Nitrox at Raja Ampat?

[Displayed Name]

Hello everyone,
I am booked on a liveaboard at Raja Ampat in Dec. (on the Tiare), 36 dives in 11 days. They have Nitrox as an optional extra and now they want to know well in advance whether we will dive Nitrox or not "to have time to prepare". They make it sound as if choosing Nitrox was an unusual thing, and I don't like asking dive operators to do things they are not very used to do. When you are going to dive 3 to 4 times a day for 10 days, I would have thought that Nitrox was going to be a no-brainer.
Does anyone have an opinion on this one? Is the dive profile in Raja Ampat such that diving Air or Nitrox does not make such a difference, or that air is best ? It will be my first trip to Indonesia and I have no idea about what I will find overthere.
And yes it is still time to switch boat!
Thank you.

 

[Dan]

I’ve been to Raja Ampat (RA) about 7 times. The 8th time will be in January 2020. Yes, Nitrox is ideal for RA as depth will be around 20-30m with 3-5 times diving / day. If they offer Nitrox, take it. You’ll check the % O2 and adjust your dive computer Nitrox level every time before the dive anyway to take care of the fluctuations in the % O2. I saw they were varying from 28 to 34 in some of the liveaboards I’ve been in there in RA.

Back in 2009, on my first trip to RA, the boat didn’t have Nitrox and I wasn’t happy with limited bottom time & being tired between dives. From then on I swore to myself to stick with Nitrox in this kind of diving trip.

 

[peeweediver]

Many on this site have been to Raja ton of times and can opine from more experience. I can only say that from our trip last December we appreciated the nitrox. Never went below 100 ft so depth was not an issue. Did spend quite a bit of time around 70ft or so and that's where nitrox really makes a difference in bottom time. All 20 on our boat dove nitrox. Though many claim it's a myth, wife and I do feel less tired after 3-4 dives a day when breathing nitrox. May just be the placebo effect. My two cents, Raja's dive profile favors nitrox.
Are you concerned that this boat is not proficient with mixing nitrox or worried that if you ask for it, you'll be causing them problems or be the "odd ball"? I'd just ask directly about percentage of divers using nitrox on each trip. "To have time to prepare" hopefully just means knowing each morning what needs to be mixed and NOT having to scramble to find the equipment to blend.
You will love the diving whatever you are breathing.

Rob

 

[chillyinCanada]

I use Nitrox in Raja but then I use it pretty much wherever I can get it .

Sounds like they may have to bring tanks aboard. Make sure they have an analyzer or bring your own.

 

[Displayed Name]

Many on this site have been to Raja ton of times and can opine from more experience. I can only say that from our trip last December we appreciated the nitrox. Never went below 100 ft so depth was not an issue. Did spend quite a bit of time around 70ft or so and that's where nitrox really makes a difference in bottom time. All 20 on our boat dove nitrox. Though many claim it's a myth, wife and I do feel less tired after 3-4 dives a day when breathing nitrox. May just be the placebo effect. My two cents, Raja's dive profile favors nitrox.
Are you concerned that this boat is not proficient with mixing nitrox or worried that if you ask for it, you'll be causing them problems or be the "odd ball"? I'd just ask directly about percentage of divers using nitrox on each trip. "To have time to prepare" hopefully just means knowing each morning what needs to be mixed and NOT having to scramble to find the equipment to blend.
You will love the diving whatever you are breathing.

Rob

Hi Rob,
I am concerned that the boat is not proficient with nitrox indeed, whether it is mixing it, having the right (enough) tanks and analysers, the staff skills... I can understand that they need to know a bit ahead, but they asked me to commit to it now, 7 months before my trip!

 

[outofofficebrb]

I’ve been to Raja 2X and nitrox is definitely beneficial for the dive profiles. It is not unusual to dive it there. Did you book direct or through an agency? I would ask what it is they need to prepare so far in advance and convey my concerns.

 

[peeweediver]

Agree with outofofficebrb. Check any and all reviews for the boat by past guests on how nitrox was handled. Call your booking agent or the boat management and ask very specific questions about past experience with nitrox. We went on an LOB in the Maldives that was supposed to have nitrox, but upon arrival, did not. Did we still have a wonderful time, absolutely. My sense is that you just want to know if you ask for it, they know what they are doing. That's where making sure you analyze each tank makes the difference. Worst case, you choose to dive air because of your concerns. Most dives in Raja on air are better than almost anything else I've done on nitrox.

Rob

 

[Dan]

Nitrox in LOB nowadays is pretty common thing. I can count about 26-28 boats still available around December offering Nitrox as optional or even for free in Search Results

Tiare is one of the most expensive one out there. Unfortunately I have never been on it to tell you more about it. Fortunately you have some good alternatives still available (I think) if you are going on the 12D/11N starting on 21 December.

 

[outofofficebrb]

This link might be of interest to the OP if there are any reservations...These were one of the first hits on Google and I didn't dig any further. Do read the response about grounding reef that someone shared and echoed about inexperience of the crew in general. There was one favorable review in the end.

It sounds like they depend a lot on freelance crew and that has led itself to problems with dive logistics, familiarity with the dive sites, operation of the boat, etc., which has had some safety implications.

It is very surprising for a liveaboard that charges so much. They are in the upper tier of pricing.

Bad experience with Tiare Cruise (Raja Ampat, Indonesia) - Indonesia Forum - TripAdvisor
Tiare liveaboard aground at Banda Sea - Indonesia Forum - TripAdvisor

 

[Dan]

This link might be of interest to the OP if there are any reservations...These were one of the first hits on Google and I didn't dig any further. Do read the response about grounding reef that someone shared and echoed about inexperience of the crew in general. There was one favorable review in the end.

It sounds like they depend a lot on freelance crew and that has led itself to problems with dive logistics, familiarity with the dive sites, operation of the boat, etc., which has had some safety implications.

It is very surprising for a liveaboard that charges so much. They are in the upper tier of pricing.

Bad experience with Tiare Cruise (Raja Ampat, Indonesia) - Indonesia Forum - TripAdvisor
Tiare liveaboard aground at Banda Sea - Indonesia Forum - TripAdvisor

Doesn’t sound good for $6,000+, 12D/11N trip around RA. I can see you would spend that much on crossing trip like Alor to RA or Ambon, or from Puntarenas to Cocos, where the boat would use a lot of fuel.