jedah:
Hey guys!
Planning a trip to PNG or Raja Ampat in October 2008!
We are looking at the following liveaboards, and would appreciate your input:
1. Adventure Komodo (Raja Ampat)
or, in PNG:
2. Golden Dawn
3. Telita
4. Star Dancer
Would appreciate your input on:
(1) Raja Ampat vs PNG diving in October
(2) Liveaboard choice in PNG
My understanding is that Larry (AK) and Craig (GD) are extremely seasoned captains/divers in Raja Ampat and PNG, respectively. But we'd like to hear about your experiences and honest opinions about these boats and how you'd say they compare.
One of the drawbacks (for us) of the adventure komodo is the shared bathrooms, but we can easily deal with that if the level of service on the boat / quality of the diving in Raja merits it....
THANKS!
J.
PS: Will be posting this on the Australia-Pacific and liveaboard forums as well.
I just got back from a 10 day trip on the Star Dancer. We took the trip along the coast of East New Britain and on down to West New Britain. I loved the diving. It was a bit more tuned for finding small, unusual critters, and not so much for the big stuff. I did see a hammerhead and a dugong, so no complaints on that! I got a lot of great macro shots (Nikonis w/ extension tubes) We did a little muck diving and a lot of drift diving, which I liked.
It rained quite a bit, which is expected thet time of year (January). Because of that, sometimes the vis was a little off. Most of the time it was fine.
The countryside is really beautiful. Talk about remote! I didn't see an electric light or another boat with a motor for 10 days. We did one land tour, taking the 2 dive boats up a river to a cave, and on the way back stopped at a tiny village. People as interested in us as we were in them. And talk about remote, simple life... Also, every time we stopped a small battalion of kids in dugouts appeared out of nowhere. Very cute, playful and fun.
The last day we did a tour of Rabaul to the WW II Japaneese caves. We also visited a small village where a few of us bought some nice woven bags. We went through the part of Rabaul which was covered with volcanic ash and then got quite close to the volcano. The water in that part of the harbor was boiling and the volcano was spewing out black smoke and steam. Ay night you can see that it is red from ? lava ? smoke? at the top.
I can't say enough about the service. The divemasters were great! Every time they said we might see a whatever, we did. I never find anything by myself, so I was happy to stay close to them. They seemed to enjoy what they were doing, too. There were 13 of us, and we dove in two groups. So, it wasn't crowded.
The cabins were very nice. Mine had a shower w/ bathtub in one room; the sink and jon in another room. The bedroom was very spacious. The sheets were turned down every night. They even did laundry, which I thought was above and beyond the call...
The food was wonderful. The chef really knew what he was doing. Every meal had a choice of two entrees, two salads, lots of veggies. The have several huge freezers so we had steak, lobster, chicken fish etc etc. Interesting flavors, well seasoned; a variety of cuisines. We had fresh bread and muffins after the 2nd dive every day. The open bar at night was a nice perk, too.
Peter and Alan were both on the boat. Alan saved my trip. I got an ear infection, which I have never had before. It was almost impossible to clear my ears. I was sure that my trip was a gonner, but Alan battered me with all sorts of drops and pills and I was better in a day. I only missed 1 day of diving which I spent pouting in my room, bemoaning my demise. I couldn't believe it when I was able to dive the next day.
Peter is a character. Great with cameras, too.
Anyway, the trip was great.
If you have any time left for more diving, you should try Tawali Resort near Alatau. It is a bit of a hassle to get there, but well worth the trip. You fly to Alatau and then take the resort bus for about 2 hours. The bus is a comfy tour bus with big windows and A/C. The ride is really pretty. One dive I made there was truly the most beautiful I've ever made!
Have a good trip!
