Raja Ampat / SMY Ondina

[jcclink]

Deet works on mosquitos but also melts plastic (as in some camera parts), so be sure to wash your hands properly. Would also suggest having meds for ear infection, hydrocortisone (coral cuts & hydroids), cipro, sudafed & prednisone (ears). Meds for most common travel/dive problems. Not a medical person - just personal experience. Consult your doctor.
Sorong terminal had very limited a/c last year - a little better than nothing.

 

[mjarens]

Thanks jcclink. I will heed your warning re: deet. I plan on visiting my doctor prior to departure to get any meds I need to take along. My last bunch is at least two years old, and probably not effective anymore. Nice to be prepared, even if they aren't needed. Good advice. Thanks.

 

[Woodiver]

Since you've already arranged your air, it doesn't really apply on this trip but in the future, consider going through YVR if you can going to Asia and your airline of choice services YVR. No reason to fly a couple hours south just to fly north as you route over towards Alaska and Japan. Another plus on the way back is clearing US customs in YVR before you depart for the US, much better than going through LAX or SFO.

Have fun and watch the weight of your bags, domestics flights in Indo really suck on excess baggage fees. 15kgs allowance per person and excess at 24,000rp per kg last month. Good thing it was a non stop back to Bali otherwise the fees are per stop.

 

[mjarens]

Yes, tried that route but no seats available using air miles. Thus the trip through LAX, which did have space using my air miles for my dates. But thanks.

 

[mantajohn]

in my (limited) experience - 2 trips on Komodo Dancer, excess baggage fees on internal flights in Indonesia are highly negotiable.

i was quite concerned at the potential cost per extra kg. But we all paid about 1/3 of the quoted price after a short negotiation!

John

 

[highdesert]

We've been carrying checked baggage in Indonesia that meets their weight limit, but my carry-on weighs almost 35 pounds, and they've never weighed that alone. One time leaving Komodo they weighed me and my carry-on together . At 6'3" and 220 lb, maybe they were thinking of leaving me sitting on the ramp and not departing, but they let me, my carry-on, and my reg bag (stuffed with batteries) on the plane.

 

[jake11]

Sowrong airport! GROSS!!!!!!!!! Sowrong airport bathroom! Gross! Airport has hundreds of people ..1/2 of which are smoking..1000% humidity... and ALL planes will be late! Je Meridian hotel breakfast..GROSS! Bring your own! That being said.. we have been there 3x and we will go back! Awesome diving and great people! One other tip.. bring NEW unfolded or marked bills. They will not accept old money or new money that is creased! I walked all the way downtown from the Je Meridian sweating like a Pig( do pigs sweat??) only to find out that they would not change my brand new 100 dollar bill because I had folded it! Best bet.. use the ATM's. They are all over and quite easy to use! Have fun!

 

[paul_morton]

In my 12 years of diving and staying on liveaboards i have never stayed on such a badly maintained boat.


I stayed on the Ondina for an 11 day trip over Xmas and New Year 2011 and of those 11 nights this is what we experienced.


The boat leaked so badly that three nights i did not get too much sleep. The one night/ early morning the 17 guests on the boat were woken up around 2am choking on diesel fumes that had filled the sleeping quarters. Due to the poor maintenance of the boat the dive compressor broke and caused us to lose a full days diving.


I am a vegetarian and the food on the boat i have to say is terrible! Every day i was on the boat the same food was prepared pretty much for breakfast/ lunch and dinner. Due to poor show I actually did not eat dinner for three nights and lunch for two.


Diving in what is supposed to be a marine park is also interesting with the Ondina. You are supposed to get park tags when you are diving the park and these fees go to the Raja Ampat Park for maintaining and financing the protection of the area. Well all 17 of us on the boat paid our park fees and we were given some lame excuse as to why they didnt get the Raja Marine Park Tags. It is law to get the tags and dive with them in case the authorities check, and with the tags one gets a receipt from the Raja Ampat Parks offices. Well we got none of that and this tells me that the owners of the Ondina pocketed the 2,000Euro's. If the dive companies are corrupt and don't pay the fees for the parks, what is to happen with the dive areas in the coming years?!!


Very poor show Ondina!
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[highdesert]

Having posted the same negative review in three different threads ... does that mean you didn't like the boat?

Oops, sorry, my mistake ... four threads.

 

[Darnold9999]

Having posted the same negative review in three different threads ... does that mean you didn't like the boat?

Oops, sorry, my mistake ... four threads.

I think he is up to 7 threads at this point????