Trip Report Raja Ampat [10 weeks diving with 9 different operators]

[jeremyl]

Yeah having a little tester if going the homestay route seems practical. I do tend to travel as minimal as possible (this round not taking my own gear - just mask and computer) - but I wont be going very remote this trip either. But thinking of a homestay-tour in the next season or so. I've had a few experiences with bad air - both with headaches and with nitrox fills not testing as they should. My health is worth far more than a few lost bucks or interrupted travels. But I will seek the better reputed homestays - hence building up a list from this and other reviews.

 

[JustinJRL]

When diving with Tarzan we stayed at Coconut Homestay, booked through the dive centre. The rooms are more basic than Yenbuba next to Soul Scuba, and the food is also not quite as good. However, we enjoyed our stay there. Of note is that Coconut Homestay is just far enough so you don’t hear the compressor from Tarzan, which is running a lot of course. If we returned to dive at Tarzan we would stay at Coconut again.

How is the snorkeling up there on Gam? Compared to Kri?

Diving is main priority but some afternoons/sundays I can spend hours snorkeling.

My head is spinning on where to spend my 10 days in raja late summer Thanks for all your insight

 

[carono6333]

We only snorkelled in front of Tarzan, did not try Kri. It was good, although not the best we saw in R4. We also snorkelled at Arborek where mantas passed by. And Arborek jetty of course is great snorkeling

 

[Danzz]

9.Tabari Homestay (Merpati Island)

We did ten dives over five days with these guys. Their Homestay is double the price of other homestays so this was our New Year treat to ourselves, and the last operator we dived with before heading home.

Tabari are French-owned, so things are done differently. Of note are the nicer accommodation and the much-better-than-average food. Electricity is also available in the morning, which is longer than at other places (typically from dusk to around midnight). Tabari have two guides and Jeff (owner) will also guide sometimes.

What we liked was that each evening they talk to the divers in the restaurant and have a discussion about where you want to go. Diving is more expensive at Tabari than elsewhere, but there are no fuel surcharges for standard sites so it works out around the same. We loved going to sites that are not dived frequently by others, including some without names. The speedboats are covered and more comfortable that the open-style local boats that are sometimes used in diving homestays.

One thing we didn’t like was the continual heavy prodding of animals by the dive guides. They are just too rough with their pointers. For example, flipping over sea cucumbers and manoeuvring shrimp to a more photogenic position. Or moving crabs, nudibraches to adjacent areas for photography. On more than one occasion we said we did not like seeing them roughly moving sea-life, but it did not stop.

Another issue was there was no fresh water at the homestay except for drinking water brought in from Waisai. Showers and rinsing equipment was therefore with salty water, Jeff said this was because there hadn’t been sufficient rain to replenish the well, and at other times of year there was fresh water available.

Would we return? PROBABLY NOT. Whilst we enjoyed staying and diving with Tabari, we thought the prices were a bit too steep for what was provided. However, it was certainly nice to stay at a Homestay that is more comfortable and has great food. They have great reviews and most people love staying and diving with Tabari.

CONCUSION:

Wow, Raja Ampat certainly is amazing. Part of the charm is the sheer abundance of dive sites, including some that are rarely dived, and the opportunity to stay with local homestays. Diving with local dive centres and/or homestays adds an extra element to the holiday, and if you restrict yourselves to purely a liveaboard then you will not be getting the most of our Raja Ampat. We will visit Raja Ampat again and recommend you do too.

Great review. Thank you for sharing

 

[Kendall Raine]

This is a serious question, and I swear I am not being an a..hole. My time and money are a big deal to me...and I live in Jakarta. How would y'all deal with things going bad?

Lets say you book this sort of RA trip and spend 2000 USD flying from the other side of the world. After transport through Jakarta, Sorong, and Wasai and your backside is kicked, you are at homestay X on island Y in Raja Ampat for four days of diving. You pull out your "little tester" and it is a no go.

Seeing how you are where you are where you are, and their compressor isn't going to get what it needs any time soon, what is the plan?

Depends on the problem, but nothing is worth my life/health. If my gas is outside Grade D (e.g. CO>10 ppm, head ache after a dive, oily smell) I don't dive until the compressor is fixed (and tested)-compressor problems don't fix themselves. Snorkel, bird watch or just relax until you can leave early. The fix could be as simple as repairing a pin hole on the intake to (as you point out) incurable in the time you have. High CO is not a matter of time and money, anymore. I also look for aluminum oxide (black cloth on valve/white particulate in second stage). Bad air doesn't have to come from the compressor. It isn't rude to check-you're doing everyone a favor. Besides, I'd rather be viewed as silly than dead.

 

[nomadicdiver]

<snip>
4. Arborek Dive Centre (Arborek Island)

We did eight dives over four days. It’s a busy little dive centre! Because we had our own equipment, Githa (owner) was able to book us in at very short notice, guiding us herself. We really enjoyed diving with Githa. Her enthusiasm can literally be heard underwater. She took us for very long dives (no clock-watching) and showed us the best the sites could offer. The speedboats are covered and set up for divers and get you to the site quickly.
<snip>

Thanks so much for taking the time to do amazing reviews like this. When I see great reviews, I save these spots in Maps for my future trips. Thought I'd point out that it took me a moment to find #4 as it's actually "Arborek Dive Shop", just in case others also search for it. Again, thanks for this effort: just one more reason Scubaboard is such a treasure.

 

[carono6333]

Thanks so much for taking the time to do amazing reviews like this. When I see great reviews, I save these spots in Maps for my future trips. Thought I'd point out that it took me a moment to find #4 as it's actually "Arborek Dive Shop", just in case others also search for it. Again, thanks for this effort: just one more reason Scubaboard is such a treasure.

Thanks loads
Thanks also for pointing out correct name for Arborek Dive. I tried to edit my review but cant see how to do it. At least your post points out correct name

 

[zd2023]

This is absolutely fantastic. Thanks for doing it.

Did you notice a significant difference in terms of visibility or what you saw over the course of your time there?

I'm deciding between a trip (land based) either in late September/early October and February. Other than likely missing mantas, I'm not sure what I lose by going early.

 

[carono6333]

This is absolutely fantastic. Thanks for doing it.

Did you notice a significant difference in terms of visibility or what you saw over the course of your time there?

I'm deciding between a trip (land based) either in late September/early October and February. Other than likely missing mantas, I'm not sure what I lose by going early.

There wasn’t such a big variation. There was some decrease in visibility at the central sites when we were on the second liveaboard (Galigo), but it seems localized and perhaps a temporary phenomenon.

 

[Tadpole Frogfish]

Definitely bookmarked your posts. Thanks for sharing and super informative for future trip planning! I hope nothing changes when I go one day. I should have gone when I was studying abroad in SE Asia, but I chose Sipadan instead and at the time, I did not hear as much on Raja (and seemed regrettably remote in terms of popularity and geography with flights).

10 weeks...wow! Very jealous. There is always retirement for some or negotiate a diving leave on par with parental leave. Unheard of though!

Enjoyed your review. It's helpful for those of us that have a hard time picking a place! I'm thinking of giving Tarzan divers a try instead of Soul next time I'm in Raja. Cheers.

I was considering on doing a DM at either last autumn for 6 weeks or so, but decided I would be too enthralled to haul a student with gear in the water.