Raja Ampat Choices for Boat Stability

[TheFife]

I am on the verge of a promotion at work, and plan to reward myself with a special dive trip. I am a hard coral lover and would like to dive the best reefs in the world. I've never done a liveaboard and I've never been reef diving outside of the Caribbean. It seems the consensus is that I can't go wrong with a Raja Ampat liveaboard. Unfortunately, I am prone to sea sickness. While I will manage it with medications, I still want to give myself the best chance for a trouble free experience by selecting a boat, location, and time of year that are most likely to be "smooth sailing". Also, if anyone has specific boat recommendations, I am looking to have a single room with AC and bathroom. My budget is flexible.

Boat:
As far as the boat is concerned, generally I assume bigger is better. That said, what about the traditional Indonesian style boats versus a more robust looking steel hulled vessel, something like the Blue Manta. Which boat type is the most stable?

Location:
With Raja Ampat as the general destination, there seems to be a few variations of itinerary. Some refer to "north" vs "south", others refer to Raja Ampat + Misool. Does anyone have advice on the best route from a boat stability perspective? The only thing I care to see is hard coral reefs, so "big stuff" shouldn't be a consideration. If there were a land based selection for hard corals, that wouldn't be inferior to a live aboard, I'd be happy to hear those recommendations.

Time of Year:
What time of year should I target from a stability standpoint? I'm guessing there are seasonal patterns that make for rough seas, and I'd like to avoid that if possible.


I want to dive over something that looks like this:

Thanks for all your help.

 

[billt4sf]

One great option for RA is a land-based resort where you can dive the best of the RA area and return to land after every dive. Try Misool ECO Resort. Pricey! And not easy to get to. But a great place. And GREAT RA dives!!

You will see that and much more at Misool.

- Bill

 

[xmass-Eve]

One great option for RA is a land-based resort where you can dive the best of the RA area and return to land after every dive. Try Misool ECO Resort. Pricey! And not easy to get to. But a great place. And GREAT RA dives!!

You will see that and much more at Misool.

- Bill

Hm, I would just not do that. The little boats rock more. Last time I was on one, I was really scared of it falling over. That can also be because I once was on a boat that capsized, but still, the boat went very left and right. They didn't have outriggers.

Big boats are better -imo- and try to sit/sleep in the back. Also, we were only boating in the early mornings when everyone was still asleep. They choose routes depending on the winds that prevail. Sadly I never got to go to the south. We were always there in september, what is the North way. There is a supergreat hard coral dive up to the north. It's called Batu Burung, bird rocks. It's a reef, several football fields big, with untouched hard coral. The most beautiful I have ever seen.

 

[scorpiofish]

I can't really compare the metal boats with the Phinisi boats as I haven't been on the metal boats. Well, I've been on the Aggressor boat back when it was the Ocean Rover in Thailand. I'm sure the Manta and Mermaid boats are quite stable. The big Phinisi boats include the Dew Nusantara. I find the beam is more important than the length. Boat specs can be deceiving even on the beam measurement. Many of the Phinisi boats are widest at the center and taper back to the stern, whereas some maintain more of their width, e.g. Dewi and Seven Seas. Not a very specific answer for the boat, but it's not an easy question.

I've had the opportunity to do many different itineraries and I'm not sure I can identify one that leans more toward hard coral vs. soft. The standard itinerary includes North and South (Misool). I have done a North only, which took us to sites further north than the normal stops. I recall it being more hard vs. soft, but also more hit and miss on quality. I would not recommend the land only, because it does limit your dive site choices.

RA diving is seasonal, so the liveaboards don't dive the area during our summer, so avoid the edges of the season, April/May or September. Other than that, I it is just hit and miss on the weather. The only real issue is going to and from Misool.

 

[TheFife]

I can't really compare the metal boats with the Phinisi boats as I haven't been on the metal boats. Well, I've been on the Aggressor boat back when it was the Ocean Rover in Thailand. I'm sure the Manta and Mermaid boats are quite stable. The big Phinisi boats include the Dew Nusantara. I find the beam is more important than the length. Boat specs can be deceiving even on the beam measurement. Many of the Phinisi boats are widest at the center and taper back to the stern, whereas some maintain more of their width, e.g. Dewi and Seven Seas. Not a very specific answer for the boat, but it's not an easy question.

I've had the opportunity to do many different itineraries and I'm not sure I can identify one that leans more toward hard coral vs. soft. The standard itinerary includes North and South (Misool). I have done a North only, which took us to sites further north than the normal stops. I recall it being more hard vs. soft, but also more hit and miss on quality. I would not recommend the land only, because it does limit your dive site choices.

RA diving is seasonal, so the liveaboards don't dive the area during our summer, so avoid the edges of the season, April/May or September. Other than that, I it is just hit and miss on the weather. The only real issue is going to and from Misool.

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate it.

 

[charlier]

The Mermaid boats and the Raja Manta (formerly White Manta) are way more stable than a Phinisi. Along the spectrum of stability, Blue Manta is perhaps the most stable boat that I have experienced. In addition, the captain and cruise director will make sure that long crossing are only conducted when conditions allow.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I was on the Raja Ampat Aggressor in mid to late October. It’s a steel hull which will probably be better for your concerns. We had a couple days of rain and the boat was quite stable but I don’t get seasick easily. Overall it was really calm water, almost lake-like at times, especially where they moor or anchor and the boat was really stable. Even on the run back to Sorong, not much movement. Ask for a stateroom down below and towards the salon. I think that would be staterooms 3 and 4.

The layout of the boat is quite open and it’s hard to find a place with exhaust fumes which is excellent. Do know that the dives are from the 2 dinghies so there are short rides to the dive sites, usually just a couple of minutes. You’ll be in your gear and ready to backroll. They are nice and pretty spacious and can easily fit 8-9 people comfortably though you’ll have a max of 6 people in your dive group to 1 DM leading the dive. Some groups had 2-4 depending on the experience levels of your sailing.

As an aside, I also dove Komodo and conditions at the park when I was there in September of last year had it like a lake. Really calm - on a much smaller boat and I think it may not have been a steel hull either. EXCELLENT diving.

Do take some Dramamine or Bonine as a preventative. I took 1-2 on my first day (no diving on boarding day) once on boat just to get used to the rocking. Some others did the same. No issues after and same with everyone’s else.

Let me know if you have other questions.

 

[Tippytoes12]

I suffer terribly from seasickness , but with lots of regular travel sickness tablets I was fine on both Mermaid 2 and the boat formerly known as Black Manta. The wooden boats look wo ponderous , but having been moored beside one or RA I wouldn't go on one due to the rockiness. RA is perfect in the Northern Hemisphere winter months !

Enjoy !

 

[Dan]

I am on the verge of a promotion at work, and plan to reward myself with a special dive trip. I am a hard coral lover and would like to dive the best reefs in the world. I've never done a liveaboard and I've never been reef diving outside of the Caribbean. It seems the consensus is that I can't go wrong with a Raja Ampat liveaboard. Unfortunately, I am prone to sea sickness. While I will manage it with medications, I still want to give myself the best chance for a trouble free experience by selecting a boat, location, and time of year that are most likely to be "smooth sailing". Also, if anyone has specific boat recommendations, I am looking to have a single room with AC and bathroom. My budget is flexible.

Boat:
As far as the boat is concerned, generally I assume bigger is better. That said, what about the traditional Indonesian style boats versus a more robust looking steel hulled vessel, something like the Blue Manta. Which boat type is the most stable?

Location:
With Raja Ampat as the general destination, there seems to be a few variations of itinerary. Some refer to "north" vs "south", others refer to Raja Ampat + Misool. Does anyone have advice on the best route from a boat stability perspective? The only thing I care to see is hard coral reefs, so "big stuff" shouldn't be a consideration. If there were a land based selection for hard corals, that wouldn't be inferior to a live aboard, I'd be happy to hear those recommendations.

Time of Year:
What time of year should I target from a stability standpoint? I'm guessing there are seasonal patterns that make for rough seas, and I'd like to avoid that if possible.


I want to dive over something that looks like this:View attachment 433575
Thanks for all your help.

Don’t miss Melissa’s Garden in Fam (West Raja Ampat). It is the heart of hard coral region of Raja Ampat (see picture, below). It is near the breathtaking top view sight called Penemu (see picture, below).

Misool is well known for the soft coral.

 

[Dan]

The Mermaid boats and the Raja Manta (formerly White Manta) are way more stable than a Phinisi. Along the spectrum of stability, Blue Manta is perhaps the most stable boat that I have experienced. In addition, the captain and cruise director will make sure that long crossing are only conducted when conditions allow.

How’s the food in Blue Manta? Is the chef any good for such luxury LOB? How is it compare with Mermaid 1?