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We did a short (5 day) LOB at Komodo last Dec, as a side trip during our 2 week visit to Bali. We picked Komodo mostly because of its easy access from Bali (an hour flight). It was our first LOB and we were not sure if we would like it (as I am prone to seasickness). We loved it and fortunately did not get any rain during LOB, or later diving days in Nusa Penida. We are planning a trip to Raja Ampat Dec 2021. Can't wait.
 
Great! Thank you. I do not remember diving those site when we stayed at Misool Eco Resort.
Nampale is on the other side of Misool island, could be a little too far from the resort. I know Misool Eco Resort has been promoting Daram for some time, they build a ranger station on the island and a dive site there is named after MER's owner Andy Miners, diving around this island is definitely one of the best in the whole of Raja Ampat.
 
I hope you'll post a 'compare and contrast' trip report; I suspect for some of us it may be a once in a lifetime trip, one or the other. Any idea what your longest continuous single flight is likely to be in the trip?

Wait until later because once you go, you'll do almost anything to dive there again. It's ruined me for Caribbean diving.
 
Have you been dreaming of Raja Ampat recently? Me too.

So, I created a video DREAMING OF RAJA AMPAT to share our memories and dreams about the breathtaking Raja Ampat. This video includes footage from our two most recent trips to Raja Ampat. Both times we stayed at Sorido Bay Resort (Dampier Strait), which is our favorite place on this planet.

What is your favorite dive resort and place to visit?


Great video! It's professionally done!

I've been dreaming about Raja Ampat in the past 10 years. Made it into a reality in 2010 by going to a liveaboard in January & a resort in November. Learnt quickly then that liveaboard is the way to go if you want to dive in Raja Ampat.

I've been to 3 resorts & 5 liveaboards there. Here is the latest trip video.

 
So any factors favoring one over the other are quite important. Thanks.

Komodo and Raja Ampat are among the best places to dive in Indonesia, along with Triton Bay and Lembeh. Having dove both places a few times I would pick RA over Komodo for marine biodiversity, topside view and the general dive experience. A 6 to 7 days liveaboard is enough to give you everything in Komodo as it is such a tiny place compared to RA, where a two week ultimate liveaboard tour usually misses some of the best dive sites. You can pretty much find everything from Komodo in RA, but not the other way round. Also, people who are averse to cold water and crazy current should avoid Komodo.
 
I wanted to scratch my itch of Raja Ampat bug bite that I was usually able to do around this time of the year for the last 10 years, but this pandemic situation messed up my plan, so I went to Cocos instead since the Costa Rica is now open to the world.

Indonesia needs to learn from Costa Rica if they want to get their tourism back in business.
 
When you guys are headed to Raja Ampat, the long, long flight out of the U.S. west coast across the Pacific Ocean...do you get wifi Internet service offered during that flight? I was quite annoyed we didn't have it flying to/from Guayaquil in the Galapagos last January.

What topside wildlife do you guys see? I like the lizards, birds and other things I see in foreign destinations; the greater Indonesian area has quite a range (e.g.: salt-water croc.s). Kinda disappointed the distribution map for king cobras suggests they didn't quite make it to Raja Ampat.
 
Made a note to follow this up, as it's important. My perspective is U.S.-based; you're in Australia, but you mentioned a prospective flight option from LAX, so your comment may also be pertinent to U.S.-based travelers?

Is this the general consensus, that Komodo is easier to get to/from and makes for a cheaper overall trip than Raja Ampat?

I ask because Raja Ampat and Komodo seem (judging from Scuba Board posts, including frequency of posts about them) to be the 2 premier Indonesian dive destinations. People talk Bali if topside is important, PNG for the 'absolute best' diving and WW2 wrecks plus a culturally interesting topside and 'road less travelled, edge of the Earth' experience, and the Solomon Islands for more great diving + WW2 wrecks...but Raja Ampat and Komodo look to be the big two.

So any factors favoring one over the other are quite important. Thanks.

My two rupees, Komodo and R4 are both world class. Komodo is easier to get to certainly. For a first trip (I say first because you'll give your right arm to get back a second, third and tenth trip) seasonality would be my deciding factor. If you can only make the trip during a certain time of the year like me pick the high season for each.

For a broad comparison of each I would say Komodo LOBs that dive the whole park tend to give you a taste of some of the great macro sites, R4 not so much macro in the mix, it has excellent macro but it can be less of a focus on LOBs. The wide angle sites in both areas are spectacular and awe inspiring. Both have excellent Manta action. Both can have ripping current. The comparisons can be endless.

For both a LOB doing the entire park of Komodo or all of North-Central-South of Raja Ampat will give you the best of it all. If you want to do land based save that for a return trip.
There are many threads with lots of comparisons of them, they both are world class and well worth the long travel times from the US or anywhere else for the matter.

I will return to my beloved diving in Indonesia again one day. I'm hoping it will be sooner than later.
 
There are some sites to visit & see the birds of paradise.

Serious hot sweaty early .morning uphill
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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