Benjamin Lloyd
Registered
My first trip to Raja Ampat and first time back in Indonesia since a pre-pandemic Komodo trip in December of 2019. July was the only time my two buddies and I could make the trip, so weather be damned, we were going diving. I dived one week at Cove Eco Resort, 7 days with Soul Scuba on Kri, and 5 with Tarzan on Gam. I was on my own for the 2nd half, as my buddies had to depart after 5 days at Soul Scuba. Total dives: 70 (including 9 in Padang Bai, waiting for my buddies to arrive from the US).
Cove Eco Resort (Yeben)
I chose Cove over Raja4Divers based on some comments here and because they were a little cheaper since Saturday transfers are included in their prices. We were all extremely pleased with Cove. Bungalows are nice, clean, with 24hr electricity and air conditioning. The resort staff were friendly and provided great service. Food is plentiful and very good. There were biting flies on the beach but the resort provided spray and lotion and it was no more than a minor annoyance.
We knew it might be windy, and it was. Boat trips were rough, wet, and cold. The guides stood at the front of the boat with a rope to try and keep the bow down but it was very bumpy. Backrolling in was a relief as the water felt comparatively warm. Visibility was not great. Anywhere from 10 to 20 meters. Despite all of this, we enjoyed our dives immensely. It was fishy af, sharks on every dive, mantas at Manta Cove, more wobbegongs than you can shake a big stick at. We usually had the sites to ourselves. Favorite dive sites: Mayhem, Rufus Ridge, Melissa’s Garden. We did 4 dives per day. It was a lot considering the conditions. We felt bad for working the boat crew and guide so hard. But the guide obviously just loved diving, was always enthusiastic, and never in a hurry to get out of the water. My favorite guide in almost a decade of diving. The crew was very flexible and accommodating. After 1 night dive on the jetty we opted for 2 afternoon dives most days. We would go back out in the afternoon to a local site, do a surface interval on the beach and then a 4th. It got us back in time for a hot shower & Bintang before dinner. They even took us all the way to Gam on the last afternoon for another dive at Mayhem and then Mangrove Ridge. 10/10. Would definitely go back.
Soul Scuba & Junior Homestay (Kri)
On Saturday we got up early for the transfer to Kri. The Cove boat dropped us off directly on the Soul Scuba jetty and we immediately filled out the paperwork and hopped on the dive boat. Sunday is a no-dive day for most shops in the area so we wanted to be sure not to miss the boat. I did 21 dives over 7 dive days at Soul Scuba. One buddy had ear problems the first day and unfortunately had to sit out the last 4 days before heading back home. SS is a very popular shop but still has a chill vibe. The boats could get crowded but were well organized. Again, I felt like we got the best guide, a 20 year veteran of Raja. Taciturn on the surface but excellent below it. The wind died down by the 2nd day and visibility eventually increased to 50m plus. From up on the reef at Cape Kri we could see a giant Jack tornado down at the bottom. No mantas but everywhere you looked it was massive schools, Napoleon wrasses, bumpheads, & sharks. Favorite dive sites: Cape Kri, Chicken Reef, Blue Magic. When we hit these sites at the right time, they were absolutely stunning. Better than anything I’ve done in Komodo, Bangka, Maratua, Banda Neira, or Bali. 10/10. Would definitely go back.
We stayed at Junior Homestay. Basic overwater bungalows. Beautiful view across to Gam. Electricity & wifi from 6pm to midnight, or later if they forgot to shut it off. Food was decent. Pretty good variety, always with rice and fish. Not much for breakfast though. Rooms had fans which helped with the heat. If the wind was blowing it got hot. With the wind it was cold. It was quite the fall in standards from Cove but for $35 a night room & board, we had no real complaints. 5 minute walk from SS. No rats. Bintangs available.
Tarzan Diving (Gam)
I probably would have just stayed on Kri if I hadn’t already booked another homestay on Gam and diving with Tarzan. No regrets in the end. Tarzan was quite a bit different from Soul but the diving was still great. I stayed at Yenbainus Homestay, a short boat ride from Tarzan. Tarzan picked me up and dropped me off for 100,000 per day. We dived the same sites but they were well worth repeating. Lao Lao, Sardine, and even Cape Kri were a little underwhelming on the first dive. The 2nd at each was great. For my last dive of the trip, the guide took me to Lao Lao solo. After exploring for a bit we hooked into the top for 25 minutes with the current ripping and just watched the action. Schools of fusiliers feeding, sharks cruising effortlessly, giant travailles busting in hunting. Fantastic last dive. I also did one night dive with Tarzan. We had about 8 people so we took the big boat over to Saporkren for a very good muck dive. All sorts of creepy crawlies, including a flamboyant cuttlefish. Tarzan’s big boat was the nicest that I saw in Raja. Guides were a couple of younger guys from Manado. Since none of the other divers seemed to care where we were diving, they basically let me choose dive sites the last couple days. 9/10.
Overall: July in Raja Ampat? Be prepared for winds…and incredible diving on empty dive sites. Thibault at SS said it was the best time to dive Kri, no mantas but superb vis. Maybe he says that to everyone but it’s the best diving I’ve done. Well worth a couple weeks just diving the local Kri sites. I did Cape Kri 3x, Blue Magic 3x, Chicken Reef 4x, and never got bored. Visibility with Cove wasn’t great but still fantastic diving with a superb crew, I’d love to go back there with better conditions.
Cove Eco Resort (Yeben)
I chose Cove over Raja4Divers based on some comments here and because they were a little cheaper since Saturday transfers are included in their prices. We were all extremely pleased with Cove. Bungalows are nice, clean, with 24hr electricity and air conditioning. The resort staff were friendly and provided great service. Food is plentiful and very good. There were biting flies on the beach but the resort provided spray and lotion and it was no more than a minor annoyance.
We knew it might be windy, and it was. Boat trips were rough, wet, and cold. The guides stood at the front of the boat with a rope to try and keep the bow down but it was very bumpy. Backrolling in was a relief as the water felt comparatively warm. Visibility was not great. Anywhere from 10 to 20 meters. Despite all of this, we enjoyed our dives immensely. It was fishy af, sharks on every dive, mantas at Manta Cove, more wobbegongs than you can shake a big stick at. We usually had the sites to ourselves. Favorite dive sites: Mayhem, Rufus Ridge, Melissa’s Garden. We did 4 dives per day. It was a lot considering the conditions. We felt bad for working the boat crew and guide so hard. But the guide obviously just loved diving, was always enthusiastic, and never in a hurry to get out of the water. My favorite guide in almost a decade of diving. The crew was very flexible and accommodating. After 1 night dive on the jetty we opted for 2 afternoon dives most days. We would go back out in the afternoon to a local site, do a surface interval on the beach and then a 4th. It got us back in time for a hot shower & Bintang before dinner. They even took us all the way to Gam on the last afternoon for another dive at Mayhem and then Mangrove Ridge. 10/10. Would definitely go back.
Soul Scuba & Junior Homestay (Kri)
On Saturday we got up early for the transfer to Kri. The Cove boat dropped us off directly on the Soul Scuba jetty and we immediately filled out the paperwork and hopped on the dive boat. Sunday is a no-dive day for most shops in the area so we wanted to be sure not to miss the boat. I did 21 dives over 7 dive days at Soul Scuba. One buddy had ear problems the first day and unfortunately had to sit out the last 4 days before heading back home. SS is a very popular shop but still has a chill vibe. The boats could get crowded but were well organized. Again, I felt like we got the best guide, a 20 year veteran of Raja. Taciturn on the surface but excellent below it. The wind died down by the 2nd day and visibility eventually increased to 50m plus. From up on the reef at Cape Kri we could see a giant Jack tornado down at the bottom. No mantas but everywhere you looked it was massive schools, Napoleon wrasses, bumpheads, & sharks. Favorite dive sites: Cape Kri, Chicken Reef, Blue Magic. When we hit these sites at the right time, they were absolutely stunning. Better than anything I’ve done in Komodo, Bangka, Maratua, Banda Neira, or Bali. 10/10. Would definitely go back.
We stayed at Junior Homestay. Basic overwater bungalows. Beautiful view across to Gam. Electricity & wifi from 6pm to midnight, or later if they forgot to shut it off. Food was decent. Pretty good variety, always with rice and fish. Not much for breakfast though. Rooms had fans which helped with the heat. If the wind was blowing it got hot. With the wind it was cold. It was quite the fall in standards from Cove but for $35 a night room & board, we had no real complaints. 5 minute walk from SS. No rats. Bintangs available.
Tarzan Diving (Gam)
I probably would have just stayed on Kri if I hadn’t already booked another homestay on Gam and diving with Tarzan. No regrets in the end. Tarzan was quite a bit different from Soul but the diving was still great. I stayed at Yenbainus Homestay, a short boat ride from Tarzan. Tarzan picked me up and dropped me off for 100,000 per day. We dived the same sites but they were well worth repeating. Lao Lao, Sardine, and even Cape Kri were a little underwhelming on the first dive. The 2nd at each was great. For my last dive of the trip, the guide took me to Lao Lao solo. After exploring for a bit we hooked into the top for 25 minutes with the current ripping and just watched the action. Schools of fusiliers feeding, sharks cruising effortlessly, giant travailles busting in hunting. Fantastic last dive. I also did one night dive with Tarzan. We had about 8 people so we took the big boat over to Saporkren for a very good muck dive. All sorts of creepy crawlies, including a flamboyant cuttlefish. Tarzan’s big boat was the nicest that I saw in Raja. Guides were a couple of younger guys from Manado. Since none of the other divers seemed to care where we were diving, they basically let me choose dive sites the last couple days. 9/10.
Overall: July in Raja Ampat? Be prepared for winds…and incredible diving on empty dive sites. Thibault at SS said it was the best time to dive Kri, no mantas but superb vis. Maybe he says that to everyone but it’s the best diving I’ve done. Well worth a couple weeks just diving the local Kri sites. I did Cape Kri 3x, Blue Magic 3x, Chicken Reef 4x, and never got bored. Visibility with Cove wasn’t great but still fantastic diving with a superb crew, I’d love to go back there with better conditions.
