Liveaboard advice Raja Ampat

[Diver2fun]

Hello,

I'm trying to decide which liveaboard to choose, probably for October/november 2018 (I know, still a long time away). I would like to include Misool Area in the trip. Is the weather ok around this time? Many liveaboards seem to focus on Raja Ampat in December.

Some liveaboards I've been looking at:
Raja Ampat Agressor
MV Putri Papua
MV Raja Ampat Explorer
MV ****kira
Pearl of Papua

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

 

[chris kippax]

We went on the Arenui for a 13 day itinerary. It was excellent and would recommend without hesitation.

 

[Diver2fun]

Thanks for your reply, while it looks awesome it's 'a little bit' above budget

 

[wildbill9]

We are looking at October 2018, Blue Manta leaves on oct 2th and returns Oct 30th. Like what I am reading but wish there were some reviews here. Have you looked at them? Sounded crazy planning this far out till I looked but many boats are already full. Bill

 

[bqualls]

I did the Raja Ampat Explorer four years ago. Good boat and crew. Not a deluxe boat, but solid and comfortable operation. We went in October and the weather was fine and then some...

 

[Will.B.23]

I was on a 10 day tour on the Aggressor in mid April. Great boat and crew. It is a fantastic place. Diversity abound. Amazing reef dives as well as some epic deep sea mount drops with reef sharks and white tips on a cleaning station. Saw about 7 at one time and a couple of mantas on the 2nd dive. Also diving under the bagans (sea gypsy fishing platforms) with 5 whale sharks, biggest being around 9m smallest about 5m, and a pod of bottlenose dolphins for 90mins. Very cool. The islands are beautiful with rugged look and dense untouched jungle.
Not sure about weather around the time you're looking but yes would definitely recommend without a doubt.

 

[Diver2fun]

We are looking at October 2018, Blue Manta leaves on oct 2th and returns Oct 30th. Like what I am reading but wish there were some reviews here. Have you looked at them? Sounded crazy planning this far out till I looked but many boats are already full. Bill

Blue Manta seems to be almost sold out, and the itinerary includes Ambon, I only want to do Raja Ampat/Misool.

I did the Raja Ampat Explorer four years ago. Good boat and crew. Not a deluxe boat, but solid and comfortable operation. We went in October and the weather was fine and then some...

Sounds good! It looks a bit cramped and it's the most expensive one of the three MV boats, but still quite affordable compared to the other liveaboards.

I was on a 10 day tour on the Aggressor in mid April. Great boat and crew. It is a fantastic place. Diversity abound. Amazing reef dives as well as some epic deep sea mount drops with reef sharks and white tips on a cleaning station. Saw about 7 at one time and a couple of mantas on the 2nd dive. Also diving under the bagans (sea gypsy fishing platforms) with 5 whale sharks, biggest being around 9m smallest about 5m, and a pod of bottlenose dolphins for 90mins. Very cool. The islands are beautiful with rugged look and dense untouched jungle.
Not sure about weather around the time you're looking but yes would definitely recommend without a doubt.

I guess you're talking about Cenderawasih bay? I wish I could do them both but I have to choose, and the Raja Ampat/Misool route seems to be very hard to beat.
Nevertheless it sounds awesome! Right now I think my preferred boat is the Aggressor, they have a photography workshop in Oktober. The boat itself looks very spacy and fit for photography... This report Raja Ampat on the Aggressor Dec 2016 - Scuba Trip Reviews claims the boat is a bit weathered, what did you think of it?

Regards,
Arie

 

[Dan]

Hello,

I'm trying to decide which liveaboard to choose, probably for October/november 2018 (I know, still a long time away). I would like to include Misool Area in the trip. Is the weather ok around this time? Many liveaboards seem to focus on Raja Ampat in December.

Some liveaboards I've been looking at:
Raja Ampat Agressor
MV Putri Papua
MV Raja Ampat Explorer
MV ****kira
Pearl of Papua

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

My first trip to Misool RA was with MV ****kira, 7 years ago. I enjoyed it. Raja Ampat Liveaboard Diving, also Komodo, Alor, other Indonesia in general is a good budget liveaboard. You get good value for your money spent. I went to Komodo twice with them. I even stayed in their Raja Ampat Dive Lodge in Mansuar (2hr boat ride from Sorong).

Pearl of Papua is also a good budget liveaboard. I had a great time with them in Cendrawasih Bay trip.

Misool definitely a good place to dive. Don't miss the Magic Mountain to see Oceanic Manta cleaning station. I've been there 3 times. I saw also sharks & schooling jack fish there. I'll be back there again this November with La Galigo Liveaboard (2nd trip with this boat).

 

[Dan]

We are looking at October 2018, Blue Manta leaves on oct 2th and returns Oct 30th. Like what I am reading but wish there were some reviews here. Have you looked at them? Sounded crazy planning this far out till I looked but many boats are already full. Bill

I would book it if I were you. I wanted to do it ever since I saw this video:
I would like to do the Ambon-Sorong crossing trip, however, Oct 7-17, 2018 is not the right time for most of my 12 dive buddies. We would like to take advantage of the thanksgiving holiday this year. So I ended up chartering La Galigo Liveaboard to fit our schedule.

 

[FairyBasset]

Ive dived R4 on the Info Siren, which is a beautiful boat with a fantastic crew and great food. My friends have dived it on Mermaid and thought that was great. Another friend dives on Damai there regularly. All are safety conscious and a high standard. Try to do a 10-12 day trip to cover north and south, really worthwhile.