Misool Eco Resort

[billt4sf]

Go there! It’s the best dive resort – or ANY resort – that I have been to. All five stars. They run a 1220 sq km (465 sq mi / 300,000 acre Marine Protected Area). Tons of fish, mantas, sharks, …

Several buildings and bungalows are arranged around a lagoon that is open to the sea. Baby (and not-so-baby) sharks swim in the lagoon, in which you can snorkel any time. The bungalows and the restaurant is open-air, befitting the location and the weather. There is aircon over your bed / under your mosquito net at night – but only at night. The dive center is well-organized, with plenty of room to hang your gear and a convenient camera station for each bungalow. The staff is 100% for you, the dive guides (at least ours) was terrific, and I heard no one complain. Boats are easy to get in and out of. Mine had a poor ladder at the start and it was fixed within a few hours of my request. Food was terrific, there is even good wine. The dive sites are usually within a 5 – 7 minute boat ride.

Viz was medium, about 5 – 10 m. Last year when we went through here at this time (November) it was unlimited, and the dives were all epic. This time the dives were merely wonderful. The sea was mostly calm, we never had any issues getting into the boat (and for me, that really says something!) The staff helped me getting my gear on, and I took it off in the water every time – no issues. Beautiful reefs, rivers of fish, sharks, manta rays, …

Its pricey! But take heart – some of your money is being used for ocean protection. OK, all resorts SAY that – these guys actually deliver. They have sponsored several projects in the area (plastic reclamation) and most importantly, research on mantas on Raja Ampat and beyond. Their data contributed directly to the Indo government banning taking of mantas country-wide!

Go there -- you won’t regret it. We'll probably go back in February.

 

[drrich2]

Sounds wonderful. Judging from a webpage with their 2017 rates, the price doesn't look that bad till you realize the dive package is an added expense. How many dives did you find it practical to do, per day and in total? Just wondering how many a person might expect to pack into what might be a once-in-a-lifetime visit. Are the viz. differences trip-vs.-trip you described typical variation? What's usual?

Richard.

 

[billt4sf]

Sounds wonderful. Judging from a webpage with their 2017 rates, the price doesn't look that bad till you realize the dive package is an added expense. How many dives did you find it practical to do, per day and in total? Just wondering how many a person might expect to pack into what might be a once-in-a-lifetime visit. Are the viz. differences trip-vs.-trip you described typical variation? What's usual?

Richard.

Hey Richard,

First a THANK YOU to YOU -- you helped me a LOT a few years ago put together a trip in the Caribbean! Thanks for that.

We did three dives a day -- though actually we typically do two a day at most places. The situation there just supports doing more dives, like on a LOB. One could do four a day, maybe. It's really easy living in the dive - eat - sleep - routine. You go out to the dive sites on a tender - a large rowboat-sized boat with a cover so minimum sun - and come back and shower / eat for each SI. Very convenient. Our dive group was three plus the guide, max is four plus the guide.

I'm not sure what's usual. I did hear them say that what we had viz-wise was typical for this time if year, and that it should be better when / if we come back in Feb. But i canot independently verify that. Maybe others have more experience in south RA.

- Bill

 

[Diving Dubai]

We went in Feb. Vis was really good, I remember that we had at least 20+m of vertical vis. Obviously when the plankton arrives so do the fish. Of all the places I've dived, it was the only one I'd rush to return too. We're not easily impressed.

We took the unlimited dive package, over our stay of 12 dive days, we hit 38 dives.

The pace is normally a 8am dive after a light breakfast, a 11 am dive after a full breakfast, and a 3pm dive after a light lunch an nap. There is always the option of a night dive, or dive on the house reef. We took 1 night dive (the best night dive ever - as they're normally not for us) and the mandarin fish dive (good buoyancy required to hover)

3 dives a day were enough for us, we like to give our ears a break. Some people chose a limited package, dived twice a day and had some time chilling.

I'm a liveaboard fan, but it was nice to be able to go back to your villa to take a nap, read a book etc, or socialise in the public areas. On LOB you don't have so much freedom or space

Our boat (you tend to stay as a like minded group) loved the 2 rank trip, where after the first dive you head to a secluded island for breakfast on the beach and a swim in the lagoon before the second dive.

We took a cheap LOB to Komodo this year, and loved it, but the diving wasn't a patch on Misool. Expensive it may be, but the exclusivity means the environment is pristine with tons of life. The LOB. Who visit get a few bug name sites, but as we found there are some real stunners that the LOB's don't know about or don't visit

 

[Diving Dubai]

I should also add, the dive rate $64 USD single dive is lower than say the Maldives. They do have HP 100's as we as some AL40 for use as Ponys (we got free use ). There is no nitrox surcharge either.

@drrich2 Yes for a once in a life time, do go. You won't be disappointed, you will be unhappy to leave. We chose to break the trip up by having a night in Jarkarta rather than all the flights in one go,

 

[billt4sf]

Their larger tanks are $15/day for 13L. I wish they were 15L.

- Bill

 

[Dan]

Also I like to visit the Tomolol cave, passing through the labyrinth of mushroom like islands & checking out the ancient Petroglyphs about a 90-minute ride from MER.

 

[Dan]

Soft corals there are absolutely stunning. Never saw so much colors underwater elsewhere.

 

[Dan]

Go there! It’s the best dive resort – or ANY resort – that I have been to. All five stars. They run a 1220 sq km (465 sq mi / 300,000 acre Marine Protected Area). Tons of fish, mantas, sharks, …

View attachment 385417

Several buildings and bungalows are arranged around a lagoon that is open to the sea. Baby (and not-so-baby) sharks swim in the lagoon, in which you can snorkel any time. The bungalows and the restaurant is open-air, befitting the location and the weather. There is aircon over your bed / under your mosquito net at night – but only at night. The dive center is well-organized, with plenty of room to hang your gear and a convenient camera station for each bungalow. The staff is 100% for you, the dive guides (at least ours) was terrific, and I heard no one complain. Boats are easy to get in and out of. Mine had a poor ladder at the start and it was fixed within a few hours of my request. Food was terrific, there is even good wine. The dive sites are usually within a 5 – 7 minute boat ride.

Viz was medium, about 5 – 10 m. Last year when we went through here at this time (November) it was unlimited, and the dives were all epic. This time the dives were merely wonderful. The sea was mostly calm, we never had any issues getting into the boat (and for me, that really says something!) The staff helped me getting my gear on, and I took it off in the water every time – no issues. Beautiful reefs, rivers of fish, sharks, manta rays, …

Its pricey! But take heart – some of your money is being used for ocean protection. OK, all resorts SAY that – these guys actually deliver. They have sponsored several projects in the area (plastic reclamation) and most importantly, research on mantas on Raja Ampat and beyond. Their data contributed directly to the Indo government banning taking of mantas country-wide!

Go there -- you won’t regret it. We'll probably go back in February.

It's a beautiful resort. I stayed 2nd to the left end bungalow with stunning view of sunset back in April 2013. Here is their short above water video of the resort.

 

[Dan]

Sounds wonderful. Judging from a webpage with their 2017 rates, the price doesn't look that bad till you realize the dive package is an added expense. How many dives did you find it practical to do, per day and in total? Just wondering how many a person might expect to pack into what might be a once-in-a-lifetime visit. Are the viz. differences trip-vs.-trip you described typical variation? What's usual?

Richard.

It is a bit expensive resort, but you won't be regretted by their service, the beauty of the area, surrounding nature & how they use the profit for Misool Baseftin Foundation to protect the area from over fishing, to recover the loss from overfishing (especially the shark & manta finning driven by the gigantic Chinese market for shark fin soup & medicine) & to keep whatever left coral area from getting further destroyed by the cyanate & bomb fishing.

I applaud Andrew & Marit Miners for:
1. Building the beautiful Misool Eco Resort from shark finner rubbles & trash.
2. Working with local authority to build a no take zone back in 2007 (I think).
3. Putting together rangers to patrol the no take zone area.
4. Educating any fishermen whereabout the no take zone limits are with consequences for violating it in the future.
5. Expanding the no take zone in 2010.
6. Working with liveaboard operators to educate & enforce the coral protection.

Back in January 2010, I was in a liveaboard where we dove near Misool protected area. Andrew with his patrol boat was actually came to our boat & told the captain, speaking with his excellent Bahasa Indonesia, that the boat was anchored in the wrong spot that would destroy the coral reef & pointed where we supposed to anchor.

If you get a chance to stay there, don't miss their evening excellent presentation on how Misool Eco Resort (MER) got built & how your money will be well spent for the good cause. His work paid off. By 2013, the fish biomass count tripled. When I was there, back in April 2013, as I walked from my bungalow to the restaurant, I took a picture of those juvenile black-tip sharks swimming right close to the beach. In a picture frame, I counted 7 of them, as shown above. Back in 2005 I was told that you won't see such thing.

I also met 2 kayakers in MER, Soren Sattrup & Lars Bindholt, who were exploring the Misool no take zone & document what they found in several YouTube videos. One of their interesting video to me is their interview of Hery Yusamandra, project manager of Misool Baseftin Foundation. Hery is a shaft-spoken Marine Biologist, used to work as a ranger in Komodo National Park. I had a chance to meet Hery during one of the surface interval when we're diving in Pulau Yillet area, near the ranger station. Here is the interview: