edpdiver
Contributor
My wife and I just returned from an Indonesia trip, 12 nights on the Archipelago Adventurer 2 liveaboard, followed by 4 days in Ambon at the newly opened Maluku Dive Resort. It was the first liveaboard we had been on, and also the first muck diving that we had done. I think that it was the best diving that we have done, and it was a great trip in all respects.
The Adventurer 2 liveaboard is a great boat, but the best thing about it is the excellent crew. All of the people working on the boat were first-rate, but the dive guides were incredible. The head dive guide, Made (pronounced Moddie), was amazing. He was a great spotter and organizer, and helpful in all respects. The others who worked with him followed his lead, and they were first-rate, too (Bram was another stand-out guide for us). The boat was well-organized, and all aspects of the trip were professional and fun. The diving was throughout a wide swath of Raja Ampat, and it was the best diving I have done. The soft corals and underwater scenic vistas were as good as I have ever seen. I would rate it slightly higher than Wakatobi, which was the best diving I have done previously. Another memorable part of the trip was the manta ray cleaning station on our second day. Also, there were lots of critters everywhere. There were typically 4 dives per day, except for a couple of days with longer crossings, when there were three. The cabins were exceptionally large by liveaboard standards (as all of the other guests who had been on liveaboards said). The food was excellent. The service was great. I look forward to going on this boat again, either through Raja Ampat again, Banda, or Komodo.
The trip originated in Sorong, and ended at Ambon, where we continued our diving at the newly opened Maluku Dive Resort. This was the muck diving part of the trip. It was a lot of fun, although I definitely prefer the Raja Ampat diving overall. That is a matter of taste, of course, and I was glad to have added the 4 days of muck diving. The density of bizarre and exotic critters was incredible.
The trip was arranged by Ultimate Dive Travel Ultimate Dive Travel - Scuba Diving Tours - Scuba Dive Vacation (they booked the whole charter, and also made all of the travel arrangements. They did an excellent job (we have used them many times before).
Here are few photos from the trip.
and the whole set (which I am still adding to) can be found here
Flickr photo set, February 2010 Indonesia trip
The Adventurer 2 liveaboard is a great boat, but the best thing about it is the excellent crew. All of the people working on the boat were first-rate, but the dive guides were incredible. The head dive guide, Made (pronounced Moddie), was amazing. He was a great spotter and organizer, and helpful in all respects. The others who worked with him followed his lead, and they were first-rate, too (Bram was another stand-out guide for us). The boat was well-organized, and all aspects of the trip were professional and fun. The diving was throughout a wide swath of Raja Ampat, and it was the best diving I have done. The soft corals and underwater scenic vistas were as good as I have ever seen. I would rate it slightly higher than Wakatobi, which was the best diving I have done previously. Another memorable part of the trip was the manta ray cleaning station on our second day. Also, there were lots of critters everywhere. There were typically 4 dives per day, except for a couple of days with longer crossings, when there were three. The cabins were exceptionally large by liveaboard standards (as all of the other guests who had been on liveaboards said). The food was excellent. The service was great. I look forward to going on this boat again, either through Raja Ampat again, Banda, or Komodo.
The trip originated in Sorong, and ended at Ambon, where we continued our diving at the newly opened Maluku Dive Resort. This was the muck diving part of the trip. It was a lot of fun, although I definitely prefer the Raja Ampat diving overall. That is a matter of taste, of course, and I was glad to have added the 4 days of muck diving. The density of bizarre and exotic critters was incredible.
The trip was arranged by Ultimate Dive Travel Ultimate Dive Travel - Scuba Diving Tours - Scuba Dive Vacation (they booked the whole charter, and also made all of the travel arrangements. They did an excellent job (we have used them many times before).
Here are few photos from the trip.
and the whole set (which I am still adding to) can be found here
Flickr photo set, February 2010 Indonesia trip
