Is it possible to do Raja Ampat on a budget?

[Travelnsj]

Dont get me wrong there is great diving to be had out of Sorido/Kri resort in particular as I said Cape Kri and Sardine reef the others were okay but just not as lively.

It depends where they dived in Missool, some of the narrow channels have some great action, (not a Cape Kri but still great), The diving at Pel, Kalig, Fiabacet, Bees, and North East Channel that leads in through the 14 mile island chain connecting to the mainland (forgot the name). For my 2psi Missool has more options of what to dive that the northern areas of R4. But each to their own......The dives north are good but IMHO (as someone who operated a live-aboard there for a number of years) the Southern areas of R4 are the places to spend the majority of time a lot more diversity not only in marine life but dive sites and topside.

Both resorts long boat trips to get to (misool even a little longer),

In actual fact the Misool area has been declared a marine park and so commercial fishing is not allowed. But as with everything you need to be able to police this and presently there are not enough rangers / resources to patrol the area (whilst it is certainly better now than when I operated up of there)

What about the bigger stuff in Misool? Sardines reef and Kri...lots of big stuff with the and an occasional shark except for the Woebegone's that were all over.

 

[Wayan]

sure at the right time in certain dive sites there are mobulas, Barracudas, Woebegone's, sharks well u may see the occasional one but do not count on it they are rapidly being fished out (noit just happening here in indon but all over unfortunately)

 

[neve]

I agree that Misool has better diving, better reefs, more rare macro life, more dramatic underwater topography, better topside view in general. Big fish, not so much, but that is the case everywhere nowadays, sadly. But I get my fix of molas and mantas in Bali, so the lack of pelagics does not bother me so much.

As for accommodations, I think liveaboard is the only way to got in R4 if you want to see more of the area. The area is HUGE, even after two trips I think I have barely seen R4. I think even 5-6 more trips won't cover everything, because they keep discovering new sites. There's never enough time and money to do it *sigh* I think I may have to work as a guide for about 6 months to see the majority of R4.

 

[ronscuba]

I was in Raja Ampat on a 12 day liveaboard this past April. We spent 3 days diving Misool. Most of the guests liked the diving in the northern Raja Ampat area over Misool. Speaking with the crew, they stated last week the diving in Misool was better, so I guess conditions can change.

 

[neve]

I was in Raja Ampat on a 12 day liveaboard this past April. We spent 3 days diving Misool. Most of the guests liked the diving in the northern Raja Ampat area over Misool. Speaking with the crew, they stated last week the diving in Misool was better, so I guess conditions can change.

Yup, just like any dive site, conditions change all the time. The local guides told me that when visibility/condition are bad in Misool, the northern part will be the exact opposite, and vice versa.

My second trip to Misool, we had bad viz (for R4 standards, about 10-15m is really bad) but we still enjoyed the dives very much. We then moved up north, and true enough the conditions were the exact opposite!

 

[carolsarinah]

Any thoughts on the best time of year to go to the Raja Ampats? April or December? Additionally, other than the Cheng Ho boat what other liveaboards might be a good bet?

 

[highdesert]

Any thoughts on the best time of year to go to the Raja Ampats? April or December? Additionally, other than the Cheng Ho boat what other liveaboards might be a good bet?

As far as the best time to go, here's some info ...

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/228965-raja-ampat-best-time-go.html

... and for some choices of boats, check out ...

Songline Cruises of Indonesia: Yacht Charters - Pinisi Cruising - Dive Liveaboards - Adventure Sailing

This site has only traditional boats ... there are other boats available, most of them pricier with more higher-end accommodations.

 

[Wayan]

Any thoughts on the best time of year to go to the Raja Ampats? April or December? Additionally, other than the Cheng Ho boat what other liveaboards might be a good bet?

Best Season October - April, my favorite months October/November and March April,

As to Boats Seven Seas, Archipelago Explorer II are two of my favourites

 

[mrscuba]

Hey I agree Archipelago Explorer II is a great boat. Why don't you guys check out the new resort in Misool, Raja Ampat Papua - Scuba Diving Vacation - Misool Eco Resort - Scuba Diving Indonesia it could be the answers to a lot of the problems with trying to find a good way to dive in Raja Ampat . Misool has hundreds of dive sites not to mention huge diversity, the big, the macro, walls, caves, oceanic pinacles etc...

As far as conservation of the area check out Precious Planet - Accueil as they are working alongside Misool Eco Resort to patrol the first no fishing zone in Raja Ampat, there are social/community projects, they are putting in mooring bouys for the liveaboards, education programs and loads more.