Question RA / Banda Recommendations for December 2022

[Dan]

You are right that @Dan is probably going to one of your best sources of info . One thing I would clarify is that while the southern sites are arguably better, the northern sites (Cape Kri, Manta Sandy etc) are still pretty great. I saw more Mantas in the north than I did in the South in September. I guess there could be spots further north that you are referring to , but in general the diving was still more about fish and mantas than macro/muck. The only macro dives I went on while at Sorido Bay (which is at Cape Kri) were the ones I specifically requested.

Bottom line is that I wouldn’t let north/south marine life differences be the key driver of your schedule. However , December is probably going to be very busy I assume so that might be a reason to go further south if there will be fewer boats there. I have only been to the RA once , but passing comments made by dive staff made it sound like their high season is extremely busy .

The northern sites you mentioned are considered as Central Raja Ampat. The northern Raja Ampat area is around Wayag, which is not much to see other than the pretty topside view of the limestone island formation.

 

[Dan]

The Ondina is actually out of the question because that itinerary is empty. But I actually found a third option on a newer Phinsi called Jelajahi Laut, this and the Neptune One both say they spend a few days in the Dampier Strait (Blue Magic, Cape Kri, Melissa's Garden) and the rest of the time around Misool.

The issue with the Jelajahi looks like the only cabin available is a small split cabin with 2 other divers. This may be a bit uncomfortable for 10 days but I'm not picky. I can't find any info on the Neptune One online but the itinerary is similar, with one less day in Misool and on less day in Dampier.



I found out @Dan is actually on a Banda > R4 LOB right now which would explain his silence. The itineraries I posted above do both "Central" R4 (Blue Magic, Melissa's Garden and Cape Kri are all on there) and then mostly Misool. Would this be enough to cover the main sites for north/south? Or are there more sites further north I should not miss on the longer trips?

Jelajahi Laut itinerary looks good! Go for it! I just have never been on it, neither heard much about it from others.

I have been on Temukira, La Galigo, Pearl Papua, Mermaid 1, Blue Manta, White Manta, Amira. They are pretty good and worth checking on their availability.

 

[Dan]

Nitrox should definitely be a big factor then, I think I found the perfect itinerary - it's on a boat called Jakare which have great reviews. It's a 10 day/9 night trip that covers Central and Southern RA, with Nitrox and few more topside activities which I enjoy.

Yes! The depths & repetitive dives are ideal for Nitrox.

Don’t know much about Jakare, though. Please post your trip report afterwards.

 

[DownUnderwater Dan]

Sorry for delay response. I’m now in Banda Sea, chasing Sperm whales.

View attachment 755886

So awesome!!
I really want to see them!

Is it usual to see them this time of the year?

How close were you able to be with them?

Cheers

 

[SharkSteward]

Sorry for delay response. I’m now in Banda Sea, chasing Sperm whales.

View attachment 755886

This is CRAZY!! Were you in the water with them?? Is the Banda Sea known for sperm whales? How did you even come across these guys? So jealous.

I ended up going with Jakare which is a intimate boat (10 divers) 6 days in Misool and 3 days in Central R4. For some reason they skip Cape Kri though and focus on Blue Magic and Sardines, maybe we can ask for a special detour Is Cape Kri a must dive?

I will post a trip report after. Sad we can't join you for those dates on the Mermaid 2 trip. Another time!

 

[Cali_diver]

It is their migration path and they are heading through right now! Pindito is one of the best boats for seeing the whales because they encourage the crew to keep an eye out for them!!!

Cape Kri is one of the best dives (if there is current) in Central Raja, but Sardine and Blue Magic (manta cleaning stations) are fantastic as well. They are all in the same area so no detour needed.

 

[Dan]

As @Cali_diver said that Pindito is specifically doing this whale & muck diving during the whale migration season. I’m on this boat from Nov 21 to Dec 2. So today is my last day muck diving in Laha, Ambon. Saw Bumblebee shrimp yesterday.

During the search of whales, we sent drone to the pods or water spouts on the surface. We saw Pilot, Sperm & Blue whales.

 

[Dan]

Blue Whale, courtesy of Phillip Hamilton.

 

[Dan]

Pindito chasing Blue Whale

Drone picture was taken by Phillip Hamilton, our Whale lead guide.

 

[Dan]

How close were you able to be with them?

The closest one was about 5m away from Sperm Whales. I’ll post my YouTube video (my channel is Dan Tirto) later when I have a good WiFi in SwissBel Hotel in Sorong on Dec 3.