Raja Ampat

[manta100]

Planning a trip to Raja Ampat. First time there so and help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[OnTheSpot]

Hi There,

Well then, I guess you need to be prepared to be staggered by the myriad of the fish and coral when diving here - Raja Ampat diving in Irain Jaya.

When are planning to go?

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

My wife and I lived on both the Big Island and Kauai for a few years, had to leave but really miss the Islands.
As far as Raja Ampat it is definitely one of the great dive areas in the world. We guess your first consideration would be LOB or Land Based?
Though a LOB is probably your best option the Dive Resorts ran by Irian Divers you can google them are very good and Max the owner and his staff pioneered a lot of the diving there. They have both the Kri Eco Resort which is basic but comfortable and the very upscale Sorrido Bay which has some well appointed bungalows. They also have probably one of the best house reefs in the world.
If you want to see more of thew area then a LOB is best, some will take you not only to Raja but over to another area called Misool and even farther south to Triton Bay. There are now many choices in LOBs and they have great amenities including some offering massages onboard and they all tend to run itineraries which cruise there for the best weather. Some of the most luxurious are3 the Damai which only takes 8 divers, the Tambora, and Paradise Dancer to name just a few and Grand Komodo Tours offers some more budget options.
Most but not all of the boats tend to depart from Sorong. The best options for getting there tend to be either thru Singapore to Manado Indonesia and then onto Sorong, we like Singapore Airlines very much. Or you can also connect thru Jakarta on China Airlines for example and you could arrange for a stop over in Bali with this root on the way back which is even possibly more beautiful than Kauai if you can believe that?
If you do the Manado rout and want to stop for some more diving it would be very easy to stay over in the Lembeh Strait for some great Macro/Critter diving.
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask, we have space on our trip to Raja on the Tambora for Dec. of next year. Click on our link below to go to the website and click on the travel page

 

[Polpessa]

Manta100,
Give us some more info so we can better advise you...

*Do you want land-based or liveaboard?
*How long do you want to go for?
*What month are you planning on going?
*What type of holiday are you looking for? Dive 3-4 times a day every day? or more of a relaxing, hang out and dive once or twice a day holiday, or a romantic getaway with dives included?

Cheers!

 

[manta100]

Manta100,
Give us some more info so we can better advise you...

*Do you want land-based or liveaboard?
*How long do you want to go for?
*What month are you planning on going?
*What type of holiday are you looking for? Dive 3-4 times a day every day? or more of a relaxing, hang out and dive once or twice a day holiday, or a romantic getaway with dives included?

Cheers!

Thanks for the questions... Probably Liveaboard and probably week or two, lucky enough to have a flexible schedule. What month is best? This will be a diving holiday so the more diving the better.

Thanks for the help!

 

[OnTheSpot]

Diving in Raja Ampat doesn't really vary all that much throughout the year or have high or low seasons and is never busy

There is normally light rain from May to September and the sea might pick up a little bit between July and August but this wont mess with your diving.

Maybe look at your prefered boat and plan your trip arround its schedule as most don't dive here all year round. For example Paradise Dancer makes 11 night trips from September to April.

 

[whalerock]

Hi Manta 100,
have a look at WORLDWIDE DIVE AND SAIL, they have a combination program one week lob and one week in the eco resort. Its may be a good choice for you.

cheers and have fun
Thomas

 

[Polpessa]

Whalerock, the combo trip you mentioned with WORLDWIDE DIVE AND SAIL looks good! And allows for time on both liveaboard and resort.

OnTheSpot, you're right that the liveaboards aren’t there all year round. They don't do Raja Ampat between June and September or October due to windy season and high seas. The only exception I'm aware of is Shakti which I *think* operates year round if demand is there. For the 2010-2011 season, Pindito for example does Raja Ampat from Oct 25 to May 6th. Paradise Dancer is in Raja Ampat from September 16 to May 25th. I think all of the boats have similar schedules...

Also, while true that in terms of numbers of boats/divers Raja Ampat is nothing like Komodo or the Egyptian Red Sea or parts of Thailand for example, it does get busy sometimes at some sites...While this is definitely the exception, I have seen 28+ people in 4 different tenders from 2 different liveaboards and one resort all about to go for a dive at the same exact time at Boo Rocks. A little more organisation, communication and co-operation among and between boats/ resorts wouldn't go amiss to avoid scenarios like this.

 

[anadji]

Planning a trip to Raja Ampat. First time there so and help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a follow-up question to the initial entry (above):

Is there any inexpensive land-based diving in Raja Ampat or nearby area?

Everything I found shows at least $50 per dive and about $75 per night single occupancy. I would love to cut that in half if possible.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Adel

 

[mjh]

We had a great time in Raja and will be one of those places we go back to. Trip report, gallery, Multimedia show at our website. I agree with other LOB is the way to go.