Has anyone dove with Indonesia Yacht Charter?

[bballnut90]

Sorry if this isn't allowed to request info about a specific company--I have a group of 12 friends hoping to do an 8d/7n liveaboard in Raja in April and this was the company we found with availability for our group. What's the best way to go about researching the company to make sure they're safe and legitimate? I tried googling them and searching for info on this forum but couldn't find much. Are most dive operators in Raja Ampat pretty legit or do you have to really do your homework when picking a boat? Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Indonesia Yacht Charter – Your one and only stop for Luxury Indonesian Charters liveaboard the most modern and luxury charter yachts in Indonesia such as Amanikan, Sequoia, Nataraja, Rascal, La Galigo, Tiare, Alila Purnama, Alexa, Aurora, Dira, Dunia

www.indonesia-yacht-charter.com

 

[cetacean]

Sorry if this isn't allowed to request info about a specific company--I have a group of 12 friends hoping to do an 8d/7n liveaboard in Raja in April and this was the company we found with availability for our group. What's the best way to go about researching the company to make sure they're safe and legitimate? I tried googling them and searching for info on this forum but couldn't find much. Are most dive operators in Raja Ampat pretty legit or do you have to really do your homework when picking a boat? Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Indonesia Yacht Charter – Your one and only stop for Luxury Indonesian Charters liveaboard the most modern and luxury charter yachts in Indonesia such as Amanikan, Sequoia, Nataraja, Rascal, La Galigo, Tiare, Alila Purnama, Alexa, Aurora, Dira, Dunia

www.indonesia-yacht-charter.com

This is just a marketing front end to several individually owned & run yachts.

No issues working through them, but once you identlfy the specific boat you are looking to charter, you should do a deep search on the boat to see what comes up.

All these boats will work directly with you as well, if you have concerns with dealing with a middle man.

 

[Cali_diver]

I would contact the liveaboards themselves. Yes do your homework. Are you looking for a dive boat or a luxury yacht that you can dive off?

 

[living4experiences]

I've never dealt with this company, but it is a broker for liveaboard trips. There are a lot of operators in Raja Ampat and you can deal with them directly. The liveaboard industry can be pretty sketchy these days, so lots of research is required. Something that comes to mind as a red flag is why a group of 12 is able to get on a liveaboard in Raja in April 2024. Most reputable companies are sold out for groups a couple of years in advance.

Also, when I went to their website, I find no address information, just a "contact" tab. Are they U.S. based or foreign? It's really difficult to communicate with a company when they're 14-20 hours ahead of U.S. time.

There's also no link to their terms and conditions, also a red flag.

Raja Ampat is a complicated destination to get to and coordinate. For no extra fees, you can contact someone like Bluewater Dive Travel (located in the U.S.) and they can help you book with a reputable company. I have no affiliation, except as a customer, with Bluewater, and I have had good service with them so far. Their website has a long list of group dive trips that they arrange, and you can use that as a guide to the dive companies they use for their customers.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Another US alternative dive booker, that I've been a client with for many many years and trips.

Scuba Diving Destinations - Vacation Specials - Liquid Diving Adventures

Scuba Diving Vacation Packages, Liveaboards, Scuba Diving Resorts, Vacation Specials. Scuba diving destinations include Belize, Honduras, Fiji, Hawaii, Cayman Islands, Indonesia and Mexico. Whether you are looking for a scuba diving resort or are interested in a Liveaboard vacation, Liquid...

www.liquiddivingadventures.com

 

[cetacean]

Another US alternative dive booker, that I've been a client with for many many years and trips.

Scuba Diving Destinations - Vacation Specials - Liquid Diving Adventures

Scuba Diving Vacation Packages, Liveaboards, Scuba Diving Resorts, Vacation Specials. Scuba diving destinations include Belize, Honduras, Fiji, Hawaii, Cayman Islands, Indonesia and Mexico. Whether you are looking for a scuba diving resort or are interested in a Liveaboard vacation, Liquid...

www.liquiddivingadventures.com

DiveBooker doesn't represent all boats in Indonesia (or even most locations that serve non-US markets). There are a number of LOBs that market themselves primarily to the "and diving" crowd (meaning adventure travel "+ diving"). DiveBooker lists a few of these, but not all of them.

The broker mentioned in this thread is local (to Bali).

 

[chillyinCanada]

DiveBooker doesn't represent all boats in Indonesia (or even most locations that serve non-US markets). There are a number of LOBs that market themselves primarily to the "and diving" crowd (meaning adventure travel "+ diving"). DiveBooker lists a few of these, but not all of them.

The broker mentioned in this thread is local (to Bali).

Are you saying that the Bali broker represents every dive only boat plying Raja Ampat? Are you saying that Liquid Diving Adventures couldn't get a diver on any and all proper dive boats plying Raja Ampat?

 

[cetacean]

Are you saying that the Bali broker represents every dive only boat plying Raja Ampat? Are you saying that Liquid Diving Adventures couldn't get a diver on any and all proper dive boats plying Raja Ampat?

Not at all... I'm saying there are actually no resources that represent all boats available for charter. There are a number of Bali-based companies that each represent a handful of boats each. some of which are known in the US market, some of which are not.

The original poster mentioned they had a group of 12. That (to me) suggests they should look at booking their own charter (not a shared charter) with any number of boats available for this kind of booking. Liquid Diving can only book what they know about - there are a number of private charter (only) boats available in Indonesia depending on the dates available and service level.

Simple example: we chartered a boat for a private dive charter for Komodo about 5 years ago - this was for our extended family (11 passengers, 9 divers).