I was wondering if anyone can explain why different L.O. Bs charge varying park fees, and why for example I have found Mermaid prices to be the highest.. 150 Euro for R4 in 2013 whilst Siren has increased theirs its still only 110 Eu and Ondina is only 85 Usd (66Eu). This was the case also in Komodo fees where Mermaid was more expensive than Siren for park fees. Why is this cost not uniform like the marine park fees in Lembeh for example ( yes only $5 ) which I believe is charged standard across the resorts there. Perhaps LOBs are charged differently by the authorities.. I would like to invite any industry reps to explain further so we can understand this better.
Hi Gee13
Marine Park and Port fees charged to liveaboards or dive operators in a specific region by local authorities are, we believe, the same. But you are right in that not all operators charge the same amount to their guests. Many operators make the decision to absorb the cost themselves for simplicity or charge a higher base price from the outset.
In Raja Ampat the fee is fixed for diving and you purchase a permit year round, however you might notice for Siren Fleet cruises the charge is for "Marine Park & Port Fees", so perhaps it is in the port fee where the disparity between operators lies? Guests returning to Raja Ampat within the same calendar year are charged a reduced fee on that basis. For Komodo trips, the Indo Siren departs from Bima Bay whilst the Mermaid departs from Bali - different port therefore differing prices is a good possibility
Park and Port fees are often dependent upon the actual islands or sites that are visited during the liveaboard itinerary and the length of the cruise/ number of diving days is also factored in.
In Palau the local authorities have recently restructured their fees - having 3 dive zones. Our 7-night itineraries enter 2 zones, however the 10-night trips enter 3 zones meaning the fees are far higher for the 10-night and it is not simply a matter of number of days of diving.
In some areas, such as the Philippines, the local authorities charge for use of u/w camera or video equipment on top of the regular fees to dive. Whilst the majority of our guests dive with a camera the number of dives they make cannot be known in advance of their trip and is therefore an unpredictable cost. Fees for our yachts in the Philippines are set on an average with any additional fees being absorbed by the company.
We hope this serves as some explanation on why the fees charged vary between companies. At the end of the day it is the company which sets their own operating standards. As a fleet, Siren attempts to standardise across all yachts for simplicity and ease of understanding for our guests. Fees are reviewed annually based on information from our local operations on the current charges levied by local authorities.
Please feel free to PM if you would like further information on our trips and we hope you enjoy diving in Raja Ampat!
Best wishes from the Siren Fleet team
