Diving Raja Ampat - Silolona or Arenui?
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Sorong - Raja Empat has been inundated with more and more boats coming into the area this year, during the with up to 24 to choose from. A very popular destination.
My advice is that stay with the tried and tru, those who know the areas as its is vast region and difficult to get to. You would want to be assured that the operator knows his/her stuff and take you to the right sites at the appropriate times. IMHO the southern sites in Missool overall are better than the North.
Of course there are a few of exceptional sites up north as well (Sardine Reef, Cape Kri, Batu Burung (nee Melissa's Garden) to name a few, however overall Missool offers a greater variety and more options depending on weather
My advice is that stay with the tried and tru, those who know the areas as its is vast region and difficult to get to. You would want to be assured that the operator knows his/her stuff and take you to the right sites at the appropriate times. IMHO the southern sites in Missool overall are better than the North.
Of course there are a few of exceptional sites up north as well (Sardine Reef, Cape Kri, Batu Burung (nee Melissa's Garden) to name a few, however overall Missool offers a greater variety and more options depending on weather
I am also curious as I would like to go to Raja Ampat in 2010. I met a lovely couple that have booked themselves on the Arenui (set to begin operations later this year) and they say the Dutch operator has a great reputation.
The Silolona, to my knowledge, is on a charter basis only and their $13k (USD)/day rate is non-negotiable.
Has anyone had other experiences with either operator?
Thanks,
Susan
The Silolona, to my knowledge, is on a charter basis only and their $13k (USD)/day rate is non-negotiable.
Has anyone had other experiences with either operator?
Thanks,
Susan
Really? You have far more experience in Indonesia than we do, so I respect your opinions, but I can say that after our trip to Misool/Triton Bay last November, I would not go back. Yes, it was our only trip to RA (with a boat very experienced in the area), and I know conditions can vary, but I would not go back if there was a chance the diving was similar to what we experienced on that trip. And if you feel that Misool is better in general than the northern sites (which we have not visited), then I really would have reservations about going north.
Hi highdesert, sorry to hear about your not so good experience in RA. Could you tell us how did the trip failed you? I did a RA trip covering Misool & sailing to the Northern sides diving The Passage, Nudi Rock and Wai Island and had a blast. My trip was in Dec-2007 and although visibilty wasn't at it's best, I still enjoyed the diversity the place has to offer. One of my friend who was on the same trip as I did another trip to the South the following Apr and raved about the soft corals walls at Triton Bay.
I'm not sure what are you looking for but RA is famous for it's pristine reefs, which still are and macro critters, which are in abundance when I visited. Diving conditions (weather, sea conditions etc) can vary. We called this Mother Nature at work!
Hopefully your experience did not make you lose your faith in the great diving Indonesia has to offer. Let us know what happened.
Btw, I have posted a detailed trip report on my RA trip:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/in...a-ampat-16th-24th-dec-2007-a.html#post3285594
Happy bubbles,
Jovin-
Sorry to here that
mm,.... interesting that you did not have a good time. Where did u dive in Missol and how many days did they spend down there?, It certainly had a lot more to offer when I was running my trips there and from reports of people still working up there I et the feeling that it is still much the same.
Don't get me wrong there is some good diving in the North as well (Buttons aka loh loh, eagle rock, Batu Burung aka Melissas Garden, Fam let alone whats around Max's place. and is worth doing but spending a whole trip in the Northern Areas.
Not saying that the diving was uniformly poor ... there were some very nice dives. Gorgonian Passage had the biggest fans I have ever seen, and it was one of the days when viz was better while we were there. But there was a fair number of very average dives, and some that didn't rate as well as average. Regarding nudis and other critters, I would rate Wakatobi higher by far for the number of them, though we did see some very unusual ones in RA. Fish count higher in RA, and more species. Viz in Triton Bay extremely poor, to the point that we left after one day, which was frustrating given it's almost 300 miles from Misool. I understand that visibility is impacted by nutrients in the water, which yields denser aquatic life ... but when the dive guide points at a vague shadow off toward the deep, and the viz is so poor it could have been a big yellow school bus going by and we wouldn't know it, well, that has an impact on the quality of the experience. This was a group with 300-1000 dives, many on Indonesian trips, and everyone shared similar opinions and expectations.
As I said, YMMV ... I understand that another trip could yield different results. But given the cost and difficulty of getting to RA, I'm not sure I'd do it again. I can certainly say that our experience did not warrant all of the RA hype in print. And I'd never give up on Indonesia ... we're just about to commit to another trip there this fall ... to a different area.
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Sorry to TTA for a little hijacking of his thread ...
I know what you mean...having been on a non-rewarding trip will somehow waver your opinion on the place but am glad to know that you have not given up on Indo.
Hope you'll have great trip.
I know what you mean...having been on a non-rewarding trip will somehow waver your opinion on the place but am glad to know that you have not given up on Indo.
Hope you'll have great trip.
Travelnsj
Contributor
I've been to Raja Ampat-Papua area twice and going again in November....Sorido resort (Max's place)....absolutely the finest diving i have ever done. Cape Kri, Chicken, Sardines Reef, Melissa's Garden etc etc...the dense marine life, diversity, pelagic to Pygmy seahorses...nothing I have found better. Still the vis is 40' to 60'. Give the northern route a try.
I thought Wakatobi is one of the finest operations I have dove with.....but the diving reminded me of Malaysia....which is Mediocre at best.
On my trip in April 2008, the northern sites were much better than Misool. But many people have reported the opposite. So I guess conditions do indeed vary and it was nice being on a 10 day liveabord so we could sample many different areas of RA.
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