Question Raja Ampat+Komodo? OR Raja Ampat+Halmahera+N. Sulawesi?

[SharkyTimes]

Hello all -- this is my first post!

I'm trying to decide between two possible Indonesia itineraries I've found available in May! I'll be in Indonesia for about 3.5 weeks, all diving. Would greatly appreciate your thoughts.

(A bit about me: intermediate diver, 150 dives, love pelagics/wide-angle/reefs/ currents/fishies. First time diving Indo, previous diving in Galapagos/Palau/ Caribbean/Hawaii/Florida.)


OPTION 1: Raja Ampat on Coralia Liveaboard, then Komodo

• 4 days Raja Ampat land-based at Papua Explorers
• Then 10-day liveaboard on Coralia (all Raja Ampat, including 4 days Misool). 31 dives.
• Then 4-day liveaboard in Komodo

OPTION 2: Raja Ampat Dive Lodge, then Ambai Liveaboard (Raja Ampat/Halmahera/Lembeh)

• 1 week Raja Ampat land-based (at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge)
• 14-day liveaboard on Ambai (from Raja Ampat with 5 days Misool, through Pisang, South and West Halmahera, Tidor, and 2 days in Lembeh). 42 dives.

Which would you recommend? Option 1 includes Komodo, which I'd love to see, tho due to flights has a bit less diving. Option 2 has a nice balance between North Raja Ampat (from resort) and South Raja (from Ambai), plus some remote diving in Halmahera and then Lembeh, but no Komodo.

Rooms for both look great. Ambai would be an upper deck room w windows. Coralia team has been great at communicating, and Coralia looks to be more lux & newer. Cost for both options is about the same, around $9k.

Any thoughts? Thank you!!!
Joseph

(PS: Itinerary maps for both liveaboards are attached!)

 

[Darnold9999]

Did a very similar RA to Lembeh itinerary on another boat and was somewhat disappointed. It was a very good trip, but the diving outside of RA on the trip from RA to Lembeh was not as good as the diving in RA. Reefs that had been reduced to rubble by dynamite fishing were more common than you would want and while there were no other liveaboards on the dive sites there is a reason for that. There were good dives on the trip across, just not all or even most of them. The other issue was the diving in Lembeh. While the guides on the boat I was on were good they were not up to the standard of the local guides - and in Lembeh guides make all the difference. The guides on the liveaboard only see Lembeh once or twice a year whereas the guides in the local resorts live there. Huge difference. Having said all that on your first trip to Lembeh and only a couple of days you will likely see lots of cool stuff! This was my third trip to Lembeh and I stayed another week at Black Sands in Lembeh after the liveaboard so the difference between the guides was immediate and obvious. The Ambia is a good boat and because it is fast you may get a different experience than I did as it has a larger daily range than a wooden boat so it has a wider choice of dive sites.

I would choose the first itinerary, but both would be fabulous. The only issue with the first trip is that the diving in RA and Komodo are similar. I would be planning on doing 4 days in Lembeh rather than Komodo as the diving there is completely different and I really like muck diving. Lots of people will go the other way however.

 

[Centrals]

Which would you recommend? Option 1 includes Komodo, which I'd love to see,

LOVE is above everything!
The Dragon is another attraction.
Have a nice trip.

 

[SharkyTimes]

The only issue with the first trip is that the diving in RA and Komodo are similar. I would be planning on doing 4 days in Lembeh rather than Komodo as the diving there is completely different and I really like muck diving.

Thanks for the very helpful info, @Darnold9999! It is really useful for me to learn that Halmahera diving overall impressed you less than RA, and that Lembeh was better as share-based with local dive guides.

I appreciate the suggestion to go to Lembeh too to diversify the types of diving on this trip! I've only done a few macro dives, but I am thinking of getting a new camera for macro with a couple strobes, so maybe I'll head to Lembeh to try it out. Thanks again!!!

 

[Centrals]

Check the flight schedule first. You really do not want wasting time on transit and some of the domestic airlines are not that reliable. Cancellation is NOT that uncommon.
Give yourself plenty of leverage for the transit especially before the LoB.

 

[Luca Brasi]

I’m thinking of a similar itinerary. What about the testing and Quarantine requirements?

 

[SharkyTimes]

Check the flight schedule first. You really do not want wasting time on transit and some of the domestic airlines are not that reliable. Cancellation is NOT that uncommon.
Give yourself plenty of leverage for the transit especially before the LoB.

That's a great point about flights, @Centrals! I'll be in Raja Ampat land-based before joining the LoB to provide a good cushion in case of delays.

If I go with the Coralia, I'd have 4 or 5 days after the LoB, so now I am thinking of going to North Sulawesi instead of to Komodo for those days, like @Darnold9999 suggested. The flights from Sorong to Manado are much easier than to Labuanbajo, and this would give me an extra day of diving.

Thanks again!

 

[SharkyTimes]

I’m thinking of a similar itinerary. What about the testing and Quarantine requirements?

My understanding is that the Indonesian government no longer requires a PCR after arrival and that Visa On Arrival is also now available from multiple airport. I think you just need a PCR test within 48 hours before flying to Indonesia. There are some really long threads out there on ScubaBoard about exactly this topic. Good luck and maybe I'll run into you in Indonesia!!

 

[Centrals]

If I go with the Coralia, I'd have 4 or 5 days after the LoB, so now I am thinking of going to North Sulawesi instead of to Komodo for those days, like @Darnold9999 suggested. The flights from Sorong to Manado are much easier than to Labuanbajo, and this would give me an extra day of diving.

Northern Sulawesi covers Bunakan, Bangka and Lembeh. Would you be satisfied just to dive Lembeh only?

 

[Darnold9999]

It would for me, but I can dive Lembeh for a week and not get bored