Question Humidity and sleep in Raja Ampat

[beccaaa]

Hi All

For Those who don't sleep well in high humidity:

I'm looking for advice from those who struggle to sleep in very humid conditions (with no air con).

I'm looking at Papua Explorers, or Papua Paradise over water bungalows as accomodation but am concerned that a ceiling fan will not be enough to help me sleep. I just came back from Fiji and I know I would not have been able to sleep without the air conditioner at Uprising Beach Resort.

I'm used to the dry heat of Sydney, Australia - if anyone can relate and has stayed in tropical conditions with only a ceiling fan can let me know if they were able to rest or if they do not recommend it at all. Is there a resort (mid range) that would be better suited for me? That would help me greatly.

 

[Centrals]

I have no problem to sleep anywhere in SE Asia without AC as long as the room is ventilated and all the window are screened, a mossie net over the bed is an added bonus.
Ventilation is the key.

 

[Pearlman]

In practice although a mesh has many 1000 holes, they completely block the airflow. Likewise with a mosquito net if you typically need the fan at 1 you will need to switch to speed 2 or 3.

I would recommend wearing only a cotton inner sleeveless vest and tiny shorts to absorb the sweat off your back and just live with it. When lounging about I find that the only real solution in humid climates is to go shirtless but it is culturally inappropriate in many places and/or I don’t have the biceps to show.

 

[Centrals]

Speaking from personal experiences.
Mesh does not block air flow and most resort routinely clean it.
No need to turn up the speed of the fan to sleep under a net.
I never found humidity is an issue in all the diving areas that I have been in Indonesia. Never stayed anywhere with AC.
Perhaps I am used to relative high humidity in HK, 90+% is fairly common in April and I do not have AC or powerful fan in my sleeping room. All the windows are screened.

We are all individual so tolerance to humidity/temp is different.

 

[Damselfish]

We're miserable in a hot humid place without AC. So we avoid it. I think many people used to that climate really do not get what it is like for people who aren't.

We once stayed at such a place with no screens either, just mosquito net over bed. We definitely needed to turn the fan up to get any air. This tended to result in the net blowing open and the mossies coming in anyway. I would not do that again.

 

[reubencahn]

I've stayed at Papua Explorers once and Papua Paradise twice as well as other resorts without aircon. Generally speaking, I've found I sleep comfortably during the dry months--for RA, northern hemisphere summer--but less so during the wet months. To be clear, I've never found sleeping unbearable since humidity is always lower on the water than inland. I live in the relatively dry climate of Southern California so am fairly sensitive to humidity. Hope this helps.

 

[scubaozy]

I stayed in papex and slept just fine. There is mosquito net over the bed, I actually do not even remember using the ceiling ventilator. Most of the divers I know are weary of sleeping in an air con room, very easy to get cold and mess your ears. Pondok walls are made of reed, it is a bit pointless to run ac as room would not be very air tight, basically you will be burning fossil fuel to cool the atmosphere.

 

[living4experiences]

If you thought you couldn't bear it in Fiji without A/C, you probably won't tolerate anyplace without A/C. Comfortable, cool, and peaceful rest and sleep is so important for scuba diving. Those of us used to dry heat don't tolerate humidity very well.

 

[Dan]

I'm used to the dry heat of Sydney, Australia - if anyone can relate and has stayed in tropical conditions with only a ceiling fan can let me know if they were able to rest or if they do not recommend it at all. Is there a resort (mid range) that would be better suited for me? That would help me greatly.

I’m a wimp too when it comes to sleeping in hot & humid place without AC with mosquitoes buzzing around. I stayed once in no AC bungalow in Raja4 Divers, Pulau Pef in Dampier Straight, Raja Ampat. It’s a great place for diving, but I just couldn’t get a good sleep, waking up with sweats and buzzing headache.

Raja Ampat Dive Lodge - The Most Diverse Reefs in The World is not far from Papua Explorer. They are a mid range dive resort and had AC bungalows when I stayed there back in 2010.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

My last trip to R4 was pretty hot and humid. Both on the liveaboard and over the water bungalows. It made for some problematic sleep for me. One thing I might consider for my next trip would be a small USB-battery-powered fan.
I have seen some good clip or tripod models that are small enough to justify packing. This in addition to a ceiling fan could be nice as it can be a bit more focused on you. Also, some places are on limited hours of generator power so this could help amend that.