First tropical dive trip ever. Suggestions?

[Snoobles]

Take some Cipro, zpac and upset stomach meds. If you haven't been to another country you may be more prone to Bali belly!!! Also take some gifts for the local kids in raja Ampat! Seasickness pills if you haven't been on a liveaboard. And of course everyone on liveaboards appreciate American chocolate I have had no issue with using any kind of sunscreen anywhere in Indonesia and true hard to find good ones once you are there. It's always nice to email the boat and see if they need anything too from the USA. Personally I am a petite woman and dive in a 5mm with hood and gloves in Indonesia. But if you are used to the cold maybe 3mm works.


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[Jak Crow]

I've already got the meds you've mentioned. So I guess I'm on track as far as doing everything correct so far?

 

[WetPup]

I just noticed your original post that says this is your first overseas trip. Honestly, the best advice I have is "don't stress out too much". Indonesia is a giant clusterfornication. It gets to a lot of first time visitors to SE Asia in general. People say they'll do something - and don't. You're given a time to be somewhere, but nobody else could show up for another half hour or so. Everything takes longer than you're told it will. It's frustrating like you won't believe, but don't let it ruin your holiday. I've seen people who let it really get to them to the point where their trip is ruined. Just accept that things won't necessarily happen as you might expect at home, and take a chill pill

 

[3D diver]

If you're carrying a lot of gear---photo, SCUBA, etc.---pre-registering it with US customs before you leave may help smooth your return. I forget the procedure, but it wasn't difficult back in the 80s & 90's when I used to travel a lot.

Also, if the water temperature is in the mid-70's or lower consider adding some kind of hood to your kit.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'm trying to remember but ya, we might have worn our beanie hoods from time to time. As the dive days go by no matter how warm the water is, you can still find yourself chilly.

Wetpup gave the most awesome recommendation of all.

Take your sense of humor. Yer not in Kansas anymore.

That said, once you're on board, it'll all be good!!

I'm jealous.

 

[rowkzz]

OMG I'm jealous. I'm from Indonesia and I've never dived in Raja Ampat before.

Have fun.

 

[large_diver]

You should speak to a travel medicine/infectious disease specialist. For Indonesia overall, CDC currently recommends Hep A & Typhoid vaccines for most travelers. They also rate malaria risk as moderate....with most of the risk in eastern Indo. There is also apparently a risk of Japanese Encephalitis - a new one for me (mainly recommended for trips of a month or longer....but according to the CDC, may be warranted for shorter trips if spending a lot of time outside). I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV....but I tend to be conservative when it comes to travel medicine. I am taking my first trip to RA next year and will likely take all of these precautions, depending on what my doc says.

Health Information for Travelers to Indonesia - Traveler view | Travelers' Health | CDC

Regarding your carryon stuff. The main thing to watch out for is weight. Some carriers have restrictive policies regarding carry-on weight limits. Some enforce these limits without exception, others are more relaxed. This isn't just the small carriers. When I flew on Emirates to the Maldives last year they had a stated 15lb carry-on limit in economy class. With camera gear, housing, batteries, etc. you can hit this limit very quickly. I had a strategy of putting my camera and batteries in my cargo pant pockets while checking in...but then they did not weigh my carry-on bag at check-in. In the case of Emirates, they seemed to mainly weigh bags of folks who had bags that were overtly bulky. YMMV

 

[3D diver]

Oh...and if you can, check whether the airline/country restricts carrying batteries in your luggage. Once upon a time airlines would sometimes force me to discard batteries before boarding.

 

[FT]

Lovely plans. So envious. Did you check with a travel doctor whether cipro is still the antibiotic of choice for that area of Indonesia? Last time I was in (different areas of) Southeast Asia, the drug of choice was azithromycin. When I needed it, it sure worked.

 

[WetPup]

Please don't take medical advice from anyone on an internet forum. Go and see an actual medical doctor - some anti-malarial drugs don't mix well with other medications. You need your shots at least 4 weeks before you travel, so if you're going in November, make that appointment NOW!