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Vani

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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I reside in Calgary, Alberta Canada. I am looking to cover Raja Ampat and Fiji for a diving/sight-seeing trip in month of March and April 2017. I am interested mainly in colorful and diverse corals (not so much muck/macro-dive/ whale sharks). i) Please suggest liveaboard companies and dive sites or any other hotels/accommodation to check out ii) In Raja Ampat and Fiji, is it better to do day trips or do a live-aboard trip for the best coral reef sites? iii) Advice on the cheapest way to get there - I am thinking a stopover in China or any other Asian country might be cheaper from Canada! Thanks!
 
Arenui liveaboard for Raja Ampat
Paradise Taveuni for Fiji or wananuvu resort or voli voli
 
Liveaboard is definitely the best way to go in Raja Ampat, but you'll still get amazing dives in no matter where you stay. A liveaboard will take you to sites that are out of range for the day boats, so you'll get to see a lot more.

If you're not looking to spend $5000 USD on an 8-day trip (even though the Arenui and Dewi are amazing boats), I would recommend looking at Wicked Diving. I went with them last December on their 9-day Raja trip and had a great time. Just FYI - Wicked Diving is a budget liveaboard (around $2000 for the trip), so you'll be sharing a cabin with another person, and the boat is relatively small - if you've ever stayed in a hostel, it's a very similar vibe.

However, you can also stay at a homestay or dive resort in Raja Ampat for extremely cheap and still have amazing diving! For example, the Kri Homestay is something like $60 USD/night for 3 meals a day, a small bungalow, and several dives a day on nearby dive sites (such as the house reef, Yenbuba jetty, Cape Kri, and the manta cleaning station near Arborek).

Yenbuba jetty was, by far, my favorite dive site of the trip - insane numbers of fish, huge coral gardens, and lots of interesting creatures (we even had a school of 20-30 devil rays circle us for an entire dive). The Kri house reef also makes for excellent diving - I saw blue-ringed octopi, wobbegong sharks, and the Raja Ampat walking shark here, just to name a few.

Contacting some of the homestays can be a little tricky, so just message me if you'd like help. Good luck!
 
Also, just FYI - I've heard good things about Raja Ampat Dive Resort and Waiwo Dive Resort (both based on the island of Waigeo and reasonably priced) - these operators will take you to the dive sites I've listed above.
 
If you are looking for colorful and diverse corals, no doubt, go to Raja Ampat.

I am interested mainly in colorful and diverse corals (not so much muck/macro-dive/ whale sharks). i) Please suggest liveaboard companies and dive sites or any other hotels/accommodation to check out ii) In Raja Ampat and Fiji, is it better to do day trips or do a live-aboard trip for the best coral reef sites? iii) Advice on the cheapest way to get there - I am thinking a stopover in China or any other Asian country might be cheaper from Canada! Thanks!
 
If you are looking for colorful and diverse corals, no doubt, go to Raja Ampat.
Hmmm... May I ask you what's your experience diving Fiji?
If one should name a highlight in diving Fiji, it's the corals. It's not for nothing Fiji's nickname is "Soft coral capital of the world" !!!
Places like Bligh Waters or Taveuni would smoke hands down Dampier strait in terms of coral coverage, while Raja Ampat highlight is more with fish and biomass density.
 
Misool in southern Raja Ampat is comparable to Taveuni for soft coral. Both are unique but excellent in their own way.
 
Bligh Waters in Fiji is hands down the best coral I've seen. The currents can sometimes be treacherous, so it can be challenging to get out there from a land-based op. If you are there for a limited time there may be issues. Liveaboard would be a better plan there.

My favorite place to view amazing, colorful coral is the Rainbow Reef of Taveuni Island. We have visited Garden Island Resort twice and had an incredible dive experience both times. Would recommend them highly.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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