Travelnsj
Contributor
This is the second trip I have made to this area in less than a year. I was so blown away with my trip last December and January I wanted to come back in October when I was told the visibility could probably be better in Raja Ampat.
In late August, I was notified that the Sunday October 19 flight from Manado to Sorong was canceled. Thus I had to lose a day of diving in Lembeh by having to leave a day early and go and spend a night in a place called Ujung Pandang (Makassar). Making this flight enabled me to make the Sunday boat schedule to Sorido. I do not enjoy spending my time on Planes and Airports©¨rrrrr©ª like to be diving!... but I endeavor to pursue!
Seven Nights, seventeen dives no diving on Saturdays. Weather half the time was overcast with a couple of days that had light showers off and on. Night time is when we had some strong showers and lighting. Temperatures varied 80 to 85 degrees (had a couple of nights I did not put the AC on) and water temperatures between 82 to 85 degrees.
Had a glitch upon arrival in Makassar. Upon arrival, nobody waiting to greet me! Long story short I had the number for the agent that was holding my ticket for Sorong and had the name of my Hotel in Makassar and made it to Sorong the next day. When Max (owner of Sorido and Kri they made all the reservations) found out about it, he apologized and covered my expenses. In addition, I did a couple of excursions and he compensated the most expensive one! Now that is a Class Act!
Sorido Resort- this is located on the edge of nowhere, It is the Ritz! Excellent accommodations, meals plentiful breakfast had cereals, eggs cróÑes, bread, fresh fruits etc. Lunches had a fish, Chicken and beef entrees with veggies, rice and desert was fresh fruit. Dinners again have a fish, chicken, or beef with rice and veggies. Many of the dishes had an Indonesian taste to it healthy and excellent.
The Diving: Maximum people on the boat were five usually only three. James Humphreys is the assistant manager and he did all the dive briefings and many of the dives. James is excellent! I dove with Otto in January but he was on holiday the week I was there. We dove many of the same spots I did in January, Cape Kri, Sardines reef, Manta point etc. Unfortunately the first couple of days the Vis was poor and some wicked and strong currents. I did a couple of days of excursion trips (additional charge we had enough people to go) to Fam Island/MellissaÃÔ Garden and Wai where the WWII P47D Razorback plane wreck. If you like corals Fam is the spot to go. You will find lots of Tropical fish action, Giant clams (biggest I have seen since Lizard Island) good visibility but not much in the way of medium or large fish action. One of the most beautiful spots I have seen both topside and underwater!
To give you an idea of one of my dives at Sardines reef (which lasted for 60 minutes or more), three different schools of Barracuda, many types of Groupers, Cardinalfishes, TrevallyÃÔ, Snappers, Sweetlips, Batfishes, ButterflyfishÃÔ, Anglefishes, Damselfishes, Wrasses, WobbegongÃÔ ParrotfishÃÔ, TriggerfishÃÔ, Nudibranchs, Pigmy seahorses Schools in the hundreds and thousands of different types of Fusiliers etc etc in one dive, one dive site! In January I had a few more dives that I enjoyed but I stuck within local 10-kilometer radius. This time I did the excursions and the first couple of days there were some very bad currents. Fam is an excursion not to be missed, the top side in Fam is as beautiful as the underside.
Had a few dinners with Max Ammer, what a great guy to talk with, if anyone ever has a chance to meet Max ask him to tell you the P-38 story, it blew me away. This guy is the original adventurer!
An interesting addition(s) to Sorido is the Horn bird that likes to come out of nowhere and land on your shoulder and likes to play, plus the Tree Roo who loves to crab on to you with those claws!
If you are in Singapore you must do the Singapore Flyer. It is higher than the London eye one of the great additions to Singapore! Also when transiting I found the new transit hotel in terminal 3 to be much better than the ones in T-1 or T-2.
In addition, anyone flying Lion air beware! They will hand you a lunch box and drink?then come back around and charge you. Plus my flight from Sorong they charged me an overweight fee of around $50 and did not put my dive gear bag on the plane or refund the overweight fee. Still do not know where the bag is or if I will ever see it again!
Overall this was a most Excellent Adventure! I will be back in 2009 Hopefully do the Antares and Sorido Resort!
In late August, I was notified that the Sunday October 19 flight from Manado to Sorong was canceled. Thus I had to lose a day of diving in Lembeh by having to leave a day early and go and spend a night in a place called Ujung Pandang (Makassar). Making this flight enabled me to make the Sunday boat schedule to Sorido. I do not enjoy spending my time on Planes and Airports©¨rrrrr©ª like to be diving!... but I endeavor to pursue!
Seven Nights, seventeen dives no diving on Saturdays. Weather half the time was overcast with a couple of days that had light showers off and on. Night time is when we had some strong showers and lighting. Temperatures varied 80 to 85 degrees (had a couple of nights I did not put the AC on) and water temperatures between 82 to 85 degrees.
Had a glitch upon arrival in Makassar. Upon arrival, nobody waiting to greet me! Long story short I had the number for the agent that was holding my ticket for Sorong and had the name of my Hotel in Makassar and made it to Sorong the next day. When Max (owner of Sorido and Kri they made all the reservations) found out about it, he apologized and covered my expenses. In addition, I did a couple of excursions and he compensated the most expensive one! Now that is a Class Act!
Sorido Resort- this is located on the edge of nowhere, It is the Ritz! Excellent accommodations, meals plentiful breakfast had cereals, eggs cróÑes, bread, fresh fruits etc. Lunches had a fish, Chicken and beef entrees with veggies, rice and desert was fresh fruit. Dinners again have a fish, chicken, or beef with rice and veggies. Many of the dishes had an Indonesian taste to it healthy and excellent.
The Diving: Maximum people on the boat were five usually only three. James Humphreys is the assistant manager and he did all the dive briefings and many of the dives. James is excellent! I dove with Otto in January but he was on holiday the week I was there. We dove many of the same spots I did in January, Cape Kri, Sardines reef, Manta point etc. Unfortunately the first couple of days the Vis was poor and some wicked and strong currents. I did a couple of days of excursion trips (additional charge we had enough people to go) to Fam Island/MellissaÃÔ Garden and Wai where the WWII P47D Razorback plane wreck. If you like corals Fam is the spot to go. You will find lots of Tropical fish action, Giant clams (biggest I have seen since Lizard Island) good visibility but not much in the way of medium or large fish action. One of the most beautiful spots I have seen both topside and underwater!
To give you an idea of one of my dives at Sardines reef (which lasted for 60 minutes or more), three different schools of Barracuda, many types of Groupers, Cardinalfishes, TrevallyÃÔ, Snappers, Sweetlips, Batfishes, ButterflyfishÃÔ, Anglefishes, Damselfishes, Wrasses, WobbegongÃÔ ParrotfishÃÔ, TriggerfishÃÔ, Nudibranchs, Pigmy seahorses Schools in the hundreds and thousands of different types of Fusiliers etc etc in one dive, one dive site! In January I had a few more dives that I enjoyed but I stuck within local 10-kilometer radius. This time I did the excursions and the first couple of days there were some very bad currents. Fam is an excursion not to be missed, the top side in Fam is as beautiful as the underside.
Had a few dinners with Max Ammer, what a great guy to talk with, if anyone ever has a chance to meet Max ask him to tell you the P-38 story, it blew me away. This guy is the original adventurer!
An interesting addition(s) to Sorido is the Horn bird that likes to come out of nowhere and land on your shoulder and likes to play, plus the Tree Roo who loves to crab on to you with those claws!
If you are in Singapore you must do the Singapore Flyer. It is higher than the London eye one of the great additions to Singapore! Also when transiting I found the new transit hotel in terminal 3 to be much better than the ones in T-1 or T-2.
In addition, anyone flying Lion air beware! They will hand you a lunch box and drink?then come back around and charge you. Plus my flight from Sorong they charged me an overweight fee of around $50 and did not put my dive gear bag on the plane or refund the overweight fee. Still do not know where the bag is or if I will ever see it again!
Overall this was a most Excellent Adventure! I will be back in 2009 Hopefully do the Antares and Sorido Resort!
