combine Raja Ampat with land based location?

[Centrals]

Myself and two other divers are planning on Raja Amat on shore diving and 14 diving days with around 45 dives last week of September and first 2 weeks of October 2022. We can do some longer day trips for some far away areas but plan that after arrival. Night dives can be done on the house reef and no need for a guide.

I am flying in the morning from Taiwan to Jakarta arriving in the afternoon and taking the same night flight to Sorong which arrives early morning. There are ferries ( around 2 hours ) from Sorong to the island at 9am and 2pm where I am staying and will be diving with Soul Divers. My 2 buddies fly out from London and we all meet up in the airport in Jakarta. Air Asia to Sorong and back to Jakarta.

So our last diving day would be 36 hours before we fly back to Jakarta where we will stay a night and relax before flying home so our total trip time is around 17 days. We decided not to do a LOB and also not to dive other areas as we all like to not travel too much once we arrive in country.

If you are planning a trip that routes through Taiwan you need to be aware that tourists cannot enter Taiwan atm and I am not sure if you can transit here as well I will check on that but things will surely change later this year.
Currently rules are when I return to Taiwan I face a 10 day home isolation if I don't have active Covid.

Do you have problem to understand the question the OP asked: Lob + land base somewhere?
What you do/don't or entry requirement to Republic of China are irrelevant in this thread. LOL.

 

[Blackcrusader]

You don’t have to fly to Jakarta. You can fly to Bali (Denpasar) straight from home with some stop over in Singapore / Taipei / Dubai etc. depending on what international airlines you use.

Tourists cannot stop over in Taiwan atm. EVA does have direct flights to Bali now. Travelers transiting through Taiwan are temporarily prohibited.

Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China(Taiwan)-(Updated on 10/5) Entry restrictions for foreigners to Taiwan in response to COVID-19 outbreak

www.boca.gov.tw

 

[Dan]

Tourists cannot stop over in Taiwan atm. EVA does have direct flights to Bali now. Travelers transiting through Taiwan are temporarily prohibited.

Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China(Taiwan)-(Updated on 10/5) Entry restrictions for foreigners to Taiwan in response to COVID-19 outbreak

www.boca.gov.tw

Thanks for correcting me. I was about to find out the hard way for my trip to Indonesia in August, but we ended getting our tickets vis Singapore Airlines (IAH-MAN-SIN-DPS).

 

[Blackcrusader]

Thanks for correcting me. I was about to find out the hard way for my trip to Indonesia in August, but we ended getting our tickets vis Singapore Airlines (IAH-MAN-SIN-DPS).

Yes be very unfortunate to have found out you could not transit in Taiwan. BTW I just looked at booking EVA Air from Taipei to Jakarta and economy checked in baggage allowance is 30kg and hand carry another 7kg.

 

[johnherringre]

For one's first trip to Indonesia, I recommend a Bali/Komodo combination as the logistics are far more simple and topside adventures far more diverse. Bali has so much to do in addition to amazing muck diving. Komodo diving rivals R4 diving. Getting to/from Komodo from Bali is very, very easy and convenient. Just my two cents.

what months are best for this? Is it rainy or cold in Dec/Jan?

 

[Dan]

what months are best for this? Is it rainy or cold in Dec/Jan?

July-August.

See my thread: Question - How to dive Komodo?

Bali & Komodo is about 8 degree south from the equator. So temperature would be about the same all year. From October to April is rainy season. From April to October is dry season with average temperatures would be a couple degrees higher than the rainy season.

Around July-August, average water temperatures in the Southern Bali & Southern Komodo could be in 70-75F due to cold Indian Ocean current coming from winter time in Australia. While in the Northern Bali & Northern Komodo would be constant around 80-82F.

 

[Luko]

what months are best for this? Is it rainy or cold in Dec/Jan?

Dec can still be Ok with a bit of luck and flat seas however forget jan and the bucketloads of rain you'll get in Bali and North Komodo.
On the other hand July is a bit early for Bali where you often have surge in the northern parts as well as in the Lombok strait while the sea flattens down from august on.
The best months I'd recommend for a Bali-Komodo trip would be sept-october : less people in Bali, flat seas, end of Mola mola season and the whole of Komodo north and south is open (conditions in the southern Komodo part can be so difficult in july-august that very few boats go to down to horseshoe bay)

 

[Dan]

I have been blessed with good weather in Horseshoe Bay in June 2008, August 2014 & December 2013. It’s protected by Nusa Kode too.

However Manta Alley is a different story. We couldn’t get there in December 2013. It’s fine when we were there in June 2008 & August 2014. Lots of mantas. That’s the reason I’m coming back there in July/August this year.

 

[Luko]

However Manta Alley is a different story. We couldn’t get there in December 2013. It’s fine when we were there in June 2008 & August 2014. Lots of mantas.

More than 20 boats on manta alley each year in august when I went from 2016 to 2018.
Bubbles and mantas... not really my cup of tea. There are much better places in Komodo for mantas without the crowds (near Gili Banta, around Golden Passage in the morning, etc.).

I have been blessed with good weather in Horseshoe Bay in June 2008, August 2014 & December 2013. It’s protected by Nusa Kode too.

Yep but as you read in the previous posts, it can be very risky going to the southern parts of Komodo in august : one of the posters related his boat almost capsized when they tried to turn to HS bay. Personnally no operation I contacted was able to go south in the 3 years I went in August, for the most they all stopped north of Padar.

 

[Dan]

More than 20 boats on manta alley each year in august when I went from 2016 to 2018.
Bubbles and mantas... not really my cup of tea. There are much better places in Komodo for mantas without the crowds (near Gili Banta, around Golden Passage in the morning, etc.).



Yep but as you read in the previous posts, it can be very risky going to the southern parts of Komodo in august : one of the posters related his boat almost capsized when they tried to turn to HS bay. Personnally no operation I contacted was able to go south in the 3 years I went in August, for the most they all stopped north of Padar.

Gili Banta & Golden Passage are in my itinerary

If the weather is bad during that week, we switch to Plan B