Another Raja Ampat thread

[Mike Veitch]

I did Mermaid II this past march, had a great time, very professional boat, lots of room, especially upstairs, TWO coffee machines (very important) and they are a fast boat as well so that is a good thing. March is a perfect time to go, I wouldn't hesitate saying that MMII is money well spent. Here is my highlight video from that trip

 

[dirtfarmer]

I second the endorsement of the MM2, the crew is top notch, the food excellent, and the 2 expresso machines get put to good use. It's part of that liveaboard charm, having a good cup in the morning as the sun rises over a dreamy Indonesian vista, as you anticipate another day of wonderful diving.

 

[Lorenzoid]

RA remains on my bucket list. Could you RA experts explain what is it about the conditions (currents, temperatures, etc.?) that makes December-April the best season to dive? Most liveaboards seem to do RA during that season, then move elsewhere the remainder of the year.

 

[Zippsy]

Here is a list of all the LOB's in RA. http://birdsheadseascape.com/liveaboards/
You can click through them and see if you can spot the cheaper ones.
A little hint, if they do not list their rates, then they are not cheap! ha ha
Man some of these boats look unbelievable, but you need to be a movie star to afford them!

The Blue Manta (http://www.whitemanta.com/index.php?page=km-blue-manta) is not on that list yet but it s only been operating since December. It's definitely not a budget ship but even B list movie stars can afford it.

RA remains on my bucket list. Could you RA experts explain what is it about the conditions (currents, temperatures, etc.?) that makes December-April the best season to dive? Most liveaboards seem to do RA during that season, then move elsewhere the remainder of the year.

It's the winds and sea conditions (rough surface) that make RA not so nice at that time. It is also that Komodo is at its peak during that same period so most (all?) boat head there or elsewhere. The resorts in the Dampier Strait are able to stay open at the time because the relatively few dive sites in there are a bit protected.

 

[n9643750]

I did Mermaid II this past march, had a great time, very professional boat, lots of room, especially upstairs, TWO coffee machines (very important) and they are a fast boat as well so that is a good thing. March is a perfect time to go, I wouldn't hesitate saying that MMII is money well spent. Here is my highlight video from that trip

Yup, that was amazing. I especially liked the scene where the school of fish (batfish?) suddenly are swept towards the camera.

 

[val&tim]

Thanks for the great film, Mike. We've booked a trip to RA in November and we're getting even more excited after watching this!

 

[n9643750]

thanks for all the consideration folks. Is there any advise out there on how to route flights from the US to Sorong to be as cost effective as possible?

 

[AlMitch]

Singapore Airlines can get you to Manado then it is one direct internal flight to Sorong. So that may be the most direct BUT not necessarily the most cost effective.

 

[n9643750]

Thanks for the help!

all booked on Mermaid II, transiting through singapore and Manado with a week of diving on Lembeh.

 

[AlMitch]

I'm 99.9% sure you will have a trip of a life time!