Going to Raja Ampat

[Sunnypie12]

i will be there January 21-31, 2020. I am staying at Papua Paradise. I will be making my way to Bhutan, to arrive there The second week in March. Any suggestions on diving as I make my way? I’m newly certified and plan on taking more PADI classes and getting in at least 20 more dives before I arrive.

 

[caruso]

I don't have any suggestions but I wanted to mention that every time I see Raja Ampat mentioned on a post I think I'm reading "Armpit".

 

[Darnold9999]

Just let them know your experience and comfort level. There are lots of easy dives that are near the resort. The benefit of the local dives (as opposed to the day trip dives on the other side of the strait) is that you return for lunch after the two morning dives. Also they are not crowded. The day trip dives tend to be the iconic sites like sardine reef cree reef etc and the live aboards and local resorts also dive there. Lots of divers. Not particularly better than the local sites and the long boat ride to get there and back is across open water so nothing to see.

You really won’t miss anything by staying local. Perhaps visit Fam Islands but that is for the hike up to the lookout more than the difference in diving.

 

[Chidiver1]

Lucky. I havent been, but im eyeing this for a trip one day soon I hope. Were you able to get reasonable pricing?

 

[Jim Carbin]

i will be there January 21-31, 2020. I am staying at Papua Paradise. I will be making my way to Bhutan, to arrive there The second week in March. Any suggestions on diving as I make my way? I’m newly certified and plan on taking more PADI classes and getting in at least 20 more dives before I arrive.

Spent 10 days there last January on a liveaboard. It was like diving a post card every dive. Simply phenomenal. You will want do do both big pelagics [lots of mantas - bring a reef hook] and also some "muck" diving, i.e. shallow diving [15'?] for small small creatures [e.g. pygmy seahorses, blue ring octopus, hermit shrimp, just an uncanny collection.

 

[gypsyjim]

Just let them know your experience and comfort level. There are lots of easy dives that are near the resort. The benefit of the local dives (as opposed to the day trip dives on the other side of the strait) is that you return for lunch after the two morning dives. Also they are not crowded. The day trip dives tend to be the iconic sites like sardine reef cree reef etc and the live aboards and local resorts also dive there. Lots of divers. Not particularly better than the local sites and the long boat ride to get there and back is across open water so nothing to see.

You really won’t miss anything by staying local. Perhaps visit Fam Islands but that is for the hike up to the lookout more than the difference in diving.

It is a hike up, but the view is worth the effort.

 

[chillyinCanada]

i will be there January 21-31, 2020. I am staying at Papua Paradise. I will be making my way to Bhutan, to arrive there The second week in March. Any suggestions on diving as I make my way? I’m newly certified and plan on taking more PADI classes and getting in at least 20 more dives before I arrive.

Are you going for the diving or to see the area? My concern is that if you are going for the diving, it's a long journey to an extraordinary area, the underwater magnificence of which is wasted on new divers.

I'm not intending to be unkind. I'm quite sincere. I'd had a couple of hundred dives before my first trip to Raja Ampat and even so, missed some of the finer elements.

The other significant risk is that, if you do grasp the finer elements, you may be disappointed on non-Raja Ampat dives, ever after.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I will 2nd @chillyinCanada. It is amazing diving and my favorite. It spoils a lot of other diving for me and is my gold standard. I have been there twice; I just returned home on Sunday. I can’t wait to go back next year!

I have almost 300 dives and still found the dives to be a challenge at times given the current. On some dives, it was very strong. Some dives required quick descents and negative entries to reach a split point or the whole dive had to be called. There were drift dives; some were slow, some were more exhilarating. Sometimes, there were downcurrents and other times, there were upcurrents. Sometimes there were both following each other within seconds. Knowing how to identify which way it was going and taking cues was critical. We were using reef hooks during many dives and on safety stops where the current was absolutely ripping which brought in some amazing life. Good buoyancy is needed because of the need to often stay low to the reef and behind bommies to protect yourself from the current and to allow you to advance in the current while you fin. It’s also needed to manage those upcurrents and downcurrents. Some safety stops were also done in the blue. All descents are without mooring lines or any physical aids - only a reef for visual reference that may not be immediately visible until you get deeper. Ascents were the same, away from the reef with only a dsmb to mark location. Nothing to hold onto and sometimes in the blue.

Most dives groups in this area are 4 divers to 1 guide and 60 minute + dive times. Good air consumption is recommended or you’ll make your travel and dive companions a little miffed that they’ll have to call a dive early. The nearest chamber is quite far away so any dive accident here is not so forgiving.

I can’t imagine diving here with those conditions while being newly certified with 20 dives and being able to enjoy it for what it is, especially while managing such a high task load and worrying about everything else. However, I am reflecting on who I was as a new diver and maybe it is different for you. My air consumption was nothing close to what it is now after so many dives and my buoyancy is also very different. Air consumption while fighting current is another matter. I don’t mean to be such a wet blanket and to rain on your parade but I really want to ensure your expectations are met with reality and that you are prepared and not disappointed after traveling all that way. It isn’t exactly easy to get to or inexpensive, either. There are some easier dives and you can dive some sites at certain tide times but you wouldn’t be seeing the best of the region if so.

I know that I definitely appreciated the diving here more after diving in other places and returning a second time. If you do end up diving here, it’s amazing and you will love the beauty of it.

 

[gypsyjim]

I am going to observe here that it sounds as if sunnypie12 has booked already, so warnings to put off what most divers see as the dive of a lifetime until more experienced, are a bit of a waste.
I can think of only 1 dive site we visited in Raja Ampat where I think more experience should be required, and that was a site called Manta Ridge, where in some of the currents you could get into serious trouble if you made a mistake.
We saw some divers there from another option, who required 1 on 1 help from their guides, to keep them safe. That was scary to watch.
In my opinion, every other site we visited was pretty easy diving, even if there were currents.
Just make sure you are quite honest with the dive operation about your level of experience, so they can give you a bit of extra training, and help you gain experience before doing one of the more difficult sites
RA was a wonderful experience for all of us. Fantastic diving, extreme beauty both above and below the water!
Enjoy.

 

[gypsyjim]

You will need to post a trip report on the diving in Bhutan.....