Help me decide.... Komodo, or Raja Ampat- May 2009

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InDaWata

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Hey folks!

Ive been looking and looking, finding SO much information that my brain is diving already, months before I get on the boat. I cant really make a decision. I would appreciate it if you experienced Indo. divers could lend a guiding word?

Me: I am going to Indo. for the first time. I am a PADI AOW diver with ~40 dives and have already decided to eventually become a DM. I like seeing the little things, Macro stuff- but I've never really been diving with the big stuff (pelagics) before. I dont really do UW photography- if i do, its just for fun.

The trip: I will have the first two or three weeks to spend diving in May 2009. I dont have a lot of money to spend, and $300/day is quite extravagant to me. I take it I would be best off going on a LOB as opposed to staying at a resort?

SO far, I have narrowed the decision down to Raja Ampat or Komodo.
But... i dont know!
Help!
 
I don't know much about liveaboards, or staying at fancy resorts. What I have done is dive the Komodo National Park from Labuanbajo, where I've stayed in the town, and done daytrip diving. See http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/indonesia/233161-komodo-land-based-diving.html for some more information...

From what I've read about Raja Ampat (not been myself), you're probably talking about staying in a relatively pricey resort? Have fun whatever you decide!
 
I dived both Raja and Komodo last year. Both are awesome. (My Raja report is linked on SB - unfortunately I've not had time to do my Komodo report yet).

If you want big pelagics, you might prefer Komodo - there are some fantastic manta rays in Raja but very few sharks any more. Raja is glorious coral seascapes of pristine quality I'd say, and lots of small critters. Komodo is perhaps more epic -- somewhere like Castle Rock is quite mindblowing with the number of fish mixed with sharks, dolphins, eagle rays etc. Komodo has some massively strong currents too, so you need to pay attention to that.

Raja is also probably more expensive for you to get to flightwise if your liveaboard departs in and out of Sorong -- with Komodo, you can depart from Bali or fly to Bima - worth comparing the cost of your flights.

Perhaps ask a dive agent to put together a complete breakdown of all the costs for you, and to check for last minute deals - there are a lot of boats competing for business in both places now.

Personally, I would always take a liveaboard over resort diving - with the large distances covered in both Komodo and Raja, you see a lot more territory and also you get a sense of just how vast and beautiful it is in both areas. Of course, if you get seasick, it's not so good.

Whichever one you choose, you won't be disappointed!

Best
Chris
 
Ok then!

Will the weather and conditions will be similar in both places?
And will the current be a negative factor for me in Komodo? (I keep pretty fit...)
I really dont have a big budget- so trying to find the best value liveaboard I can.
 
I have not been to Komodo but heard great things if you do a LOB.

I have been to Raja Ampat twice in the last year. I have two trip reports posted. I stayed at the Sorido Resort located in the Papua area. They also have a Kri Resort for the budget minded. It is the finest diving I have found on the Planet and plenty of big stuff...but not a lot of sharks. If you go thru Manado (on your way to Raja) you need to spend a few days and go to the Lembeh Straits...out of this world stuff.

I have trip reports posted on both...just do a search under Raja and Lembeh or search threads I started....hope this helps.
 
I did the Peter Hughes boat and dove a little at Komodo. It was good but the water was pretty cold as compared to other places on that trip. Later I did a land based at Lembeh which was fabulous and then a smaller Indonesian liveaboard out in Raja Ampat. It was and still is my favorite dive place in the world. Extremely lush coral and lots of critters. There is an episode of Equator called Reef of Riches. It was filmed in High Def at Raja Ampat. See it and your decision will be easy.
 
will the current be a negative factor for me in Komodo?
I would think that the current would generally be a very positive thing - i.e. brings in the nutrients that attract the little fish that attract the big fish.
I haven't been to Komodo, but understand that strong currents occur in both places.
On a recent Raja Ampat liveaboard trip I enjoyed many dives in very strong currents, which translated to enormous quantities of fish in all sizes. I concur with Divehappy that there are some awesome large Mantas at Raja Ampat and that you don't see lots of reef sharks there. You do see many Wobbegong sharks, an occasional black-tip and in some spots there are regular sightings of the small Epaulette sharks as well.
You mention that you have ~40 dives. Before going to either of these locations, you should ask yourself how comfortable you are underwater and how would you react if you had to round a corner against a powerful current at 26 meters and what would that do to your air consumption.
I found that the best current-diving in Raja Ampat (and I would guess Komodo should be similar) is not really drift diving effortlessly, but rather positioning yourself exactly where the current hits the reef/wall/pinnacle in order to get the most fish action. If you're positioned properly and/or using a reef hook, the current is easier to handle at that particular spot. The trick is A. getting to that sweet spot and B. reacting to changes in the current. I must say that this also depends on the divemaster and the group you are diving with. I've seen some divemasters who are keener to take you head on into the current to get you to the best spots and other who don't want to work too hard. Also it depends on the people in your group. If the other divers are not as fit/experienced and cannot swim against the current for the short distance required to round that corner it won’t matter how fit/experienced you are.
Currents are affected by moon cycles – so full moon = stronger current etc. You can plan your trip around the moon cycle and control at least that one aspect.
Regarding weather - I understand that May is a good month for both locations – It is after the end of the Northeast Monsoon and before the start of the Southwest Monsoon, so you should expect very little wind/waves.
Two more factors to consider:
1. Water temps – Raja Ampat is generally 28C – 29C with an occasional 27C. I understand that Komodo is colder.
2. Remoteness and popularity
a. Raja Ampat is quite remote. This means less tourists overall. On my liveaboard trip which was over the peak tourist Christmas season there were only 10 liveaboards plying the vast area (40,000 km²) of Raja Ampat. In 10 days of diving, we had to share a dive site with another boat only once and on most days saw no sign of any human presence beyond our boat. This also means that prices are higher.
b. Komodo is more accessibly/popular = more boats, less expensive.
If you go to Raja Ampat I can recommend the boat I used - the Shakti. It is not as luxurious as some of the other liveaboards operating there, but it is a highly professional operation. David Pagliari the owner of the boat has been running trips exclusively in Raja Ampat since 2002 and knows the area better than most other liveaboard operators who spend only part of the year there.
 
I've never been to Rajah Ampat, but Komodo yes.

If you are macro lover, I heard Rajah has very distinctive macro lives. You will be basically pampered from smallest sea horse (not pygmy) and other stuffs.
I also read that Rajah has a lot of war wrecks. However, Komodo also has great share of macro lives, pygmy seahorse, frogfish, nudibranches, various shrimps and crabs.

Komodo, as others had mentioned, is famous for its current and cold water especially in the south area. I'd recommend taking LOB since you will travel all the way there, don't miss the good spots where you can only enjoy using LOB. The cold water can drop to 20-21 Celcius degree, I used 3mm with vest and hood, it was sufficient. It's recommended to use 5mm though. For the north area, 0.5 with vest or 3mm is sufficent. It depends on your preference. Personally, I feel very suffocated if I use thicker wetsuit.
The currents can be very fierce, they are famous with up and down current and also washing machine current. But pelagic action almost always associated with ripping current. Bring reefhook to secure yourself in dead coral or rock to avoid carried away or damaging coral.
Be careful to predict the current because it can change any time, especially those that can carry you up without much warning.

For night life, the LOB will go to sheltered bay and you can have peaceful night dive, which is very nice.
Somebody mentioned Castle Rock, there was also one of my favorite divesites, apart from Current City, Cannibal Rock etc.

The advantage of going Komodo, if you are interested to see the dragons, is the dragons of course.
From what I saw there, I keep myself very respectful to the currents and the eerieness of some underwater darkness that we can encounter in cloudly weather or dusk dives. It's different, spooky but somehow impressive.

For easier destination in Indonesia:
- Lembeh: muck diving, macro heaven, bizzare creature, easy and rewarding diving.
- Bali: good diversity of diving depends on area. Easy impressive wreck (Tulamben), macro heaven (Tulamben, Seraya, Puri Jati, Secret Bay), nice coral and color (Manjangan), sunfish and manta (Padang Bai, Nusa Penida).
- Bunaken: Beautiful walls and shallow corals.
- Sangkalaki, Derawan, Maratua, Kakaban: Manta action, great macro, channel action, freshwater jellyfish lake.
 
If you are macro lover, I heard Rajah has very distinctive macro lives. You will be basically pampered from smallest sea horse (not pygmy) and other stuffs.
I also read that Rajah has a lot of war wrecks

A few more comments (based on my recent trip to Raja Ampat):
1. Pygmies - You can actually see so many pygmy sea horses in Raja Ampat that you quickly get sick of them
2. Other macro stuff is sometimes hard to find because the reef is so rich and colorful - I saw a Halimeda ghost pipefish, but not a single frogfish
3. I was told that there used to be some accessible WWII wrecks right near Sorong but that in the last couple of years, when steel prices were very high, much of their steel has been salvaged for scrap.
 
Having been to both destinations, I would say you will not be disappointed with either choice. It is difficult to stay on a tight budget going to Raja Ampat as it is remote and does not offer the kind of broad range possibilities that Komodo has. It is possible to book onto an economical liveaboard in Komodo. I don't know of much below $300 a day in Raja Ampat. I like the diving better in RA as it is just mind blowing. Though not filled with pelagics they are there. But the diversity and abundance is incomparable. The water is clearer and cooler in Komodo. The currents in both locations can be fierce, Komodo though I think gets the prize. Though many on this board will dispute, I think the only way to be experienced with currents is to dive them. If you are comfortable and smart in the water you should do fine. I would recommend that you book a liveaboard that begins and ends in Luban Bajo rather than embarking in Bali as the trip by liveaboard from Bali to real Komodo diving is 2 days. I thought it was a mistake when I did it and won't do it again. Or drop the bucks and go to RA. You'll be there sooner or later.
 

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