed as though the equipment was in good working order, however, we did not dive with this center so we can not offer a full, fair appraisal thereof. The ferry service offered by the Koh Rong Dive Center is dangerous, and their management of the boats that cross the water is morally reprehensible. The dive shop has failed to recognize the following serious and dangerous flaws in the management of their vessels: 1 - Not enough life vests - we counted only around 45 on board. Yet, we traveled to Koh Rong with over 70 other passengers and we returned to Sihanoukville with over 120 on the boat. Why not buy another 100 life vests in case of an emergency? These boats frequently sink and most passengers could survive a sinking if there were A LOT more life vests on board. 2 - Inappropriate boat ramp at both piers. The wood planks are dangerously perched and not secured. Certainly passengers and cargo has ended up in the drink in the past as there are no hand rails and the plank is long and steep. Walking on and off the boat feels likely walking off the plank of a pirate's ship. 3 - Dangerous sailings. On our return trip, the captain decided to sail despite a treacherous storm filled with heavy rain and lightening. This made for an unpleasant experience for many since the top floor of this boat was not covered and, because the lower deck is open to the elements, the rain water poured on all those on the lower deck. Many of the Kymer passengers were scared (rightfully so) and grabbed the few life vests that were present on the ship, leaving the vast majority of us without any recourse in the case of an emergency. Had the boat actually encountered any serious problems, most would have perished. We are absolutely stunned and dismayed at the flagrant disregard for safety shown by this dive shop. Certainly, Cambodia is poor and often safety is ignored, but these owners are foreigners and professions - they should know that ethically they need to provide safe passage. We only hope that the owners read this message and heed our warnings. These problems are easily fixed with a small amount of monetary investment.