Kri Eco or Raja Ampat Dive Lodge?
- Thread starter bqualls
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hello
i live in indonesia and dive in raja ampat regularly. both resorts are near very good dive sites, so location is not an issue. also, both resorts offer small groups and have experience in diving operations. i personally would recommend you dive lodge, specially after hearing all the comments in the area about the owner of kri. if you get a chance, talk to locals and youll see what i mean. this is not the place for me to comment on this. about the transfer: most resorts offer pickups from sorong. but this can be very pricy. i would recommend you to use the ferry from pelabuhan terminal in sorong to waisai. everyday at 14.00hrs for 120,000 idr. the taxi from the airport about 70,000idr. in waisai, you can arrange for your resort to pick you up, or hire a local boat for about 500,000idr.
hope this helps!
enjoy the diving!
chingonazos
i live in indonesia and dive in raja ampat regularly. both resorts are near very good dive sites, so location is not an issue. also, both resorts offer small groups and have experience in diving operations. i personally would recommend you dive lodge, specially after hearing all the comments in the area about the owner of kri. if you get a chance, talk to locals and youll see what i mean. this is not the place for me to comment on this. about the transfer: most resorts offer pickups from sorong. but this can be very pricy. i would recommend you to use the ferry from pelabuhan terminal in sorong to waisai. everyday at 14.00hrs for 120,000 idr. the taxi from the airport about 70,000idr. in waisai, you can arrange for your resort to pick you up, or hire a local boat for about 500,000idr.
hope this helps!
enjoy the diving!
chingonazos
I appreciate your reticence, but I would like to know more about this issue. I've stayed there and formed an opinion but am somewhat curious how local people see things. Feel free to email me privately if you prefer or provide me with somewhere I should go look.
Thanks!
Bali Diver
Contributor
chingonazos/abernat i had heard some things also and would like to know more about this issue.PM me please.
Both area's offer very good diving,see which area offers interests you more,myself it would be the dive lodge
In my mind Raja is really getting expensive and divers being screwed as it is a very good diving area and this could all backfire on them,with the huge amount of money being made,you would imagine the locals would be seeing a huge benefit of it.other liveaboards coming in,reefs being damaged and really think the area has to be managed in a much better way than it is at this present moment of time
Both area's offer very good diving,see which area offers interests you more,myself it would be the dive lodge
In my mind Raja is really getting expensive and divers being screwed as it is a very good diving area and this could all backfire on them,with the huge amount of money being made,you would imagine the locals would be seeing a huge benefit of it.other liveaboards coming in,reefs being damaged and really think the area has to be managed in a much better way than it is at this present moment of time
dcbill
New
can you elaborate on this? I am planning a trip and I want to know these issues first, before I pay. thanks.
Not taking sides on this issue, but IMHO, accurate personal opinions about diving establishments is a good part of what this forum is all about. I'm not talking about one person who has a vendetta or grudge to settle, and posts trash in a half dozen threads. But if there are viable issues to be discussed, I think this is a good place to do it. It can benefit everyone who visits the area, and if certain operators need to sit up and take note of the discussion, that's a good thing. They are free to offer their own opinion here as well. Now, if the above paragraph sounds like I'm trying to draw out some information that is possibly uncomfortable for some to hear, that's correct. So I say just go for it.
Will Rogers
Contributor
Agreed, but we both live in Colorado, evidently the land where no thoughts go unspoken. 
Let's hear it fellas.
Let's hear it fellas.
I've never been to Kri Eco but i have recently stayed at Raja Ampat Dive Lodge (December 2011 spent Xmas there) I was right at the RA Dive Lodge jetty when the Mandarin Siren sank. Could literally see the smoke etc .
My whole family went and that meant extended family as well (about 20-25 of us in total including kids). We basically booked nearly the entire capacity but only about 10 people dove and we took our Open Water Cert there. I can't say much about the dive guides cause we never used their local dive guides etc cause we brought our own dive instructors but while i was there, i did get a chance to get to know them. They're all friendly local guys. Most of them are either from Sorong or other parts of Indonesia. I'm guessin the fact that I am Indonesian also helped with the communication.
The service of Raja Ampat Dive Lodge was very good overall. Since we brought our whole extended family etc, some of the aunts etc wanted to cook and they let us use their kitchen etc and even to create a make shift kitchen at the front of the dining area where the older women of my family could cook etc. They were definitely pretty accommodating but like i mentioned, it may be partly cause we were Indonesians as well. Food by the local chefs was not bad. During our time there, it was buffet style but from what i heard, when there is not as many visitors, it'll be *order* style. Coffee and tea etc was always available.
There was wifi in the dining area though it was pretty slow but they may have changed it. You can also bring your mobile phones along cause there is reception for Indo telephone companies. I'm not sure if Kri Eco has reception.
I particularly enjoyed the stay at the Dive Lodge partly due to the jetty. The amount of stuff you see right under the jetty is amazing. Our dive instructors went for a night dive and shot some photos of a pair of mandarin fish mating. The mangroves around the dive lodge also provide some interesting find. During our stay there, we saw 2 walking bamboo sharks just at the beach front where all the mangrove trees were.
Would definitely recommend RA Dive Lodge but like i mentioned, i have never gone to other RA resorts so i am not sure how the dive lodge compares. One thing for sure is that we've booked our rooms for RA Dive Lodge this coming December again except now, we're goin as AOW holders!
just realised all my writing so far was not answering OP's question. In terms of best local dive sites, i think they're pretty near each other cause you'll have to go by boats anyway but the Manta Spot and Blue Magic spot was not very far from RA Dive Lodge. Im not sure about the surcharge thing but if i remember correctly, it was free for us maybe due to the number of ppl. We practically took up 3 ferries to get the whole family and luggages there.
What ever your choice is, i am pretty sure you'll have a good time at Raja Ampat.
My whole family went and that meant extended family as well (about 20-25 of us in total including kids). We basically booked nearly the entire capacity but only about 10 people dove and we took our Open Water Cert there. I can't say much about the dive guides cause we never used their local dive guides etc cause we brought our own dive instructors but while i was there, i did get a chance to get to know them. They're all friendly local guys. Most of them are either from Sorong or other parts of Indonesia. I'm guessin the fact that I am Indonesian also helped with the communication.
The service of Raja Ampat Dive Lodge was very good overall. Since we brought our whole extended family etc, some of the aunts etc wanted to cook and they let us use their kitchen etc and even to create a make shift kitchen at the front of the dining area where the older women of my family could cook etc. They were definitely pretty accommodating but like i mentioned, it may be partly cause we were Indonesians as well. Food by the local chefs was not bad. During our time there, it was buffet style but from what i heard, when there is not as many visitors, it'll be *order* style. Coffee and tea etc was always available.
There was wifi in the dining area though it was pretty slow but they may have changed it. You can also bring your mobile phones along cause there is reception for Indo telephone companies. I'm not sure if Kri Eco has reception.
I particularly enjoyed the stay at the Dive Lodge partly due to the jetty. The amount of stuff you see right under the jetty is amazing. Our dive instructors went for a night dive and shot some photos of a pair of mandarin fish mating. The mangroves around the dive lodge also provide some interesting find. During our stay there, we saw 2 walking bamboo sharks just at the beach front where all the mangrove trees were.
Would definitely recommend RA Dive Lodge but like i mentioned, i have never gone to other RA resorts so i am not sure how the dive lodge compares. One thing for sure is that we've booked our rooms for RA Dive Lodge this coming December again except now, we're goin as AOW holders!
just realised all my writing so far was not answering OP's question. In terms of best local dive sites, i think they're pretty near each other cause you'll have to go by boats anyway but the Manta Spot and Blue Magic spot was not very far from RA Dive Lodge. Im not sure about the surcharge thing but if i remember correctly, it was free for us maybe due to the number of ppl. We practically took up 3 ferries to get the whole family and luggages there.
What ever your choice is, i am pretty sure you'll have a good time at Raja Ampat.
Raja4Divers
Registered
Hello bqualls
If you still have to decide you might want to have a look at our homepage: Raja4Divers diving raja ampat biodiversity hotspots. Raja4Divers is a new dive resort in Raja Ampat (opened in June 2011).
If you still have to decide you might want to have a look at our homepage: Raja4Divers diving raja ampat biodiversity hotspots. Raja4Divers is a new dive resort in Raja Ampat (opened in June 2011).
Doesn't it seem a little strange about the number of dive boats lost in RA during the past 2-3 years? Both local boats & top rated ones. Depending on area you wish to dive, might just go with a land based resort. (Couple of years ago the boat I was supposed to go on hit the reef on previous trip, & our substitute boat sank on the trip after mine.)
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