ppina
Contributor
I am planning my 2014 diving holidays with my family ( wife and child with 13)
Raja Ampat or Maldives ?
- Thread starter ppina
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Are all three of you diving? If so, either destination will be fine. If it's only you who are the diver, then I'd say Raja Ampat. I think there's more variety of eco-tourism to do at a land-based resort there than at most of the Maldives resorts. While either one will offer beach time and snorkeling for non-divers, at Raja Ampat there's the potential for birdwatching and wildlife spotting hikes, climbing up onto high areas to get an overview, and other nature-related activities.
ocdiver1
Contributor
If you're mostly a fan of pelagics, then the Maldives, otherwise Raja Ampat has more varied diving that is far superior overall. Hard/soft coral is also in pristine condition in RA while hard coral is in very poor shape in a good part of the Maldives.
OP
ppina
Contributor
Thanks.
And Palau ?
And Palau ?
ocdiver1
Contributor
Think Palau has more to offer than the Maldives, but have only been to Palau once. Of the three places you're considering Id say Raja Ampat offers the superior diving. Are you thinking about doing a liveaboard or something landbased?
OnTheSpot
Contributor
I would agree that Raja Ampat has the superior diving but the some of the dives can be a bit tricky for the 13 year old and there's not too many options for a land based holiday, the scenery and diving is spectacular but taking the 13 year old into consideration the Maldives might be a better choice and probably much cheaper. Although from experience staying an extended time on any Maldives island may get a little boring. A mix of liveaboard and island would be a nice option.
Hi ppina
Is your 13 year old a diver? and if so what experience level? i think that would need to be taken into account when making your destination selection
Raja Ampat, Maldives & Palau are all current diving destinations. That's not to say the currents will be too strong, but its something to bear in mind for the skill level required to make those dives.
Each destination certainly has plenty to offer in terms of marine life - both big fish and small.
Palau and the Maldives would have more schools of sharks at more dive sites- we think the Maldives is probably the best of the 3 for consistently high shark numbers and different shark varieties.
Raja Ampat has a wider marine diversity for fish life with very large fish schools seen around the Dampier Strait - snappers, jacks, barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, bat fish but also very healthy hard and soft corals. Both Maldives & Palau of course have fish schools and stunning corals but Raja Ampat would pip the post in our view.
Contrary to OCdiver's view the corals in the Maldives are very healthy and have seen a resurgence in the past few years after coral bleaching had affected many areas. Certainly in the central atolls the hard corals and soft corals proved healthy- particularly in shallow water.
All 3 destinations have smaller creatures too. Recent finds in Palau have been harlequin shrimps and frog fish, whilst the Maldives they are finding ghost pipefish, flatworms & leaf fish. Raja Ampat you WILL see pygmy seahorses and likely all the other critters you would find in both the Maldives and Palau but many more and more consistently.
Palau and Maldives both have wreck dives that you won;t get in Raja Ampat - so if you like wider variety in terms of dive sites then one of those would be the better option.
All 3 offer options for land-based or liveaboard and stunning scenery suitable for snorkeling, kayaking.
Palau you have jelly fish lake, rock island tours and a new exhibit opened on the main island which has zip lines
Raja Ampat has the Red bird of Paradise and pearl farms which are worthwhile to visit
In the Maldives there is not so much as the resort islands are spread out but if you are staying in a resort they are likely to offer a range of water-based activities.
Coming from Lisbon the Maldives would be the easiest option in terms of flight time. For RA you have to fly via Jakarta. For Palau its likely you would go via the Philippines (Manila with United Airlines) or South Korea so the journey time would be longer and a little more expensive.
We hope you find this information useful in planning your vacation!
with best wishes,
Siren Fleet
Is your 13 year old a diver? and if so what experience level? i think that would need to be taken into account when making your destination selection
Raja Ampat, Maldives & Palau are all current diving destinations. That's not to say the currents will be too strong, but its something to bear in mind for the skill level required to make those dives.
Each destination certainly has plenty to offer in terms of marine life - both big fish and small.
Palau and the Maldives would have more schools of sharks at more dive sites- we think the Maldives is probably the best of the 3 for consistently high shark numbers and different shark varieties.
Raja Ampat has a wider marine diversity for fish life with very large fish schools seen around the Dampier Strait - snappers, jacks, barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, bat fish but also very healthy hard and soft corals. Both Maldives & Palau of course have fish schools and stunning corals but Raja Ampat would pip the post in our view.
Contrary to OCdiver's view the corals in the Maldives are very healthy and have seen a resurgence in the past few years after coral bleaching had affected many areas. Certainly in the central atolls the hard corals and soft corals proved healthy- particularly in shallow water.
All 3 destinations have smaller creatures too. Recent finds in Palau have been harlequin shrimps and frog fish, whilst the Maldives they are finding ghost pipefish, flatworms & leaf fish. Raja Ampat you WILL see pygmy seahorses and likely all the other critters you would find in both the Maldives and Palau but many more and more consistently.
Palau and Maldives both have wreck dives that you won;t get in Raja Ampat - so if you like wider variety in terms of dive sites then one of those would be the better option.
All 3 offer options for land-based or liveaboard and stunning scenery suitable for snorkeling, kayaking.
Palau you have jelly fish lake, rock island tours and a new exhibit opened on the main island which has zip lines
Raja Ampat has the Red bird of Paradise and pearl farms which are worthwhile to visit
In the Maldives there is not so much as the resort islands are spread out but if you are staying in a resort they are likely to offer a range of water-based activities.
Coming from Lisbon the Maldives would be the easiest option in terms of flight time. For RA you have to fly via Jakarta. For Palau its likely you would go via the Philippines (Manila with United Airlines) or South Korea so the journey time would be longer and a little more expensive.
We hope you find this information useful in planning your vacation!
with best wishes,
Siren Fleet
Can one fly from Jakarta onto island with landbased resort at Raja Ampat? If so, may I request details please.
How does the diving from landbased Raja Ampat comparable to LB? I'm not against going on a LB for this destination, just that timing might be a problem for me.
Thanks.
How does the diving from landbased Raja Ampat comparable to LB? I'm not against going on a LB for this destination, just that timing might be a problem for me.
Thanks.
Flights go into Sorong and from there the land based operation will arrange pick up. Some operations, such as Misool Eco Resort, have specific dates when their pick ups are arranged due to the distance traveled. Your best option is to contact the resorts directly and request pick up information. Liveaboard operators depart from and return to Sorong as being the most convenient for guests flying in.
To get to Sorong, the five main routes are
1) Singapore - Manado - Sorong
2) Bali - Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - Sorong
3) Jakarta - Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - Sorong
4) Kuala Lumpur - Manado - Sorong
5) Kuala Lumpur - Ujung Pandang (Makassar) - Sorong
Of course we are a LB operator so would recommend that ;-) but as timing may not be right it might be worthwhile considering combining a RA visit over 2 resorts so you are able to see the best of the north (Dampier Strait & Mansuar) and the south (Misool & Fiabacet chain).
Best wishes,
Siren Fleet
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