Raja Ampat advice needed

[HRScuba]

i will be going on the Paradise Dancer leaving out of Sorong and cruising and diving the Raja Ampat. this is my first livaboard after doing 700 boat and shore dives and also my first visit to Indonesia. i will be arriving and leaving thru Bali and will stay there a couple of days. pls. help with the following questions and give any other advice:

What medical precautions should i take ie malaria?
should i get nitrox certified?
where to stay and what to see in Bali?
for money matters, cash, credit card,travelor checks or ATM?
are there any personal safety issues?
Thanks,
Harvey

 

[highdesert]

Hi HR -

You will certainly love Raja Ampat and the ability to get to all of the best dive sites on a liveaboard, the best way there is to dive til you drop.

Though most who have been on liveaboards will say that there is never a problem with skeets out on the water, if you are in a quiet anchorage near shore it can be different. Malaria meds will give you peace of mind ... many threads on SB about taking them. There are several ... forget which one is recommended for that area.

My personal guideline for Nitrox is ... 4 dives a day, 60-70 min, air is OK. 5 dives, time to go to Nitrox, at least on some dives. YMMV. If you get your EAN cert, you at least have the flexibility.

Don't know if you have your air already booked, but we like to stay in Bali for at least 3 days before shuttling to the boat, so we're rested and past jet lag. It makes the start of your diving more relaxed and probably safer.

Ubud is the cultural capital of Bali, about a 1.5 hr taxi ride north of the airport. Accommodations for any/every budget and style of travel. Good food in town, markets, local dancing, etc. Take a 5 min walk out of town in any direction, and you're in the silence of rice fields.

Forget travelers checks ... hard to use there. Take credit card(s) and new, unmarked US bills, preferably $100's, and change them for rupiah (IDR). Everywhere on the street people will have their exchange rate posted, so you can shop for the best one. You will use rupiah more than credit cards, except for larger retaurants and hotels. Check ahead to see if the Dancer will take a credit card for your on board extras.

As long as you're not walking around on the back streets of a big city at night, Indonesia, at least the parts you're visiting, is pretty safe. Bali even more so. The Balinese are the nicest people in the world, IMHO, especially if you get a few minutes outside the heavily commercial tourist areas.

PM me if you have any more questions, and have fun. We'll be back in Indo in October for a Komodo liveaboard ... can't wait!

 

[AlanWald]

Make sure your US Currency is clean and crisp and as newly printed as possible.

Don't forget to find out what the current departure tax is for Bali (it is different for each airport) and keep some Indonesian rupiah for that. The larger the denomination the better the rate in general.

Be sure to get up to date on your vaccinations. Many people forget to keep their tetanus current. I also always get a booster for my Typhoid.

 

[LeoS]

If I'm not mistaken, the airport departure tax for Bali is around Rp 30,000.- ($3)... and Rp 150,000 for Jakarta.

 

[highdesert]

If I'm not mistaken, the airport departure tax for Bali is around Rp 30,000.- ($3)... and Rp 150,000 for Jakarta.

Departure tax for both Bali and Jakarta is IDR 150,000, less from other departure points (Manado, IDR 90,000).

 

[InDaWata]

Its 30,000 for domestic flights, as i remember
150,000 for international.

have a good trip!

 

[ncchuck]

Please take the advice about getting your dollars changed to Rp before you get to Sorong and make sure you have enough to pay your departure taxes and any other incidentals you might want or need. Brokers hang around the airport just waiting to charge outrageous fees for exchange. Our group didn't plan right a few years ago and got ripped off for 30%. We forgot the excess baggage charges (lots of photo equipment) so we ran short by a pretty good amount. Make sure you know the departure fee in place before you leave along with any baggage charges.
If you have the time, I also recommend an extended stay in Bali. It's great fun and the people are some of the friendliest on earth.
My trip there was my best out of 8 liveaboards and dozens of land based trips. Have a great time.

 

[broadreach]

What medical precautions should i take ie malaria?

I'm not a doctor and maybe you should consult one for expert medical advice. Personally, I wouldn't take anything more than mosquito repellent. You're not going to trek through the jungles of Papua. Even in shallow anchorages you're unlikely to see mosquitoes, in my experience they don't travel well over salt water.

should i get nitrox certified?

Nitrox could give you a little edge, but I think you could do fine on air.

Enjoy Raja Ampat, the diving there is spectacular.

 

[ScubaduoAdventures]

You are going to one the the great dive locals in the world. We have been to Indonesia many times and Raja Ampat is one of our favorites, just awesome!!
1. As far as whether to take malaria precautions or not it is like should you get a flu shot or not except the flu will go away and malaria stays with you for life, best to get Medication,talk to doctor.
2. Of course get Nitrox certified, it extends your bottom time, is very easy to learn and helps you to have more energy so you can do all those fantastic dives. If you need help with this please let me know.
3.OMG ther is so much to see and do in Bali to bad you do not have more time, it is hard to go wrong with decisions there but I would stay away from the Kuta beach area as it is way to crowded if you want to stay by the beach go to Nusa Dua but if I only had a couple of days I would opt for Ubud also as it is quite beautiful, has great art works and you can do things like white water rafting very easily.
4. I never use travelers anymore and suggest you take a combination of credit crds debit cards and some good old cash, I try to break them up so that everything is not in one place just in case and to exchange currency I always go to the ATM to get foreign currency as you get better rates and you will find one when you get in the Bali airport. Also you will need US dollars to pay for your visa stamp when entering Indonesia.
5. as far as safety the Indonesian people are wonderful and will treat you as a guest, it is like anywhere in the world just do not go down dark alleys and so fourth and you should be OK, the only problem you may have is leaving because you will not want to and we are sure you will come back to Indonesia again!!
If you have any other questions please feel free to ask us.

 

[mjh]

All great advice. For the money would suggest getting a private guide and car. Can be very reasonably priced. Most hotels can help you with spots to see. You may also want a sorong (sp?) or pants as many temples, etc, ask you cover your knees. Trip reports and videos for the Paradise Dancer at our site. Recent short video Raja Ampat's Underwater Diversity on Vimeo