Raja Ampat liveaboard - which boat?

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val&tim

Registered
Messages
27
Reaction score
6
Location
Ariège, France
# of dives
100 - 199
Hello,
We are planning a 10-12 day liveaboard trip to RA in late 2016.

We're not into luxury cruising - as long as we have a private cabin and enough to eat, we'll be happy. The quality of the DMs and crew, small diving groups and decent rental gear are more important to us.

At present we're considering the Ambai, the Ondina, the Seahorse or the Shakti.
We would be most grateful for any advice and trip reports, positive or negative, about any of these. And of course we're open to suggestions about any other boats that you have good experiences of.

Thanks in advance for taking the trouble to reply.
Val and Pierre
 
You'll probably get more responses in the Indonesia forum. I can't give you any recommendations for those boats, but I've been on Mermaid 2 twice in Komodo and it's a great operation from the boat, crew, and food.
 
Thanks dirtfarmer. I hadn't noticed that I stupidily mis-posted this.
Will re-post, hopefully in the right forum!
 
Hi guys!

I guess you can also consider Raja Ampat Aggressor. They have a trip that is approximately in your price range - ‘Raja Ampat’ (10 nights). It includes diving at Central, North and South Raja Ampat.
You can find more information about it on our website: https://divebooker.com/raja-ampat-10-nights-hcz56734

We also have many great deals for liveaboards (https://divebooker.com/liveaboards/specials) but usually they’re for the closest dates.
If you have any questions or need help, don’t hesitate to ask=) you can contact us at support@divebooker.com - or just drop us a line in the online chat at our website and ask all questions.
 
There are 2 boats that I have been on that go to RA and I can vouch for both.

I went to RA in November 2014 on board the MSY Seahorse on a 11/12 day trip. Good boat, great crew and excellent food. One big advantage is that they use wooden tenders for actual diving - they are larger and more convenient than dinghies. The crew will carry your gear to the tenders so that you can kit-up there but if you wish you can also kit-up on the mother boat. Both are easy; I preferred the latter option for night dives because of better lighting on the main boat.

Mermaid I is another superb boat that goes to Raja Ampat. I went on it to Komodo and had a great time.

By the way, your choice of time of the year to visit RA is very good. Mid-October to mid-December is often quoted as the best time to dive there.
 
Thanks Hintermann. We've just booked on the Seahorse!
Mermaid 1 looks lovely but only has 6 day trips going at the time we want to go.
We're really excited about diving RA next year :)
 
From personal experience - the Tambora. Have done 2 trips in a year on this boat and love it. Established and with a proven track record in Indonesian waters Uwe runs a tight ship but a fun boat with a great atmosphere.
 
You'll probably get more responses in the Indonesia forum. I can't give you any recommendations for those boats, but I've been on Mermaid 2 twice in Komodo and it's a great operation from the boat, crew, and food.
Another vote for Mermaid, although we went with Mermaid I . Booked with Mermaid II this November for Komodo .
 

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