Raja Ampat Choices for Boat Stability

[charlier]

My personal view us that the food is fine and similar to other LoB’s. The rooms and common spaces are super spacious. The staff accommodations are great as well. The numerous warm water showers are always welcome. I will PM photos.

 

[outofofficebrb]

My personal view us that the food is fine and similar to other LoB’s. The rooms and common spaces are super spacious. The staff accommodations are great as well. The numerous warm water showers are always welcome. I will PM photos.

It is water under the bridge for me but if you don't mind, can one of you either fwd it to me or also send to me? Thanks! I'm curious for future reference.

 

[Dan]

My personal view us that the food is fine and similar to other LoB’s. The rooms and common spaces are super spacious. The staff accommodations are great as well. The numerous warm water showers are always welcome. I will PM photos.

Looking forward to see them. I’m about to throw the towel into the ring (pull the plug) by Wednesday as I’m still short of 1 diver to get the group rate.

Cheers
Dan

 

[outofofficebrb]

Looking forward to see them. I’m about to throw the towel into the ring (pull the plug) by Wednesday as I’m still short of 1 diver to get the group rate.

Cheers
Dan

Check your personal e-mail. I just sent you something you may find interesting. You only need 4 people for this.... So you have 1 extra. You've already outdone yourself.

 

[Dan]

Check your personal e-mail. I just sent you something you may find interesting. You only need 4 people for this.... So you have 1 extra. You've already outdone yourself.

Thanks. I need a total 5 spaces though, not 4 & not budget cabins. Well, beggars can’t be choosers at this point

Let me ask my buddies whether they like the budget cabins & who wants to drop out.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thanks. I need a total 5 spaces though, not 4 & not budget cabins. Well, beggars can’t be choosers at this point

Let me ask my buddies whether they like the budget cabins & who wants to drop out.

There looks to be 1 spot available in deluxe for the Oct 4 sailing... If that person wants to "move" weeks.

 

[Dan]

There looks to be 1 spot available in deluxe for the Oct 4 sailing... If that person wants to "move" weeks.

Cool. That’s an option. Thanks!

 

[charlier]

Keep me in the loop, use PM. Dan, I just sent you my email address. Charlie

 

[billt4sf]

Thanks. I need a total 5 spaces though, not 4 & not budget cabins. Well, beggars can’t be choosers at this point

Let me ask my buddies whether they like the budget cabins & who wants to drop out.

Dan, I hope you get enough people. We can't do it (we just reviewed it together again), but it sounds like a great trip on an excellent boat. Kudos to you for getting this started!

- Bill

 

[billt4sf]

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?

Thanks for all your help.

I can't comment on the type of boat since I have only been on the metal hulled type.

I would think that the less distance you plan to travel, the greater the chance that, on a given night, you will simply be moored-up rather than making some sort of crossing. On the crossing trip I was on, we steamed almost every night IIRC. On the RA trips I have been on, we steamed a few nights.

I do think that Dan's trip would be a great one if you can deal with the seasickness.

My wife is VERY prone to seasickness. She gets it on the LOBs, too. (Hell, she has gotten it from turning around in the kitchen too fast!) She uses the scopolomine patch. Nothing else works for her, and she has tried everything. My advice is to keep trying things before the trip so you get to the point that you KNOW something is going to work. You're paying a LOT of money (and time) for this trip! Seasickness sucks big-time.

One more thing: Indo has lots of beautiful SOFT corals -- trust me, you don't want only hard corals!

- Bill