Indonesia Trip Dilemma: Raja Ampat vs. Komodo / Alor

[frogfish]

I am going to Alor for my second visit in a couple of weeks time, and will definitely bring a reef hook... I did miss it on a couple of dives my first trip.

 

[NotYetBent]

Thanks! Will have it packed along for RA anyways, I guess...

 

[reubencahn]

If you've never been to Komodo, I would highly recommend a trip. The diving is as good as I've seen, and the southern sites are unique. I can't compare to RA as I've never been, but I wonder if a trip to RA in July is the best bet. We travel every year, but because we have son in school, we can only go in the summer. We've always been warned off RA for that time of year.

 

[NotYetBent]

Thanks, Reuben. Has anyone provided you reason for not going in July? I was there at the beginning of July last year and I'm going back again (so that should be self-explanatory). While the visibility is variable and not the 30m+ visibility that I hear we'll get in Alor, surface conditions were always beautiful (don't remember any real substantial rain or wind) and I don't even remember getting too many bites (unlike N Sulawesi area). Komodo is going to have to wait till next year and I'm sure I'll enjoy it...but on this trip, we can't really have a long liveaboard at the beginning of it.

 

[reubencahn]

What I was always told was that the weather, particularly the winds, made trips to RA very hit or miss during the summer months.

Incidentally, I would agree with those who said that, for Indonesia, the operator is almost as important as the location. I've been to Komodo twice. The first trip was decent but not spectacular. The second was fantastic. The difference was the experience of the operator.