First Timer Liveaboard in Raja Ampat - Help Needed

[uncfnp]

Thar fruit is available in many countries in SE Asia.
Nothing to write home about it.
BTW, it is an acquire taste so no big deal, like some people prefer spicy food etc etc.

It’s the only fruit I know of that is banned from airlines. An acquired taste indeed!

 

[Centrals]

It’s the only fruit I know of that is banned from airlines. An acquired taste indeed!

It is the smell not the taste.

I am surprised that mangosteen is allowed on board. The stain is very difficult to remove.

 

[JonnieB]

Durian! I know of it but never had it (or smelled it! )

You don't want to...there's a reason it isn't allowed on planes or in hotel rooms

 

[chillyinCanada]

It smells awful but the fruit is creamy and delicious. Or as my father used to say "it's like eating peaches and cream in any outhouse". Of course, you'll want one at it's perfect stage of ripeness for the most luxurious taste and sensation.

 

[pinkpony]

Thank you so much for your reply, I read through your trip report and what a rollercoaster of emotions. I am very appreciative of all the details and insights you provided. It made me do a lot of research into currents and what to do as I did not bring significance to it before. We've been in horizontal currents a few times and did well but this upward downward concept is very new to us.

As to the boat, I read a lot of reviews and settled on Coralia (as this is one of our bucket list trips). Luckily, there were 2 spots open for Coralia Dec 13th-22nd and 2 spots for Jan 24th - Jan 5th, but after reading all the replies I went ahead and confirmed the 9 night trip starting Dec 13th. We are flying from East Coast so planning to do a one day stop in Tokyo and arriving 12th early morning to settle before getting on the boat on the 13th. I am looking at flying with Garuda through Denpasar and their baggage requirements seem confusing. We are thinking of having our BCDs/Regulators/Dive Computers/Cameras in carry on - do you think that would be a problem?

We have DAN insurance and just added their trip protection insurance as well.

We are heading to Raja Ampat in April from the East Coast. I would love to know how you would describe the currents. Im pretty intimidated by strong currents. I plan to ask our dive master to choose non drift sites. Will I miss out on too much by limiting my scope?? Did you wear full suit? Were you allowed to carry knives on the dives? We are flying Garuda from Bali. I too am wondering about luggage requirements...

 

[Darnold9999]

We are heading to Raja Ampat in April from the East Coast. I would love to know how you would describe the currents. Im pretty intimidated by strong currents. I plan to ask our dive master to choose non drift sites. Will I miss out on too much by limiting my scope?? Did you wear full suit? Were you allowed to carry knives on the dives? We are flying Garuda from Bali. I too am wondering about luggage requirements...

Garuda has a "sports bag" allowance. One bag with nothing in it but dive gear will travel free in addition to whatever luggage you get with your ticket. You have to ask for it, and it helps if you can point to the allowance on the web site. Bali to Sorong you will not likely have an issue, but more remote destinations agents may not even know about it.

 

[pinkpony]

Garuda has a "sports bag" allowance. One bag with nothing in it but dive gear will travel free in addition to whatever luggage you get with your ticket. You have to ask for it, and it helps if you can point to the allowance on the web site. Bali to Sorong you will not likely have an issue, but more remote destinations agents may not even know about it.

Ok! This is very helpful. Thank you!

 

[Cali_diver]

Garuda has a "sports bag" allowance. One bag with nothing in it but dive gear will travel free in addition to whatever luggage you get with your ticket. You have to ask for it, and it helps if you can point to the allowance on the web site. Bali to Sorong you will not likely have an issue, but more remote destinations agents may not even know about it.

It can have other stuff in it.. you just have to open it and show them some fins or bcd etc. Then they give you an extra 23kg. We spread our gear around in our bags and they have never not given us the allowance. It can be a pain to have to open the bags so if you can, put your dive gear in the easiest bag to open in the airport check-in line or at least make sure it on top so it is easily seen.

@pinkpony not sure who you are diving with but unless you have a private guide you might not have a choice when diving with currents. Groups tend to be 4 to one guide so unless you are a group of 4 you will have other dive buddies. Hopefully you will be matched with divers with the same interest, if not you may have to miss a couple dives if you want to avoid currents altogether. High end boats try to accommodate everyone to the best of their abilities but lower end boats might be less inclined. This is not drift diving like you would experience in Cozumel. Most ops will try to get you in the water when it is optimal and safe.

I have always worn gloves and have seen people diving with knives strapped to their legs so I think it will depend on the operation. Raja is very warm compared to other Indo locations, but when you do consecutive dives your body temp does go down. I would skip the shorty and just bring the 3 mil. I just dive in skins with a hooded vest and will add a jacket if I start getting cold in Raja. There are a lot of little stingy things in the water so I would keep your legs covered.

 

[pinkpony]

It can have other stuff in it.. you just have to open it and show them some fins or bcd etc. Then they give you an extra 23kg. We spread our gear around in our bags and they have never not given us the allowance. It can be a pain to have to open the bags so if you can, put your dive gear in the easiest bag to open in the airport check-in line or at least make sure it on top so it is easily seen.

@pinkpony not sure who you are diving with but unless you have a private guide you might not have a choice when diving with currents. Groups tend to be 4 to one guide so unless you are a group of 4 you will have other dive buddies. Hopefully you will be matched with divers with the same interest, if not you may have to miss a couple dives if you want to avoid currents altogether. High end boats try to accommodate everyone to the best of their abilities but lower end boats might be less inclined. This is not drift diving like you would experience in Cozumel. Most ops will try to get you in the water when it is optimal and safe.

I have always worn gloves and have seen people diving with knives strapped to their legs so I think it will depend on the operation. Raja is very warm compared to other Indo locations, but when you do consecutive dives your body temp does go down. I would skip the shorty and just bring the 3 mil. I just dive in skins with a hooded vest and will add a jacket if I start getting cold in Raja. There are a lot of little stingy things in the water so I would keep your legs covered.

Ok so I have a good idea of how to pack....thank you!

I am surprised to read about people getting cold in Raja because it is on the Equator. I expected to be able to dive in my bathing suit! will take my full suit or skins for the stingy things.

We are staying at Papua Eco Resort. Yes I expect to be in groups of 4. I will go with the flow, excuse the pun, so not to hold back the group. I am hoping to be matched with divers of my comfort level. Either way I will be staying as close to DM as possible! I dove Cozumel in September which was when I first experienced a strong current. We flew by the sights so fast that I had no time to enjoy what I was seeing, not to mention having very little control over my direction. Hearing horror stories of divers being swept away freaks me out. I absolutely love diving but that darn current throws me off my game.

Thank you for your helpful response.

 

[Cali_diver]

@pinkpony Papua Paradise Eco Resort or another?